"Nothing. I saw nothing,"
"Nothing. I saw nothing," you insisted.
However, the tiger seemed unconvinced. He stood there for a few moments and acted as if he might press the matter. You knew his mind was running with frenzied thoughts, trying to decide a course of action. In the end, he turned away and stepped off a rocky ledge. He grasped the horns of a deer-like creature and dragged it to the fireside. The creature was clearly dead with patches of dried blood coating its fur.
"I saw something in fire once," the tiger mused, mainly to himself.
You took a deep breath and glanced warily back to the flames. "It was nothing," you whispered.
A silence grew between you. For the longest time, you stared at the fire and watched it crackle and spit sparks. To the side, you heard the tiger digging his sharp claws into the prey and pulling it apart. As the silence prolonged, a savoury smell hit you, making your ears perk up. It must be the deer, and it smelled so tasty.
"Want some?" the tiger inquired. He leaned over the deer and offered you a crude slice of meat.
You stared at the raw meat with some inhibition. You couldn't eat that. It felt wrong somehow, especially with the dead creature's eyes staring at you. Instinct forced your paw outward though, and you took the warm meat from the tiger.
"Well, eat it, or it'll get cold."
Once again, you were torn between intuition and instinct. You wanted to cook the meat in the fire, but you had no means of doing so. If you even attempted it, the tiger would most likely judge you. He clearly caught the deer for both of you to devour, and you were hungry, very hungry. Your stomach grumbled eagerly as the meat's scent penetrated your nostrils, but throughout your entire life, you were taught to never eat raw meat due to food poisoning or parasites. Your paws began quivering with anticipation. You took a tentative bite and felt the delicious flavor burst across your new palate. Your guilt faded away instantly.
"I was unsure myself the first time, but you'll get used to it," the tiger muttered. He procured another piece of meat for himself. You noticed the red stains around his maw.
Written by falconess22 on 27 March 2016
