I looked over at the guys who were still fighting the oversized tendril, but they looked relieved to see the tiger.
Is this Caio?
The Rhinroy began to charge again, its movement was slower than before, but a blurred image crashed into it, knocking it even farther than the snow tiger had. I gawked at the flying Rhinroy that crashed into the forest; the surrounding trees toppled over. I stared as it struggled to get out from beneath the layer of trees, but it eventually stilled.
I returned my gaze to see a Siberian tiger, its orange and white fur and glowing amber stripes. It walked over to the snow tiger shifter that had stopped growling.
The orange tiger reached us, standing in front of where I knelt. It lifted its paw up, patting my head ever so gently.
Huh?
I stared directly into the tiger's eyes, now noticing the slight gold tinge in his left eye versus his right eye that was a light orange.
"Caio?" I asked.
The tiger nodded its head, licking my cheek and nuzzling against the right side of my face.
I laughed, wrapping my arms around him to hug him.
"Where did you go? I'm so glad you're okay," I exclaimed, letting him go to look at the white tiger that sat quietly next to me, staring at the battle that was still going on.
"Grr," he replied, butting his head into the white tiger.
The snow tiger turned to stare at me, lifting his paw to pat my head like Caio did. I grinned, reaching out my arms for a hug.
It walked into my embrace, allowing me to hug him. I knew we were in the midst of battle, but if I was gonna die, I might as well enjoy hugging two tigers. I could add it to my small list of accomplishments achieved in the hour before my death.
I took a few calming breaths and turned to face the guys. The tendril was almost gone, Orion lifted his arms in the sky, creating a large sphere of what looked to be fire, electricity, and light magic. His lips were moving, but from this distance, I couldn't hear the incantation. The others moved back and hid behind him. Both tigers stood in front of me; their stripes glowed and a combined shield formed in front of us.
Orion threw the orb of magic toward the tendril; a massive explosion erupted from the impact, shaking the earth below and sending a giant burst of wind everywhere.
We waited in silence, the smoke that clouded our vision began to fade. The tendril was gone, its remnants of darkness faded into nothing.
I sighed, letting my eyes close. I just needed five seconds to relax, maybe ten...or a whole damn day. Fur brushed against my face, forcing me to open my eyes. The white tiger sat in front of me, turning his head to stare at the guys who were sitting on the ground, looking just as spent as me.
"Can I use you as a pillow, Caio's friend?" I asked.
It nodded its head in approval. I laid on his body, feeling bad for making his pure white coat dirty from all the dust and probably blood from my wounds, but his soft fur looked so inviting.
"Celestia! You okay?" Hunter called out.
I was tired, my body ached and I almost died at least five times today, but I guess I could safely say I was ‘okay.’ I raised my hand up, giving him a thumbs up and dropping it back down. Moving hurt and breathing was becoming a little difficult.
I wished Magnor was here to make me feel better. He'd pat my head and give me an energy boost. Then he'd complain about how silly I was for always getting into an unbalanced state and giving me a lecture while helping me to my room. He'd put me to bed and wait till he thought I was asleep before kissing me on the forehead. I missed his kindness and it was thanks to him and my new team of guys that I'd made it this far.
I was on the edge of sleep, opening my eyes slightly to stare at Caio who was nestled next to his friend and me. He lifted his head and began to growl, rising up on all fours while his orange and white hairs flared up.
I noticed the ground began to shake, growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. I fought to lift my head, looking at the others who had various expressions of fear and panic.
I followed their gaze to my left, moving away from the white tiger so he could prepare for whatever was approaching us. The sound of snapping trees echoed through the sky, while the ground continued to shake.
My eyes grew wide and my jaw went slack, as I looked up to the twenty foot Forsaken that exited the forest. It roared into the night sky; its sludge-like body was wide compared to the previous one and its exterior looked thicker.
"We can't do this," I whispered in defeat.
The Forsaken turned what looked to be its head to the guys; red glowing orbs emerged from the darkness.
"RUN!" I cried out to them, but I knew they couldn't. All of them were just as exhausted as I was. The two tigers charged forward; their stripes began to glow.