The Year of the Tiger (Book 3 of The Almair Series) (Completed)

Chapter 17

A/N: So, there was this family of strays living in front of my house: a mama cat and her six babies. I counted the number of kittens, making sure that they were all there when I found out that one was missing. I looked around, found her under some chairs, got her out, and she started to have a seizure. That freaked me out real bad. My dad called the vet, and we gave her some syrup, which didn't really. So, on Saturday, we took her to the vet to get her checked out, and she had a seizure there. And the vet said that it would be best if I placed her down. I disagreed and said I would give her the weekend and give her medication. She had a couple of more seizures on Saturday and then two early Sunday morning. After that, she did not have anymore. We took her to the vet on Tuesday after Labor Day for a recheck and decided to keep her. On Thursday, we took her to the vet, and she got her first shot, and I can stop one of the medications. She is doing just fine and is healthy and happy. (My older cat, Kensie, hates her. Topher doesn't care.) I swear to god that the kitten is a spaz.

Anyways, her name is Musichetta, and she will be going to the vet again in 3 wks for another shot and to see if we can't start cutting back on the other medication. (The vet asked if I wanted to do it Thursday, and I was like, ermmmm, I want to wait a couple of more weeks.) If ya'll want to see a picture of her, you can see it in my book called 'Look Through My Eyes' Chapter 28, part 2.

Anyways onto the chapter. Peace out, Fluffy Munchkins

~Rissa

Update on Musichetta in 2020: Musichetta is actually a he. He is off all of his meds and has not had a seizure since then. He is three this year.

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"Shardul," I said, nodding my head to the leader of the Tiger Clan in greeting. "You didn't have to wait. I know the rules."

Shardul shrugged his shoulder. Worry flickered through his eyes, and I knew that the only reason as to why he waited for me was because of the attack last night. He wanted to make sure that I was fine, even though he had gone to check up on me this morning.

"I am fine," I said, forcing a smile on my face. I was a little surprised that he cared about me, but I didn't let it faze me. I had work to be done, and I knew that my emotions couldn't get in the way. "It wasn't the worst attack that had happened to me."

"And what was the worst attack?" Shardul asked. He moved aside and gestured to go in before starting to walk to the back, leading the way. He had closed the door behind him, making sure that we were alone first. Shardul was worried about the Dark Forces, and I had to agree with him. I was worried about them as well.

"I guess it was the time that I learned how to control my stone," I said, glancing around and noticing how empty and lonely this house felt. Unlike my house, there was no movement nor laughter. Nobody came here, and I couldn't help but wonder why. "That was before Christmas and with me leaving. Tansuke helped me learn how to control my gem, and I was more than grateful that he did."

Shardul frowned and nodded his head. I guess he caught me looking around and sighed, pulling my gaze towards him. "It is lonely here," he said, his eyes darkening with sorrow. "I do not like this silence, but it is what I have got."

"Why didn't you court Mrs. Vanessa when you had the chance?" I asked, and he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I knew that I was crossing a line, but I didn't care. I wanted to see him happy, and I wanted to see her happy as well. "I see the way that she looks at you and the way that you look at her. She trusts you."

Shardul looked away, staying silent. He didn't say a word as we walked to the kitchen and sighed. "I tried. My parents..." He shook his head and growled. "They wanted me to be mated a female from a different tribe. I was going to, but she decided to run away with a horse. I haven't heard from her since."

"But your heart still belonged to the female that you wanted to be mated."

"But, my heart belonged to her, even when I was to be with the female that ran away."

We stopped at the backdoor, and I looked up at him. Something had been bothering me, and I knew that it might come off as suspicions. However, I knew that I was going to have to ask it because I needed to know. I needed to make sure that she was safe. "Which daughter of Vanessa's is yours?"

Surprise and shock filled his eyes as he stared at me. A flash of suspicion filled his eyes before it disappeared. "Why do you think one of them is mine?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest. He was trying to make me feel uncomfortable, and it worked, sort of. However, he wasn't going to know that.

"Because of the small glances you two have given each other. And, I am sure that you two have had sex before. I can tell that you hate how Marcus treats them, and that is why you came to dinner yesterday."

His face turned a little red, and he looked away. "Bethany is my daughter," he said, causing me to nod my head. He licked his lips and cleared his throat. He wanted to tell me more, but he decided against it. "Find your way to the clearing. Be careful and good luck." And with that, he walked out the back door and ran into the night.

I stayed silent and looked after him, waiting until he was out of sight. My heart grew heavy, and I was praying that Shardul would either court her or let her be, not only for her safety but for his as well.

***

I started to walk through the forest and looked around, keeping an eye out for both Dark Forces and Marcus. My whole body tense, and I really wanted to leave. However, I knew that I didn't have time to leave. My training was almost over, and I couldn't wait for it to be done. I knew that there would be more difficulties, but I was sure that I could face them.

I took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Breathe, Martha," I whispered. "You are safe." I glanced around when I heard someone step on a branch.

A growl resonated through the forest, and I groaned in annoyance. A tiger stepped onto the path and glared at me, his ears close to his head. His tail flicked back and forth, and I knew that I was this tiger's prey.

I could tell that it was Marcus and again groaned. I kept my eyes on him, not knowing if I wanted to run or attack him. "I am not in the fucking mood, Marcus. I want to get this done and get home. I am still tired from the battle yesterday."

"You do not belong here," he snarled, and I rolled my eyes and scowled. He started to stalk towards me, and I took a step back, knowing that I couldn't fight him just yet. "Scared?" he asked, his lip turning up into a sneer. His tail flicked back and forth as he got lower to the ground, looking as if he was going to attack me.

"You wish," I replied, taking another step backward in the direction that I was supposed to go. "I really do not want to fight with someone that thinks that they can walk over me just because I became a Wolf first. And, it doesn't help that you have a rank in this tribe and can blame me and turn the tribe against me."

"And, why would I do that?" he asked, all but purring. He licked his large teeth, and I was sure that he was trying to get me to look at them and feel afraid. "I don't have a motive."

"You do," I replied. I heard someone coming from behind me and bit back another groan of annoyance. "You want me gone. You blame me for something, maybe the death of a loved one or something."

"You know nothing," Marcus snarled. He attacked me, causing me to duck underneath him. He wasn't able to attack me again because another smaller tiger attacked him.

Why does this always happen? I asked with a small groan. I watched as the other tiger attacked Marcus for a bit before I pulled the other tiger, a female probably, off of him. I stood in front of Marcus and waited, listening to the sounds of the tigers coming my way. "My problem, my battle. Do not even try to attack him again, Girlie," I said, hearing the female growl at me. I bit back a scoff and rolled my eyes as I waited.

I wanted to see if Shardul would let me attack Marcus because I really wanted to knock him down a few notches. However, I did not want to cause any more unrest between the packs. If I did that, then I was sure that we would perish.