The Beast Within Us

Chapter 15: ⑄ Chala

⑄ Chala leveled her gaze at Yara incredulously.

"You've forgotten the blood pact so quickly? And what I told you?" she shook her head in disappointment. "It must not matter much to you if you'd forget it so easily. I suppose it's to be expected; your freedom isn't on the line." Chala huffed with a roll of her eyes, regretting her concern for the warden just moments ago. To think she'd chased her into the woods on silly presumptions.

"Either way," she finished, "if I'd tried to run, thus breaking our pact, you would have known, as I said when we made it. The magic would have told you. Of course, I shouldn't really expect much from a human - you're all so scared and clumsy when it comes to magic." While it felt good to release her pent up anger, a very small part of her felt badly. Perhaps she'd been a little harsh on Yara, but it was frustrating to see exactly how little trust the warden had even while under binding magic.

The tigress had turned her back on her company as she seethed, but looked back to see Yara's expression after everything she'd said. However, the eyes her own met weren't coal black like she expected. Instead, movement past Yara's shoulder attracted her attention, and she was confronted with the smoldering gold gaze of a predator preparing to pounce.(edited)

She didn't hesitate to shift, leaping at the beast behind the warden with a snarl. The two tumbled, scratching and biting at each other in the grass with furious hisses. Claws raked down her side as Chala's jaw clasped around the scruff of her opponent's neck, piercing skin and drawing blood, and the beast howled and writhed underneath her. Moments later, she had him pinned, roaring and finally getting a good look at their attacker.

It was a tiger hewan like her, but his was a much darker coat than her gold orange pelt. Her muzzle wrinkled with a low growl as she leaned in to look closer, and she gasped, scrambling off of the other hewan and shifting back to her more humanoid form as he did.

"Kiir?" She wore an incredulous expression that quickly gave way to a large smile, relief flooding her system and relaxing her taut muscles. She sagged a bit with a shake of her head as Kiir returned her grin, dusky skin shining with sweat from their fight.

He groaned as he rose before tackling his sister with a tight hug, tears now wetting his cheeks along with the blood from the superficial cuts peppering his face. Chala returned his embrace with enthusiasm, the two of them purring loudly with their tails intertwined in familial affection.

"I'd thought I lost you," He said and pulled back to kiss her forehead, a gesture she received with a bashful smile and a blush. "We all did."

A shuffling to the side caught the siblings' attention, and Kiir remembered why he'd entered the clearing to begin with, glaring at the warden with a low growl rumbling in his chest. "You!" The lanky male made to grab at Yara, but Chala held him back. Kiir pulled at her inhibiting grip in anger, pupils contracted to slits and fire in his eyes. "How dare you try to steal my sister from me -"

"Kiir, stop." And he did. Chala's words seemed to be enough to stop him in his tracks, and he looked back at her with clear confusion. She shook her head softly. "Leave her. Please," she begged, looking up at him imploringly. She might've been the older of the two, but her brother was much taller. Larger than Darryn even. Dumbfounded, Kiir looked between the two females, head swinging comically as he tried to make sense of the situation. When he reached a conclusion, his ire was once again directed at Yara.

"What did you do to her?" he hissed furiously, demanding an answer. Chala remained silent this time, raising her eyes to look at Yara with an unreadable expression - she was equally (selfishly) curious to see how the warden would explain things. ⑄