The new student (Warren x oc)

35

Tiger.

It looked towards me as my head lifted.  A low hiss coming through the air.  It made some of the others stir.  A tiger could kill any of us.  I got up slowly, trying to keep the big cat's attention on me and not the others.  It worked a bit too well.

The tiger lunged, though I was able to avoid the claws coming my way.  The growl that came in response to that definitely woke the others up more.  “Woah, that's a Bengal Tiger.”  Layla noticed quickly.

There was a low growl from Draven.  “That doesn't matter now!”  He hissed.  I looked around quickly.  A rustle in the bushes nearby drew my attention.  A quiet little sound appeared as well.  It sounded like a little kitten on top of it, too.

The tiger noticed where my gaze went.  Growling and trying to lunge once more.  It clipped my shoulder this time, but any cut would already heal quickly enough.  I moved to the bushes with the tiger following.  There was a tiger cub.

It had matted blood along its side and seemed to have a limp.  The tiger didn't try to lunge again, likely due to how close I was to her cub.  She needed food for her cub to heal.  But the injury seemed older already.  Any movement towards the cub resulted in a growl from the mother.

“Do you think you guys can distract the mother for a little bit?”  I called over to the others.  There was a pause before any kind of response.  Which came in the form of vines growing between the mother tiger and myself.  Great idea, Layla.

I heard another growl.  Draven.  He must have turned into another tiger as a longer distraction.  Now, I could try to help the cub.  It was scared of me, of course it was, however.  I bent down slowly.  Hushing the cub gently to calm it down.

“It's okay, little one.  I'm gonna help you with those injuries, okay?”  I spoke softly.  Gently bringing my water out.  Though it would definitely be easier holding the cub.  I made a little hole in the ground, pouring some water in for the cub.  Making sure the water stayed put for a little bit.

The cub went to the water carefully.  I let the little one have a drink before gently picking it up.  Which did earn a little hiss and biting my hand.  Which I should have expected.  Though it didn't hurt terribly.  “Easy there.  Just a few moments.”  I said gently.

I let the now familiar feeling pass through me.  I'd never done this for an animal, though.  The kind of hollow feeling stayed for a bit longer than normally.  Though the cub seemed to stop trying to bite me now.   That was good, at least.

A growl got my attention again, however.  Oh, right.  Mother tiger.  I took a breath, making sure the cub was comfortable.  “Okay, you guys can back off if you're able.”  I called out.  Coming back into view of the mother.  Earning a harsh growl as expected.

I showed her the cub gently.  “See?  All good.  He's okay.”  I responded softly.  Lowering the baby to the ground.  Backing away quickly.  The mother tiger came to her cub, licking its side for a few moments.

Moving away carefully, I motioned for everyone to back away slowly.  It was quiet for a few moments, and someone tripped at one point it sounded like.  It was hard to tell who it was.  After we got what was hopefully far enough away, everyone got to sit back down.

“How were you awake, Luna?”  I could hear Zach ask.  I took a breath.  “When a large predator is nearby, even the bugs fall quiet.  The total silence woke me up.”  I responded.  Which seemed to be a good enough answer.  As Zach, for once, didn't have another response.

A couple yawns went through the group.  It was still kind of late.  I turned on the comms set.  “Is anyone awake back in the ship?”  I asked, trying not to yawn again.  There was static for a few moments.