We sat in silence for a while, then when it got too dark too see anything we went to sleep. I know, I know, sleep in a weird opposite dimension or whatever inside a haunted forest with someone I had known for a couple of hours. But, weirdly enough, I didn’t feel paranoid at all. I had only met Jay, yet I felt very secure with her near me. I just felt like she’s the kind of person that knows how to deal with an emergency. So I fell asleep easily. I mean, I was totally bushed. I had had a pretty crazy day, even for me. So I probably would have slept like a log, except for one fact. I had a nightmare. And even by my standards, it was a WHOPPER.
I dreamt I was in a beautiful dress. In some sort of amazing palace. With many distinguished people sitting around a table. BlueJay was there too, looking younger and more happy. I was seated at the table as well. Oh, and another thing; I wasn’t even me. I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror on a wall. I wasn’t myself, but I knew one thing; I knew the face I saw in the mirror. Just not the name. All the people were laughing and talking while they waited for the food to be served. A handsome-looking gentle man to my right kept chatting with me, and when he wasn’t, he was trying to catch my eye and smiling. I blushed whenever he did this. After some time, food arrived on china dishes and silver cutlery. It was unlike any food I’ve ever ‘eaten’ before. I used manners I had never learned and talked about things that I knew nothing about easily. When the dishes were scraped clean everyone walked out into a beautiful garden, laughing in the sunlight. Suddenly, my perspective switched. I was hidden in the bushes, shifting uneasily. I watched the company walk outside. My... tail waved back and forth. A signal. I leapt out of the bushes, aiming directly for the teenaged girl I had been earlier. Her lush auburn hair shone in the sunlight. Me and my accomplices, two night-black panthers were on either side of me, daggers in their mouths and eyes flashing. I landed on all four of my... paws. I was in the center of the group, close to the girl. With a flick of my tail the panthers headed towards the girl and chased away all who were near my target. I, myself, circled around, viewing the company and growling. In doing so, I got a look at myself. I was the same texture as Frost, see-through and sparkly, but more orange than blue. I was a tiger. The girl caught sight of me snarling. Her face turned white and she looked confused.
“Saji! Why are you doing this? Who are these cats?”
I ignored her and continued my pacing. When the guests were at a considerable distance, I padded over to her. The panthers were still circling us, making sure no one dared to come close. One man had run for the guards. BlueJay was yelling for calm and her arrows. But it was too late. A smirk curled at my mouth. I reached her and sat on my haunches to look her in the eye.
“Hello, partner. How are the party guests? I do hope the food was to your pleasure. And the sunlight catches your hair so well. I do just love your new outfit! What a shame you will never see how well it goes with my new collar.”
I sneered at her scathingly.
“Saji, what is this? You are frightening the guests!”
I laughed.
“Oh, you know they can’t understand a word I’m saying. And meet my new friends. Yew and Nightshade.”
I nodded to the panthers.
“By the way, they make their living as assassins. Which is why they’re here. To get rid of you.”
If the girl had been white before, that was nothing compared to how ‘transparent’ she looked now.
“B-but... what... k-kill? How...”
I snickered at her confusion and terror. How foolish she was!
Raising my voice, I began to speak.
“To all who hear this, pass it on. This world you live in now is not going to be the same ever again. The waters which you sail are becoming choppy and rough. The queen shall fall and Those Who Walk In The Shadows shall rule! All this shall begin with the death of this pretty little lady right now. To all who hear this, this blood, this end, shall mark a new beginning!”
The girl gasped and looked pleased.
“Saji! You spoke English! This is an Aura breakthrough! This is wonderful!”
She bent down to hug me. I snarled and dodged her. She looked hurt. I continued.
“I did not learn to speak as a trick for you to show your friends and snotty dukes and duchesses. I learned so I can make you pathetic beings understand me, one and all.”
One of the panthers tossed me a dagger. I caught it in my mouth easily. I moved it so the specially fitted handle was in my mouth at the right position. I had been a couple of feet away. However, I turned and walked towards the crowd. I sarcastically bowed to anyone I recognized.
Duke of something, lady of some hall, duchess of some place, sir knight of some glory, fancy-pants architect, blah blah blah. Finally I started walking back. Ten feet away, I crouched in preparation to leap. The girl hadn’t moved. She was frozen. The panthers had done their charms well. She looked terrified. As I tensed to leap, I heard someone yell in slow motion. I leaped as though trapped in jello. Time slowed down for me. This moment was here at last. However, something other than my target entered my vision. The man who loved her. He leaped in front of her, blocking her and causing me to catch him instead. I snarled in annoyance as I hit him with my full momentum, then picked up my dagger again from his chest and turned to my victim. But the damage was done. The panthers had become occupied with this fool risking his life. The frozen charm had broken. The girl was running away, her tears watering the grass. I was ready to go chase down my prey, but I could hear the shouts of those blasted guards. I growled in anger and jumped into the air and twisted into nothingness.
I woke up breathing hard with tears forming in my eyes. I was in my body again. And I was sure of two things. 1, that dream was something that actually happened. 2, the girl with the auburn hair was Tigress.
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