The Winter Tiger Page 7

  ‘You’re a priestess from Equi Feri?’ Priestesses and Shamans were held in high regard across the galaxy, none more so than those from the Zebra homeworld.

  The Zebra priestess nodded. ‘Your secret is safe with me.’

  ‘Oh, I know it is.’ Winter turned back down the corridor. ‘Guard!’

  Seconds later an obedient, stocky Tiger arrived, after a few heavy breaths he asked for instruction.

  The Zebra priestess didn’t scream, not even when Winter ordered the cell opened and revealed his Serpent’s Blade. She simply went to her knees and watched him, calm personified, as he turned on the hissing, neon red blade and decapitated her.

  The Tiger guard gasped; everyone knew to kill an animal of religion was to invoke bad luck on the murderer.

  The Winter Tiger laughed as he sheathed his sword, when they met each other’s gazed he stated, ‘I am above religion. Tell everyone.’

  WINTER STOOD AT THE foot of another blood bath within the Elder Temple. The proximity of this mass murder to the last was a lot closer than Winter had ever remembered in his numerous visits to the Elder Three. Never had he witnessed dead Tigers, strewn all around the pool at the base of the Elders thrones, two visits running.

  Never.

  What that meant he couldn’t decide, were they getting weaker or was this a push for more strength by them. One scenario spelled opportunity the other led to doom, either way he took delight in the changing pattern from the usually clockwork Elders.

  ‘What of the dungeons, Winter?’ asked the centrally seated Elder, the fattest and greyest of the three. His loincloth was sullied with blood and guts, as was most of his exposed fur. Again, Winter usually held audience with them when they were less, less...bloodied. They didn’t seem to care that Winter was laying eyes on them still covered in the gore of the unfortunate young Tigers sacrificed to prolong their lives. Centuries of power and black magic sat on those thrones, and Winter didn’t give a damn or fear any of them. He could disembowel the bloated old Tigers before

  their slave guards moved a muscle. Don’t tempt me.

  The burning desire to make the rash move tingled at the end of his claws.

  ‘Firestone has atoned for his errors with Star Wolf,’ Winter spoke plain, never bothering to apply a sultry, smooth tone to his voice around the Elder Three. They didn’t care for such things. ‘A few insubordinate Tigers were put down while I was there but with their ranks swollen beyond necessary. They have plen—’

  ‘It is not for you to question our orders,’ said the central Elder, his blood-soaked fur glistened and in between his words he purred, clearly in delight. Winter was witnessing the effects of their black magic live and in the flesh. The central Elders fur absorbed the blood by the second until a minute or two later there was only a smattering of blood drops left. Fascinating.

  ‘Understood.’ Winter bowed at the foot of the golden stairs, aware that his black paws were damp as he stepped in sticky blood. He suppressed a growl before returning to his feet. ‘There is a Rhino there who may be of use to us in time, but he will take a lot more convincing to join our cause.’ The Elders let out an approving murmur. ‘I’ll update on him in a few months’ time, they are a stubborn species.’ The grunts from the Elders were more disapproving. ‘And I had to execute a Zebra priestess.’

  The wide-eyed expressions on the Elders’ faces gave Winter enormous pleasure. To kill someone of religion was deemed a heinous act for one’s soul but not an illegal thing and something the Elders would’ve ordered anyway. They did not want any other religion on their planet. Anything that wasn’t of Tiger origin was a threat.

  ‘Very good, General Winter,’ again it was the central Elder who spoke, his elderly features were now smoother, less puffy and wrinkled. The other two Elders were purring now, and they too absorbed the blood that had coated their grotesquely overweight frames. ‘Now, what’s say you put these games to end and hunt down this rogue Band of Breeds and destroy them before they assemble an army.’

  ‘Of course, right away,’ Winter gave a half-bow this time and spun on his heels. Not concerned with the gore, he bounded out of the room. The golden vested guards didn’t bother looking up at him.

  ‘Oh, and one more thing before you go,’ the central Elder’s voiced boomed up and across the pyramid-shaped ceiling.

  A growl escaped Winter, not that he was close enough for anyone to hear, the fur around his collar flushed and was a little wet. ‘Yes?’ It took all of Winter’s willpower to not shout the word back, instead calm prevailed.

  ‘We need your seed.’ The Three Elders stood, padding down the steps with surprising ease given their weight. ‘It’s too valuable to waste.’ Winter didn’t like the sadistic grins on their faces. ‘You will not be leaving Tigris until you procreate.’ The Elders walked down and into their pool of blood, wading across until in the middle, the watery blood up to their hips. ‘Unless of course that isn’t your sort of thing?’

  Winter blinked for a few seconds, fighting back the urge to charge. The guards, he noted, had their hands on the hilts of the swords at their belts. Every fibre of his body was on fire. Rage surged through his entire body. Thick veins throbbed in his head as it swam. He’d clenched his jaw so tight he could taste blood on his tongue. Steel yourself.

  ‘If it is the wish of the Elders it shall be done.’ He’d run out of time and excuses; he had fobbed them off for years and they had finally ordered it from him formally. It was Tiger law and he couldn’t openly disobey the order no matter how much he wanted too. He cursed himself for not having the numbers to overthrow them. If he had the numbers, they’d all be dead for forcing such an archaic law on him but as things stood he had no choice but to obey.

  ‘Excellent.’ The Elders all had slimy grins and weirdly spoke in unison. ‘We look

  forward to meeting your cubs in three months’ time.’

  ‘As do I.’ Winter stormed out and assaulted half the guards on his walk out of the Elder Temple, not one of them lifted a finger against him. Their wounds would heal.

  That night Winter ordered three of the most beautiful, wholesome Tigresses, all of consenting and cub birthing age, brought to his private chambers back at his penthouse in the centre of the capital.

  He performed his duty.

  The three Tigresses meant less to him than the dirt beneath his claws.

  Still, his duty had been performed and he could deal with the consequences in a few months’ time.

  8. The Siege Of Agnus

  Sleep eluded Star Wolf. Every time his eyes fluttered shut, they snapped open at the faintest crack of a twig or whiff of an animal. Even the scent of Wolf kept waking him, it wouldn’t be prudent to assume his own kind meant safety. Wolves were dangerous animals after all. Someone will betray you before long.

  He was pretty sure Bloodhound told him that but remembering which legendary fighter from the Band of Breeds was attached to which bit of advice was hard going. The suggestions had come from every direction and yet none of them truly wanted to lead the war effort themselves, it was far easier to give hints from the back of the spacecraft than give orders from the captain’s chair.

  Agnus was cold at night-time, sharps gusts continued to whip through the trees and no matter how much canopy they erected the winds still crept into their camps. Something about the woods they were stationed in felt unnatural to Star, as a lot of places had begun to of late. Destiny, fate, the rising talk of black magic, these were all things plaguing Star’s thoughts; another reason sleep was nigh on impossible these days.

  ‘All quiet, nothing to report, there’s been no movement from the fort, but their fires are still burning.’ The latest report from the Wolf on guard duty had been the same as the last two reports, given every hour.

  ‘Very good.’ Star placed a paw on the weary-looking Wolf before him. ‘Get some rest and have another half dozen Wolves replace your team.’

  The Wolf nodded, bowing, before trudging away into the forming snow.
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br />   Star hadn’t even noticed the snow but here it was piling up at a rate. Another hour or so and the entire wood would be buried in thick snow. No wonder he was cold stood in a dark grey tunic and thin leather trousers.

  ‘Don’t go freezing to death,’ said Shadowfang, who sat way above in the branch of an ash tree. The Leopard was near invisible but for his fiery eyes, their reflection glowed from the sliver of moonlight, from the single moon orbiting Agnus. ‘Go get back into your armour. Don’t think the Tigers won’t attack in the cover of darkness.’

  ‘They won’t attack in snow,’ Star called up, but as he said it a pang of doubt crept into his limbs, a dull ache of tension. Best get armoured up again.

  ‘Perhaps not.’ Shadowfang somersaulted down to land without sound into the snow. ‘But I suspect this new war will break all the rules the Apex Wars set. This will be a war of Wolf and Tiger.’

  ‘And all the other species, including your Leopards.’ Star didn’t like the idea of the Wolves battling alone against the unbreakable might of the Tigers.

  ‘Yes.’ Shadowfang traced his razor-sharp claws over the Leopard sigil on the chest of his black armour. ‘Leopards, Foxes, Badgers and many other species none of whom have the resources or leadership to mount such a war.’

  ‘And the Wolves do?’

  Shadowfang smiled, his enormous canines popping out of his mouth. ‘Perhaps.’ He laughed, a hollow sound that flitted out into the wintery night. ‘If their ruler doesn’t freeze to death.’

  ‘I’ll get changed.’ Star trudged off into the snow back to his tent. He glanced back to find Shadowfang nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t even smell him on the blustery air. Instead, a desolate, snow-covered wood shrouded in darkness greeted him. He discovered Bloodhound and the March Hare had pitched their tents either side of his. The Night Badger was nowhere to be seen.

  STAR’S EYES SEARCHED in the pitch-black of the dream world for an escape. In every direction death awaited him in the form of one savage killer or another. Some were Tigers, some great Lions or Bears, and the occasional one a figure shrouded in shadow. Star was unable to make out who the mystery assassins were. Someone in the darkness wanted him dead and had come for him tonight. Star snapped upright with a gasp.

  His tent flap was lifted open, perfectly framing the snow and trees outside. Snow had drifted in and soaked into his leather boots; his back paws squelched as he inspected his boots. ‘How long have I been asleep?’ It couldn’t have been long as darkness still prevailed outside and the snow hadn’t relented. Star changed into dry boots then peered out of the tent. From the March Hare and Bloodhound’s tents he could hear two distinctive snores, one a high-pitched fast-paced breath and the other a long, slow gargle.

  A glance up into the tree branches surrounding him gave no indication Shadowfang was around. Star wasn’t an elite tracker or hunter or even fighter. He now clung to the hope that leadership and delegation were his paths to song and legendary status. He could be the Wolf that beat the Tigers, the Wolf that took down the Winter Tiger. That was when the first pair of red eyes glowing appeared in the darkness.

  His blood turned to ice.

  The eyes were directly in front of him, silent globes of doom, unblinking in the fearsome snow. He went to open his mouth and sound the alarm but the eyes, now flanked by two more pairs, had left him frozen with fear. Sense and instinct prevailed and he drew his laser gun and pointed it at the central pair of eyes. He feared shouting out to Bloodhound and March Hare would draw the Tigers down on them, condemning his companions to death before they woke. Where are the damn guards?

  He couldn’t believe three Tigers had snuck in past hundreds of Wolves. This was the heart of the Wolf camp and yet here they were silently padding toward Star Wolf.

  ‘Screw it.’ But before Star opened fire the back of his tent was slashed open and a black and orange paw leaned in and yanked him out by the collar of his woollen surcoat. The paw squeezed for purchase but his armour plate, under his surcoat, stopped the paw crushing his neck. He spun to get a look and fire a shot but dropped his laser gun in the process, scrambling back and forth he couldn’t break free and before he knew it, he was out in the elements with another paw across his muzzle. He shivered as the horror of the Tiger’s intention sank in. They mean to kidnap me.

  Kidnap was a fate worse than death; or so he had been told. No matter how hard he struggled he could not break free from the powerful arms of the massive Tiger, who reeked of blood, as he pressed Star close to his barrel chest. Even through the black and gold armour Star could feel the warmth of the Tiger and hear his heart pumping furiously. Then it stopped and the thumping dissipated. The heat replaced by a warmish trickle, cooling rapidly.

  Star collapsed under the weight of the Tiger as the beast fell atop him. He managed to roll out from beneath the great lump, which sullied the white snow. Stood above the dead Tiger was the Night Badger, retracting one of his emerald axes from the Tiger’s back. He didn’t look down at Star, instead the Badger skipped over the crumpled tent to leap into a forward roll, just evading the arcing swing of another approaching Tiger.

  By the time Star got to his feet the Night Badger was squared off against three Tigers, each one far bigger than the Badger. In a flash of emerald, the Night Badger ducked and weaved the Tigers attacks and disembowelled them one by one. The ease with which the diminutive Badger killed the ferocious beasts sent a shiver down Star’s spine. As the third Tiger was put down sense prevailed, and Star howled bringing out dozens of Wolves. Bloodhound and the March Hare burst out of their tents in clumsy fashion, sword in hand Bloodhound swished wildly.

  ‘What the...?’ the March Hare put his whip back to his side as he glared at the Tiger corpses, he looked over at Star, wide-eyed, something was off with him. That erratic twitch returned momentarily before he forced his feet to stop by tapping his thighs, ‘three dead Tigers good work.’

  ‘Four,’ corrected the Night Badger, covered in blood, pointing to the corpse behind Star’s battered tent.

  ‘Even better,’ replied the March Hare, stepping forward and spitting at the nearest Tiger, ‘good riddance.’

  ‘Sorry to wake you all up!’ The Night Badger spun all around, addressing everyone in the vicinity, pointing his axes as he went. ‘That’s why I don’t help you with menial chores. My energy goes where it is needed most. Don’t ever question me again.’ Without another word he marched off into the snow. Every Wolf in his path moved aside.

  ‘Perhaps we can let up on him now,’ said Star Wolf, loud enough for everyone to hear.

  ‘I did warn you lot to leave him be,’ said Bloodhound, his jolly tone echoed out into the night sky but was met with stern glares from the twenty odd Wolves now stood around the bloodbath.

  ‘Did you heck!’ grumbled the March Hare, shoulder barging Bloodhound as he walked away into the darkness.

  ‘On my honour as a naval man I did,’ Bloodhound barked out to the March Hare’s back before turning to Star. ‘You believe me, don’t you?’ The hopeful puppy Dog eyes were too much for Star to admit he couldn’t remember.

  ‘Of course, it was good advice.’ Star wasn’t sure how convincing he sounded but it seemed to placate the enigmatic Dog.

  ‘I’ll go on guard duty. I shouldn’t have slept through that. My apologies Star Wolf.’ Bloodhound bowed and once he was out of sight Star heard a thunderous howl.

  After that the Wolves tightened their tents together so closely you couldn’t move for stepping on the next one. The remaining darkness went without incident but when Star woke from a short, broken sleep he discovered the March Hare sat fifty yards from the tents, in a rare opening within the thick woods, sat atop a pile of five severed Tiger heads. Each head was nearly the size of the Hare, whose usual chequered suit had been replaced by a slim-line spacesuit. It was jet-black and looked rubbery in texture but when the March Hare moved it clanked like metal. The material looked robust and had multiple scratch marks and deep gouges, though none seemed to have
penetrated the suit.

  ‘What the hell is this?’ demanded Star, aware most of the Wolves were awake and forming in the opening. Nearly four hundred stood in silence regarding the tiny Hare sat atop the enemy and a pool of blood. All life had stopped. No birds tweeted. Nor did the flies buzz. Those numerous mindless creatures that found themselves onto every planet in the galaxy had gone silent, eerie quiet dominated the snow-covered clearing. ‘Are they the Tigers from last night?’ But as Star asked it, he counted the fifth head and knew something had occurred since the Night Badger’s battle.

  ‘Nope.’ The March Hare’s wild, blood-soaked face jittered. White froth poured from his mouth, so much so that Star wondered if he was rabid. ‘Fresh meat these boys.’ He spat away some of the froth and wiped a forearm across his face, which only served to smear the blood further across his dark brown fur. ‘I’ll give them their dues they were good fighters. One almost had me.’ He flicked a paw at his left ear, which hung limp by his shoulder and didn’t dart around like his long right ear. ‘Still, it’s done. Five down.’ He grinned to reveal horribly sharp, yellow teeth with black dirt in the gaps. ‘One more than the Night Badger.’

  ‘This isn’t a game!’ Star bounded forward, stopping short of the blood-soaked snow. ‘We aren’t keeping score! What on Lupus possessed you to go charging off in the night on your own, you could’ve been killed!’ By the time he finished Star was shouting. He turned to regard his Wolf pack, taking in as many faces as possible, and was pleased to note no one appeared impressed by the March Hare or if they were, they masked it well.