Jaguar

Chapter One

I was walking down to street when a sweet little ice-cream shop caught my eye. I quickly pounced into action, gently jogging toward the store, over a small stone wall and onto the street below. Between the people and into the little shop shoved between a bigger popcorn shoppe, and a boutique. I hoped to get my claws around a cone topped with vanilla ice-cream cover in blue sprinkles. 

As soon as I entered a man strode in front of me, preventing me from going forward. A bit of fear coated his eyes, but his voice attempted to hide the tremble.

"You are not allowed in here, beast, this is only for the lower class."

My face scrunched, confusing, I have never been turned down before. I do know what he means by lower class, I am a higher class, the third highest predator on the chain, the more dangerous and rarest creatures are labeled five and above. I am a three, lions and tigers are never seen, but are the only ones known to be stronger and scarier than me, a jaguar. Many people confuse me for a lower case, a cheetah, and I hate that. They are not lower class, that's reserved for prey, or herbivores to be more precise, because we don't eat people, I'm more civilized than that.

"Excuse me sir, isn't that a bit discrimitory to have a place just for the 'lower class'  I its not like I'm going to hurt any one, at least not if I get my fill of sweets." I lowered my head and glared at him from below.

The poor little antelope. He scooted over and I walked past him. I went up to the counter and glanced back at him but even farther behind him was a man clothed in black with midnight colored hair, he sat alone on the wall I had previously jumped over. His eyes quickly averted away from me as I noticed him looking. I ordered two ice-creams, one in blue, the other in black. I was handed the creamy fills and hopped out past the antelope that hadn't wanted me in. As I thought about it, if we were all just human I would never have done that, he was a six foot man, and I a five foot girl. 

I continued walking to the man on the wall, he was trying with all his might to not look at me, I leaned over to be in his view. He finally caught on and looked at me, but kept his head down. I handed out the black ice cream, "Here!" I smiled as he watched me, confused. I only urged the ice cream further into his face, he hesitantly grabbed hold as I let it go. I hopped up on the wall beside him.

Behind us the green grass flowed, it was wet from an early morning dew making my tail wet as it laid still upon the ground. My golden hair tangled around my ears as they fluffed in the soft breeze. I always loved the wind. I looked over to see if the boy was enjoying the cream as much as I was, but instead it was melting over his fingers as his mouth laid slightly agape as he stared at me. 

"You, you are a jaguar." Time seemed to freeze around me as all eyes around the little town square became glued to me. The boys words triggered everyone's worst fear, for a high class predator to come around. The top five are rumored to start the worst wars, to signal new movements of devastation. And I have never been able to disagree, I have never lived in one place long before terror hits the city. Everyone hates me. I could all ready see everyone's faces turn into anger and fear. My immediate vicinity became empty as people, human and non, created a circle with a radius of at least ten feet around me.

A hand shocked me as I look over to see the boy still sitting beside me, not moving an inch, but he held a soft comforting smile upon his lips, cold red eyes that were covered by hair stared at me.

He grabbed my hand and took off towards the south. We ran until the town was just a speck on the horizon. We slowed down until he stopped and turned around to me, "You look better smiling, please, always smile for me." He was so sweet, but I didn't even know who he was.

"Who are you?" I asked him, even though I totally just ran away with him.

His hair fell back in front of his blood like eyes before he answered, and his smile slightly faded, I could tell he was not used to the formation of a smile on his face. "Jack. And you? One eye peeked out, but the color was not quite visible.

" Oh! I am Johanna, but you can call me Joy!" He lifted his head and laughed.

"Joy is not the shortened version of Johanna, right?" His voice went from laughter to serious in the span of a single sentence.

I shook my head, "No, I just like it more! Oh, and how'd you know I was a jaguar, everyone always thinks cheetah." I titled my head, morning glow like eyes.

He stared at me for a moment before asking me a question instead.

"Do you believe in myths?" I took a step back, confused.

Myths are what people use as a general term for the scale much like the one used for half humans half animals, but instead they are beasts. Full beasts that can take the fore of humans, but in stories its said they show their most unique feature, like a phoenix would keep its red flames, or a catablepas would keep its horrid breath. They are said to be the most powerful creatures, they are on a whole other scale above that of the normal lower and upper class that I existed in, but they have never been seen before. they are what humans and . . . everyone says to be. . . myths, though I have always thought otherwise, because why would they be in the back of our minds every waking hour if they truly didn't exist.

"Yes." I looked him in the eyes, he looked taken back like he had expected a usual answer of 'no', that's what I always got when asking if someone believed in myths.

He took a step toward me and pulled me into his arms, "I will always protect you, if you let me." My eyes widened, no one has ever said that before, because I've always been know as the jaguar, the one that's unbreakable.