Hunted- Old and unedited!

Two

The tiger woke up but didn’t open his eyes. He relaxed in the few seconds of consciousness before being fully aware. He blinked his eyes a few times to get used to the bright sunlight before beginning his trek again. He had slept a day and a half. It was now late morning and he had to be getting on his way. He picked his way through the trees, listening for any sign of danger. He often lifted his nose into the air to make sure no one was following him. It was hard going and he was struggling against hunger, exhaustion and pain. He had begun to climb a rocky slope and just as he reached the top he slipped and fell. Landing with a thud, he lay on his side. All he could hear was a high pitched noise in a constant wave of pain. He was fading from consciousness but the last thing he saw was a large dog running into view, followed by a small group of two-legs.

He awoke a split second later. Panic settled inside of him and he unsteadily gained his feet. In an attempt to flee he bounded up the slope. He reached the top and as quickly as he could he ran into the forest. His muscles ached and he didn’t know what was happening. It was as if his body was acting of its own accord. He was dazed and was having trouble navigating. He slammed into a tree and stumbled side-ways but he continued to flee, for his life. He tripped over his legs as he came to a hill and rolled down it. His breaths were ragged and uneven. He knew he couldn’t gain his feet again so he closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to grip him.

His sub-conscious mind could feel his paws being bound with a strong vine. He could smell smoke which told him he was in a two leg camp. He could hear shouting and cheering. He could tell he was in a box of some kind. Perhaps a cage? He thought to himself. Sharp objects poked him through the holes of the cage. Not hard enough to leave a mark but hard enough to hurt. He rolled over and made a small growling sound in his throat. The tiger saw something in his sleep, the image of another tiger. An old tiger, a very old tiger. He recognised the tiger immediately as he had been told stories about him all his life. The tiger was Sapienti; the tiger of understanding, wisdom and communication. Sapienti was sitting down surrounded by swirling darkness. Flecks of light dotted the sky above him like stars but otherwise nothing else was there. Sapienti stared directly at the tiger before he spoke. His voice was beautiful and melodic, filled with the harmony of nature. It was deep and rolled off of its owners tongue. “You have been brave, but now you must braver. Listen carefully and you will begin understand. Now rest as you will need your strength young warrior.” The image shattered like glass leaving only small shards of memory to the tiger.