T.CTo unlock the heart

To unlock the heart

The city bursts into laughter, with one word. the morning broadcast is often amusing in many ways, every cheetah is the same, easily amused, I act like everyone else, but really my heart tells me something else. I am the same but different. Is that possible? School starts at the end of every broadcast. Usually I can't wait, but today I am nervous, because it is the day we get our bracelets. They determine the rest of our lives. The most common bracelets are the stones, feathers and teeth. The least common is the key, but the fact that it is uncommon is good, because if you get the key, you will be kicked out of the city. I wonder, if the key was more common, would it be a good thing?

My body shakes as I enter our cave. My mother is crying over the fire, she has obviously heard the bad news. I got the key, my father is the leader of the city and it is heartbreaking for him to hear he will have to exile his own daughter. I sit next to my mother to comfort her, or maybe I sit next her so she can comfort me. As night rolls on I become more aware that it is not a dream like I had hoped, it's real.

Paws aching, hungry and tired I walk on. I was exiled early in the morning while my family was still sleeping, I now have to find my own way in the wild. Trees are everywhere, and there are lots of strange voices speaking around me, the cold wind is enclosing me in a cocoon of ice, until I can barely feel the warmth I used to have. After many hours I reach a waterhole. As I drink I see my reflection. I am pretty in ways, my bright yellow fur and my black dots cover my face. I can see the cheetah in me, a wild, but kind animal. I don't remember deciding to cry, but I am. I blink the tears away the tears and when I look back I see I am not alone.

A tiger stands behind me. his teeth are bared, and his eyes are blazing. I turn and look at him, his eyes enchant me and my key turns hot. I look down at my wrist and see that it is also pink, I look back up as I hear him start towards me. His teeth are no longer beard and eyes calmer,purring happily as he corners me between two trees. When he stops he speaks,

"Who are you?", I don't want to admit it, but I don't have name. But what am I supposed to say?

"I don't know." he doesn't question me but looks confused.

He smiles, or what I think to be a smile and I try to smile back, I look at his chain, a padlock, I may not know much about tigers, but I do know this got him exiled.

Everything fits together now, my bracelet goes with his chain.I lift my paw and slip my bracelet off. Hesitantly I push the key into its place. The chain and the bracelet both disappear. They had brought us together, that is all they were there for. The two things we didn't want, had brought us together. I look at him, strong and bold. His eyes beckoning me closer. I have heard that when something bad happens something good will come out of it, I just have to believe it. He starts to walk away and without a second thought I follow.