The Tiger Within Chapter 52

Her stomach dropped as he ran up a log that had fallen against a tree that was still living . This was one of nature's ramps, but he couldn't see beyond it . Her heart stopped as he lept off of the top and started again when he continued seeming not to have noticed anything unusual . Kyera thanked the sky and climbed the same ramp, looking out past him, using the height to leap and clear some of the distance between them .

She began to gain on him, Kyera wasn't sure if it was adrenaline pulsing through her body or if it was the boy slowing his step . Either way there was a cry of thanks from the lover's hearts as the young one came closer to being within Kyera's reach . "Talis, Slow down . " She demanded but he didn't seem to hear her .
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Verone realized this and Roared several times, loud and fierce but he was too far behind for him to hear him . Unsure of why, he fed off Kyera's terror and tried to stop his younger brother while cursing himself for being out of shape . He would never allow that to happen again . Still Talis seemed caught in his own little trance as he dashed towards the river bank .

Silver serpent was a long river and they would cross it twice before they made it home . This was the first, and shortest of the two . A single leap across . Years had made a single path seem the safest for a crossing and every creature knew the path .

Talis turned toward it and Kyera's eyes were drawn to the bank . Just across from where he would leap, the place that she had often landed herself was coated in a thin veil of leaves that were placed too perfectly . The faintest wisps of silver caught her eyes .

"Talis NO!" She screamed again, but it was too late there was only one choice . He had began to leap and she had no choice but to follow suite . His leap was carefree and lacked velocity, but kyera put everything she had into her own flight . Throwing herself into the air, Kyera used her ma.s.sive shoulder to ram into Talis' body . She felt the ribs crack upon impact and her own shoulder seared with deep set pain . The force was enough to knock him away from her .

Verone watched in slow motion as his brother leaped and then his lover directly after . Kyera had put so much force into her jump that her body rammed into Talis with the sound of a thunder clap . He watched as Talis was sent flying further left than he should have landed . His body aimed for the thicket and river bank where his landing wouldn't be pretty . However, that was hardly Verone's biggest concern when he saw Kyera land . Her body fell in a mangled heap on the leaves . His world stopped .

Talis. .h.i.t the dirt and skidded along the bank for several feet, pain radiating from anywhere his body touched the dirt . His mind was muddled and lost, having almost no idea where he even was . He remembered the river, and he remembered jumping but… what hit him? Someone had yelled… Talis shook his head to try and clear it . There seemed to be a ringing in his ears . . .

He turned to see his brother standing across the way . Eyes filled with dread as he stared in his direction . Talis waved, but then noticed his brother's eyes were not on him . A sense of dread hit him as he followed his brother's eyes .

Kyera's body hung several feet in the air, a net holding her high above their heads . A bell above making a ringing noise every time the net bounced . The piercing sound that struck them both to the core . They didn't have much time .

"Kyear, KY!" Verone cried out, standing beneath the net, reaching out to try and touch her . The net was just too high… there was nothing . . Nothing he could do . For a long moment, he thought her dead . Nothing could describe the joy and pain in his heart as he heard her agonized moan .