CHAPTER ONE: FAUNA AND THE THREAT OF THE LION
The blue cloudless sky stretched steadily above and the bright summer sun shone. Huge birds flew, worms in their beaks as they dove into nests that contained chirping hungry chicks. Gazelles, rabbits and small animals caught a whiff of the scent of the predators and they fled the scene.
The predators weren't there for them today though. The girl with the flawless dark-skin and cascading snowy hair howled for joy, a huge smile on her face and her fingers digging into the fur of her friend who ran through the trees.
His heavy paws made thudding sounds as they made contact with the ground, and animals burrowed into their holes at an attempt to hide from the huge and ferocious creature.
The girl let go of the tiger's fur and spread her arms wide as the strong wind rushed through her ears. Giggles escaped her lips as she watched the trees blur through them. There was nothing she loved more than to hop on the back of her best friend and go for a run.
He suddenly dug his paws into the sand and because she wasn't holding on to anything, she flew off his back and into the still and sparkling water with an impact that was enough to break the bones of any human child.
Good thing she wasn't an ordinary human child.
She flared her arms around the water as she giggled uncontrollably. Her movements caused ripples in the once calm and quiet water, and fishes swam out of sight as they didn't want to become lunch for the predators.
"That was AMAZING!" She screamed in pure delight and her friend stood at the bank of the water and watched her with bright purple eyes that stood out against the gold and black of his fur.
"Come and join me," she beckoned the tiger. "The water is warm."
The tiger nodded and jumped into the water. His large mass caused a huge splash that drew the girl under the water for a moment, but she wasn't bothered. She could hold her breath for longer than normal humans. When she resurfaced though, the tiger was gone, and in its place was a young boy.
The young boy had sun-kissed skin and long and silky black mane that fell to his broad naked shoulders. His pink lips were stretched into a smile that revealed a set of perfect teeth with canines slightly longer and sharper than that of a human boy.
His cheeks were flushed with colour and were dotted with light freckles and his eyes were a very powerful shade of violet that was impossible to miss. Despite his large, bulky and dominating frame that made the girl look quite dainty, there was something about his smile and demeanour that was gentle and inviting.
"Why do I always let you talk me into this?" The young boy chuckled. His voice was deep and coarse, but pleasant to the ears.
"Because you absolutely adore me." The girl giggled again, then she splashed water all over the boy who shook his head at her playfulness.
The two enjoyed a blissful moment where they swam around and enjoyed one another's company. The moment was however short-lived and all too suddenly, the boy froze. His shoulders tensed up and he stared into the far distance at something that the girl couldn't see.
A crease appeared on her otherwise smooth forehead and she swam to him curiously. He stood taller and larger than her, and he took a protective stance beside her, but she couldn't see what she was being protected against.
"What's the matter, Saber?"
Her question went unanswered as Saber started to scan the environment while he turned his nose upwards and sniffed the air, then he wrinkled his nose and puffed out air as though he just smelt something nasty.
"Can you smell that?"
His question prompted her to sniff around, but try as she might, she couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary. All she sensed was the water around them and the trees that stretched out beyond what the eyes could see.
She could smell the rabbits in their burrows and the trail the gazelles left. She could smell the birds in the air and the soft wind that promised rainfall by night-time, but all of that was normal, nothing to be alarmed about.
"You know your senses are a lot stronger than mine. Tell me what it is you smell," she urged.
"I'm unsure. It smells like..." He sniffed hard again, then turned in the opposite direction and breathed in deeply once more. "It smells like a lion."
The young girl's blood ran cold and her skin became pale. She shook her head with disbelief as she swam backwards, towards the bank of the river and in the direction of home.
"It's impossible!" She continued to shake her head. "We have our best Sniffers guarding our borders. There is no way a lion could wander into our territory."
"Yet, here I am!"
The duo gasped and turned around to find a tall, fair boy with short brown hair and blood red eyes staring at them. His lips parted into a wicked grin and his canines seemed to gleam in the sunlight. This only added to his malicious image.
He was built like Saber, albeit a couple of inches shorter and he was clothed in knickers made from sheep's wool.
Saber snarled at the boy, and his action only seemed to amuse the young lion who sat on the ground. He didn't look the least bothered that he could easily be ripped apart by the angry tiger. If anything, he looked overly confident for someone who was trespassing.
"How did you get here, Ari?" Saber demanded while he pulled the girl behind him protectively.
"I simply walked in. You aren't doing a good job protecting your territory, Saber. I don't blame you though. Tigers aren't known for building clans so it's no wonder you're sloppy. Know what?" He cocked his head as he watched Saber and the girl with flowing white hair and piercing grey eyes.
"I have a preposition. I could show you the ropes. I after all have the strongest and most impenetrable pride. And all I ask in return is something you so cruelly ripped from my unsuspecting paws."
Ari was relaxed. A little too relaxed for Saber's liking, and Saber hated the way the lion stared wickedly at the young girl.
Ari looked harmless. His smile revealed indents in his cheeks and his voice was velvety and with charm. However, mistaking the young lion as friendly was a deadly mistake a few hard learnt the hard way.
He was a ruthless predator.
"I will rip your head off you neck if you come any closer. You know the penalties for trespassing," Saber growled at the lion who shrugged with nonchalance.
"I don't doubt you, Saber. Truly, I don't. However, you were wrong to take Snow away from me. She belongs with the lions. Oh, how heartbroken was I when you and your selfish father snatched her away!"
He placed the back of his palm over his forehead in a dramatic gesture that caused Saber to roll his eyes. Saber wasn't a fool to fall for Ari's theatrics. He knew the young lion lacked emotions.
"Her name is Fauna, and she is not a tool," Saber snapped.
"Oh, but she is," Ari disagreed. "She is a Shapeshifter. The finest weapon created by mother nature. She is a force to be reckoned with and your pathetic clan cannot train nor contain such prowess. She belongs by my side where she would rule as a queen... And Fauna is a stupid name."
"By your side? I thought that position was occupied by Sabrina," the girl – Fauna – finally spoke up.
Fauna was visibly shaken by the sight of the young lion. She was terrified of him and she hated that his presence only brought back memories of everything she went through in his hands.
"Sabrina? Oh no!" Ari shook his head. "She's one of my favourite lionesses, I'll admit, but she isn't to be compared to you. Just imagine all the power... Imagine what we could achieve together. Look at you here, useless and pathetic. They have turned the most powerful creature in the world into a mere human child." He scoffed in disdain.
"I have been patient and kind for too long, Saber, but it won't last. I will have what I want. It's up to you to decide though; bloodless and calmly? Or do you want the death of all your... brethren on your large paws?" Ari grinned widely as though he didn't just threaten them.
Saber was not having it. No one threatened his friends and got away with it. He stepped forward, but Ari was already anticipating his movements. The young lion leaped into the air and with unbelievable speed, he transformed into his animal form.
His paws hit the ground and he sped out of sight, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Immediately, Fauna closed her eyes and tried to open a mind link between her and the Sniffers that were on duty, but before she could warn them to stand their guard and capture the lion, he was already out of their territory and headed towards his pride.
"Way to ruin my fun day!" Fauna complained as she started to get out of the water. She was just not finding it therapeutic anymore as the atmosphere had been tainted with the stench of the horrible lion. "Come on, Saber, let's head back to the others."
Saber was still tense. He stared at the path Ari had just passed with clenched jaws, but upon hearing his name from his best friend, he visibly relaxed and forced a smile as he trotted out of the water. Fauna watched as furs grew out of his skin until they covered him and the sound of bones breaking and realigning was heard before the dashing young man was replaced with the huge beast once more.
"I've never seen anyone morph that fast though. One second, he was sitting before us and the next, he was a lion. It barely took two seconds. Is that even possible?" Fauna continued and Saber made a growling sound that made her hum in thought.
She climbed onto his back, still slightly shaken from the encounter with Ari, but a small part of her wondered if he could indeed teach her how to be a better werefolk.
All her life, Fauna had been told that she was special; a Shapeshifter, but she was almost sixteen and she was nowhere near transforming whereas most lions and tigers could successfully shift before they reached age five. Not only that. Her senses were considerably duller and she had much slower reflexes than the other tigers. She was like a three-year-old cub.
Despite that, the tigers loved and protected her. Saber especially. Since the day he first saw her, he knew he would do anything in his power to keep her safe, and he had been doing a great job for the past five years, but Ari's words made her wonder whether their love and protectiveness was actually stopping her from reaching her full potential.
"Lord Bruce is going to be enraged. I actually fear he'll rip the head off one of our Sniffers. That would be rather unfortunate, seeing as our numbers keep dwindling. I wonder though, how could he get past our Sniffers? Surely, he couldn't have overpowered them without raising alarm. He was alone and tigers are considerably stronger."
Saber walked this time. He wasn't in the mood to run. His whole mood had been dampened by the young lion and it was taking all of his self-restraint to not tear past their border and chase Ari into his pride. It was a fool's quest, but he wanted to keep his best friend safe at all cost.
"I wish I had answers, Fauna, but I don't." Saber's voice sounded in Fauna's head and she sighed.