Tigress, I need you

Chapter 5

Tigress' pov:

"Huo, let's go back to the Jade Palace.", I told him after I had finished looking around the place, but it was like he didn't hear me - or even listened to me. The ruined building was missing a roof and it looked burnt a bit. There were three paintings behind the thrones, they were burnt, yes, but not burnt that you couldn't see their faces. The painting behind the middle throne - the first one - was a painting of a black tigress with golden eyes and she was wearing clothes that fit royalty. The painting behind the second throne was a painting of another black tiger, but with blue eyes. He, too, wore clothes that fit royalty.

The last painting was a painting of a - very - young looking black tiger, or tigress, wearing royal clothes, but I couldn't tell if they were a boy or girl because they were wearing a veil. 'I'm guessing they were the leaders of this village.', I thought.

"Bingling...," I heard Huo mutter quietly.

"Huo-", I was about to ask himnwhy we were here, but was cut off by him.

"You want to go back?! Well, you can go back!! The river was just the border between this place and the Valley of Peace. Go and never come back!", he snapped, pointing at the direction of the river that I just woke up at. I was hurt by what he said. It had only been just yesterday that we shared feelings, but he was pushing me back now. I looked into his golden eyes, they were fierce and glassy and held pain that seemed to have been made years ago.

"You don't know me, Tigress, so you don't know why we're here! You don't know how much this place means to me! They," he pointed towards the paintings of the black tigress and tiger. "are my brother and sister! Just go if you wanna leave! I don't care!"

He had roared at me as if I knew all there was to him, but he was right; I knew nothing about him. I didn't show how hurt I was at his words - not only because he had basically yelled at me and shunned me away, but because he couldn't trust me enough to tell me why I didn't know why we're how, why I didn't know how much this place meant to him. I just turned around and ran back to the river. I ran and ran, leaping across the river once I reached it and ran all the way back to the Valley of Peace. As I ran I let a tear slip. I just gritted my teeth and pushed myself to run faster.

Maybe I shouldn't have fallen fast for him.

Huo's pov:

When we jumped off the cliff, I heard Tigress screaming. She thought we were going to die. Yes, that was a possibility that we would as we dived into the river, but I needed to trust that the river will bring us back to where we could hide temporarily, bring us back to my homeland, the Black Tiger Clan - or what was left of it. I trusted my faith with the river and prayed that Neveah brought us to the Black Tiger Land before passing out in the river.

I woke up a while later to see that I had woken up beside Tigress near the river. I thanked the stars that she was safe and sighed deeply. 'What was I gonna do now?', I wondered. I can't go back to the Valley of Peace. The guards would find me there considering they saw me with Tigress, but I also can't take her with me. She has a life back there, a family and friends. She's never met her parents as well and the people at the Jade Palace were as close as a family she could ever get. I wouldn't want to take her away from her family like Taotie has had to me.

Long story short, I went back to the Black Tiger Clan and stopped in front of the thrones of me, my sister, and brother. Tigress had found me there not long after, but I couldn't concentrate when looking at our thrones just brought back painful memories.

"Huo, let's go back to the Jade Palace.", I heard Tigress say. I only ignored her and gritted my teeth, afraid that if I speak up I might drive her away. A memory suddenly flashed by my eyes.

It was Bingling.

Lin had been away on some meeting that day, leaving the palace to Bingling and I. I had fell that day after attempting to climb my throne - what? I was only 4 at the time. He saw me fall and rushed up to me, immediately asking if I was okay. We then went to my room and he patched up my bleeding knee.

"Bingling...," I mutter quietly.

"Huo-", I knew what she was going to say. She was going to say that she wanted to go back to the Jade Palace. I didn't have control over myself anymore and released all of my pent up pain at her.

"You want to go back?!", I yelled at her. "Well, you can go back!! The river was just the border between this place and the Valley of Peace. Go and never come back!"

By now I think I'm just going to cry in front of her, but I don't. I bet my eyes look fierce, angry, and with so much pain.

"You don't know me, Tigress, so you don't know why we're here! You don't know how much this place means to me! They," I pointed towards the paintings of Bingling and Lin. "are my brother and sister! Just go if you wanna leave! I don't care!"

Before I knew it I see her turn around and leave, running back towards the river. She ran so fast I could almost laugh. I did. I laughed. I laughed and laughed and laughed until I couldn't breathe. When that happened I started to cry. I felt like I was dying. My lungs felt like they were being squished, my throat was sore, and my eyes felt like they wouldn't stop watering. With that I let out a loud wail, screaming for all of China to hear. When I couldn't scream no more I fell limp, looking up at the sky with red eyes.

I'm sorry, Tigress...