Like a Tiger

Chapter 1

     As I slowly drift back into consciousness, I rub my eyes. With squinted eyes I open the blinds of 

my window. I've slept through the night but it had felt like months. As I walk clumsily 

downstairs, I trip over my cat."Teighan?", I shout. No reply. My anxiety starts to sky rocket. 

"Teighan?!", I shout once again. Still no reply. I search around the house, no one. I start to panic,

 my hands begin to sweat, my mind races. I sit on the couch, trying not to faint. After a few 

minutes I hear the front door creak open. "Hello?", I yell. No reply. I slowly tiptoe toward 

the door, hoping they don't hear me. "Is someone there?", I ask subtly. My heart starts to race as I

 hear footsteps and whispers that are not mine. I grab my knife out of my boot and walk closer 

toward the door. "Boo!", she yells as I slice my finger open. "Teighan, I told you not to do that!", I

 shout angrily. I suck the blood off of my finger before realizing our loud arguing eventually

 brought my baby sister to wake up from her nap. As she screamed and cried for me to come

 rescue her from the bars of her crib, I swiftly shifted across the hall to her room. She stopped 

crying the moment she laid her eyes on me. "Mama!", she shouted toward me. I pick her up and 

sway her around gently. "I'm not your mom. S-i-s-s-y, I'm sissy." She stares blanked faced at me

 and shouts, "Mama!"again. I sigh and carry her to the kitchen. I sit Layla in her high chair at the

 table. "Teighan, get down here, it's breakfast time!", I shout. Teighan shouted from the distance 

"I'm coming!". She comes downstairs as I serve berries and squirrel. There wasn't enough

 squirrel to feed myself so I just ate some berries. I never tell Teighan when there isn't enough for

 me. I usually come up with an excuse like "I ate some already." or "I'm not that hungry.", so she

 doesn't feel bad about not sharing. After we eat, I take Teighan and Layla outside to the lake 

near the cabin to wash up. I wash myself at night while they sleep because I'm self 

conscious of my scars. I told Teighan that the cat had gone wild on me and scratched me up so

 that she doesn't know I have a breaking point. I'm supposed to be the strong, big sister, no one 

can know I get weak. Who would take care of my sister's when they feel down if I feel down too?

 That's right, no one. Which means I have to stay strong throughout this journey. Once they are 

cleaned up, we go hiking to hunt for our next meal. "It's your turn to catch it, Teighan.", I say with

 a smirk. She scowls at me, "No need to remind me!", she shouts back. Teighan hates hunting.

 She is still too young and innocent to understand that we need to kill animals in order to 

survive. "Sissy, I found a coon!", Teighan shouted from the woods. "Catch it!", I yell back.