Used To Be One Of Them

Zichri watched Sibbecai leave then turned back to his mother as she slowly got up and approached him. Her hands moved through the fur X on his face and pulled on his ears, causing him to pull a face.

"So many in the village have become enraged because of your disappearance," she said.

"I understand. But my path was meant to be guided by the Tiger. Is there any way we can stop this war between the tribes?"

"I don't know. I have tried to speak to Geran and a few of those closest to you to not do this, but their grief and anger have blinded them."

"Anaya?" Geran asked from outside her tepee. "Who are you speaking with?"

"Zichri," she replied before he could stop her.

Geran stepped in and saw Zichri. "What is…? You. How dare you return to mock Zichri's memory!" His hand started moving to his waist to grab his dagger when Anaya stepped in front of Zichri.

"Geran, stop! Zichri has come back to me."

"Anaya, that is not Zichri."

"Then who else would I be, Geran?" Zichri asked.

His friend shook his head. "I'll not be deceived by your imitation. The Zichri I know would never stoop to become one of them." Then he jumped away from the doorway as Sibbecai came in.

She ignored Geran and stood beside Zichri.

"There… We're under attack!" he yelled running from the tepee.

"Geran!" Zichri yelled, starting after him.

Sibbecai grabbed his arm. "There is nothing we can do."

"I have to stop him, Sibbecai."

"There will be no stopping him, Zichri," Anaya said. "You better go before…"

Supi stepped into the tepee. Anaya stepped back as the tiger approached Sibbecai and Zichri. "Sibbecai," Supi said. "I leave this task to you."

"Very well, Supi." Then she turned to Anaya and approached her.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What the guardian spirits have directed." Very lightly, Sibbecai took Anaya's arm and pulled her into an embrace. She purred to get Anaya to relax in her arms.

Then Geran and Harend entered the tepee. Out of Zichri's friends they were the most agile hunters he knew. Harend turned to attack Sibbecai, but she turn to face him. Her tiger teeth were bared as she held Anaya between herself and Harend. Geran never took his gaze from Zichri. Supi stood behind him and Zichri was left to wonder what mission Supi had given to Sibbecai this time. Time was at a standstill. Anaya's hands gripped Sibbecai's arms tightly as she backed away slightly from Harend.

Then one of the Zuled Tribe's Elders came in. "What is going on he…?"

Just before he could finish his question, Sibbecai bit deep into Anaya's shoulder.

"No!" Zichri yelled as Harend started to swing his knife.

Supi stepped in front of Sibbecai and Anaya. He bit Harend's arm, and the Elder stopped Geran from interfering. The Elder knelt and addressed Supi as Zichri knelt beside Sibbecai and his mother.

"Great Spirit of the Tiger, please, release his arm. We had no idea…"

Supi growled a bit a little deeper into Harend's arm.

Harend cried out and tried to pull his arm away.

Then Supi let go and turned to Anaya.

Sibbecai sat with her still in her arms. Anaya's shoulder was bleeding and Sibbecai's mouth covered in blood. "Welcome, child," Supi said to Anaya. "I have made you mine, so you may no longer grieve in vain."

Anaya gasped and twisted in Sibbecai's arms as patches of fur grew from her skin and tiger ears grew through her hair. Zichri took her hand in his as she whimpered. A tail grew out from between her legs and a her jaw cracked. Anaya cried out then curled. Fur grew across her cheeks like war paint and the bite in her shoulder closed. She cried as the pain receded and Supi brushed her cheek with his own, well pleased.

The Elder shifted his gaze from Supi and Anaya to Zichri. "Does this mean you really are Zichri?"

Zichri looked at him. "It does."

"Then…"

"We have been chosen by the Tiger to lead a different life. We wish for peace between our tribes."

"Very well."

"Elder," Geran protested. "You can't seriously…"

"Enough, Geran. See to Harend's wound. Forgive us, Great Guardian."

Supi blinked at the Elder then left. Zichri picked up his mother and the three of them followed after Supi. Anaya remained asleep in Zichri's arms while he and Sibbecai walked back to their village. They were met at the village's border by the Elders.

"Zichri, what is the meaning of this?" The Eagle Elder asked.

"The Tiger has brought my mother back to me," he said. Then he stepped passed them towards their tepee.

"Sibbecai," the Bear Elder said, following after them. "Can you explain this? There shouldn't be another tiger."

"Speak to the Spirit's who have changed you. They can best explain." Then the three of them ducked into their tepee.

Zichri kept a close eye on his mother. She had not stirred once since her transformation was complete. Sibbecai silently knelt beside him until he pulled her closer to him.

"Why did Supi ask you to change my mother?"

"So the Elders of the Zuled Tribe would understand what happened to you."

"But why not ask me to do it?"

"Your mission was peace not war."

"But they have changed back now. Does this mean that our attempt for peace failed?"

"Because you have been chosen by Supi, your teeth will remain those of a tiger unless you need to communicate peacefully with another tribe; then and only then will they change to what they once were."

"That still doesn't explain why Supi asked you to change her."

"They would not have seen you as the man you still are, but as an animal."

"I understand. Thank you, Sibbecai."

"You're welcome, Zichri."

He kissed her then held her until he fell asleep.

Despite the long night, Zichri was needed to meet with the Elders again the following morning. Sibbecai put together a small food bag then woke him at sunrise. She sent him, still waking up, to the council. It wasn't until he got there that all the loud voices finally woke him up. Nothing seemed to have changed because of his visit to the Zuled Tribe, so he was given the twenty best hunters to train before the rest of the men started to discuss the rest of the tactics.

Zichri hoped that, though he prepared the hunters, the petition for peace between the two tribes would be kept. He taught the hunters all of the formations and the different calls the hunters of the Zuled tribe used to communicate with each other while hunting—their battle formations weren't much different. Then he described the different weapons that the Zuled Tribe used as well.

"How do you know so much?" the panther asked.

"I used to be one of them," Zichri replied.

"That's impossible. The chosen cannot be made, they can only be born."

"Then we'll just call it extensive study." He didn't want to argue the point. And until the Elder's understood about the possibility to change others, no one else would.

By afternoon, they were working on battle practice. Zichri found a stick that would double for his knife, as he fought one on one with them. Each fight was different and a lot of those he fought he was able to tap or poke with the stick. By mid afternoon, Zichri was exhausted but he still had quite a few to fight a second time. He fought Panther-Sanrid next and found himself unable to fend him off and he was taken down. The others cheered at Panther-Sanrid's victory, but it was a shallow victory because Zichri was tired.

Sibbecai helped Zichri to his feet. "You need to eat and rest," she said, taking the stick from his hand.

"But I still have so much to teach," he protested softly.

"If you continue to teach, they will get over confident about the fight ahead, if that is truly where we are destined to go."

"But there is no one else who can fight like them."

"I can."

"Sibbecai..."

"You're shaking from exhaustion, Zichri. Rest and eat. Let me teach for a while."

"No, Sibbecai. I won't..."

"You have no choice," she growled.

Zichri sighed. "Just be careful. They're pretty strong."

She smiled then kissed him. She waited until he sat and started to eat before turning to the hunters. "Keep it steady. Keep it coming," she said, moving into the Zuled hunters' defensive position.

The hawk attacked first, followed by the falcon until all of them had attacked her and been knocked down. They all tried several times with the same result. Each time they lasted a bit longer, but always ended up getting hit where a blade would kill them or make it so they would end up dead. After the fourth time, Sibbecai tossed the stick aside and all the hunters picked one up, ready to attempt what she had done. Yet, as they all came at her, she was still able to knock them down. Now they were all exhausted and Zichri called it quits. Slowly, the hunters retired and Sibbecai sat heavily next to Zichri.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Sibbecai smiled big. "I haven't fought like that for some time. It was nice."

"What do you mean? I've never seen you fight like that."

"I used to have similar fights with the hunters as I was learning to defend tribe members if they wandered to close to where the other tribes were hunting."

"The day you stopped me. Why didn't you attack me?"

"Inhibition. Though, had you been quick to attack me, I would have."

"But the other time you attacked me."

"Because I didn't believe that you were there on friendly terms, despite your words and actions."

"I guess I could see that." He handed her a corn cake and let her lean against him. "Sibbecai. Where did you learn to fight like the Zuled tribe?"

"Observation. I had to know all of my opponent's attacks in order to defend others."

"Then how did we miss your presence?"

"I got to know your travel patterns well. I almost got caught a few times."

"I noticed that there were a few women hunters in this group. Why are you not among them?"

"I'm bound. My duty now is to bare and raise children; I am no longer permitted to fight in the field."

"Can you help in the preparations?"

"Only if my husband requests it, though most do not."

"I cannot do this on my own. Will you help me, Sibbecai?"

"Yes, Zichri, I'll help." She kissed him then they both fell asleep in the warming sun.