The beast's open jaws appeared before Jaime in an instant, filling his dimming vision with razor-like teeth. 'I'm so tired.' Jaime thought, his vision darkening as his imminent death overwhelmed him.
The darkness engulfed Jaime's vision as his exhausted mind shut down. He couldn't feel his overstrained body as he fell to his knees.
Just before Jaime's vision fell to black, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Something that made him smile inwardly. 'Damn kid's unkillable.'
Jaime then fell into unconsciousness, leaving his fate in the hands of a familiar figure.
The tiger's jaws were inches away from Jaime's head, its warm breath close enough to push his hair back. The tiger could already taste the sweet blood of this damn human who just wouldn't die.
The beast was on cloud nine as it began to snap its jaw closed.
BOOM!
Just then, a foot collided with the side of the beast's head, hard enough to create a small explosion.
Jaime's unconscious body was thrown backward by the wind as the beast's body was launched like a broken doll.
Rella looked at Jaime's unconscious body on the ground. Then, she looked up to the figure of a small boy, landing firm after driving his foot into the beast's head. His small figure was like a gift from God, sending overwhelming emotion through her heart. Most of all, the small figure filled her heart with hope.
"HAHAHAHA!" A peal of familiar and overwhelming laughter ripped through the clearing, coming from the figure of a shirtless young boy.
Timothee's grin was prominent, his excitement undeniable. The boy's bare torso was underdeveloped but still defined by lithe and honed muscle. His blood-soaked shirt was wrapped around his arms, creating a poor makeshift splint that locked them together. Blood dripped from the corner of his grinning lips, showing that his internal injuries were still active.
"You thought you killed this handsome young man? You stupid oversized cat?!" Timothee rose to his full height, glaring at the downed form of the black tiger. "It'll take more than that to kill someone as great as I!"
The tiger rose to its feet, shaking off the last of the dizziness from receiving the kick to the head. Its red eyes glowing with fury as it glared at the demonic human standing before it.
"Grrrrr…." A deep growl rumbled from the creature's throat.
Timothee didn't turn away, never taking his eyes off the creature. "Rella! Take Jaime away and protect him! I'll take care of this oversized cat!"
Rella cast a deep gaze at the young boy standing tall against the massive beast. The always cheerful and obnoxious young boy's figure was like a mountain now. Seemingly capable of holding back the very heavens.
Rella saw the wet blood staining his hair and running down the back of his neck, making her heart ache for the young boy's pain. But, she knew that he was their only chance at survival.
"Okay!" Rella steeled her mind. "But don't you dare die!"
Rella lifted Jaime's body into her arms, ignoring the piercing pain in her knee as she sprinted out of the clearing.
Timothee beamed, mumbling to himself. "If you care so much, why not prove it with a kiss?"
The tiger watched the female human fleeing with the dreadful brown-haired human. "Grrrr…." A deep growl rumbled from its throat as it tensed its muscles, ready to give chase.
"Where do you think you're looking?" Timothee asked coyly, kicking a large rock toward the beast's head.
CRACK! BOOM!
The rock cracked harshly against the beast's skull, dazing it and drawing its attention away from Rella. Following up, another figure appeared above the beast, driving its head into the ground.
Dirt exploded into the air as the beast's head impacted the ground, a small crater forming in the previously hard soil.
Kicking off the beast's head, Aisha jumped back through the air, landing beside a still grinning Timothee.
When Timothee launched his initial attack, kicking the beast's head and saving Jaime, Aisha hid in the trees. Timothee's unexpected kick had thrown the beast toward Aisha, and, while the tiger was distracted, Aisha was able to land a powerful sneak attack.
"Are you feeling okay?" Aisha asked, glancing at Timothee with concern.
"Bah, leave me alone, witch. It takes a helluva lot more than that to kill a Beliara."
Aisha shook her head, but inwardly she was greatly relieved. When Timothee was first wounded, and seeing his severe injuries up close, Aisha was extremely worried. Now, seeing him standing tall beside her, the lingering worry in her heart faded slightly.
"Damn, you're still alive? I thought I finally won the bet~." Jenna giggled sweetly, walking up beside Timothee.
"Hah! Damn psychopath. Does my precious life mean so little to you?"
Jenna giggled once more, her bell-like laughter ringing through the clearing and tingling everyone's ears. "I can't buy pretty jewelry with your life~."
Timothee shrugged. "Depends on who you sell me to."
Jenna thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess that's true." A foxy smirk swam across Jenna's lips. "Maybe when we find a city, I'll see if anyone wants you~."
"Focus, you damn pests." Aisha scolded them, watching the tiger rise.
The tiger was now fully recovered, glaring at the group with burning hatred in its red eyes. "Grrrrr…."
"Ooh, scary~." Jenna giggled, watching the beast's angry eyes.
Despite everyone's seemingly lax attitude, they were all quite bothered.
"Even after all that, the tiger doesn't even look injured. It's still faster and stronger than all of us, and none of us can even injure it. Haa…." Aisha sighed. "We should've bought some weapons."
Timothee chuckled, shrugging his injured shoulders. "With what money?"
"Good point."
"Actually, I might be able to do something about that." Jenna piped in. "I'm not arrogant enough to think I'll be of any help in the fight, but if you can stun or wound it so it can't move, I might be able to kill it."
Aisha cast a sidelong glance at the doll-like beauty. "Oh, and why is that?"
Jenna caught Aisha's eye, shooting her a mysterious smile. "You'll see."
The tiger was now finished sizing up the group of humans and was preparing to pounce.
Noticing time was rapidly running out, Timothee yelled over his shoulder. "Cain! Can you steal the energy from the cat's body?"
Aisha and Jenna's eyes lit up when they heard the kid's plan. If Cain could hinder the beast, they would have a far greater chance of victory.
Cain reached his senses outward, trying to feel that pleasant, familiar energy.
His eyes lit up. He could feel it! He could feel the energy flowing all around him. He could feel it flowing within the three's bodies. And finally, Cain could feel the vast amounts of energy flowing within the tiger.
Cain gave Timothee a nod. "I think I can."
Timothee's already bright grin grew even more radiant. "Then this just might be possible."
At that moment, the tiger had finally had enough. The beast pounced through the air, appearing before the group like a ghost. The tiger swung its paw at the head of the young human, initiating the soon-to-be deadly fight.
The next few minutes would decide who lived and who died. Would the group of frail humans walk away, or would they become food for the massive beast opposing them?