by Candy Crum
Inside, the animals, even the largest of them, had mild temperaments. The druids didn't have the power to permanently tame every animal within their borders, but they had made the predatory animals aware that they were not to be attacked. It was a mutual relationship—neither bothered the other.
Celine's newest and most favorite hobby was combat training. Nika had been hesitant at first, but she quickly realized that Celine had been correct. She really was a fast learner. Though her body ached more than she’d ever thought possible, Celine had awoken first thing in the morning every day since she'd been here and gone straight to daily training with the other recruits.
It had been a painful experience, though she had received mild treatment in comparison to the others. Even so, she'd learned more than she'd hoped to in such a short timeframe.
Nika was the hardest trainer, other than Elysia, and that was why Celine had been paired off with her. Whatever she hoped to learn would be learned much quicker with someone as brutal and as skilled as the warrior Nika.
Cathillian wandered up just in time to see Nika sweep Celine's feet out from underneath her as she planted her hand in the older woman's chest and slammed her to the ground. She landed with a hard oof, but it didn't seem like any real damage had been done.
"I see things are going well," Cathillian said with a smile.
Celine managed to stick her tongue out at him as she slowly climbed to her feet, stumbling back a bit as she did. "She's rough! What can I say? I've learned more with her than what you taught me."
Cathillian laughed. "Well, forgive me. I had no idea you were quite so serious. Anyone willing to take a punch in the face from Nika is clearly a real candidate. I won't underestimate you again."
Nika stepped forward. "Actually, she's doing quite well, certainly no worse than any of the other new recruits. In fact, she's better than a few of them. That’s saying a lot, considering most of these druids have been training in one form or another their whole lives. They've only recently opted into the truly brutal beatings."
Cathillian's expression turned amused. "Impressive! I'm sure that doesn't sound like a compliment, but it really is."
Nika nodded towards Cathillian while looking at Celine. "He's here asking about you, but I'm kinda curious to know about him. Have you gotten weak, Arcadian?"
Cathillian's eyes widened as he smiled. "Arcadian? Crossing a line now, aren't you?"
Nika laughed as she punched her fist into her flat palm. "I don't think so. I heard how much you like those hot showers. How much you didn't want to come back. Seems to me like you're well on your way to being their newest citizen. Of course, if I'm wrong, I'd love for you to prove it."
Celine watched in fascination as the two bickered playfully. It was obvious they were good friends, but Celine couldn't help but want to see them spar.
She hadn't really seen what Cathillian could do. In the fight they’d been involved in on the way to the Dark Forest, she had been so preoccupied that she hadn't seen a thing.
At that point in time, she hadn’t focused on anything other than staying alive. Watching these two spar—knowing what Cathillian could do and having seen Nika's skill—well, that would be very exciting.
"Let's see what you got," Cathillian said. "Celine, I’m going to borrow your sparring partner for a moment, if you don't mind."
Celine's eyes widened along with her smile, her eyes glistening in anticipation. She nodded quickly. "Yes, of course! I'll just get out of the way. I can't wait to see this."
Cathillian stepped into the ring as Celine stepped out. He and Nika crossed their fists over their hearts, a devious smile playing on both their faces. "You ready for this?" Cathillian asked.
"Am I ready?" Nika laughed. "In all our fights, you’ve only beaten me once. Perhaps you should be a bit more concerned about your own ass."
Celine watched with excitement as they playfully insulted each other, circling and sizing one another up. Without warning, Cathillian quickly drew his dagger and threw it at Nika in one fluid movement. She stepped aside and caught it, having anticipated his attack somehow. Celine's eyes widened as she saw the dagger in Nika's hand.
"Is watchin’ ‘im get ‘is ass kicked part of yer trainin’?" Samuel asked as he wandered over to stand next to Celine.
Celine laughed. "It is right now. There's no way he's gonna beat her. I've watched her sparring with some of the more experienced recruits. She's terrifying!"
In a flash, Nika dove at Cathillian. He managed to dodge her first punch, but not the second. She caught him right across the jaw but he recovered quickly, punching her in the stomach before kneeing her in the face and sending her back several feet.
She steadied herself, reaching up and wiping the blood from her broken nose. Her smile spread as she looked at him. "Anyone ever tell you that you hit like a girl?"
Cathillian was a large man, but all druids were relatively tall. Nika was only a couple inches shy of six feet herself. She had the height, the slender frame, the reflexes, and the training to make her incredibly fast and dangerous.
"Wow, that really looks like it hurt." Celine grimaced. "She just brushes it off like nothing happened."
"If ye keep up yer training, ye'll be able ta do that too." Samuel glanced in Celine's direction and winked. "I think ye'll be quite the warrior, with how determined ye are."
Cathillian conjured a bit of nature magic, sending a gust of wind at Nika as she charged him. She was blown back several feet, but she quickly dropped to the ground and whipped her hand around, a vine springing from the ground and pulling Cathillian's feet out from under him.
Celine shook her head. "That is so badass. I wish I could do half the shit they can."
There was a bit of silence as the pair watched the opponents face off, alternating between hand-to-hand combat and nature magic. Finally, Samuel said, "Do ye really want to?"
Celine looked at him incredulously. "Seriously? Nature magic is amazing. Not only can you defend yourself, but you can heal yourself. If your teammate falls, you can heal him, save his life. I would really like to learn it. Maybe after all is said and done, I will. Why? Don't you think so?"
Samuel momentarily looked down at his hands, staring into his palms as if something were written in them. He placed his hands on the railing of the barrier surrounding the pit before focusing on the fight.
"My people’ve always had a natural suspicion of magic. I was raised believin’ magic was a dirty weakness. If a man can't use his own two hands, he has no business bein’ involved, whether it be because he's too afraid, or he ain't physically strong enough. I've always thought that way."
Celine focused on him, still trying to watch the fight out of the corner of her eye. "By the sound of your voice, I feel like there's a ‘but’ coming."
Samuel smiled softly, but still avoided eye contact. "After Cathillian saved the men in my friend Ren's group, he started takin’ us outside the city ta learn how ta grow trees usin’ nature magic. He said he could sense an affinity fer it in a few of us. Of all the people there, I was one of ‘em.” He shook his head and sighed. “I still can't believe it."
Celine smiled. "If you have an affinity for it, why don't you learn to use it? Nature magic could do amazing things for you. Magic isn't dirty. Well, I see why you would feel physical magic is—seems like a lot of destruction. But nature magic… I've never been around it until now, but it's beautiful. Pure. With nature magic, a family will never go hungry. Will never get sick. If they're injured, they can be healed. I can see why the druids parted ways with the Arcadians. This is a much more peaceful way of life."
Samuel shrugged. "I never thought twice about it. I never wanted ta learn how ta do any of it, and when I found out I had the potential ta learn it, I still had no interest. Not until recently."
Celine glanced from the fighting to Samuel, but he was staring at the ground. She swallowed, not knowing what he meant by that, but curious enough to ask. "Why is that?"
He shook his
head lightly. "A lot has changed. Once again, I have things I risk losin’. I still don't know if I want ta learn or not, but at the very least I'm thinkin’ about it."
There was a loud grunt as Nika kicked Cathillian in the chin before dropping and sweep-kicking his feet out from under him. In a flash, she was on top of him, the dagger at his throat. "I told you that you should be concerned with your own ass."
Celine cheered for Nika before noticing that Samuel was no longer beside her. She turned to find him silently walking away.
***
Consciousness once again found Arryn. Warmth enveloped her, and she found herself snuggling into it even more. When she moved her head on her pillow, she became intensely aware that her pillow had a lot of very warm fur.
She opened her eyes and realized that her head was lying on the mama tiger’s front leg. The female was on her side, one leg under Arryn's head and the other wrapped around her. The cub was still curled up against her chest and abdomen, but now his backside was on her thighs.
"Damn, little guy, you grow fast, don't you?" she asked. His little ears twitched before he lifted his head to see that she was awake. He flopped around until he was on his feet and began crawling all over her and his mama. "Ouch! Those big, fat, kitty paws of yours hurt! It’s like getting punched in the gut every time you step on me, you little shit."
Arryn looked up, but quickly lowered her head again just in time for a massive paw to swat the little guy back down to where he had been laying. Her eyes widened as she looked at the paw—the sheer size of it was incredible.
Unable to help herself, she grabbed the big cat's paw and examined it. If she were to lay it on her face, it would easily stretch from ear to ear and from scalp to chin.
"Bitch and Bastard!" she exclaimed as she looked at it. "These things are huge! You could take someone's head off with one of these monsters. They didn't look that big last night, but then again, I was exhausted and probably not paying close attention."
The tiger pulled her paw away before stretching back out. She extended her front legs as far as they would go before curling them around Arryn and the baby and pulling them into one hell of a hug.
Once she’d finished squishing them, she let them go and pulled her leg out from under Arryn’s head before standing. The tiger straddled Arryn and leaned down to lick her cub several times before raising her head to sniff Arryn's face and lave it a couple of times as well.
Arryn was too confused to say anything or stop her. She wiped her face as she stared into the tiger's eyes. They were a beautiful ice blue, the very color of the ice that encrusted the cave, but that wasn't what had caught her attention.
When those very jaws had been locked around her throat not too long ago, she'd seen just how big the predator was. Now that she wasn't facing death, though, it seemed like she'd misjudged her size, because the tiger’s head looked even larger. Her body seemed bigger as well.
Arryn felt good. Better than good—she felt great. It seemed that sleeping next to the tigers had provided warmth as well as comfort. She felt better than than she had the entire time she’d been on the mountain. For the first time in a long time, she felt like herself.
Arryn placed her hand on the side of the tiger’s face, risking a scratch. She hadn’t used magic on these cats, minus what she'd used to heal the cub. There was nothing stopping the beautiful beast from eating her.
She wondered just how much the animal understood of what had happened. She must've understood a great deal, given that she'd saved her life.
The tiger leaned into her touch and emitted a sound that resembled a purr. "You guys are the most beautiful things I have ever seen," Arryn declared.
Just then, the ever-growing cub pounced on her and put everything he had into a roar. Arryn laughed, unable to help herself. It was the most precious sound she'd ever heard.
It reminded her of wolf pups trying to howl for the first time. They were always so sure it was strong and terrifying, but in reality, their noises were the sweetest things you could hear.
Arryn grabbed the cub and held him to her chest as she stood, scratching the side of his head just under his ears. She looked outside the mouth of the cave and saw the sun shining. The snow had stopped falling, though it looked like it had dropped about three feet during the afternoon and night hours.
At the moment, they were trapped. No food. No easy way out. Every time Arryn had hunted, she had exhausted herself so badly that it would be nearly impossible for her to use magic anytime soon.
She needed more practice with teleportation, but they needed food. It wasn't just her now, and she hadn't used any magic to soothe the big cat to make sure she didn't become a meal.
After setting the tiger cub down, she put her hands on her hips and looked at the mama. If her plan was to work, she would need to be able to communicate with her.
As the tiger glided up next to her, Arryn realized just how big she was. She hadn't stood directly beside her before, and it came as quite a shock. Her back came almost to Arryn's elbow, her head almost to Arryn's shoulder.
Arryn silently thanked the gods for not letting her become dinner, at least so far.
Reaching over, Arryn placed her hand on the tiger’s shoulder, letting just a tiny amount of magic flow through her. "If I can get you out of here, will you be able to hunt?"
The tiger grumbled in response; Arryn understood it as “yes.”
Nodding, Arryn said, "I’ll keep an eye on your cub so he doesn't get lost in the snow, and you track down a goat or a ram. Sound good?"
The animal turned to face her, the expression on her face deadly serious as her lips curled over her teeth and a low growl emanated from deep within her chest. Had Arryn not had the small magical connection to her, it would've sounded threatening. Well, it was still threatening, but not quite so bad. The big cat had more or less told her she would be dinner if anything happened to her cub.
With a nervous smile, Arryn said, "Understood."
Arryn broke the connection and made her way to the mouth of the cave. Conjuring wind wouldn't take nearly as much magic as melting the snow. She needed to retain all the energy she could so she could practice teleporting. Today was the day she’d nail the landing—she just knew it.
If she was going to successfully get off the mountain, she would have to precisely hit her landing every time, or she risked killing herself.
Arryn looked at her hands, then tucked them to her chest. Her eyes turned green as she thrust her hands forward. The snowflakes themselves were light, so light that the snow hadn't packed down. It was like several feet of beautiful white dust blanketing the area.
As soon as her wind hit it, it blew it outward, but it connected with the wind outside the cave, which sent it right back to its original location and beyond, coating the front of her.
The mama flopped on the cave floor not far away, making a sound that struck her as the tiger equivalent of laughter. It reminded her of the cranky old bear, Zobig—the Chieftain’s familiar. He enjoyed watching the suffering of others. She imagined if he’d been human, he’d be a crotchety old man that constantly shook his fist at kids and laughed when people fell.
Arryn shook her entire body to get the snow off. The second time, she stood slightly to the side to ready herself. She thrust her arms forward again, this time blowing the snow diagonally so that when the outer wind hit it, it slammed into the mountain instead of coming back inside.
Stepping outside the now-cleared mouth of the cave, Arryn realized the snow hadn't been as bad as it looked. It had drifted, causing a foot of extra depth in the opening. She addressed the tiger. "This isn't nearly as bad as I expected. You should be able to hunt easily enough."
The mama tiger stood, stretching and shaking herself before heading outside.
"Oh!" Arryn said excitedly, suddenly remembering the risk of the tiger hunting instead of her. "No rabbits. I have a white bunny friend out there. He's been helping me. Please don't bring him back for dinner. Bes
ides, we’ll need a lot more than a rabbit to share between the three of us."
The tiger grumbled before leaving. Arryn felt much warmer today, as though her body was more easily able to regulate its temperature than before. While the mama was gone, Arryn played with the cub. He was so chubby and bouncy she couldn't get enough of him.
She ran around the cave, careful not to slip on the ice, and allowed him to chase her. As she did, an image flickered through her mind again—she could see herself running, but it was from a much lower point of view than her eyes.
Arryn stopped and looked at the tiger cub. Her brows furrowed as she studied him. "Is it you?"
The cub twisted his head from side to side as he stared at her, seemingly unsure of what she was talking about. As she stepped forward and reached down to pet him, another image went through her mind, only this time she was attacking a mountain goat. It was white like most animals in the mountains, but this one had some dark fur around its neck.
It ran, but she roared before pouncing on it, her claws digging into its hindquarters and pulling it toward her. She bit into its neck and shook her head, feeling the goat's neck break as its body went limp in the snow.
Arryn took a deep breath, gasping as she jumped back. "What the hell is happening?"
Arryn took several breaths to calm herself as she sat down. The cub padded across the cave floor and jumped into her lap. He seemed heavy, even heavier than he had been that morning. Curious, Arryn lay down, pulling him all the way on top of her. His backside hit her legs even lower than it had this morning.
Grabbing his paw, she put it in her hand. It was just a bit wider than her hand, and didn't quite reach her fingertips from her palm.
"I could almost swear you've grown since this morning."
Shaking her head, Arryn pushed all thoughts of it aside as she waited for the return of his mother. Within an hour, she had returned. Arryn could hear her trudging through the snow, and she ran outside to meet her.
Arryn's eyes widened as she saw the tiger dragging a mountain goat into the cave. It had dark fur around its neck, a neck that had been broken, and there were claw marks in its hindquarters.
