The Hunted

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He moved swiftly through the trees, not a sound was emitted from his foot steps. I glanced over my shoulder as he gracefully leaped from tree to tree, eyes glowing a fierce crimson red from the thrill of the hunt. It was my regrettable bad luck that I happened to be the prey. 1

My lips twisted into a malicious smile as I urged my legs onward, past the limits of my human body. The beast roared, a sound like clashing thunder shaking the branches of the trees with its ferocity. I mentally tracked the tigers’ passage as each limb he perched on groaned in protest of his bulk. ‘Almost to the marker.’ I thought, while reminding myself to be patient. 2

“Come’on you disease ridden kitten.” I yelled over my shoulder to insure the big cat would follow. 3

I veered right towards a moderate clearing, leaping over uprooted tree branches with the ease and grace of a feline. I was easily faster than the tiger giving chase, but I was at least ten years his superior. My mouth set into a hard line as I considered my options, but there were no other choices to be made. Who ever was making the recent swarming numbers of fevered Were-Tigers was going to have to be caught, and the poor souls like the one behind me terminated. 4

With a laugh, I rushed into the clearing and slid to a stop at the edge farthest from the cat. He immediately bounded from the branches onto the forest floor with a warning growl on his lips. A heady mix of pin pricks sped down my spine in warning and excitement. Not only did I love the chase as much as the next cat, but I loved to be chased. That is where the real control is. 5

Like now, I controlled this game of Cat-and-Mouse as I casually leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree. I kept the lines of my body confident and relaxed, showing him I was no potential threat. The beast sensing there was no eminent danger lurking nearby –least of all from me– strode forward arrogantly, strategically placing each foot paw accordingly until he stood a mere eight feet in front of me. 6

“I’m tired of running.” I stated; listening as the quietness of the forest seemed to absorb my words as quickly as I had uttered them. “What will you do with me now that you have me?” I directed my question at the large cat.7

The cat tilted its head to the side –a clear sign that he didn’t understand– and proceeded to stalk back and forth. I knew in any other situation the tiger would have understood, but since this cat was in the throws of the fever (the cause of a human being bitten or scratched by a pure Were-Tiger) he would only have two things on his mind; the hunt and mating. 8

The low frequency hum of my Bluetooth split my attention between the mobile device and the tiger. The device ground out Kira’s voice as if he was speaking through a fan. My eyes never left the cat, and I was relieved to see he had not heard the device. 9

“Roxanne,” Kira’s pleasant voice broke free of the static; a sign he was getting closer, “what's going on?”10

“He took the bait. I’m standing in front of him, all 180 pounds of a hunting, killing machine. Where are you?” I whispered into the device, confident that Kira would hear me. 11

And he did. “Down wind. I’m on my way and loading the tranquilizer gun now.” The hand gun made a loud metallic sound as the clip slammed home confirming Kira's statement. 12

The tigers' ears perked up at the sudden noise, and I inwardly cringed. 13

I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. "Can you be any louder?" I quietly asked the ear piece through clenched teeth. 14

Kira whispered a hasty, "Sorry Rox." I was really beginning to get used to him calling me that. 15

I kept my attention on the giant cat before me, all too aware of the number of disadvantages against me. I was still in my human body with no claws, dull teeth, and opposable thumbs; while this beautiful orange with black striped tiger capable of feats far beyond a human stood in front of me. 16

My fingers began to drum an anxious beat against the side of my leg as I noticed the cat beginning to get impatient. My stomach felt like it did a somersault as I watched the tiger shift anxiously from paw to paw before tensing the muscles between his shoulder blades. He growled deep in his throat and bared his canines at me as his fur stood on end. His tail swished back and forth in equal parts fear and aggression. He was going to attack.17

I wasn't going to let him. 18

"Kira," I whispered urgently into my Bluetooth, not trying to hide the action in the least, "he's going to-" I never finished my sentence. 19

The tiger hunched, preparing to pounce. I planted one foot on the ground in a runners stance, and kicked off from the tree. Legs flying, arms pumping. I grunted with surprise when a heavy body slammed against my lower back. 20

I twisted my torso around simultaneously as my back hit the ground knocking the wind from me. I blindly scrabbled for a hand hold, linking my fingers through the cat's thick fur surrounding his face. 21

"Kira!" I yelled, "Where the hell are you?"22

I faintly heard Kira's reply as I deftly threw my head to the side to avoid getting swiped by the tiger's claws. 23

"I'm in position Rox, taking the shot now." Kira replied in an irritatingly calm voice. 24

I waited for the sound of a gun being fired, and the thud of the tranquilizer piercing the tiger's flesh. 25

It didn't come. Instead I heard Kira let loose a string of curses. 26

"The gun is jammed. I'm going to have to shift. Hold on Rox." My device went dead as the call ended. 27

Spittle landed on my face and chest as I kept my throat just out of the tiger's reach. I quickly released one side of his head, driving my hand into my pocket to retrieve my pocket knife. With a sharp snap I flicked the blade open and stabbed the right paw the tiger had arched towards my face. 28

The tiger's ears laid flat against his head as he roared in pain. He arched his left paw towards me slapping at my hand. The powerful strike knocked the knife from my hand and sent it flying into the bushes amidst a pile of leaves. I cried out as his claws raked my forearm leaving behind three red cuts already beginning to bleed. 29

Now I was in unfamiliar woods -completely unharmed- and fighting off a tiger with the fever. Until Kira arrived all I had in my arsenal was my anger and instinct to keep me alive. 30

I felt a warning growl building within my chest, straining my human vocal cords. "Get off of me!" I roared, my fist flying along with the last word, slamming into the side of his head. 31

Stunned the tiger momentarily forgot about me as he swayed to the side, trying to stand on his paws. I gladly took a deep intake of air as his weight left my chest. I rolled to the side just as his claws raked through the air where I had been standing, catching my right shoulder. 32

A deep growl rumbled through the forest, causing any lingering birds to seek shelter in the sky. It was aggressive and angry, and I would know that growl anywhere. 33

Kira.34

The tiger's head flew up, but it was too late. Kira's foot paws pounded the against the moistened earth as he sprung, launching himself at the other tiger. They collided with a snarl of claws and fur. The strange tiger went down beneath Kira's massive front paws, hissing in outrage. 35

Kira sunk his claws into the cat's flank. The tiger roared in pain as blood blossomed from his cuts. He swiped at Kira's side sending him flying. I heard Kira yelp as he stood and the large cats began to circle each other. 36

Kira pounced again, his teeth sinking into the back of the tiger's neck. The strange cat howled as blood began to pour down his neck from his wound and he viciously tried to shake Kira loose. 37

The glint of metal caught my eye as I remembered just what the object was. I ran and scooped the gun into my hands just as the snarls from their fight intensified. I quickly pressed the release button, smiling as the clip emptied into my hand. My fingers wrapped themselves around a tranquillizer, careful to avoid the sharp tip. 38

I turned and ran back to the fight, not surprised to see Kira standing above the other tiger, but relieved. 39

"Hold him." I lunged, stabbing the tranquillizer into the cat's left flank. 40

He growled once more before his struggling abated. Sighing, I leaned my back against a tree and closed my eyes. 41

A smile graced my face as I felt Kira gracefully rubbing the entire right side of his body against my leg. His head nudged my open palm, and I scratched between his ears. It was a gesture of trust and affection. Kira purred, and I leaned down to leave a kiss atop his furry head. 42

"That tiger gave you some trouble I see." I said while visually examining him for wounds. 43

Kira sneezed, looking at me pointedly. A sign that he heard and disagreed with what I said. 44

"Oh, alright." I mumbled more to appease him than myself. "Next time, make sure the tranquilizer gun is in working condition." 45

He growled softly to show that he understood, before gliding in front of me and sticking out his tail. 46

"What?" I asked confused. 47

I swear, if cats could roll their eyes then Kira did just that. He swung his head towards the way we had entered the clearing and looked back at me expectantly before giving his tail a gentle swish. 48

Finally understanding what he desired, I laughed and lightly grasped the tip of his tail in one hand. "If you think leading me out of these woods is going to make up for you being late to the fight, think again." I said. 49

Kira merely stuck his head into the air as if saying - as if that was my intent - and led me back towards our truck. 50

A small laugh burst from my throat as I said, "Mission accomplished. We got the tiger and despite our few injuries at least one good thing will come of this," Kira peered over his shoulder at me, the corners of his mouth turning up in an unmistakable cat-like grin, "Councilman Belden can't possibly be angry with us now!"51

*****

Author notes

A/M/A/N/D/A/V/A/M/P/I/R/E/S/S Prompt: Random Factors -- Trees, Oxygen, Cats(brownie points).

This is a contest entry. I came up with this idea only because I had been thinking over it the past few days.

Yes, I noticed that there is no number seven in the rules.

*********************************

I will be writing more to this. As of now this is my Intro. My title is The Hunted. My character's name is Roxanne; nick named: Rox. This story falls in the Paranormal Genre.

In a list

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    Comment Suggestion: What is your your first impression?
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Comments

1 - 59 of 59
  • I really enjoyed this and liked your idea of were-tigers I thought it was all well written, you described the 'action' scenes well and made me feel like I could picture it happening. There was only one bit I became slightly confused by and that was Kira talking to Rox through the bluetooth in what seemed to be human language - and then at the end Kira's expressions were through animal behaviours. Remember this is a 'make me like fantasy' contest - not a genre I usually read - and therefore could quite easily be my error Overall, I found it very enjoyable and would have happily read more Thanks for taking the time to enter my contest and good luck to you


    • amanda vampiress silver member
      October 16
      Edit | Reply
      Thank you for the comment and trophy. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed my story. Sorry for the confusion. Kira was talking to Rox through the bluetooth in human language up until Kira cursed because the gun was jammed. Kira said into the bluetooth :

      "The gun is jammed. I'm going to have to shift. Hold on Rox."..... My device went dead as the call ended. 27

      The 'shift' that he is talking about is the metamorphoses from human to tiger, which I show starting at the beginning of paragraph 33 when Kira shows up to the fight.

  • This was good and rather interesting. Thanks for entering and best of luck too you in the contest!


  • Melissa HoneyBee
    September 3
    Edit | Reply
    I got half way through before i realised I've read this before! It's so much different since I've last read it and I feel it flows much better. I don't usually do re-drafts but i'm encouraged by how much it's improved, not that it wasn't good before, but you know its good if even after you've read it once you read it again just as easily.


  • tsh369 gold member
    August 31

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    Much too short. I was settling in for a lice long story and was shocked when it ended. I love it when I can breeze through and not have to wonder at what the writer is trying to say. Great Job! I only found one sentence that was awkward #35 starting with Kira’s front paws. Could be just me. the other oops' are already mentioned so I won't go there.
    Thank you for entering my contest. Good Luck!!!

    Th.


  • Lady Pixie Greeters member
    August 28

    Edit | Reply
    I adore the concept you have going here... were-tigers. I have a thing for were-cats myself; but you've taken it a slight step further and introduced were-tigers. Nice work there

    I'm intrigued by your characters and already beg to know more about them and what their entire job is. Your descriptions allowed for some great visuals as well.

    There are some places where I feel the punctuation was a bit off and grammar wasn't right in a few areas. Reading over, out loud, to yourself could help you catch those pretty quickly without me having to point out every error.

    A couple of suggestions I will offer:

    tigers'

    in a few places you have this. When you are only speaking of one tiger (the tiger that Rox is baiting), it should be tiger's

    For example:
    P2: I mentally tracked the tigers’ passage

    P13: The tigers' ears perked

    in these instances, it should be written as tiger's because you are only speaking in reference of this one animal.

    P30: Now I was in unfamiliar woods -completely unharmed- and fighting off a tiger with the fever.

    I think you meant 'unarmed' instead of unharmed here. I also don't really think the dashes are necessary. You could just simply replace them with commas.

    All in all, it was a good read and I like the idea you have going so far. If you should continue this, I would very likely read it to see where you go with it

    ~Lady Pixie

    • Thank you for reading and commenting on my story! I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it. Also thank you for pointing out the punctuation errors. I will be fixing those right away. Good luck judging your contest!

  • “Come’on you disease ridden kitten.” I yelled over my shoulder to insure the big cat would follow.
    You need a comma after kitten since you follow it with mode of speech. You do this a couple times through the story.

    While this is not a genre I normally read, I was thoroughly entranced. I agree with Valkyrie's comment about the beginning and your description.

    I have to admit that I'm confused about the ending. There's no previous mention of a councilman so where did he come from? Otherwise, good piece.

    • Thank you for reading and commenting on my story. I will fix those errors as soon as possible. Thank you for pointing them out. Also, the councilman part is supposed to help lead into the next chapter but I will go back and add more into the story. Thank you again, I appreciate all of your help!


  • Valkyrie silver member
    July 13

    Edit | Reply
    Your beginning is very catching. It seems to ultimately mislead me, though. You say it's bad luck that Rox is the prey, yet she purposely got the tom to chase her in order to have Kira tranq him. That doesn't seem like bad luck at all, but good planning.

    The description of the jungle and the cats was pretty darn good; I could see the swishing tails and bunching muscles. I wasn't sure why the tom didn't immediately pounce on Rox though. The delay before he pounced seemed too long. And if Rox is also a were-tiger, wouldn't she be better able to defend herself in tiger form? Or maybe that would trigger the tom from fighting to mating.

    It's not really my style of story, and the leaps of plot I mentioned above made it a little hard to keep suspending my disbelief. It's clear that you do have a lot of fans, though, from all your trophies, so congrats on finding an appreciative audience. Thanks for sharing in my contest.

    p6 eminent s/b imminent

    p7 who else would you be addresssing it to?

    p31 unharmed s/b unarmed ()

    p46 alright s/b all right

    p52 Councilman is one word

    • Thank you for the comment! I appreciate the helpful critique. I understand what your saying about the beginning being misleading; I will have to go back through and fix that bit.

      As for the part where the Tom delaying his attack, that was because since he is a were-tiger I figured he wouldn't just rush into a fight like a regular tiger would since he has the intelligence of a both human and tiger. lol Also, I wanted to show that he didn't exactly want to hurt her since the female were-tigers are kind of rare. Haha and I didn't have Rox change into a tiger, because since the tom was so close to her in the story ..to make it seem more realistic, it wouldn't have been enough time to go through a full metamorphosis.

      Thank you again for reading and commenting, I appreciate it! Good luck in your contest!

  • g7: I'm not sure if the paranthetical addition here is for the benefit of the storywrite reader or if it's actually part of the story. Either way, I'd suggest removing it, avoiding tomcat until you can define it in conversation, and then defining it in conversation.

    g8: more parathetical additions that I would suggest removing

    g11: Unless these people are scientists and/or artists who study/artify tigers, I doubt they would say "stalking, hunting machine" in conversation.

    Good action, good dialog, good description and good ideas. All in all very solid. The only thing I can get on your back about are random little things like the parentheses and stuff.

    Brava!

  • I liked the plot very much. I deffinitely think you should continue (if you havent already). Very nice.

    • Thank you very much Patchy for the advice. I will certainly be continuing this story! Good luck with your contest!


  • Asfand
    July 8

    Edit | Reply
    Oho, this was nicely done! Very interesting work! I loved the characterization!

    Great job on this one!

    Good luck!

  • I really loved this little tale. It was very well written and kept my interest through the whole thing. I hope you add more to this that helps explain what exactly is going on. I would love to read it. Great work!

    beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.

    • Thank you for the read and comment! I will be adding more very soon. I have decided to make this little tale into a introduction / Chapter one. I am going to take this concept of were-tigers and turn it into a novel or novella.

  • 'It was my regrettable bad luck that I happened to be the prey.' I liked that .

    While the opening didn't hint at what the story was about, it captured my attention so that I continued to read.

    • Thank you for reading and commenting on my intro. I actually mentioned a line during the intro that stated what my story would be about, but I suppose it wasn't really obvious.

      This is the line I was referring to that explains what my story is about. 'Who ever was making the recent swarming numbers of fevered Were-Tigers was going to have to be caught, and the poor souls like the one behind me terminated.' (at the end of paragraph four).

      I will have to go back through and fix it so that it is more obvious for the reader and not just the writer.


  • Dark Legend
    June 30

    Edit | Reply
    Were-tigers huh? Interesting. So was Roxanne a were-tiger as well? I´m not sure about that part. maybe it´s my reading comprehension, lol.

    But I gotta say that this was very well written, and brimming with action and excitement from beginning to end. good job.

    • Thank you for the comment. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed my story. Yes, Roxanne is a pure were-tiger; as is Kira. I didn't state it in this first part since I am going to reveal it later, but I did leave little hints here and there.

  • Wow I really liked this story! Good job. Very original too


  • Willowleaf-
    June 30

    Edit | Reply

    Great Job!

    I loved your writing, it had some really great vocabulary and good spelling and grammar. The plot was also good! This will be considered for the finalists list!

    • Awesome! Thank you for reading and commenting on my story. I always enjoy getting great feedback. I'm thrilled that you liked my were-tiger concept.


  • Dr. Psycho silver member
    June 24

    Edit | Reply

    Good Job!

    This was a fantastic story. It was jammed packed with action and suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat! Were-tiger is very clever.

    Pro's: Great dialogue, Suspenseful, Clever plot

    Con's: A little short

    Overall I'll give you a 9.5/10
    Great Job!

    ~ MetalheadX

    • Thank you for reading and commenting on my story MetalheadX! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it. Alas, there must be one Con! Well, just so you know I am planning on turning this piece of writing into a novella or novel. I hope it won't be too short then.

      --Amanda Vampiress


  • Diary-chan
    June 11

    Edit | Reply
    >D

    Yay! Very well-written plus you used cats! And lol unlike some of the other entries I've recieved, one of the factors was actually central to the story.

    I have no critique to make, which is rare - or maybe I just didn't notice it because I was too busy reading

    If you knew how obsessed I am with felines, you'd probably understand why this little baby's going to the finalists.

    Good luck and thanks for entering!

    ~Kitty

    • I'm obsessed with felines and dogs! I think that may be why I seem to like writing about were-creatures like werewolves and were-tigers. Thank you for reading my story and commenting. I'm pleased that you enjoyed it! Good luck with the contest!

      Amanda


  • Kyndal Laran
    June 10

    Edit | Reply
    woo!!! i loved it!! were-tigers is awesome. i wish they were real... sigh... this was absolutely brilliant.!! great job! and yes, you should continue it.

    • Thank you for the comment. I'm glad that you liked my story. XD I wish they were real too! Thanks again!


  • Oddems.
    June 10

    Edit | Reply
    That was a brilliant piece. Ha ha, I loved the character's attitude and couldn't help but laugh at Kira's cat antics. I think this will develop into a very nice story - the plot seems to be good and the characters are all well made, as well as the descriptions being wonderful. No mistakes that I saw, great job! I better see more to this soon!

    Lex

    • Thank you for reading and commenting on my story. I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it. I will definitely be writing more to this story soon. I shall keep you updated if you like. lol

      I'm glad you liked Kira, there will be lots more of him to come.

  • Excellent

    This is an exciting read,Ihave a black Minx he gives me those looks if I can't go out with him,he gets mad and breaks things.
    Cats are good pets but not good if they get mad. I saw a bobcat on my back deck,he took my kitty off the deck and broke his back.

    • Thank you for reading and commenting on my story. I am pleased that you enjoyed it! I have quite a few cats myself; which is where the idea of a cat shifter originated from. Awe, poor kitty! We don't have bobcats where I live, plus I've too many dogs in my yard as well. Thank you again for reading my story.


  • Host
    June 4

    Edit | Reply
    I realy enjoyed this. It was confusing until I got into the story. I hope to read more of this story. It ended as if it could continue. So I hope you write more.Great job!


    Kenia

    • Thanks for reading and commenting on my story Host. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I am actually working on a second part to this story as we speak. I hope to have it posted soon. I might even turn it into a novella or something. We'll see.

  • graybeard silver member
    June 2

    Edit | Reply
    Good to read something other than vamps. Very original concept here. I'll be looking for more

    • Thank you for stopping by to read and comment! I'm pleased that you enjoyed my story. I'll alert you when the next part gets posted then!


  • Rorshach gold member
    June 1

    Edit | Reply
    The first part is so sexually charged. the chase and hunt is such a ritual mating thing, as you well know. Your subtle decriptions here fitted the theme so well.
    Do you realise what this story is really about?
    Probably, but I'll say anyway.
    You have a boyfriend.
    You want to be desired by other man.
    You want the other men to pursue you (Hello Tiger).
    You want your boyfriend to beat them up.
    You want to fall into the arms of the boyfriend who beat up the man you intentionally attracted.
    This is really very brilliant.
    This story is the only reason why men fight each other when they go out to pubs and clubs.
    Submit this story to publishers as you say so much here.

    • Wow, thank you for reading and commenting on my story. I actually did not even mean for the story to take on a sexual feel. When I write I don't really have any idea or form to my work, what comes out when I write is what I get. Like this story, I wrote at one in the morning and as soon as I finished I began to write 'Flying on Broken Wings'.

      Your comment makes me think of new meanings for the saying, "writing is an extension of yourself." But yes, I would say that you are correct. Thank you for pointing that out. I think I will submit this story to publishers as soon as I write the second part.

  • Awesome, good story, different. Right mix of information and action.
    Some things to check:
    "Now I was in unfamiliar woods - completely unharmed" - i think you mean unarmed, she had just got a scratch from the tiger?
    "Kira's foot paws pounded the against the moistened earth as he sprung" - Delete first the.

    I hate writing things like that but some people like to have their mistakes pointed out.

    Good write I like the fact that you didn't actually break the rule with were-tigers. You gotta admit the prompts were pretty vampirish.

    • Sorry, I just saw your question. I'm glad you asked this question too. You commented:

      '"Now I was in unfamiliar woods - completely unharmed" - i think you mean unarmed, she had just got a scratch from the tiger?'

      Yes, she does get scratched by the tiger, but she will not be coming down with the 'fever' that drives the tigers mad. Kira and Rox are pure were tigers, but I didn't have Rox change into a tiger just yet because I thought it would work better with her being human when she is the 'bait'.

      Also, there are a few parts in my story that I give subtle hints as to her being a tiger as well; like 'jumping with feline grace' or 'I felt a growl building in my chest'. Parts like that. Thank you again for reading and commenting.

    • Yes, the prompts seemed to focus on banning vampire material instead of all paranormal creatures; so I thought I would be 'slick' and write this. XD Not to mention, this topic has been on my mind for weeks...I'm just glad to have put the idea to paper already. lol

      Anyways, thank you for reading and commenting. I'm glad that you enjoyed my story. Also, thank you for pointing out my errors. I will gladly fix those parts soon. Thank you again.


  • Firepaw-
    May 27
    Edit | Reply
    I love it! Great job!

    • Thank you for reading and commenting Firestar! I appreciate it. I'm glad that you enjoyed my story.


  • Yoko
    May 27

    Edit | Reply
    Wow!!! Can I just say, wow?! I love it!!! The descriptions were excelent! The imagery was superb! I loved it!!! Thanks for entering my contest will a lovely story. =^^=

  • I LOVE the imagery and descriptions in this piece! You've made the story come alive... Fantastic job! Congrats on the trophy, and good luck in the contest!

    • Thank you. I'm happy you enjoyed 'The Hunted'. I'm hoping to write a second part for this one as well. lol

  • good descriptions!

  • V l
    May 24
    Edit | Reply
    Great incredile amazing. Ilove it.

    • Simple yet pleasing. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment VL; I appreciate it.


  • Friesian
    May 24

    Edit | Reply
    wow!!! This is AMAZING! Incredibly well written and gorgeously descriptive! The imagery, body-language, and overall story completely blew me away! I absolutely adored the thoughts and feelings of Rox and the beautiful wording of the fight! Magnificent writing-style you have! I'm in love with your take on were-tigers and the preternatural. Lovely dialogue and heart-pounding plot. Fantastic work!

    -Lissy

    • I wish I could write comments as such as yours! lol Thanks for reading and commenting Friesian, I'm so glad that you liked my story. There is going to be one more part added to this story. I had to stop writing and go to sleep is why. *chuckles* But thank you for checking it out none-the-less.

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