The Tiger Within

"I am sorry, Moon . I don"t want to make you sad . Please make me safe if it makes you happy . " Raina"s little face beamed happily but her eyes showed her anxiety . She didn"t expect her words to upset the tigress and thought she had . Kyera nuzzled the child"s chest partially to comfort her, and partially to dust the cobwebs of regret from her mind .

"Guards are not infallible . Remember you must be able to defend yourself in case they are not near . " the "or against them" was a mental thought she figured was best not spoken aloud . For now, Kyera would be her buffer against them .

Raina nodded a bit hesitantly . "I am not very good at fighting . " she replied a bit ashamed . Kyera frowned, at her age she shouldn"t feel that way . Any teacher worth their pay wouldn"t discourage such a young student . At 7 she was hardly old enough to be "Good" at the art but a beginner shouldn"t be or it wouldn"t be a treasured art .

"You just don"t have the right teacher . " Kyera replied and Raina laughed .
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"You sound just like Kyera . " Raina"s comment made Kyera tense for a moment . She would have to be more careful for sure .

"We knew each other well in the forest . I had the same teachers all through my childhood . " Kyera replied being carefully honest without revealing the truth . Lying to her just felt wrong .

"oh is that why you can talk?" Raina asked curiously, surprising a laugh from Kyera . She shook her head slowly .

"No, Princess . All animals can talk, but not all of us have a talent for your language . the forest has its own tongue . " Kyera explained as they came to the hall where the bed chambers were . It smelt strongly of sleep . One door smelt as the musky spices of the Prince, but the opposite door down the hall smelt of the princess .

Kyera stopped and tilted her head as another sent caught her nose . Darkness clouded her eyes as she tensed . The smell of blood .

"Go get your father . " Moon whispered . and Raina looked confused .

"uhhhhh…" she hesitated but Kyera used a large paw to usher her down the hall the way they came . Raina finally gave up figuring out what was going on and ran to her father .

Kyera turned back toward the smell, her eyes sharp in the dark as she moved silently . The sound of someone groaning was enough to make her growl . However, the familiar curse afterwords made her sigh . She shook her head in annoyance as she pushed open the door the the Princess" room . The window caught her eye as she followed the smell to it .

A familiar black dressed man was perched in the tree outside the window . His forearm wrapped in black bandages from wrist to shoulder . The smell of blood wafting off of him . Lazren froze for a moment when he realized he had been found .

"Kyera, don"t scare me like that . " he whispered, sounding a bit odd trying to speak forest with human lips . She was use to it by now .

"I speak human in both forms . " Kyera reminded him patiently . His miss p.r.o.nunciations made her wince . It was like listening to a adult speak like a child . Very unpleasant .

"Oh . Okay miss Fancy Pants . " he replied in annoyance, his voice becoming very sing song as he spoke . Kyera rolled her eyes at his sa.s.sing . When would he learn?

"Why are you here?" she asked, deciding not to let him ruffle her feathers . There was no reason to rise to such a tease .

"You asked me to keep an eye on the Princess in case miss Rose decides to send a more willing a.s.sa.s.sin after her, did you not?" Lazren countered with a rather cunning grin, Kyera sighed shaking her head . She reached out in a sudden blur, b.u.mping her soft paw against the outside of the black bandage . He yelped and jerked back at the searing pain in his wrist . He leveled Kyera a glare . "What was that for?" He demanded .

"For calling me Fancy, first off . Second, how are you going to defend her against a a.s.sasin when you can hardly take brushing against my fur?" Kyera replied, stareing back at his glare . He frowned .