Caged - Unleash the Beast

Chapter 1 - A Lion's Tale

"I now pronounce you chief of the Cloudchaser Tribe." Hayley announced as she drew the Cloudchaser Tribe symbol with ash on Jackie's forehead.
"Long live the Chief! Long live the Chief!" They cheered below.
Jackie looked at Rider, they had finally done it. She was finally chief and Rider was finally the captain. Jackie beckoned Rider up to where she stood, below Jake waved to them with James by his side. She knew nothing about being a chief, all she knew was that anything could happen. The war was now over, Chris was dead and Lachlan had taken his rightful place as chief. Dylan stood beside her he too was a chief now, still in their blood stained armour they were hot and sweaty.
"Come on, let's get you home." Rider murmured to her as he beckoned her to Jet.
"Let's. Can't wait to get out of this armour." Jackie sighed as she mounted Jet.
"I think you look kinda of hot in that armour." Rider whispered.
"If by hot you mean dying in this thing. Then yes." Jackie teased.
Rider rolled his eyes, wandering why he bothered.
"Don't worry I knew what you meant." Jackie whispered to him, winking secretively.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jackie woke with the sun on her face and Jet at her feet, moaning she didn't feel like getting out bed. Knowing Jake he would be out terrorising the next trainees to be. She got changed and raced down stairs.
"So what's for breakfast, father?" She said cheerfully as she walked into the kitchen.
Instead being greeted by the smell of cooking food and her father's cheerful whistling, the kitchen was empty. She huffed as she remembered that her father was dead which meant she would never see him again. She leaned against the doorway before sinking down to the floor, she rested her head in her hands before small sobs over came her.
"I brought breakfast. If your hungry..." Rider bursted through the door to find Jackie on the floor in tears.
Rider placed the food on the table before kneeling down to where Jackie was. "You okay?"
"Okay? Do I look okay to you? My father is dead!" Jackie sobbed at him.
"I didn't..." Rider stopped himself before he did something he would regret.
"I miss him." Jackie sobbed as she embraced Rider with a hug, in hope of comforting herself.
"I do to." Rider sighed as he embraced her in the hug after he had ended up on the floor.
"I don't know what to do." Jackie whimpered as she finally stopped.
"Be the chief your father would want you to be." Rider said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"How do you be a greater chief then the one before you who was even more greater then you could ever be?" Jackie asked as she stood up.
"Don't try to be a greater chief then your father was. Be the great chief he was." Rider murmured to her.
"You always know what to say." Jackie smiled slightly.
"I'll take that as a complement." Rider whispered as they stared at each other. "Can we eat now? Please?"
Jackie smiled and shook her head at Rider's impatience. "All depends on what you brought."
"Some sliced ham, with toast and two eggs." Rider smiled as he began setting it out.
"Sounds good." Jackie shrugged as she pulled out some juice and cups.
"Mother made it. She said that you would be hungry and that I should take it to you." Rider shrugged. "And eat mine at the same time."
"Do you think she has caught onto us being together?" Jackie asked as she began to eat.
"I don't think so." Rider said with a mouth full of food.
"Don't speak with your mouthful!" Jackie scolded him. "You rude individual!"
"You sound just like my mother." Rider said once more with a mouthful on purpose this time.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Jackie said as she handed Jet a piece of ham.
"All depends. Will you tell me to wash behind my ears?" Rider asked playfully.
Shaking her head Jackie began finishing up her food, and giving what she didn't want to Jet.
"I can clean it up later." Jackie shrugged as she placed her dishes in the sink.
"I have to head home and do a few things. Meet you at the shooting range at sun high?" Rider said.
"Sure. We can work out mentors whilst we are there." Jackie shrugged.
"Now, you sound like your father." Rider said, smiling slightly. "And that's a good thing."
"See you later." Jackie shook her head as Rider left.
She soon followed, beginning to wander the streets. Everything seemed unfamiliar and strange and yet she grew up here. Tribes folk passed by saying their hellos before continuing on with their work. She helped a woman pick up apples that had been spilt by kids that had been in a hurry. Once that was done she caught up with the boys and told them to say their apology and that they would have to help the woman pick the next lot of apples. She warned them that if they didn't she would make their punishment worse, she had even told the woman to let her know if they didn't turn up. To much of the pairs discuss their parents had scolded them to for being so careless and swore that they would help the woman.
"Morning." James interrupted as Jackie had been given an apple.
"Morning." Jackie replied after she thanked the man.
"How's life as chief?" James asked, curious to know how she had been going.
"Same as life as a normal tribes folk." Jackie replied before taking a bite into the apple.
"Saw you get up those two boys." James smiled slightly.
"What did I do wrong?" Jackie asked, raising her eye brows.
"Well for starters. You didn't use your chiefly voice." James said deepening his voice slightly.
"I'll keep that in mind." Jackie shook her head at James.
"You picked mentors yet?" James asked, curious to find out.
"Rider and I are doing that at sun high." Jackie informed.
"Speaking of trainees. Jake's over there terrorising them." James points out.
"I figured Jake would be doing that." Jackie sighed looking over to where Jake was.
"Let me know if you need a hand with anything." James told her.
"You know what, I have a new position for you." Jackie said pointing the figure at James.
"If it involves me babysitting Jake so that he doesn't terrorise trainees again, I would unfortunately decline the offer. Other then that what is it?" James said, curious to know.
"Senior captain." Jackie stated.
"And what does that involve?" James asked, eye brows raised.
"You can finalise any decisions made and go over things. If you think something can be changed you inform me and we all go over it. You'll be around Rider, teaching him the ins and outs of being a captain. Correcting his mistakes, explaining things he does not understand and if you like you can baby sit Jake." Jackie explained.
"Sounds like good fun. I will do it, but not the baby sitting Jake part." James accepted.
"Great. Rider and I will write up a list. Two columns trainees on the right and mentors on the left. Write trainees name down the trainee column and then go through the warriors a write which warrior we would like to mentor which trainee." Jackie informed him.
"I'll have that by?" James asked.
"Tomorrow at the latest." Jackie informed him.
"Great." James said.
"Rider is at his place, if you want to head over there." Jackie said to James, glad to have a job taken off her back.
"Nah, I'll see how this plays out." James said as he nodded to where Jake was.
Jackie shook her head at her brother's stupidity, she creeped over to a spot close enough for her to hear what Jake was saying.
"They say a lion stalks the forest edge, waiting for its next victim. No one can tame it, no one can bond with it." Jake began as he eyed at the group in front of him.
"Is it true that the lion was Chris'?" A young boy asked, fear in his eyes.
"It can't be, Chris' lion is dead!" Another boy replied, glaring at the boy who had asked the question.
"But no one found the lion's body. People say that the lion snuck off into woods and is now planning its revenge." An older boy argued. "No one knows when it will strike."
"Some say that lion has the power to posses other big cats that have not bonded." Jake said lowering his voice.
"That's impossible!" The older boy shrugged.
"Is it? Then how do explain feral animals?" The youngest asked.
"Dark magic." The older boy shrugged.
Jackie shook her head at the argument that had begun.
"The only thing we know is that the lion kills without mercy!" Jake murmured before lunging at the group.
The group scattered some squealing while others stumbling over their own feet and calling out for their parents.
"You scaring the next group of trainees?" Jackie scolded as she appeared from where she was watching.
"What? No." Jake replied as he joined her.
"Come on, I don't want you scaring the next group of trainees. If they are scared to go into the forest..." Jackie scolded but was cut off.
"They won't go in and bond with their big cats." Jake cutter her off, rolling his eyes.
"I'm serious." Jackie scolded him as she playfully punched him in the arm.
"Ouch." Jake whimpered as he rubbed the spot Jackie had hit. "Now I am going to have a bruise."
"You deserved it." Jackie teased him as she watched the kids play with each and weave around the tribes folk.
Suddenly a death curdling scream split the air, Jackie turned to Jake as though,hoping she was hearing things but within seconds Jake beckoned his snow leopard over and was mounting. Jet was by her side before Jackie had the chance to call her the panther growled as Jackie mounted.
"Where did that come from?" Jackie asked as they avoided the tribes folk.
"Sounded like it was not far from our place." Jake huffed as his snow leopard landed hard.
"Let's get a move on." Jackie beckoned him as she pushed Jet to go faster.
The panther reached out making her stride longer and faster and soon everything was a blur. As they roared past more warriors joined them as they to were heading towards the screams. Another scream pierced the air not far from where they were, Jet pushed harder before it hit Jackie. The screams came from Rider's house. Panic stricken Jackie urged Jet to go faster but the panther was at her peak stride. They turned into the street Rider lived in, outside Rider's house was a group of people. Each wanting to see what had happened, everyone not wanting to go inside. Everyone moved out of the way once they saw Jackie they moved out of the way. Dismounting Jet she raced inside to find Rider's mother sitting on a chair at her dining table. Tears running down her face and hands on her head. Muffled sobs filled the dining room, Rider was leaning against the wall his face red and his hands covering his eyes and his fingers frustratingly running through his face.
"What happened?" Jackie asked as she knelt down in front of Rider.
"I... I don't know." Rider murmured as he looked up at Jackie.
Rider's face was pale and around his eyes was red, giving away the fact that he had been crying.
"You look like you have seen ghost." Jackie studied.
"I thought I had." Rider whispered before turning his head to the kitchen.
Jackie stood up and wandered over to where Rider had looked over to. Jake behind, he creeped trying to be quiet as though there might be something still in the kitchen. Jackie swallowed hard as she stood at the doorway, the kitchen was a mess. Pots and fry pans had been thrown to the ground, clean plates had been broken and shattered leaving shards on the ground. A few of Rider's arrows had been lodged into the walls and some cupboard doors. Blood splattered the floor and ran up the cupboards doors. Some of the cupboard doors had been broken off their hinges and now either hung with little support or were on the ground. Jackie traced over claw marks that had been dented into the doorway not far from where her hand was, all around the kitchen claw marks had been dented into benches, cupboards even the floor. Jackie didn't move when she noticed Rider's sister, Avery. Her cloths torn to shreds and blood covered her legs. A dagger was on the ground beside her left hand, her left wrist was sliced and claw marks on her right. Her right side of her face had been cut open and faint claw marks covered the left. Avery's throat had been opened and her windpipe crushed, the blood covering what was left of her clothes and ran down her chest.
"What happened?" Jake murmured as he to noticed Avery.
"I don't know. But I will find out." Jackie replied, fear gripped her chest. "Who ever or whatever done this will be punished."
"I shore hope so." In the hallway Rider's father stood, his jaguar by his side.
"Do you have any idea what happened here?" Jackie asked him as she walked away from the scene.
"No. I was out on patrol with Christian and Brianna." Rider's father informed her. "When we came back into the camp we were told that something had happened."
"I'm sorry for your lost." Jackie murmured to him, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"All I ask of you is that you find this murderous bastard and give them the punishment they deserve." Rider's father murmured to her and Jake.
"Don't worry, we will." Jackie reassured him.
James had now joined them, he stood in the dining room trying to comfort Rider's mother.
"Do you have any idea of what happened?" Rider asked her, desperation in his eyes.
"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Jackie replied.
"You think I did this?" Rider exclaimed, taken aback by what Jackie had said.
"I don't know what to believe!" Jackie yelled back at him. "All I know is that your sister was murdered."
"And you think I had something to do with it." Rider murmured.
"No. I don't think that you would have cold heart and kill your own sister." Jackie murmured back to him.
"I hope you sure as hell believe that I did this." Rider whispered to her.
Jackie took a deep breathe as Rider stormed out of the house, Koa right behind him.
"He's just in shock." James tried to comfort her.
"I want a report. I want every detail of those claw marks. Every little detail that is in there I want to find out." Jackie instructed James.
"I will assemble a team and we will begin finding out what truly had happened in here." James nodded before walking outside.
"You are welcome to stay at my place until we get this place cleaned up and figure out what truly happened." Jackie offered them.
"Thank you." Rider's mother nodded.
"You will find out what happened." Rider's father instructed her.
"I promise." Jackie swore.
Rider's mother and father packed up their things and headed outside and began making their way to Jackie's place. James walked in with Christian, Brianna and Scott.
"reporting for... Well reporting." James informed Jackie.
"Right, I want individual reports from each of you. You have paper and a pencil. I want you all studying every detail, every inch of that crime scene. Nothing goes unreported." Jackie instructed them.
"Yes, chief." They all said at once, before making their way to the kitchen.
"What are you going to do?" Jake asked as he stood at the door way.
"Going to go find Rider." Jackie replied before mounting Jet.
"Don't forget that you promised James you would have the list to him by tomorrow!" Jake called out to her.
"That is the least of my worries, right now!" Jackie called back before following Koa's tracks.
It didn't take long before Koa's tracks began to go into alleyways and small streets, confused Jackie began to follow them closer. Occasionally Koa's tracks would drag along the ground or have been hidden by using the roof as covering their trail, the problem with being Rider's girlfriend was that she knew every single one of his tricks. Finally the tracks had lead back out onto the main roads allowing Jackie more space, but with more people being around Koa's tracks would occasionally disappear amongst everyone else's.
"Found him yet?" A boy, about a year older than Jackie asked.
"You know, I could use some help." Jackie stated.
"I'm not much of the helping type." The boy shrugged.
"Come on, Tyson. You do owe me." Jackie blackmailed.
"And I am regretting that." Tyson moaned. "I saw him head out of town toward the forest."
"Thanks." Jackie replied, glad that Tyson had helped.
"You aren't seriously going to follow him?" Tyson asked, raising an eye brow.
"Of course not." Jackie shrugged. "I have other things to do."
"Rider will get over it." Tyson reassured her.
"I know." Jackie sighed as she looked towards the forest.
"Good. Well don't go doing something stupid." Tyson warned her before leaving.
"I won't." Jackie called back to him before heading back to her place.
She entered the house to find the smell of food cooking and a clean house.
"Oh chief. I'm sorry, I didn't ask whether or not I could do any of this." Rider's mother apologised.
"No, no. Don't apologise. Do what you want, anything to take your mind off what ahas happened." Jackie reassured her. "Besides, I don't think the house has been this clean before."
"Thank you, chief." Rider's mother nodded.
"Please, just call me Jackie." She replied as she walked into the kitchen. "What is that delicious smell?"
"I thought that if I had tea down you wouldn't have to worry about it." Rider's mother shrugged.
"Smells good." Jackie smiled. "I have to go do some things upstairs, call me down if you need help."
"Thank you, Jackie." Rider's mother smiled before going back into the kitchen.
Jackie went into her room, normally she would find Jet's cubs, Angel and Demon making a mess. Instead the room was clean and nothing was out of place, she missed the young cubs. After the war had finished the cubs were old enough to go out on their own and be independent. Jet walked up to Jackie and growled slightly before resting her head on Jackie's lap.
"I miss them too." Jackie sighed as she stroked the panther's head.
Jet took a breathe in before jumping up onto Jackie's bed and curling up to sleep. Sighing Jackie got up to her desk and grabbed a paper and pencil and began writing down the trainees names and thinking of who might be their mentor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carl -
Jean - Theresa
Samantha -
Kevin - Jake
Claire - Hayley
Graham -
Steven - Christian
Beau - Scott
Danielle -
Gracie - Brianna

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jackie had to stop when Rider's mother came upstairs an told her that dinner was ready. Jake had begun setting the table and Rider's father was setting glasses out.
"Finally came down from there." Jake teased her.
"Well I had to something for James." Jackie snapped back. "Has Rider returned?"
"No. We asked for anyone who sees him to let him know where we are." Rider's father said as he took his place at the table. "Oh! Sorry am I allowed to sit here?" He apologised as realised that he had sat in her father's chair.
"It's okay." Jackie murmured before helping Rider's mother place out dinner.
Everyone sat down and admired Rider's mother's cooking, the plate in front of her was piled with vegetables and roast meat, on the side a large piece of crunchy fat (crackle) sat waiting to be eaten at the end.
"Looks good." Jake murmured, his mouth starting to water.
"Smells great." Jackie said, eying at her plate.
"But does it taste great?" Jackie and Jake murmured at the same time.
"Stop drooling over your dinner and just eat it already." Rider's mother sighed, a large smile on her face.
Jackie hooked into the vegetables, the carrots glazed with honey and the zucchini had been seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked in butter. The potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkin cooked to perfection and the roast lamb juicy and mouth watering. Once everyone had finished they washed up their plates. Suddenly the door slammed open and Rider stumbled in, using Koa as balance.
Jackie dropped the plate she was drying, "Rider!"...