Stay and Wait
You blinked and avoided eye contact with the male. Without another word, the tiger left you by the fire and disappeared into the night. You stood there for a few moments. A part of you wanted to follow him, but the other part of you wanted to sit down and enjoy the warmth. What did he mean by being safe? Weren't they tigers? Who could be more dangerous than them? After that thought, the latter part of you won. You submitted to the tiger's request and found yourself a comfortable spot beside the fire.
You crouched down and felt the warmth penetrating your orange fur. Your tail curled around your body and twitched lazily at the tip. You began studying your surroundings. The cavern was massive. It sloped upward near the opening, widened, and then narrowed once more. To your right, moonlight marked the entrance of the cave. To your left, the cave extended into a bleak passage, and even when your eyes adjusted, you could see nothing, hear nothing, or sense nothing from its foreboding darkness. You decided to ignore it. You were safe, and that's what mattered.
This must be the tiger's den. It seemed very homely to you, and it smelled heavily of his scent. Once again, you felt comforted. Earlier, you must have wandered onto his territory without realizing it. He must have been following you for some time. You never even heard him approach. He had been cautious and nothing but gentle towards you.
You sighed to yourself, stretched your paws forward, and rested your chin upon your knees. The fire drew your gaze and calmed you. You saw reds, oranges, and yellows, yet you also saw something else. There were distinct shapes. These shapes were alive, and they were moving. You saw the jungle and its natives, the predators and their prey, and you saw the circle of life. You saw nature. You were barely blinking. Your eyes were glazing over. You saw two tigers sitting upon a cliff, and then a cub appeared. It raced over to the tigers and snuggled between them. Your eyes widened, and you tore yourself away.
Everything was too bright. You clenched your head with your paws as dots scurried across your vision. The dots faded in and out until your eyes finally readjusted.
"What did you see?" the tiger demanded.
The deep, rumbling voice surprised you. You pushed yourself into a sitting position and saw the tiger standing a few feet away. His amber eyes were filled with fierce curiosity.
Written by falconess22 on 26 March 2016
