A Tigers Stripes Never Change

Chapter 5

Jack

My eyes blinked as I came back to the present, still staring at the needle on the floor dribbling poison. I realized that’s the needle he had put in my leg, the one who he told me not to take out because I’d bleed to death. I looked down at my leg….a little dried trail ran down my leg. The hole had already healed.

“That fucker lied to me,” I growled. I stood up slowly. I could tell I was getting my strength back already. I was still weak though and I knew I wouldn’t be able to take him in his animal form. I searched for my tiger. I could feel him stir lazily; he’s weak too.

I walked over to the table next to the cot and picked up the water bottle and chugged the remainder of the warm liquid. It must be 90 degrees in here and sweat was starting to pour off me. I walked to the door and checked the locks. Everything was made of steel and the windows were shatter proof. I had tried to break them earlier but I was too weak at the time. Hopefully I could get my strength back before he returned.

Andy

I watched her out of the corner of my eye when she spotted the clearing. Her face lit up and she smiled a real smile. She was beautiful and radiant. She turned to me; still smiling that brilliant smile. I saw it falter slightly when she made eye contact.

“We made it Andy!” She said happily. “There’s a building right there! Buildings mean people!”

I smiled back at her and suddenly I was unsure of my plan. I hadn’t really had a specific plan in place for her and have been pretty much winging it. I had never had two test subjects at once. It was stupid of me to go off the rail like this. But she had been right there. And I was coming off my after abduction high with the tiger in that building she’s so excited about. Regret creeped up on me.

“What’s wrong?” She asked. She’d been watching me this whole time, probably reading the doubt on my face.

“Nothing,” I replied. “I’m just a little nervous. I mean, so far my experiences in this forest haven’t turned out super great. I mean, meeting you has been fantastic but. Something doesn’t feel right.”

I saw concern flash over her face as she turned back to look at the clearing. I watched her as she considered my words. Her eyebrows pushed together while she thought.

“So we don’t walk straight into it. We go through the trees and peek in. See what we can see. That building looks old and abandoned and at the very least can be a means of shelter or maybe food,” she said matter of factly. “We can’t not check it out Andy.”

“Okay,” I said. It was kind of a turn on the way she takes charge. “I agree, I just… I don’t know.”

She gave me a look that I couldn’t comprehend. Her pretty blue green eyes squinted at me, her head c****d to the side slightly as if she was listening to something. Her nose wrinkled a little as she breathed. Her mouth flattened into a tight line.  The look made me a little nervous. I began to wonder if the drug was wearing off.

“Let’s go,” she said firmly and walked off towards the clearing. I followed her; checking my pocket again for the syringe. We were closer to the building now so I could potentially use it and drag her back to the lab. I would need to ensure my other experiment was out of the way so I could get her in.

Cat moved quickly into the trees and I tried to keep up. She hopped over limbs and bushes that were in her way. I was unsure why she was in such a hurry as I tried to keep her pace. We were closing in on the clearing when she suddenly banked to the right and took off running at top speed.

I was nowhere near that fast as a human. It’s close to my next treatment time so I’m significantly weaker. I was waiting until I had the tiger gene to add to my next dose. How stupid have I been to try this experiment now when it was still underdeveloped and unplanned!  I stopped trying to catch up to her. There was no way I’d be able to catch her now. But I could track her.

I quickly took the syringe out of my pocket and held it in my mouth while I stripped down. I got down on all fours and prepared myself for the shift. It wasn’t as fluid as I had seen true shifters and it took me a solid minute or two to fully change. I’ve seen true shifters go from human to beast in seconds.

I felt my bones begin to shape as the change happened. Coarse fur poked through my skin and covered most of my body. Patches of skin shown throughout my coat. The tiger was right about one thing. I wasn’t an animal…..I was three. My body was huge and muscular like a bear, my head had the mane and face of a lion, but my snout elongated into a wolfs; my mouth was full of sharp ferocious teeth and had the strength to snap a human in two. My legs were thick and strong but shaped more like a wolfs and a tail stuck out bushy at the base but elongated at the end like a lion. My fur ranged from black on my body, brown for my head and face, my legs were a dark grey as well as my tail.

I raised my head and sniffed the air. I held the syringe gingerly in my mouth. Thankfully it was shatter proof but I didn’t want to accidentally inject myself or worse swallow the whole thing.

A fruity scent caught my nose and I turned towards it. I charged towards the bushes but she was gone. I saw her black form streak through the trees. She still hasn’t shifted. Maybe the drug is still working in my favor but it was clearly best to put her down now and get her to the lab.

Cat

I ran faster and faster. I couldn’t believe what I just saw. What the hell was that thing? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Andy. The way he was talking about not trusting what we saw in the forest stirred something inside me. I felt the creature that had tried to take over me in the tree wake up and pay attention. I was vaguely aware of another consciousness inside of me at that moment. And as I stared at him while he spoke he said something that triggered a memory; like déjà vu. I realized then I knew him somehow. I had seen him before and possibly spoken to him or been close enough to him to hear him speak.

“Get away from him,” the other conscience spoke to me. “He’s dangerous. He smells strange. Don’t trust him. Get away.”

It was the most the voice has spoken to me since it told me I was drugged. I could feel it flex and grow stronger. As we hurried through the woods, I couldn’t help but go faster and faster. I wanted distance between me and Andy.

Now I know why. I watched horrified as he morphed into that…that thing. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was hideous and grotesque. The way his bones shifted and moved in an inhuman way made my stomach roll. I ran faster and faster as I heard him crashing through the forest after me. I needed to get to that building. I was sure that there was something there that could help me. My other consciousness agreed with me and pushed me forward even faster like I was flying.

I ran for the building now, I wasn’t sure where Andy had gone and I couldn’t hear him anymore. Just as I was about to enter the clearing, Andy came barreling at me. Before he could connect with me, I launched myself at the closest tree; aiming as high as I could go. Claws shot out of my hands as I landed on the tree and gripped myself tightly. I began to climb up as Andy let out a beastly roar. I reached for the branch above me and almost slipped when he gave the tree a mighty shove, rocking it back and forth. A loud scream escaped my throat.

In the distance I heard a roar come from the direction of the building. Andy immediately stopped shoving the tree and looked towards it too. He looked back up at me then ran towards the building. Unsure of what to do now, I took some deep breaths. I stared at my hands that were now clawed and clinging to the tree.

“Okay…you,” I thought to myself addressing the other conscious. “What am I? Am I like Andy?”

“No,” it answered. “We are pure. True of our kind. He is an abomination.”

“But I’m an animal?”

A memory floated to the surface of my mind. A beautiful white tiger with blue green eyes in a river reflection. She was majestic and strong. She dipped her head to the river and drank. A cooling sensation rushed down my throat as though I had drank water.

I heard another roar in the distance; snapping me back to my current situation. Okay, so I’m stuck in a tree with tiger claws. Apparently I’m a tiger and Andy is some kind of monster and there seems to be something else in that building.

At that moment I heard a loud crash and the side of the building exploded. Out of the shambles came Andy’s black and grey form but he had something bright orange and striped on top of him. The delicious scent I had smelled before on Andy flew at me in waves. They rolled over me causing me to salivate and a yearning took over my body.  

“Mate,” roared my inner tiger.

Without hesitation, I launched myself out of the tree. The image of the beautiful white tiger filled my mind again and I felt the pressure rushing up from the inside. I didn’t push it back down. I didn’t want too. With a roar, fur burst out of my skin. My teeth elongated as my face morphed into my tiger. My torso, arms and legs grew and bent into shape and paws formed where my hands and feet were. By the time I landed I was completely transformed.

I wasted no time as I hurtled towards the dueling beasts ahead of me. They were circling each other. The orange tiger stumbled a little, his movements not as fast as they should be. I watched as he caught my scent and he spun towards me. Andy took the distraction as a chance to attack and lunged at him. But my tiger was stronger and faster. I leapt at Andy and knocked him away from my mate. Andy stumbled and fell over while I landed on my feet a few yards away. I turned and faced him, keeping my eyes on him and circled back to the orange tiger.

I nuzzled my mate beneath his chin. He purred loudly and nuzzled back. My tiger matched his purr and licked his muzzle. Andy shifted himself so he was standing on all fours. The hair raised up on my back and I growled at him. I was going to kill this….thing. He tried to hurt me. He definitely did something to my mate. He was going to die.

Jack

Now that I could stand and walk, I search the cabinets for something to eat. I grabbed a few bottles of water and chugged them. Not much was in here though. A lot of medical supplies and specimen jars full of things I didn’t want to look too closely at. But there in the back of the cabinet was a box of crackers. I grabbed them and ripped the box open. I was thankful they were still wrapped in plastic so I at least knew they weren’t tainted.

I sat down on the floor by the cabinet, stuffing crackers in my mouth and chasing it with water. I needed to heal faster but I wasn’t sure how long the drug’s effects would take to wear off. Normally I’d be fully healed after an hour. It’s been at least two since I woke up and I’m not nearly where I need to be to take on this bastard.

My mind wandered as I ate, thinking about everything this guy has said. What did he want a mate for? He had to realize that no shifter woman would be willing to mate with him. Oh god what if he was going to turn a human girl into something like him? I can’t let that happen. He was going to die even if it killed me in the process. I had to put a stop to his madness.

I looked down at myself. I was slightly thankful the psycho at least gave me some shorts. My leg has healed and is no longer broken, but it’s sore as hell. I can’t move as fast as I need too but I’m getting stronger. I reached out to my tiger. I could feel him shaking off the effects too. He’s getting stronger but like me it’s taking it’s time. I wondered if I’d be able to shift.

I lifted my hand up in front of my face. Staring at my hands, I pushed the tiger out of my fingertips. They curled slowly into claws, orange fur sprouting out of my skin. It tingled like it did when I was a young shifter; it took a few minutes for the feeling to stop.

As I contemplated shifting in full to adjust and prepare for a battle, I heard an ear piercing scream that pierced through to my heart. Suddenly my tiger threw himself against me and almost shifted completely. I held him back for a moment but he forced the shift with a roar.

My tiger exploded in the tiny room, knocking over the cot and tables of medical supplies. I swiped at the door but I wasn’t strong enough to break it. I pushed against and I felt it budge against my weight. I backed up a bit to give myself space to run at the door. But before I reached it, the door was broken through by a monstrous beast. The same one that had stopped me in the forest and dragged me here. The same one chasing a poor girl somewhere in this forest. Was that why he put a curtain up? Oh god!

I lunged at the monster with all my might. He reared back and took my attack. I definitely was not strong as I usually am but I get some hits in. He came running at full charge with a roar and I leapt onto his back. He ran through the side of the shack and we burst into a clearing. The sun was bright and hot. I clung to him until he shook me off and trampled over me. I got to my feet as fast as I could, stumbling slightly and faced him.

The beast seemed to be struggling as well though. His gate is shaky and he stumbled a few times. As we stared at each other, a roar ripped through the sky and a wall of sweetness crashed into me. It was heavenly and tantalizing and so out of place. My tiger purred at it and we looked over to see a beautiful white tiger racing towards us.

“Mate,” my tiger hummed happily; momentarily forgetting we were in a fight.

With my distraction, I didn’t notice the beast had moved in for an attack. I was captivated by the white tiger as she soared over the clearing. Her body so graceful and fast she seemed to fly more than run. I watched as her direction changed slightly and she launched herself at the beast just as he was swiping his massive claws at me. My heart stopped for I don’t know how long as she landed on the beast, knocking him away from me and they tumbled off to the side.

My tigress landed on her feet and circled the beast; who appeared to be having some difficulty recovering his bearings. Her eyes watched him closely as she circled to me. She nuzzled my chin and my tiger purred happily at the contact, nuzzling back. Her purr vibrated against my body and her tongue licked my muzzle. I could’ve taken her right there but she turned from me and faced our enemy. She looked deadly. She was going in for the kill.

The monster had managed to get to his feet during our introduction. He wavered a bit as he stared back at her. The look of shock in his eyes was enough to make me choke out a laugh. His eyes snapped back to me and the shock was replaced by total rage. Uh oh big boy was mad. But my tigress wasn’t scared, she walked in front his gaze; putting herself between me and him. Her growl was terrifying and I was glad I wasn’t on the receiving end.

The beast looked at her; you could see the wheels turning inside his head as he contemplated his predicament. Suddenly, he turned and ran. The white tiger chased after him but as I sprung to follow, I collapsed. I didn’t realize how tired I was and it felt like my muscles were seizing. I needed water. I stared off after my mate and the beast. She was in danger; that thing was unpredictable. I closed my eyes; trying to will my body to move.

A warm tongue washed my face and I opened my eyes to see the white tiger standing above me. I lifted my head and looked for the beast. She looked over her shoulder; ears twitching to hear any sounds. It was silent now. I couldn’t tell if the beast was gone or what happened. My tigress looked all around her then jogged around the clearing trying to see or hear anything. Still silence. She stood still; watching, listening, and waiting. I watched her from my place on the ground, my tiger panting heavily. With a bit of a shrug of her shoulders, my mate looked back at me and then she shifted right before my eyes at the edge of the clearing where she had first emerged. I watched as the beautiful white fur disappeared; revealing white soft skin. Gone was the beauty of white tiger and in its place was a crouched beautiful human girl with dark hair and white creamy skin than shined in the sunlight. She was stunning. I watched her as she scrambled to pick black pieces of cloth that must’ve been her clothes off the ground. She picked up a few pieces while hiding in the tall grass. I watched as she wrapped the fabric pieces around her into makeshift clothing. The material was there but there just no shape to it as it had shredded. When she was satisfied that all of her bits and pieces were covered she stood and turned towards me.

I managed to get to my feet, but it wasn’t easy. My legs threatened to give out at any moment but I needed to see her, to be close to her. We both walked slowly towards each other. Occasionally she’d look away to scan the perimeter for danger but I felt that we were safe at least for now. We stopped a few feet away from each other and I laid back down, panting away from the heat and the stress. She watched me with her blue green eyes and I blinked back at her. Her eyes closed and opened in the same slow manner.

“Well hello,” she said with a smile and nervous laugh. Her voice was like music to my ears, an angelic voice to match her angelic face. Her lips were soft and full. Her scent was radiating from her like a pulse. Waves and waves of fruity sweetness floated over me.

She closed the gap between us slowly then knelt down before me. She wasn’t afraid of me. Her eyes were bright and excited as they took in my tiger. She placed a hand on my head and stroked my ears. Her touch was comforting and warm, but also electric and tingly. A loud purr hummed from my chest and I leaned in closer to her touch.

“You’re so soft,” she whispered as she touched me. “Such a beautiful animal.” I nudged her with my nose and licked her cheek. Her squealed and laughed at the contact. The sound of her laugh made my heart swell. I wanted to make her do that again and discover what other fun noises she makes.

“Can you shift back?” She asked after a few moments.