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                Tiger sat at the kitchen table again with the candles, letting the scent calm her and let her fur lie flat. Adriel still sat by the fire, using one of the spare blankets from the closet and a pillow from the couch. Her breathing was slow in her sleep, her white hair soft and smooth, almost reflecting the flames every time Tiger would turn around. Fenrir had gone upstairs earlier after having a short talk with Adriel.
                “So your name is Adriel, correct?” Fenrir had asked. Adriel nodded, still trembling from the cold at the time because she had no blanket then. “How’s your arm?” Fenrir asked, slowly sitting beside Adriel in front of the fire.
                Adriel had blinked in surprise, and looked at the artificial limb. “It’s fine, the joints are just frozen… Why do you even care…? I’m not going to be here long, what’s the point in getting to know me…?” Adriel’s voice had turned cold, and her golden eyes seemed to harden, like a barrier.
                The young man blinked in surprise at how quick Adriel’s voice had turned. “It’s… it’s not that at all…” Fenrir stammered for a moment in just surprise then regained control of himself. “I just have company over and all I’m trying to do is make conversation. Plus, I don’t want a complete stranger in my house, I might as well know a little about who you are…” Fenrir tilted his head, his blue eyes seemingly locked onto Adriel. She looked at Fenrir before looking at the fire, letting her golden eyes reflect the flames.
                “A demon is someone I shouldn’t interact with,” Adriel put simply. “As an angel-”
                Fenrir stopped her by raising his hand and looking at her back. “If you’re an angel, where are your wings? I’ve seen angels before,” Fenrir spoke calmly, then added, “and if you don’t feel the need to tell me, that is your decision, I don’t want to make you too uncomfortable.” He stopped and waited for an answer as Adriel thought for a few moments, then turned so that her back faced Fenrir.
                She lifted her shirt up slowly, just the back of it, until her back was showing, bare skin. There were gouges in her back, huge ones, which had seemed to cut deep. “Someone ripped them off of me,” Adriel responded quietly, Tiger had flicked her ear, barely hearing. “The same person who tore my arm and leg off was also the one who tore and ripped my wings off.”
                It was quiet now, only the crackling of the fire could be heard until Fenrir’s voice broke the intense silence. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Adriel,” Fenrir whispered.
                “Don’t be,” Adriel sighed and Fenrir lifted a hand, touching Adriel’s back, brushing a hand across the gouges in her skin. Adriel flinched but let Fenrir do as he wished. “I’ll get the bitch; she’ll pay for destroying what is rightfully mine. I’ll get my wings back and I’ll kill the one who took them.”
                Fenrir went to say something else but stopped, his hand slowly pulling back as Adriel lowered her shirt, covering up the scars. “You know,” Fenrir spoke again, “you should think before rushing into this battle. The scars look old, which means it’s been years since you’ve thought about this but what’s even your plan…?”
                “Please just don’t…” Adriel turned to Fenrir. “I can’t have others get caught in my battles, so if you please, just… don’t push farther with that subject.” Tiger gently started to draw, taking her time on the sketch, the part she felt was most important. An idea came up in her head and she wanted to draw that, it was the perfect idea. “So, Fenrir, tell me about yourself… It’s only fair that you tell me something about yourself after I told you something about myself.”
                Adriel grinned a bit and awkwardly put a hand to the side of her head, brushing the beautiful white hair behind her ear. There was a light chuckle from Fenrir. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I have nothing interesting really,” he replied looking at the fire. Tiger continued to sketch as Adriel made a playful plea for Fenrir to share something, who only rolled his eyes. “I’ve lived alone for years until I saved her-” he motioned to Tiger, “-from bleeding out when she was eleven or twelve. She’s sixteen now.”
                “That’s very nice,” Adriel tilted her head very gently and smiled a bit more. “I used to have a couple siblings, although I never really knew what happened to them. Nor my father or mother…” There was a slight pause before the word mother was said, although it was a slight hesitation. “I’ve been alone for a few years, I guess.”
                Fenrir and Adriel had talked for a while longer about things Tiger hadn’t cared to listen to. The last thing Fenrir had done before going to bed was get Adriel a blanket and the one pillow from the couch so that she could sleep. “Come to bed soon, Tiger,” he had said before heading up, although Tiger had sat at the table for an extra hour before even considering going upstairs. This was only the seventh or eighth drawing in the journal, she didn’t like to use it often, she was afraid of filling the entire journal all the time with how often she would draw. But this drawing felt important to her, and she sighed, looking over at Adriel, who seemed to be sleeping.
                Standing up, Tiger closed the journal with the incomplete drawing inside. Two characters had been easily visible and sitting by a fire, kind of like Fenrir and Adriel were doing, but only the bodies were there, no heads yet, still only sketched. Looking back at the journal, Tiger gently picked it up and started to walk back upstairs, no longer bothering with Adriel. As she got upstairs, she noticed Fenrir under the comforter on the bed, his ears back and he not moving other than his breathing and she gently put the journal in the drawer on her side of the bed, where she would always remember it. Slowly lying down, she made sure not to wake Fenrir up, and didn’t bother putting the comforter over herself. It wasn’t long before she began to dream…

***

                Tiger was standing in the middle of a forest, surrounding her was the scent of decay and something she had never smelled before. Feeling curious, she began to walk forward, feeling something drawing her towards it, whatever it was. There was something else there, something, as if it was watching her, and she couldn’t help but look over her shoulder in anticipation.
                Her footsteps were light, almost soundless, and her ears flicked as she continued forward. Clouds began to move around above her and thunder sounded in the distance. A loud ringing entered Tiger’s ears, and she stumbled, feeling nauseated, but didn’t stop. Her curiosity drove her forward. Voices entered her mind as well, but they weren’t clear. Rain began to fall, and a memory entered Tiger’s mind, one when Fenrir jokingly pushed her towards the river and she stumbled and fell in. She had been so wet then, but she hadn’t a care in the world about what had happened other than jokingly swiping Fenrir’s ear. Which he didn’t like her doing too often, but she did it anyways for the fun of it.
                Before she could move any farther, someone stood in front of her, wearing a long, animal skinned robe with fur on the ends. His eyes were a bright red, and he had a sort of bearded chin, more scruff than anything. He had a tiger’s tail and tiger’s ears, but instead of orange, they were a deep, scarlet red. Taking a deep breath, Tiger felt as if she would gasp.
                “Who are you…?” Tiger asked.
                “That’s right, you’ve never seen me,” the man spoke, Tiger instantly recognizing the voice.
                “Bralis?”
                The demon nodded, grinning widely. “I have decided to show myself this way, because your future is about to change.” A chuckle left Bralis. “But I don’t know if it’s for the better. We’ll find out, now won’t we, my little friend?”
                Tiger nodded, looking behind her before turning back to Bralis, opening her mouth to say something but he had disappeared. There was something up ahead, two silhouettes under a tree. Through the rain and thunder, Tiger couldn’t tell what the two people were doing, but one was very small and the other was bigger. Walking closer, Tiger narrowed her eyes, trying to make out more detail, but nothing more seemed to come back.
                Then she screeched, feeling a heavy bolt of pain entering her hips and spread throughout her torso, forcing her to fall forward. Tears left her eyes as she stopped her fall, extending her arms forward. Her tears disappeared among the rain, her hair sticking to her shoulders, which were now exposed and tatters of a shirt were left on her. She didn’t see the colors of the shirt but she could feel something strike her, more pain forcing its way through her body. There was no ignoring it, she tried, but it pushed into the depths of her mind, and she blinked, feeling something at her throat.
                She began to feel smaller, trying to kick out, screaming for help but not knowing for who. Opening her eyes, she grabbed the wrist of the man who was grabbing her, whose facial features couldn’t be made out through the black rings that closed Tiger’s vision. Something sharp poked her side, then stabbed in, and she screamed again, feeling like a weak, helpless child.
                Falling, she had no energy to get up, and was only on her knees for a moment before she felt a tap to the side of her head…

***

                Tiger sat up in the bed, a scream exiting her mouth, and something moved beside her. She took no notice. It was still dark outside the window, but it probably wouldn’t be long until dawn had come. A hand brushed her messy hair out of her face, sweat dripping down Tiger’s face. This was the first time she’s had a nightmare of such intensity, such pain.
                Her breathing was loud, the sweat dripping down her forehead and cheeks, tears rushing out of her left eye. Tiger was trembling, and a quiet voice broke the sound of heavy breathing.
                “Are you okay…?” Fenrir’s voice was soft as he gently moved Tiger so that she was facing him. Fear glittered her father’s gaze, and Tiger didn’t answer straight away. “Tiger…” Fenrir tilted his head, his ears flicking back.
                Biting her lip, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her tightly. “I don’t know,” she whispered, her tail thrashing, and Fenrir’s hand gently touched it, flattening her fur.
                “It’s okay, Tiger,” Fenrir whispered, his hand brushing her tail and Tiger slowly calmed, which caused her to shake more. “You’re with me, you’re okay…” Fenrir continued to whisper soft things into Tiger’s ear, and she nodded, letting Fenrir continue to stroke her tail. After a short time, she slowly wrapped that tail around Fenrir’s waist, leaning more into him, but not tightening her hold, which had become fairly loose now. “Mind telling me what you were dreaming about…?” Fenrir whispered, his other arm just purely hugging Tiger.
                Breathing in heavily, Tiger wiped the sweat off her forehead with an arm and coughed. “I don’t… I…” Tiger stammered for a few moments more before finally getting a grip on her voice. “I don’t know what it was, it was just… painful…” A hand instinctively went to her scar, where she had been stabbed before, just like where she was stabbed within the dream. She gave a harsh shake and slowly pulled back, looking into Fenrir’s eyes. “I… Thank you… I think I’m fine now…” she whispered, although she was lying. Tiger didn’t feel fine at all, but she had appreciated what Fenrir was trying to do.
                There was a slight nod as Fenrir kissed her forehead. “Well, I’m sure you’ll be fine, right…? If you want, you can go draw or do something, clear your mind of it,” Fenrir suggested, giving Tiger a slight pat on the head between her ears.
                “I think I will,” Tiger mumbled. “Thank you…” She quietly hugs Fenrir and slowly stands up, grabbing her jacket and slipping it on. “A walk will clear my head…” She didn’t believe that, but it’d be enough to get Fenrir off her back for a short time. Tiger gave Fenrir a quiet smile before going down the stairs, being sure to keep silent as to not wake their guest. Walking out the front door, she closed it behind her and began to walk forward, letting her boots crunch down on the snow as she took a few heavy breaths.
                The air was sharp and cold in the still night, the moon just over the horizon, almost ready to disappear for another twelve hours before rising again, letting a darkness take over. Her steps were steady as she continued to walk, remembering the feeling of the pain in her hips. Tiger had no idea why she experienced such a horrible nightmare, and Bralis’s voice entered her mind.
                You don’t have too much memory, yet I know all of it, I know everything about you, Bralis spoke. There was a sinister tone to Bralis’s voice and Tiger felt a growl rise in her throat, but she held it back. I would’ve told you so much earlier what had happened to you, but you were too young, too forgiving. When you first met Fenrir on that first morning, you were in so much pain, but you didn’t know what had been done to you.
                “Shut up,” Tiger whispered to Bralis, shaking her head slightly as more snow started to fall. She stopped at the river, which wasn’t frozen yet.
                Let me tell you something, Bralis continued to speak. I believe in an eye for an eye, I believe in punishing those who deserve to be punished. That pain in your hips? The pain that you can remember? You certainly aren’t no virgin, miss, you were raped.
                “Shut up.” Tiger set her jacket against a tree, just wearing a short-sleeve shirt and skinny jeans. The snow was only a couple inches high, and she didn’t feel cold at all yet. It was rare she felt cold unless a snowstorm would pass, which wouldn’t happen soon, Tiger knew the signs of a snowstorm around this area. Even down to the scent, although most of her senses were blocked now from the frozen air.
                Why? Don’t you want to know who you are? Bralis coaxed.
                “No.”
                Tiger looked downriver, then upriver, then back downriver and started to run. This was something she did every once in a while, whether it be just for fun or when she had something on her mind, she would run this trail. She would duck under branches, jump over rocks and slide under roots of trees, she had practiced so much, bruised herself so much doing this, and now she had perfected the run.
                Why not, Tiger? You have a chance to know who you are… your real name, Bralis kept coaxing for Tiger to give in, and Tiger ignored him. She didn’t care what Bralis would say, she didn’t want to know about who she was before. Not now. She slid onto her knees and quickly leaned back, sliding under the roots of a tree. This is your chance, Bralis urged as Tiger slid onto her feet and continued to run, feeling constrained, tightened between four walls that kept closing in on her. This is your chance for revenge… It’ll feel great, it’ll last…
                After another few moments of running, Tiger jumped over the final rock, her hand touching the freezing cold surface and stopping her forward movement. There was a short cliff face, maybe twenty feet above the lake that the river led to. She looked down and breathed heavily. Not even a trickle of sweat left her as she stared at the black lake, a bright orange light coming from the horizon opposite of the lake.
                “No,” Tiger repeated, slowly sitting down. “No… I will not… It isn’t worth anything to me, not the way it used to be. My memories no longer matter, I live with Fenrir now, no one else.” Tiger meant what she said and she smiled slightly. “Who cares about the past when all I need to worry about is my future?”
                You sound like Fenrir, Bralis mumbled.
                “Of course I do,” Tiger giggled lightly. “He’s my father, my mentor, he’s the only one I can care for. There’s no point in revenge, not in this world.” Her giggling had stopped and she looked at the horizon, watching the sun, knowing it was reflecting her orange eyes. The water began to reflect a bright orange and pink color, along with some blue. “Revenge is pointless.”

***

                Adriel sat in front of the fireplace, hearing the door close as Tiger had left, not noticing that she was awake. Her shoulder muscles made an odd twitching movement and she heard another set of footsteps coming down the stairs. A voice broke the silence she had been going through the entire night.
                “Hey Adriel,” Fenrir spoke, slowly walking over to the person he had just named. “How did you sleep?”
                She shrugged. “It wasn’t uncomfortable,” she spoke, turning her head to Fenrir with a slight smile. “I can thank your daughter for the fire, it made me very warm and was able to thaw out the metal on my arm.”
                “Yeah, she’s quite talented with her abilities, trust me, that isn’t the best she could do with them,” Fenrir joked. Adriel slowly stood up and placed the blanket against the couch, then took a few steps towards Fenrir, who almost seemed to step back but had stayed mostly still.
                “I thank you, so much,” Adriel whispered, hugging Fenrir, who tensed and his hands went to her sides. Before he could do anything else, she whispered, “Sorry, but this might pinch.” She twisted his hand quickly, taking him by surprise, and her fangs extended, Adriel biting down on his neck. Fenrir let out a short cry, a very short one before his voice was cut off. His energy signature changed from demonic to a more neutral, almost nothing, kind of like a human. A bright, red liquid left where Adriel had bit, but not much, a mix of blue somewhere in the blood too.
                Her teeth retracted. Fenrir slowly seemed to tilt to one side and his eyes closed, Adriel using one hand to lay him down on the couch, then placed the blanket over him. “Let’s get this party started,” Adriel grinned.