↭ Yara's spine straightened as it usually did when in situations of confrontation. Was it that hard to believe that it truly had looked as if Chala was making a run for it? Chala continued seething at her as Yara silently wondered how her father would have handled the entirety of the situation.
Yara knew her father would be much harder on Chala than she had been thus far. He would have been a difficult and unforgiving master. He was only a mentor and lord to Darryn when he was a young squire and there were still many days when Darryn was so worn from her father's ruling that he could do no more than collapse in his bed at the end of a long day. Chala would not even be without the metal chain.
The huntress' ranting had ended and Chala's gaze had fixated on something behind her briefly before her shifted form launched at Yara. She was in no way clumsy, but Yara didn't have the best reflexes. If Chala was truly aiming for her, she could have hit the warden easily as Yara sprawled across the forest floor in an attempt to escape Chala's furious pounce.
She righted herself against the ground and her coal eyes locked on the tumbling of the two tigers in a furious brawl. It was hard for Yara to distinguish Chala from the pair as the flurry of claws and teeth flew between them. Something felt odd about the appearance of the tiger and the premonition was confirmed when the both shifted and wrapped their arms around each other. The male was a Hewan as well and Yara shakily rose to her feet as Chala blushed at the male as Yara would around Darryn.
Before she could react, the male had rounded on her and Yara recognized his sass as if he was related to Chala. The wardeness' legs shook and she cleared her expression as her body retreated a few steps on pure instinct. At that moment Yara had wished her father was there again as she met the stormy gaze of Chala. She did not know the male, but would answer her ward.
"Nothing. I have done nothing to her at all," Yara felt confidence flood her words as she straightened her posture again in the face of the two Hewani.
"-Why don't you ask me what I didn't do though? I didn't capture and enslave her. I didn't beat or abuse her. I certainly did not mistreat her. " Yara kept her gaze level with Chala's and she took a tentative step towards her.
Despite the ugliness of the situation, Yara had not really seen how strong Chala had been. The woman still stood proud and undefeated in sight of her, and had even began treating her warden cordially. The Hewan could have been stubborn or given her hell for unwillingly becoming her master, but yet Chala had not even tried to harm Yara when she had the chances. Growing up, Yara had heard so many stories from her father about how the Hewani had less humanity than humans, but standing in front of Chala now, Yara only saw human eyes staring questioningly back at her. Chala had tried to save her. She hadn't known that it was another Hewan in the woods and hadn't tried to murder her in cold blood. Despite verbally berating her moments before, Chala had still done her job as Yara's protector.
"What did I do to you?" Yara stood directly before Chala then, the corner of her lips lifted in the first hint of a smile.
"I bathed you when you were filthy, I fed you when you were hungry. I shared my quarters with you. I did not mistreat you like I could have. Like the man who captured you would have. I treated you in the same way I view you- a strong-willed tigress with the soul of a human."↭
YOU ARE READING
The Beast Within Us
FantasíaAs war approaches from the neighboring kingdom, the Warden of the North is faced with an important task from her king, promised gifts and favor in return. Just before her departure, she is given a gift she never wanted but cannot reject, forced to...
