I placed the arrow, resting it on the drawstring as gravity tried to pull it out of my hand. I didn’t have many arrows left, so I decided to wait till it was closer and climbing; that way it would be an easier shot, and the climbing tiger would have less time to react. I felt the feathered end again, confirming that the feathers were in shape, that the shaft was straight, and that the arrow was applying sufficient pressure to the string. They had been jostled around a lot on our journey, but somehow seemed relatively intact. The branch we were standing on trembled a bit as the northerly night wind picked up, the leaves rustling like chimes.
“Hey, Shiara, can you try to move onto that other branch slightly above.” Although it was unlikely, I wouldn’t want the tree collapsing under our weight. I gripped the arrow firmly between my fingers fearing that it may accidently slip through them with a fumble. We were too close for a dropped arrow to be lethal.
The tiger slowly pawed its way up the tree, often using the same footholds we had, clawing into the bark. 6 meters. 3 meters. 1 meter! The tiger tensed its muscles, the coloured stripes turning a dark brown and green. I launched the arrow at the incoming tiger as it leapt upwards, momentarily turning into a blur. I unconsciously exhaled as I realised the arrow was on point when the tiger suddenly writhed to the side while mid air, noticing the incoming projectile, as it forcibly stopped its momentum and fell back down. 1*
BOOOM!
“YES!”
“Nice. It’s dead yeah?”
GROOOHHH!!!
“I wish it was.” I really did. The monster rolled over, flipping itself back onto its feet. The arrow had only managed to give the tiger another red stripe. It shrugged off the pain like it didn’t even feel it, and proceeded to glare up at us. I stared back, secretly trembling inside. With only three arrows left, if it seriously continued to hunt us, we wouldn’t last long. But suddenly, the tiger turned away, and with a few light jumps, disappeared in the undergrowth.
“Fuhhh, good job. You must have scared it away.” …or it could be lurking in the shadows.
“Mhmm. We’ll leave it at that. I’m going to take a nap now. Yawwwwn. I’m so tired.” Without even bothering to cover my mouth or unstring the bow, I flopped backwards against the trunk. And having not learnt from my mistakes, I didn’t check for any branches that may have been poking out...ouch, just some loose bark. I ripped it off, leaving the smooth interior to rest on. All the fatigue seemed to hit me, as the myriad of minor scratches over my arms and legs began to sting. Well I’m too tired to care anymore. 2*
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“I guess I will go to sleep to then.”
“Wait, wait, wait! Don’t go to sleep yet! What happens if that tiger comes back or another beast attacks us?”…Looked like her convoy of thoughts followed mine.
*3
“If anything does, we will be dead anywayyys. Yawwww, anyway, if you can’t sleep without a sentry, feel free to stay awake. I doubt you will be able to stay awake, and even then, you won’t be able to keep up tomorroooooooww. Ohhhhh, I’m toooo, tired. Good night tsuuuu.” Sleep, ahhh sleep, the sweet …sleep. Wind…. And ….I miss… you…
….
4*
….
“Daddy! Daddy, teach me how to use this.”
“Hmmmm, shouldn’t you be out with the other girls playing chase?”
“Hi..hicup. They all stopped playing with me.”
“Stopped playing with you?” The man went over, crouching down to wipe his daughter’s crying face. “And why is that?” The man carefully pried the dangerous weapon out of his daughter’s hands. She had been carrying his hunting knife, still stuck in the sheath, facing up. The man proceeded to grab her waist, lifting his little angel in front of him, staring into her teary eyes.
“Huuu…They said that I was too fast. They, they told me to go p-play with the old-older kids. B-but I wanted to p-play and not train. I, I then said that I would run slower, but-but one of the older girls, told me to stop showing off. Daddy, Daddy, I’m not showing off! I’m not showing off right?”
The father patiently listened to his daughter’s outburst. She had always been slightly better then her peers, and even the effects of their family bloodline seem more pronounced. Thoughts of speaking to the other girl’s parents briefly flittered by, but he immediately dismissed it. Parents would normally stay out of conflicts between children. He wasn’t old enough yet to forget how he was as a kid. These small conflicts often could help spur growth and teach children how to overcome similar problems they may similarly encounter later in life. But still, she was only a toddler, so he decided to help out. He couldn’t help but dote on his cute daughter.
“No you’re not. Have you thought about going to play with your brother and the boys?” Reassuring her, he proceeded to suggest a solution, though he knew in his heart she wouldn’t accept it. This would make his second suggestion more likeable.
“Nooo! When they play chase they’re all rough and pushy. I don’t want to get muddy with them.”
Suddenly, not far from the small clearing they were in, a chubby lady appeared in the doorway of a hut. Her stomach still bulged slightly from her recent pregnancy, her offspring; a cute baby girl was peacefully suckling on her left breast. The lady had heard most of the outburst from inside.
The man exchanged looks with his wife, a smile touching his face. Even through the stress of pregnancy, her astuteness hadn’t dulled at all. She had read his mind and came out at the perfect time. He couldn’t help but internally laugh with mirth thinking about how smart his kids would be.
“Then how about helping Daddy and looking after Mommy. You get to watch your little sister-“
The man suddenly cut off, and turned around noticing an intruder. The wife similarly had also shifted her gaze over. A baby maroon fox walked into the clearing. Foxes were not native to this region, and the man only knew of it due to his wide travels in his youth and merchant nature. But what was truly eye catching was the blood trail leaking from its left hind leg. It was also limping on its right front leg, creating a weird dragging hop. It’s yellow eyes looked up briefly before collapsing on it’s own weight. The girl looked at the dying fox.
….
….
Yellow…yellow…yellow eyes…yellow eyes…YELLOW EYES!
I opened my eyes slowly, vaguely remembering I had a dream. As of the contents, it was blank. But what struck me was where those yellow eyes-
A pair of yellow eyes stared at me as I felt a slight weight on my legs.
Ah?
“AH?!”
And then I felt myself slip. I was weightless.