NEW TYGER ON THE BLOCK

27 FEBRUARY, SATURDAY, CONTINUED

I regretted it the moment I stepped inside. If ever a rectangular black doorway materialises in front of you, don't step through it. How could I describe the feeling? It was cold and unnatural, like stepping into nothingness. My hair flared just at the discomfort.

And it's compact doorway image was a trick of deception. It wasn't like stepping in one way and stepping out to the destination. Although it seemed in everyway like it was meant to work like that, there was a laggy moment, where we had to be suspended in nothingness.

Heller's black fumes engulfed us, which was uncomfortable in its own undeniable way. For one thing, this was the black curse, right? I'm supposing I'm safe from it the way I was safe from Bell's fumes - because Heller was ATM without intent to hurt me.

BUT this was quite literally putting my life in his hands, wasn't it? I wasn't just unharmed at his mercy here, my safety was completely based on his whim.

If he asked me for anything now... How would I answer?

Heller gripped my hand tighter, "Don't let go. If I lose you here, I'm not sure I'd be able to find you."

He wasn't threatening me. He really sounded worried, "This might not have been my best idea."

No kidding.

"Just don't try anything funny." Heller instructed, sounding very much like a parent talking to his pup.

But I thought it was a weird thing to say because that should have been my line.

It only lasted a very short moment, and a few steps later we were out, the black fumes guiding us through because there was no indication otherwise which way to go.

Haku had stepped out at about the same time. He smiled, "Looks like you two managed to get through without trouble."

Why? Were you expecting us to meet with trouble? Then why didn't you say anything? I mean, weren't you Heller's friend? And aren't you a healer wolf? Shouldn't you care more?

But that was just the stereotype. I mean, look at Bell. He was supposed to be a healer wolf, but he was... You know... He wasn't exactly the "caring type".

The cursed fumes dissipated, with most of it being retracted back into its owners. Heller released the death grip he had on my hand and I was immediately greeted by a bright flash, ouch my heart.

This was followed by the sound of sizzling and fire licking.

"Oh." Haku and Heller winced at whatever was happening behind me. I turned and saw a man in flames rise up.

Another man - a black haired one with longish black straight hair tsked loudly, "That's why I hate you healer types. So annoying! Just die already!"

Immediately, a lighting bolt jumped out from the black haired man at the burning one, and ouch, my heart, but not so much. I realised belatedly that I had Haku's hand on my shoulder.

The flaming man stood up for the second time.

{Mate! ~❤️ }

Wait, what?

And shouldn't you sound at least a little more alarmed, Boo? But no, Boo was all fangirl-like, {That's my mate (burning up over there). He's so powerful! Muahahaha. My mate's amazing!}

"Sam?" Someone called my name.

I turned to see Alpha Gunter step out from among a few other men. Each obviously a Tyger too, because now that I knew a Tyger was a wolf with a bright shiny earring, I could spot one a mile away.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" Alpha Gunter came over sounding very much like Heller at the Cave Library.

"Heller, what's the meaning of this?" Alpha Gunter demanded.

"Great Teacher, why do you assume it was me?" Heller smiled, "It could've been Haku who brought her."

Haku only smiled, looking way too confident that the Great Teacher would know better.

Alpha Gunter sighed, "Heller, let me make this clear - Sam is under my protection..."

"It's okay." I quickly waved down the elder snow wolf (or was he a snow Tyger?), "I came on my own and met Heller and Haku on the way."

"Came on your own..." Alpha Gunter looked like he was having trouble understanding me, so I tried to explain to the great teacher, "I dream travelled here."

"Oh." Alpha Gunter frowned, but he looked less aggrieved at Heller now.

Lighting flashed a third time, knocking Bell who was still on fire back down to his knees.

"Hahahaha!" The lighting weilding Tyger laughed triumphantly, "Let's see how many times you can stand up!"

Did Bell die this time too? Haku's hand was still on my shoulder, glowing so that I couldn't feel any pain at all.

"That looks like it hurts." Heller commented unhelpfully.

"The new Tyger is tough." One of the men who was watching with Alpha Gunter said then- wait, that was a man right? I took a second look at the man in the slim cut suit and jet black very straight hair - like he ran it through a hair straightener. No, nevermind the hair straightener. He probably steam cleaned his hair.

Anyway, my point was that he was an unnaturally beautiful man. Okay, taking a step back, I think this description could apply to everyone in this room. (Even though Bell was the most good looking - urm, at least he would be if he wasn't being burned alive.)

"His pain tolerance certainly cannot be denied." Heller allowed.

Seriously? Were you old Tygers going to just stand around and amke commentary?

"Why did you bring Bell here?" I flared at Alpha Gunter.

"Why would you think I brought him?" Alpha Gunter smiled.

Arugh! These Tygers!

I'm beginning to see a pattern now that they were together - they were all powerful wolves. And beautiful too - was that a prerequisite to being a Tyger? And annoyingly cunning.

Every single one of them were old foxes! All of them!

We were on a raised stone platform. Lycan rituals were often on such platforms, but in this hall, it was the only thing that was flat. The rest of the hall - which was the most of it, was like a concave stone ground.

In this hall, the audience stood on the stage to watch while I guess the concave stone ground was for Tygers to duke it out? Why was it concave?

"Ignatius isn't holding back either." Heller continued his commentary.

Another wolf smiled, "He can't if he wants to survive this. The new Tyger is truly terrifying. I've never seen a healer wolf with so much offensive power."

"This coming from you, Hajime?" Haku answered, still smiling.

The grey haired Hajime nodded, "It's true. The boy isn't even using any poisons but Ignatius lifeline is wearing thin. He is barely holding out."

Even though it was Bell who was being repeatedly struck by lighting?

"Who is this?" The straight haired girly guy asked. They've been politely ignoring me so far until girly guy asked. And then now they all looked at me like they just noticed I was there.

"Oh, please allow me to introduce you." Alpha Gunter decided, "This is the Alpha Princess of the Green Packlands in the Plains. She is the blue wolf of her generation and the new Tyger's soul mate."

"Sam, this is Shiro, the oldest Tyger among us. He was also known as the first wolf." Alpha Gunter introduced.

Wait, wait, wait, girly guy here was THE FIRST WOLF? I must have heard wrong. He didn't look a day older than anyone else in this room!

"You look a lot younger than I had expected." I blurted out. And a lot more alive too, but I managed to stop talking in time so I didn't say that bit aloud.

Shiro, the first wolf laughed, "Strange. I was about to say the same for you."

"She is very young." Heller informed everyone, "Same age as my Adelina. She only had her first shift this year."

"But that makes her still a puppy!" Shiro protested. He patted me on the head, "She's way too young for him!"

"He isn't much older, Shiro." Alpha Gunter explained, "Even though his flame is old, his wolf is still 18."

"Then how..." Shiro started and then stopped, "Well, just as I thought I've seen everything!"

The other wolves laughed, but they also looked like they were somewhat astonished at this revelation.

"His fire was so large, I was sure he was at least a millennia old." Hajime marveled, "What a terrifying monster he will turn out to be."

"Do you think Ignatius would win this one?" Heller asked.

"Probably not." Haku smiled, "He's going to be fuming for days after this."

The Tygers laughed.

"That guy never knows when to hold back." Shiro shrugged.

Wait, wait, wait... Those names! Ignatius, Shiro, Hajime... This could just be a coincidence, but weren't these names all the same ones as the heroes of the most classic Lycan legends?

But Shiro was really the first wolf - the romantic one who prayed everyday to be with his human forever. I didn't expect him to look so... Urm... Metrosexual.

Then if Shiro was real, then the grey haired Hajime should be the healer wolf who was the ultimate master of alchemy! Well, arguably he was also the Master of poisons... But he was the guy who grew plum trees outside his home, plum trees with red blossoms all year round, which also released a mild toxic that paralysed those who step off his driveway path.

The adults used to tell us pups this story so that we would walk on the pavements and keep our foot traffic off their lawns.

And then Ignatius who had to be my favourite hero! The lighting god. He was fast and furious or rather fast to become furious - so his stories were pretty exciting. And funny too because Ignatius was the kind of guy who spoke without a filter. Most of all, Ignatius was like me. Many of his adventures began because he acted on impulse.

It was weird to see them in real life though. Wait, but wolves, even those in the Colored Mountains, averaged a lifespan of 500 years - more than doubled that in the plains.

Some healer wolves or special bloodlines lived even longer - but 800 would be considered ancient. These wolves - like Shiro - if he were the first wolf, how long had he been alive? Omo.

Did Tygers not die?

Suddenly, Ignatius dropped down on his hands and knees coughing, and then he spat out some blood and collapsed face first on the sloped stone floor.

Meanwhile, Bell still flaming walked the few steps to a metal pail of water and doused himself out. I watched in horror at the blackened and charred body that the flames had left behind, and then in even more horror when Bell's flesh and sinews regenerated and wrapped around him. The process of getting healed was unexpectedly gross.

"Fascinating." Hajime said.

"Wolves from the plains are truly terrifying." Haku concluded.

Well, no. We were normal. You guys were the terrors that inspired legends!

Shiro patted my head, "Well, looks like he's won his place among us."

"Do you think Gareth would come?" Heller asked.

Gareth? I didn't remember a Gareth from any legend. I mean, I knew A LOT of legends. Even Haku - Haku who was named after the river he was born next to. He was a healer wolf, one of the most noble of all healer wolves. Haku was most famous for the prestigious Palm Healing School for Young Healers in the Black Mountains. He was also the healer who introduced opening Healing Centers and facilities for healers to work together and many more wolves to receive the most efficient treatment. But most notably, the fruit trees blessed by him bore magic stones instead of seeds.

I can't believe I didn't recognize him sooner! I mean, the roses that weeped magic stones instead of nectar should have been a dead giveaway.

But these guys were legends... As in they were fictional characters found in old Lycan books right?

Okay, apparently not all of them. For example, I had no idea who Heller was either. So I guess not all Tygers were famous legends.

"These young Tygers are really ferocious." Hajime said.

Bell had somehow returned to our group dressed again, full Lorent suit and all.

{Mate! ~❤️ }

But he didn't look pleased to see me, "Why are you here princess?"

Grrr... Dumbbell! "I came to protect you!"

"So cute." But it wasn't Bell, it was Shiro. He patted my head again, "I wonder when was the last time I played with a puppy."

"Don't touch her." Bell growled.

Hajime patted my head too, "So this is your soul mate?"

"Mine." Bell growled. He looked p***ed, but that only served to amuse the other Tygers more. They were all smiling. Were they messing with Bell? Like for fun? Omo.

I quickly shook off Hajime's hand, and before another dumb Tyger decides to pat a puppy, I quickly said, "I'm not a puppy!"

But I realized this only amused them more.

"That's what they all say." Heller informed me.

Hajime sighed, "I suppose someone should go ressurect Ignatius."

"You go." Haku said, "I'll support you."

Hajime sighed again and the two men cautiously went over to where Ignatius' body was left lying.

Bell smirked. So I knew something was up, but I didn't get a chance to ask.

There was a small commotion when Hajime revived Ignatius. The first part of the commotion was when Ignatius got up, and thinking he was still in a fight, released a bolt of lighting - which Alpha Gunter managed to intercept with an ice bolt, that shattered, but nobody died.

And then when Ignatius realised the fight was over (and he had lost), he went even more ballistic, "***** **** **********!"

All in Lycan. It seemed that our original Lycan was also used predominantly for cussing here in the Colored Mountains too.

And then he started coughing out blood. The healers all frowned, momentarily confused. Bell smirked from next to me, and then he stopped smirking and sniffed me. I tried to push him away, "What?"

He took off his jacket and dropped it over my head, "Don't let strange men pat your head."

They're not strange men. They were my heroes!

Over at Ignatius' side, the healers finally figured out what was wrong.

"That was devious, young Tyger." Hajime scolded Bell mildly when they were done.

Bell shrugged and smirked, all cockly again.

Ignatius opened himself a black doorway and left to clean up, "If Gareth comes, tell him to wait till I get back. I want to see the new Tyger bleed with my own eyes."

"Who's Gareth?" Bell asked.

"Forget what Ignatius said." Alpha Gunter advised, "He had always been a sore loser. Now that you're one of us, you don't have to mind Gareth."

"Gareth is the second youngest Tyger after you." Shiro told Bell, "He joined us quite recently, but the Great Teacher is right. Gareth is pretty easy going so you don't have anything to worry about. Even though he's King of the Tygers, he pretty much leaves everything to us."

King of the Tygers?

"Which means he's the top Tyger here?" Bell asked.

The other Tygers didn't refute that.

"What happens if I challenge him too?" Bell asked.

"You mean if he doesn't blend you into juice?" Shiro asked with a grin.

Bell shrugged.

Heller smiled now, "If you won, you'd be King of the Tygers and we'd all have to submit to you. But young Tyger, I would advise you against it. Gareth has an ultimate move that cannot be defeated - one that would not even leave a body for you to ressurect and heal."

"Why did you not tell me about this?" Bell glared at Alpha Gunter.

"Because I want you to live." Alpha Gunter smiled, "It is of no gain to me if you died here."

Which should be a clue that fighting Gareth was a bad idea.

"Or do you mean that it would be of no gain to you if I became King of the Tygers?" Bell sneered, "Right now, I've only defeated Ignatius who is ranked under you. But if I were King, I would not have to submit to anyone at all."

"Young Tyger, you're strong, but there will always be someone stronger than you." Alpha Gunter cautioned.

"Someone call this Gareth." Bell commanded, "I will challenge him."

"Young wolves are always so ambitious." Shiro shook his head.

Yeah, but you're not one to speak. Every Lycan legend hero became a hero because they were wolves who were more ambitious than what was possible.

A black doorway opened and out stepped a tall broad shouldered guy, complete with hands in his pocket, apathetic dark eyes, and short-cropped red curls, "Did someone summon me?"