Survivor

Chapter 6

After Nikita saw Ruby sitting by the gate, she jumped off the tree and walked back to the wooden box.

She was still tired and now she could stretch out. Settling on the straw she turned around, so she was facing away from the entrance. She could imagine that last night had been quite a shock for Ruby, but she didn't think it had been that bad for her. Especially since she just wanted to help Ruby. The only thing she got in return was a kick in the head. Next time, Nikita would just leave her in the thunderstorm and continue to sleep in her dry box. She hadn't even really wanted to scare Ruby. At first, she had just wanted to drive her away, but after noticing that the gate didn't open anymore, she decided to take Ruby into her box. As a jaguar, she had no choice but to use her teeth to get Ruby to come with her. Nikita had never intended to harm the red-haired woman, but she probably didn't understand that because she had screamed bloody murder. Only when she was in the box had she calmed down a little. Nikita had laid down in front of the entrance and let her back get soaked, just so that Ruby didn't run into the storm again and got hit by lightning.

In hindsight, Nikita wondered why she had helped Ruby in the first place. She was selfish, not caring. Just a few hours ago, it could have killed her if she hadn't permanently acted out of self-interest. She hadn't benefited from the whole thing in the slightest.

Nikita was woken up a couple hours later when a large piece of meat landed on the floor with a dull thud. Jack had opened a small rectangular opening in the fence and pushed it through. She looked after him briefly before walking to her breakfast. It was the first meal in days, as the workers had fed the jaguars irregularly to make them even more aggressive. Trying to get the blood off her muzzle, Nikita pushed her head into the grass.

She spent the rest of the morning on her tree, watching the people who lived here. Around noon, some of them got into the jeeps and drove away, all the others got inside at the hottest time of the day. Ruby didn't come back since she had disappeared in her trailer earlier. It seemed like Nikita had scared her more than she originally thought.

After a long sunbath, she got up and trotted to the large tub filled with water to drink something. She bent over the low rim and took a few sips when she suddenly felt a strange tingling sensation. It started in her front paws but spread all over her body in seconds. Confusion flashed through her, which was quickly joined by fear when suddenly her front legs gave out and she fell forward into the tub. Panic shot through her veins as her head was completely submerged in the water and she couldn't lift herself up again, neck and shoulders feeling numb.

The tub was about thirty centimeters deep as it also served the purpose of cooling down. Out of nowhere, her hind legs also failed, which only made her slide further into the middle of the tub. Her body began to shake violently. An overwhelming nausea overcame her, while her stomach tightened painfully. In panic, Nikita opened her mouth, head still underwater, as her lungs began to burn. However, out of pure instinct, she didn't breathe in, even though her body was screaming for oxygen. With all her strength she tried to move her legs, but nothing happened. A cramp hit her whole body and she squeezed her eyes shut as pain surged through her.

Suddenly, she realized what was happening. These were withdrawal symptoms. Nikita hadn't received the serum last night. Her nervous system was overrun by signals that she hadn't felt for over four years and her body wanted to shift, more than anything else. The need was so overwhelming, it felt like she was being torn apart. Black dots appeared in her vision and the burning of her lungs became hellfire. She didn't know how long she could suppress the reflex to inhale. Pure panic spread through her. Her heart was racing, the sound of her blood rushing in her ears nearly deafening. Nikita could knew she was about to pass out and drown.

She nearly overheard the muffled shouting, panic taking over her every thought. Suddenly, two hands grabbed her hind legs. Then her body was pulled out of the water, onto the grass. Nikita coughed, spitting out water as she laid on her side, greedily sucking in air. With every breath the burning of her lungs becoming a little bit less agonizing. Even when Ruby bent over her, she didn't move a muscle. She was too exhausted to do anything.

Ruby looked at her, her face tight with worry. She stared at the soaked, heavily panting jaguar lying in front of her.

"You scared me so much, I thought you were dead! Why did you have your head under water for so long?"

Nikita didn't react. Not that Ruby expected anything else. She reached out for the big cat, but hesitated before her fingertips could touch the golden fur. When the jaguar coughed again, she jerked her arm back, startled by the sudden movement. She didn't dare to examine the big cat as long as she wasn't drugged. Not even if she almost drowned. Just getting into the enclosure again was dangerous enough, Ruby really didn't want to test her luck any further. After a few minutes, the jaguar moved and tried to stand up, which immediately caused Ruby to take a few steps back. She was already turning around to quickly get out of the enclosure when she saw how the big cat managed to lift herself into a sitting position, swaying.

Nikita's entire body hurt as she struggled to stand up. The withdrawal was getting stronger, she felt miserable and awfully weak. After a few attempts, she managed to sit up. Her legs were shaking under the effort to hold her body and she had started panting again. Suddenly, her front leg gave out and she fell on her side with a groan. The world was spinning, and she had no sense of balance anymore. Another violent cramp made her curl herself up into a ball, a tormented sound slipping out of her throat. She only briefly registered the shocked gasp from Ruby. Nikita dug her claws into the ground, breathing through clenched teeth as the pain took over her body.

Then, from one moment to the next, the world was plunged into darkness.