Book of One-Sh!ts

[Bungo Stray Dogs] From Fairest Creatures

The darkness could only be described as cold and heartless. The wet cave's drafts sent chills down his back. He didn't remember how long he'd been here. He didn't dare think of how much longer he'd be stuck in this place. His hunger overtook his sanity. His thirst overtook his thoughts. He pulled out his hair, tore at his skin, and bit his nails just so that his mind would think about something other than this hell he'd been placed in.

In a small corner of the cell, the male sat with his legs chained and his head in his hands. What had he done to deserve this? Why had he been betrayed by the species that had previously loved him so? The male transformed into a tiger. He refused to maintain his human form any longer than this. He no longer wished to be human. He no longer wanted control, and so, he allowed the beast to take over.

The tiger smashed the shackles keeping him attached to the wall and began to pace back and forth in the cell. He was thinking. He was thinking about how to save himself. This "beast" that had taken control was now going to protect its soul. The tiger wouldn't allow the human to die, for he still had hope of being free. So the tiger struggled, finding food, finding water, forcing death out of the picture. The tiger pounced upon a nearby rats and ate them. The tiger licked the drops of water traveling down the sides of the cave whenever they appeared. He clung to life where he could find it, and then, one day, he fell from the exhaustion his attempts had caused. His eyes closed and he could feel the eternal sleep coming...but he also heard a voice, and smiled, perhaps all his work had paid off at last.

The stranger had found the cave by chance. He was wandering through the wilderness, hoping death would come, and then Death never came. This human was forced to continue living for reasons unknown to him. Rain had started pouring from the heavens and he went into this particular cave by chance so that he might take shelter from the crying clouds above. It's a funny thing, when one wishes for death so much and yet when the opportunity arises that the individual can die, suddenly the will to live becomes stronger than ever. This stranger didn't understand himself why the cave had called out to him or why he had decided today wasn't the right day to die. But, nonetheless, he certainly wasn't expecting to find a tiger here. The only thing he had been prepared for was his own death and that hadn't even taken place.

The stranger felt pity for this creature in a situation so foreign to him. What was it like to cling to life so much that you'd begin chewing on your own skin? What was it like to cling to hope so badly that you'd accept food, without caution, from any stranger? Luckily the stranger had food to give in the first place. He laid on the ground and outstretched his arms through the cell's openings as far as he could manage in order to place the food and water as close to the tiger as he could. The tiger lifted its gaze and inched towards the food, slowly, wearlily, until finally he was there. The tiger ate all that was given to him in an instant. He left nothing untouched.

The stranger's lantern shined on the tiger. Even though the tiger was covered in dirt, even though the tiger was clearly starved and slightly deranged, the stranger thought him to be beautiful. The stranger's arms moved on their own as he found himself reaching out to the tiger's face. The tiger was almost within his grasp, he could feel the tips of his fur, but the tiger growled and backed away. The tiger hated humans for betraying his human. It would take a lot more than this simple meal to gain this tiger's trust. The stranger smiled, he knew exactly how this tiger felt for he had been betrayed as well.

The stranger took off his wet jacket and remaining clothing. He built a fire using the leaves that had blown into the cave over the years and wood that was the dryest he could find. The stranger huddled next to the fire naked, waiting for his clothes to dry, and sniffled numerous times as his body shook from the cold air blowing in. The tiger almost felt pity for the stranger that had no fur, but didn't waste energy thinking about it. The night dragged on and the stranger showed no signs of having slept a wink. His clothes were still damp but he refused to go any any longer without them. When the light shined into the cave upon the stranger's face, the tiger couldn't help but find him attractive, even if it was only slightly.