For: DriftingWanderer
Fandom or OC?: OC
Idea: The character Nesrin meeting her tiger companion for the first time(s). I haven't read over this so it likely has a bunch of mistakes but here it is!
The usually bi-pedal female made her way silently through the brush, the left of her large, down-covered ears fixed ahead while the right flickered around, catching the sounds around her. Not that there were many; with the creature, whatever it may be, roaring and crashing about, anything within several miles was steering clear. Nesrin herself didn't make a habit of tracking things that sounded like it would sooner devour her than leave her in peace but these weren't the cries of bloodlust and hunger.
These were wails of pain.
It was harder to maintain a four-legged walk for her than some creatures as her knees bent forwards but her tail helped Nearin to keep her balance, twitching one way then the other as she crept along. The feathers sprouting out over her scalp looked more like leaves, bits dangling in front of sharp, pale blue eyes and helping to camouflage with her earth-colored skin. There was a clearing ahead and once Nesrin paused, processing the sight before her.
What had sounded like a beast of incredible size turned out to be a barely-there tiger, looking to not of even come into adolescence yet. It – she, Nesrin noted with a quick glance – had gotten tangled up in one of the human traps though only partially as it was meant to catch smaller prey. Her right, back paw was twisted up on thick vines while the rest of her stayed free, the pull from the branch strong enough to make her back half lift in the air but not to pull her full weight up. The result left a scared, furious predator clawing at the ground and everything around her, unable to turn and bend in the way it would take to free herself.
Ignoring the tiger for a few moments Nesrin closed her eyes and listened. Though it was difficult to hear over the insolent yowls Nesrin thought she could hear distant humans, their steps heavy from weapons and approaching cautiously.
Opening her eyes again Nesrin stepped out from the brush, rising to her full height. The sudden appearance of something new made the tiger turn its own sharp gaze on her, her low growl heard just over the sound of her panting.
Stepping forward slowly Nesrin let herself breathe, holding the tiger's gaze. In – out. In – out. When there were several feet between them both Nesrin and the tiger were breathing in sync, the animal taking some of her calm for itself.
Nesrin had never tried to commune with tigers before; they were elusive, creatures hunted alone and tended to make themselves known only when going in for the kill. The one before her would just barely be as long as Nesrin was tall with a thinness that suggested a poor hunter.
Stepping forward again, slowly, carefully, Nesrin closed the distance even further between them. Once right before the tiger she crouched, a hand with short, sharp claws at the end of her fingers raised right before the tiger. Though Nesrin knew that once the other could concentrate on something other than its own plight it would have picked up on her scent right away it was more the aura of calm and trust that she wanted to push, to show the tiger that she meant no harm.
The tiger gave several large, noisy whiffs before snorting, her head turning away to look up at her trapped paw. Seeing as they had a truce for the moment Nesrin stood and eyed the vines herself, looking to find the best way to approach it. She's tangled pretty good. If I can cut that one there and then the other, it should unravel, though.
Two sets of fuzz-covered ears flickered as a snap seemed to echo through the brush and Nesrin moved quickly, scaling the tree with hands and feet. The humans were much closer and would be upon them in minutes. Unlike Nesrin they tened to kill first and not bother with questions.
Once to the branch Nesrin crawled upside-down along it, moving as swiftly as if she were on the ground. At the vines the woman withdrew an obsidian blade, looking for the main vine near to the tigers foot before sawing at it. The tiger was getting restless, pawing at the ground and staring in the direction the sound of the humans was coming from but it looked up at her as the first vine snapped, its grip loosening. The second dropped the whole trap and the tiger took off, running opposite of the sound of humans, disappearing into the brush.
When the humans entered the clearing moments later it was to find their trap in pieces and a mix of claw-marks, paw prints and almost human-looking footprints leading into the thick of trees.
~.~.~.~.~
Several days after the incident with the tiger Nesrin was making her way to the river when she caught sight of something curious. What appeared to be the same tiger, from the lean, hungry look to her, crouched on the edge of the riverbank, head wobbling as if she were having trouble holding it up. As the girl watched a large, clawed paw swiped at the running water, sending a wave splashing up. What seemed like a growl of frustration followed before the tiger was still again – at least, as still as she could be with the way she swayed – staring over the river's edge.
Watching long enough to see another three attempts go with no results Nesrin steps purposefully forward, making as much noise as possible. Though weak and possibly ill she had no want of sneaking up on such a powerful beast.
The tiger started at the sound, turning halfway to fix dull, golden eyes on Nesrin before givng a low growl. “You're pathetic, I hope you realize,” Nesrin replied, unimpressed. “Really. Who's heard of a tiger who can't hunt?”
A dark ear flickered in her direction and while the dull glare stayed on Nesrin the growling had stopped. Too much effort to keep up, the girl thought as she moved to the river's edge, over a dozen feet away from the tiger. Slipping into the hip-high water Nesrin wadded out until she was in the middle of the river and stood still, turning to look back over to the tiger. “I feel pity for you,” she called out softly. “So I will help. Do not expect this often, though.”
The tiger continued to watch her but made no move so Nesrin turned her attention to the river she stood in, the water flowing against then around her form, the collection of small, smooth stones under her feet. Nesrin waited, heartbeat seeming to flow like that of the river while the sounds of the brush surrounded her, tree limbs bending under the weight of slender monkeys, their calls low while mating birds sang their shrill, sweet song.
In an instant her right hand snatched at the water, grabbing a blue-scaled fish mid-stroke. Nesrin had tossed it over her head and towards the shore where the tiger sat in the same swift movement and the fish was half-devoured before it even realized it had been caught. The girl caught several more fish in that same way, tossing them over to the near-starved tiger before pausing, glancing over to her. “Satisfied?”
The tiger was licking at her paws and her muzzle, looking both more energetic and sleepy. Nesrin's sigh was almost silent and she made her way the rest of the way across the river, climbing out on the bank opposite of where the tiger rested. She would likely hunt better now that the ache of starvation wasn't driving her to desperate, sloppy mistakes; it was the best either of them could hope for. With one quick glance across the bank to where the tiger had laid her large head between her paws Nesrin stepped into the thick of trees, wishing a silent 'good luck' to the terrible hunter.
~.~.~.~.~
She was being followed.
Nesrin was on alert the first night when she heard the crunch and snap of twigs breaking under the weight of a large creature near. When she caught sight of the familiar orange and black stripes over too-lean ribs she was wary. The tiger stayed far enough away to not be considered an immediate threat, though, slipping off into the darkness after almost an hour.
It happened the next night and the night after that, as well. On the fourth night when Nesrin heard the familiar sound of the tiger's not-so silent steps, she had her own dinner set up – the thick leg of a wild pig she'd caught, cooked over the fire along with some greens and herbs – as well as some set for her guest.
“You may as well come out,” Nesrin called without looking back. On the other side of her small fire was the rest of the pig, uncooked. “I won't be able to finish this all before it rots.”
There was more rustling and while her instincts were screaming to look back Nesrin kept her attention to her meal, picking off strips of meat to roll in the greens to bite into all together. The solid, heavy footfalls behind her grew louder, drawing closer until the tiger appeared to her left, pausing beside her for just a moment before continuing its steady steps to the other side of the fire and the pig. She dropped down before it, her own back to Nesrin as she crunched noisily through bone and tendon, causing the nightbitds nearby to fall silent.
Nesrin finished her meal before the tiger and watched the back of the large creature, her shoulders and head dipping and rising as she ate. “I still don't understand how you could be such a poor hunter,” the girl said and got a ear-flick in response. “Hopefully you're practicing when I'm not around. I won't always be so kind.”
The tiger kept her back to Nesrin, continuing her meal. When she was done she spent some time grooming, rose then walked out into the darkness, disappearing among the trees. “Happy hunting,” Nesrin called softly, rising to her feet to set about cleaning up, putting the fire out when she was done and heading up into the trees to rest.
~.~.~.~.~
Despite her words, whenever the tiger appeared at night Nesrin would have enough food for the two of them to eat. She would speak softly to the tiger as she crunched through her meal and while Nesrin knew the words were meaningless to the beautiful predator it was soothing, somehow, to have another being to talk to.
The tiger would eat, groom and then slink off into the brush, her back to Nesrin and the fire, looking healthier by the night. A couple of weeks into the arrangement at dusk Nesrin was finishing camp when she heard the telltale signs of the tiger, turning only to see that she was dragging zebra along, the creature's neck twisted in a way that made her breath obvious. When the beast noticed Nesrin watching she pause, dropping the leg she had between impressive canines, silently watching.
“So you've brought dinner this time?” Nesrin wasn't sure what to think of the tiger's behavior; she'd never heard of them sharing their kills with any others, save for their own cubs. The tiger seemed to huff, taking up the leg and dragging the zebra closer to the camp before dropping it again. When Nesrin slowly approached the creature only sat, bright golden gaze watching but apparently relaxed.
With several slow, careful steps Nesrin stepped up to the zebra, watching the tiger carefully. She was being watched in turn but the beast didn't growl or bare her teeth. She seemed to be just observing.
Nesrin turned to the zebra, noting the puncture wounds in the neck, the claw marks on its flanks. “This was a expert kill,” she said quietly, looking over at the tiger from where she crouched. The other female simply watched, ever silent. “Well done.”
There was no response; not that Nesrin expected their to be. Drawing her dagger from the leather sheath at her ankle she cut a considerable chunk from one of the zebra's thighs, rising with the meat and stepping back slowly. The tiger, seemingly satisfied, rose herself only to flop down into a better position, jaws locking in on the spot Nesrin had cut to more easily get to the meat left there.
Building a fire and cutting the meat into smaller, more easily cooked pieces Nesrin watched the tiger with some fondness. She was filling out, not so much the half-starved, pathetic creature from weeks ago. Nesrin was just starting to eat when the tiger finished her meal and set to grooming, a rumbling sound of contentment coming from her as she worked. Unlike the other times once she had finished cleaning the blood and gore from her fur the tiger yawned, shook herself and laid her head down, eyes closing.
Nesrin ate quietly, watching the steady rise and fall of the tiger's sides as the fire crackled and popped. “You are interesting, I must say,” the girl murmured. There was a half-flick of a dark ear when she spoke though the tiger herself didn't move, continuing to doze. “I suppose I should stop lying to myself about not tending to you. Even so, if you bring your kill to share I can't complain.”
There was no response, as usual. Shaking her head Nesrin finished her meal and set to cleaning up, taking the meat that she didn't eat to spear and leave over the flames to smoke. “I'll leave the rest to you,” Nesrin said to the tiger, indicating the zebra when one golden eye opened in a slit. A huff was her response and Nesrin checked again that the fire was contained before setting to turn in. When she woke in a few hours she should be able to put out t he fire and store the meat to be used for later.
~.~.~.~.~
Several years after that night Nesrin stood at the edge of a cliff, looking out over the living, thriving jungle. Off in the distance was the human settlement, a sore spot in what would be perfectly lush green. Beside her stood the tiger, fully grown with shoulders that reach to Nesrin's waist, her tail flickering behind her.
“The settlement is expanding,” Nesrin said, voice quiet. “In a few years they'll probably expand to the North River.”
The tiger simply stood, her ears flickering to catch the sounds around them, a silent presence.
Nodding to herself Nesrin turned away from the cliff's edge, the tiger following a moment later. The humans were of no concern to them. They were merely visitors of the brush, skirting the edges and jumping at shadows between the trees. She, the tiger and the other creatures were the jungle, the living and breathing embodiment of it. When the humans had given their final breath the rich greens and rushing rivers will live on, thriving in the way only nature could. Until then...
“It's your turn to hunt,” Nesrin said to her longtime companion, a hand reaching out to trail fingers over the creature's head and partway down her spine. The tiger arched, shook her self and ran ahead, her steps falling on the moist moss and soft grasses, making the footfalls indistinguishable among the other sounds of the brush. In moments it was impossible to tell her form from that of the bending shadows as she stalked for prey.
A slight, content smile turned the corners of Nesrin's lips. Until then, we will live free, together.
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