“Do you have a child, Saber?” Doka inquired and Saber turned red and looked away.

It was a touchy topic and Fauna never really understood why. There had been tigresses practically throwing themselves at him. Even Zara had once offered to mate with him but he always turned them down. He always said he wasn’t ready. Ready for what exactly?

Fauna didn’t get what the big deal was. He didn’t have to do much. Just have sex with someone, then move on like it never happened and after the woman gave birth, she also moves on with her life until the Healers agree that she can carry another child.

“I don’t. I mean, I want to, but –”

“You do?” Zara looked up from the food which was now a pile of bones. “That’s amazing. It’s almost mating season. We could make the second strongest tiger in the clan. The child would have to know you’re the father though because you’re the leader so, they’ll have to lead. Amazing!”

Saber turned even redder. He was a tomato at that point. Fauna watched him with furrowed brows.

“Saber?” She leaned over and touched his shoulder. “What’s the deal with you? You get weird and flustered every time this is brought up.”

Doka looked at Saber closely, then at his partner Penny. The two of them shared a look before they smiled widely.

“Saber dear,” Penny called out calmly. “Could it be that you actually like a tigress and don’t just want to breed with, but to be with her?”

Zara was taken aback. She stared at Saber, then Penny, then Saber again. She shook her head. It was impossible. Tigers didn’t do affection. But what if the bears were right and they did?

Fauna was surprised. She thought of every tigress in the clan. Zara was the only one he was close to and he had refused to have a cub with her. He talked to Hailey occasionally, but she felt he tolerated her more than he liked her. It just didn’t make sense.

Saber however stiffened. He felt as though he couldn’t breathe anymore and he hated the way they were all staring at him, waiting for him to say something. Why were the bears so interested in their lives anyway? He didn’t have to explain anything to them. They were different and after the full moon, he hoped he wouldn’t see them ever again.

The air was too tense. He needed to breathe. He needed to get away. Was it suddenly hot? He could swear it was.

Saber couldn’t bear it anymore. He stood up and walked away from everyone, leaving them baffled.
Fauna was the most confused. She kept staring until he disappeared out of sight, his orb of light with him. She turned to the bears who were sharing a knowing look she couldn’t decipher.

“Should we go after him? I feel like we should follow him.”

“I don’t think he likes us much.” Doka pointed to him and the other bears and Fauna nodded. Fair point!

She turned to Zara, expecting support, but the young tigress was clutching her stomach and breathing heavily. She stared longingly at the remaining piece of meat on the table, but Fauna didn’t think she could reach for it even if she wanted to.

“I really shouldn’t have eaten all of that.” Zara let out a loud groan followed by a belch, then she started laughing.

Fauna sighed and picked up the small bit of meat. She threw it into her mouth before she got up. It was up to her then. Saber was practically her brother and she had to make sure he was okay.

He went that way. “Zara pointed straight ahead. That was past the lakes. Fauna had never gone that far.
She nodded and moved away. Her eyes caught Lyle and he stared expectantly at her, but she shrugged. He nodded as though he understood what was going on. He probably did. She continued onward in search of her friend. The temperature had dropped and she could see her breath whenever she exhaled, but she wasn’t cold except for the parts of her body where her cloth didn’t cover.

Some bears who were on levitating tables waved at her as she passed and with a tight-lipped smile, she waved back. She walked fast because she didn’t want to lose Saber’s scent. She rubbed her palms together as she did so, her eyes squinted as she tried to look beyond the illumination of her hovering orb.

Where was he?

“This isn’t really a good time to play hide and seek, you know? It’s cold out here and your cotton clothing isn’t exactly the best for the weather,” she called out.

She looked around. There were lots of rocks and very few trees. The huge empty space was dark and cold, but she wasn’t giving up on her friend. She eventually found him and he let out a deep exhale when she did. He was leaning against a rock, his back to her and he didn’t even move to acknowledge her presence.

She walked over to him and touched his shoulder as she tried to sense his emotions. He wasn’t angry. He was confused, and hurt… Slightly frustrated.

She sat beside him on the ground, her legs stretched out before her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. He didn’t even move. He just continued to stare into the dark distance, thinking about dragons know what. She didn’t want to force him to talk, so she said nothing.

To occupy herself, her mind wandered to the kiss she shared with Lyle earlier that day and she cracked a smile. She wasn’t completely sure what love felt like, but it had to be what she felt for Lyle. There was just no other explanation.

“I always learnt that we had to mate just to continue our species,” he finally spoke, snapping Fauna out of her sweet, sweet memory. “It never made sense, and it still doesn’t. We tigers are always running from something. We’re always fighting, never making friends… Just existing.” He exhaled deeply and Fauna rolled her tongue in her mouth before she spoke.

“Well, things are different now. True, there’s the looming threat that’s Ari, but you have friends now. There’s Zara, Bone, I know you and Ryker are friends and even though you say Kali is annoying, he’s still your friend. Then, there’s Hailey.”

“I don’t know… I think Zara is the only one I’ve talked to often. Ryker is way too paranoid, it annoys me. Kali is practically scared of everything. Hailey is okay but she’s almost hostile and –” he shook his head. “That’s not even the point.”

Fauna who still had her head on his shoulder reached out and placed her palm over his. He looked down at their palms, then stared back into the distance.

“The thing is… What the bears said – I just – I never wanted to have a child that would be dumped with the Healers. I know they do a good job, but I just imagined that I…” He was flustered and he was finding it difficult to get his thoughts together. Fauna could hear his heartbeat. It was faster and his palm was moist despite the cold.

“Stop trying to ease my feelings.” His voice was monotonous and she offered an apology which he didn’t respond to. “How does one know when they’re in love?”

She was taken aback by the question. She let out a brief breathy laugh as she thought of what to say. Did Saber really have feelings for someone? Was Penny right? Fauna couldn’t believe she never thought of it. She was so close to Saber, she should have been the first to notice it.

“I don’t really know,” she admitted. “Lyle says you just –”

“I don’t need advice from Lyle,” he snapped. He sounded hostile and Fauna pulled away from him. What was with him?

“I don’t get you, Saber.” She shook her head. “Lyle has done nothing wrong to you. You’re not even willing to give him a chance. He’s sweet and gentle and jovial and very kind.” She defiantly crossed her arms as she scowled at him, but he let out a low growl.

He growled at her!

The action was in no way terrifying and even if it were, Fauna knew that Saber could never, ever hurt her. She knew he would rather die that let harm come to her, but it hurt her either way. He had never growled at her. He had never shut her out before, and it seemed like he was doing that now.

He was tense and his body language was hostile. For the first time since she caught up to him, he turned his violet eyes to her. They didn’t hold the care and love she was used to. Instead, they lacked emotions. What did she do to annoy him? What did Lyle do?

“You don’t even know that you can trust him!” He snapped. “For the love of all things green, Fauna, you just met him yet it’s always Lyle this, Lyle that, Lyle, Lyle, Lyle. I get worried out of my mind searching for you and everyone is like ‘don’t worry, she’s just with Lyle. All your free time is spent with him, it’s like you’ve totally forgotten why you are here.”

“That’s not true.” Her voice was small and cracked. Tears gathered in her eyes. He was yelling at her and Saber never yelled. Not at her. Not even when she almost accidentally poisoned him.

“Alegra, do you remember her?”

“Of course!” She thought of her best friend all the time. She wanted to train. She wanted to morph and she wanted to go back and fight Ari. She wanted to save her people. How could Saber think she had forgotten all about that?

“How about Lord Bruce, my father? The man that risked his life for you. Or Bone? Or your other friends? How about me and Zara that are here with you? Do we even matter to you? We have to mingle with different werefolks and you know how difficult that is for us. Heck! We can barely even stand our own species, but you don’t care. You can adapt and you have Lyle. Who’s Zara? Who’s Saber?”

She had had enough. He wasn’t being fair. He wasn’t. True, she was distracted most of the time and she was a bad friend for not asking them how they were holding up, but every other thing was untrue. She didn’t abandon them neither did she abandon her people. She loved the tigers. They were her family. They were her home.

She got to her feet and started to walk away, but she stopped and shook her head. She couldn’t. She turned back to him, ready to give him an earful.

“What do you want from me, Saber? Apparently, I’m this reincarnation of a dead goddess or something like that,” she counted on her fingers, “my father tossed me out when I was barely a day old, my mom is dead because of me, I have a mate and friends I never knew I had. Do you think it’s easy for me? I have to train tirelessly so I can fight and defend your people, our people! And you know damn well that I hate violence.”

She did. It was also another reason she didn’t really enjoy meat. She hated the thought of violence and death. It made her sad.

“Now, the man that calls himself my father suddenly wants me back and I have this feeling that something is wrong. I can feel it in my bones, it makes me want to roar, but I cannot quite put my finger on it. It’s maddening. I almost killed a man, Saber! I almost killed someone and you looked at me as though I’m a monster tha-”

“That’s not true. I don’t think you’re –”

“Don’t bloody lie to my face, Saber,” she screamed at the tiger and he looked to the floor as he fiddled with his fingers.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry. I just… We used to be inseparable but now, it’s like you don’t look forward to spending time with me anymore.”

“Well, I’m right here, aren’t I?” She gestured to herself. Her breathing had picked up. She was mad at him. How dare he think she abandoned her people? However, she also missed him and didn’t like the idea of fighting with him.

When did they become so complicated? When did they forget how to properly communicate?

“Are you?” He challenged as he looked up at her as he stood. “You’re here but he’s all you can think about.”

Fauna ran her hand through her hair in exasperation, then she pulled at it. She wanted to scream. She wanted to hit him. Why was he being so damn stubborn?

“What exactly do you want from me?” She folded her arms and repeatedly tapped her feet against the ground.

“I want to be the reason you give that goofy smile. I think I’m in love with you and I want you to choose me!” He yelled, but froze the moment he realized what he said.

Fauna’s jaw slackened as she stared at him. She found her heart racing and her breathing heavy as the wheels in her head spun rapidly, trying to come up with something to say.

Saber loved her? It made no sense. They were practically siblings. He always regarded her as his sister. There was no way he could… Right?

“Sabe-”

He shook his head and ran his fingers through his long, already scattered hair. He looked and felt extremely torn apart, and it hurt Fauna. She cared about him deeply. She reached out to touch him, but he took a step back, then another, then another.

“Saber, please let’s…” The words died on her lips because he turned around and took off, leaving her cold and confused.

~~~

Well, that was a lot!

The bad news is we're almost done with this story.

The good news is there's gonna be a sequel!! YAY!!!

Remember to vote and comment ❤