slow updates and there is no schedule at the moment. bare with me as i am trying my best.

as stated in the description this story contains MATURE themes such as violence, strong language, and sexual descriptions that may not be suitable for all audiences. reader discretion is advised.

tigress;prologue

ember

Ember wasn't more than 12 years old when the ambush occurred. She'd spent so much time in the forests that she hadn't realized what was ongoing. Her mother warned her to be back before dusk so they could prepare dinner together. Ember could see the sun making its way towards the west as she hurried back to the village. The only thought rolling through her mind was the scrutiny she would face for arriving late.

'My mother will stop me from going outdoors for a week if I don't return quickly.' She speculated as she ran through the spacious vegetation.

Ember could see the outline of the village with its populous buildings and felt a sense of relief as she started to slow down her pace to enter. Shortly upon arrival Ember realized that something was off. The streets were vacant and it was eerie. Typically there would be children running around with parents rushing them to go inside and get ready for the night. The street markets would be getting ready to close as vendors stored their merchandise for sale the next day. Instead, it appeared stagnant, as if time had paused from the moment she left a few hours prior. Ember was puzzled but continued to investigate her way throughout her village.

Ember paused in front of her favorite seamstress store that she and her little sister visited often. She was shocked to see that threads, needles, and cloths were still left on display from before her departure. The owner, Mrs. Ebelle would not keep the store open beyond 6 and Ember could assume that it was well past that now. The feeling of uneasiness was amplified by the mute village as she continued towards her home. The path she had taken many times before was filling her with dread and hundreds of thoughts scattered through her mind as she continued to wander.

Where is everyone?

I couldn't have been gone long enough for everyone to have left.

But everything looks the exact same from before, nothing is missing....

Something about this doesn't feel right...

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Ember continued to ponder until she could see the contour of her home. It should have given her a sense of comfort but instead, she felt panicked by the appearance of the missing front door, shattered windows, and smoke erupting from the back of the house. Her mother had most likely started to prepare dinner, but that doesn't explain the damage to their lovely home. Ember felt the need to inspect the smoke from the rear of the house but didn't make it far when she heard a collection of voices yelling. 

She quickly hid behind some hedges that her mother did her best to upkeep. The black soot had travelled through the air and Ember felt the urge to cough as it engulfed her, but suppressed it much to the dismay of her lungs.  Ember's fight or flight response was telling her to leave and run towards a neighboring village but curiosity got the best of her as she wanted to figure out where her family and the rest of the town went.

"I have another daughter out there in the woods!"

Ember loudly gasped hearing her mother's sweet and serene voice shouting and causing up a storm. Oh, how she longed to leap out of the shadows of the bush and run into the familiarity of her arms, but it didn't appear to be the best plan of action.

"We cannot leave her out there, she'll-" A heavy blow and a gut-wrenching scream followed.

Ember flinched at the sound and could feel a tear ride down her cheek. She was trembling with fear and didn't know what to do. Different thoughts about the situation ran through her mind and she couldn't bring herself to move, paralyzed with fear. The sound of footsteps and shuffling near the front of the house brought Ember out of her temporarily paralyzed state. She wanted to see what was going on and make sense of the situation. Silently Ember peered above the side of the bush and was shaken by the scene in front of her.

A small hurdle of men was gathered in the front of the house with a carriage. They wore imperial and royal clothing which confused Ember even more, why are nobles in her village? Their looks contrasted with her preconceived notions of royalty, they were darker and had a nefarious aura to them. One, in particular, had maroon painted on the tunic that made them stand out from the rest. These were not the genuine and kind nobles she had learned about.

On the ground, Ember could see her father, mother, and little sister all tied up with their hands behind their back. Fear was painted on her mother and sister's faces but her father appeared enraged. She had never seen this level of outrage on his face before. It remained silent until the nobleman instructed the trio to enter the back of the carriage. Ember's sister and mother obliged and were seated silently in the back. Her father on the other hand remained kneeled. The nobleman shortly waited for him to follow his family but grew annoyed with his antics.

"You. Get in the carriage now." Their demand was short and their tone reeked of annoyance.

Ember's father persisted to be stubborn and did not acknowledge the man. The courtier became annoyed and suddenly kicked the side of the father's abdomen causing him to fall sideways on the ground wincing in pain. The mother and sister could be heard screaming and pleading for the mercy of the father. Another nobleman was quick to shut up the duo and make them stay quiet in the carriage. Ember's father turned to face the group of royals before speaking,

"Taking us away won't make you a powerful leader, you're a bastard who deserves to be assassina- "

A single gunshot erupted from the front of the carriage. The noble in maroon had pulled out a handgun and shot the father in the head. Screams were heard from inside the carriage as the mother and sister wept the murder of the middle-aged man.

Ember was frozen with shock and horror. She had just witnessed her father get murdered execution-style, right in front of her eyes. The maroon nobleman ushered the rest of the courtiers to pick up and displace the body. The blood and brain matter stained the ground where Ember's father had laid.

They were beginning their departure and all of the courtiers had entered the carriage but the maroon nobleman remained. He was studying the area surrounding the house and slowly traced his eyes towards the sector of the house that Ember was hiding behind.

She had forgotten that she was still peeking over the bush and suddenly they had made eye contact. She could see his dark hazel eyes pouring into her soul. They had little to no emotion for the situation that had occurred moments earlier. It startled Ember that someone could be so emotionless after taking someone's life, especially someone that mattered so much to her. 

He appeared exceptionally young and ruthless. Dark chestnut-colored hair of medium length framed his chiseled face surprisingly well. Light tan skin that had begun to glisten with sweat from the summer heat. His downward-turned lips were slightly plush, a wonderful combination of red and pink that complimented him well. Her eyes trailed to the splatter of deep red that stained his clothes.

Ember was brought out of her faze when he suddenly narrowed his eyes on her. She couldn't even process much else as her body spurted out from behind the hedge. She didn't look back once afraid of what she might meet.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

She had to have been sprinting for over 20 minutes before her body grew tired and was on the verge of breaking down. The off-white gown she was wearing had become riddled with dirt and other compositions from the woods.

Exhaustion was written all over her body as she sat down on a pile of leaves. The moon had started to set across the horizon. Light was only illuminated by a small pond a few meters from the young girl. She could feel her eyes start to close but a small noise had brought her out of her drowsiness.

It sounded similar to an animal but Ember wanted to confirm this. She got up from her position on the leaves, she was still shaken by the sprint she'd done earlier. Her heart was still blaring through her chest when she had made it to the location where the noise echoed through the woods.

Ember was met with a white shivering feline that couldn't have been more than a few days old. She believed it was a kitten, but upon picking the cat up she realized it was of a larger breed. A tiger, she assumed.

It tore at her heart to see the infant creature so close to the brink of death. The feline was visibly malnourished and unkempt. Ember felt a sudden need to take care of the cat and keep it protected.

"It's okay little guy I got you." She whispered while gently petting them in an attempt to quiet their cries.

Ember stood up from the ground carrying the baby tiger in her arms. They drifted further into the woods, towards the opposite side of the river into the night.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.