Chapter 14: Reunited
Tigresse ran steadily as the ground rose and fell, piling itself up into mountains. At first she held as straight a course as possible, but as the hours passed, her fatigue returned and she began searching out low passes, weaving her way through the endless mountains, being forced ever northward in her quest to reach Tracker. In mid-morning, she crawled under an overhanging rock and fell into a leaden sleep, then set out again several hours later. Twice she crossed deserted roads but otherwise her path ran through a trackless wilderness of rocks, trees, and mountains.
She stopped to drink at one of the small streams that crossed her path, more a tiny trickle feeding a tiny pool and running out again to disappear into the scrub. Hunger was tightening its grip on her stomach and fatigue reasserted itself. By mid-morning, her pace had slowed to a stumbling trot. Rounding the shoulder of another mountain, she came into a small valley. Mist rose from a small rivulet and the breeze carried a strange, sulfuric odor. She slowed, picking her way cautiously through this new terrain. As she skirted the pool at the bottom of the stream, heat assailed her. The rocks under her pads were warm. She stopped, staring warily about. Fatigue rose in a wave, threatening to submerge her. Warm, she thought. Sleep here. She picked her way over to a large flat rock near the hot pool, curled up on it, and fell asleep immediately.
She woke in the middle of the afternoon. She coughed in the sulfer-tainted air, then sat up with a little moan of pain, hugging her knees and staring at the mountains towering around her and noting a huge gap just southwest of her. “They seem endless,” she whispered. “Will I never be able to get out of them? If I cross a road or a river going even somewhat towards Tracker, I will follow it. I cannot beat these mountains, I must follow the road and river cuts.” She shapechanged and set off again.
After hours of struggling up and down rocky slopes, she came out on the top of a small cliff. Below, a narrow macadam road angled off to her right. She made her way down to the road, then ran along the shoulder, ears alert to catch the first hint of engine noise. Whenever she heard an approaching vehicle, she slipped into the cover of a bush or ditch and went belly-down until it had passed.
The road frustrated Tigresse. The great cat wanted to veer left, onto the straight path towards Tracker, and only the controlling will of Antoinette’s mind kept her on the road. Tigresse chafed at the delay but Antoinette was firm, and she made much better time than before.
Three times she had to detour around small towns, picking her way through the scattering of outlying farms and ranches. Each time, she found the road again, still heading towards Tracker, although still somewhat to the north of her direct path.
Evening was settling in as she picked her way around yet another town. This one larger than the others. Suddenly, the wind brought her the odor of horse. Food! Tigresse’s stomach cramped with hunger as she turned towards the scent. A few minutes careful trotting brought her to the edge of a field. Out in the middle, she could see a black horse grazing. Slipping under the fence, she began a careful stalking approach. All at once, the wind shifted. The horse flung up its head, then whirled and fled. She exploded into a charge. After a few minutes, she cornered him in an angle of the fence. The horse let out a shrill whinny, reared up and slashed down at her with its hooves. She dodged, then lunged, raking it with her claws. She danced aside as it slashed at her again, then sprang onto its back, sinking her fangs into its neck and biting down hard, shaking her head as she attempted to break its spine. Bucking hard, the horse tried to throw her. It reared high but misjudged the weight on on its back, tumbling backwards to land on its tormenter. With a loud snap, the horse’s neck broke.
Panting heavily, the tiger crawled out from under the now dead horse. Mewling softly in pain, she lay down beside her prey and waited for her bruised ribs to heal. When the sharp agony that spoke of cracked or broken bones eased, she forced herself to her feet and set to on the corpse. She ate rapidly, ill at ease so close to human habitation but unwilling to leave her prey. Thirty minutes later, she stood and looked at the corpse. Deliberately she planted one forepaw into the pooled blood and pressed that bloody appendage against the horse’s shoulder, leaving a glistening print on its black hide. Licking her paw clean, she examined her handiwork, then loped off, resuming her journey. This time when she reached the road, she discovered a river on the other side, heading in a northwesterly direction. She turned, following it. Traveling was easier now and after an hour, both the and the road river turned and ran almost due west, towards Tracker. She followed it for hours. At last, in the early hours of the morning, she came across a drift of dried leaves in the lee of a deadfall. She was too tired to go any further and this would provide some shelter from the biting wind. She burrowed in under the leaves and curled up, falling asleep within seconds.
