The Tiger Within

His words hung in the air as Kyera tried to process what he had said . She sipped the tea, unnervingly quiet for the man sitting across from him . He could feel a stifling pressure in his chest .

"Kyera, I murdered your brothers, though I had my reasons . Not that it is justified . I fought you . I don"t deny it . I have schemed, plotted, and tried to overthrow the village hierarchy . I do a lot of c.r.a.p I am not proud of, but I did not kill Verone . I had hurt you enough by then to go after the only thing you had left . " Kan began explaining, trying to lay everything down on the table . He needed her to believe this, she had to know the truth .
Advertis.e.m.e.nt
Her golden eyes watched him quietly, they were so calm . It was unnerving as he waited for her to speak . She finished her tea and set it back on the table . Kyera leaned forward, her arms balanced on the table .

"I am listening . Tell me what happened that night . " Kyera ordered him, Kan was shocked . He never dreamed she would give him a chance to clear himself . She would never believe his word alone, and he knew n much . There were so few ways go prove this… then he had a realization .

"Kyera, my word won"t be enough . May I show you?" He replied honestly uncomfortable with the notion, but knowing it"s the only way . Kyera"s eyes lit up as she realized what he was offering . She knew at that point he spoke the truth, but she couldn"t turn the chance down . It would be the only chance she had to see Verone once more . She offered him her hand .

Hesitantly, he took her hand and closed his eyes focusing on that night . He felt her soul meld with his and those memories become clear .

Kyera sensed the forests near the Bazaar . The berry trees and the warmth of evening fires . The feel of gra.s.s and leaves beneath her feet . For a moment, she saw the fires of the circle dancing merrily in the night . She willed herself toward them, but instead turned away . For a moment she panicked, wondering who was controlling her, but then remembered this was nothing but a memory, Kan"s memory .

He stalked through the forest in a slow circle, making his way down a familiar path . Kyera"s heart stung as she realized he made his way toward her homestead, where her brothers lay dead . The house was the same as she remembered, the garden better tended than she expected . Kan had made his way to the garden and turned human before the stones . A whispered prayer for forgiveness and a hope for a better life was uttered . She tried to make sense if it but… in the end gave up .

"How dare you come here . " a voice from the past demanded . Kyera wanted desperately to look back but instead, Kan ran . Faster than she herself moved he threw himself into a sprint . His form changed mid stride as the tiger made up more ground .

A river came into view, near the Hawk Drop falls . He was ragged and out of breath staring at the river knowing he couldn"t jump it, when a pan struck his back . He tried to just defend as the pair tumbled and fought rolling on the dirt . She could feel his claws were retracted and he never went to bite . Teeth tore into his shoulder amd Kan screamed in pain, stringing at Verone with a outstretched paw . The force of the blow sent blood spattering from Verone"s chest .