Tiger's Scar

Prologue:

The burning color of the young woman's hair made a mockery of the sunlight as it streamed through the gnarled branches of the trees that loomed above her. A young man, who appeared to be only a few years older than her, followed swiftly behind, trying desperately to catch up with her. "Kathryn!" he cried after her as she sped away from him.

"No, Damien!" She said with a soft giggle, her pace increasing, her feet flying fast o'er the ground before he could get the chance to catch her.

"Come here you!" He cried, lunging forward, his hands wrapping tightly around her waist, her feet popping off the leaf-strewn forest floor, as he dragged her to the ground.

"All right, all right, you win. Let me up now, Damien. You'll ruin my gown."

"Ah-ah-ah." He shook his head with a sly smile. "I'm sorry, Princess, not this time." His hand, which had been holding one ankle previously, now slid its way upward, under her dress, winding its way to her upper thigh.

"What do you think you are doing, Damien?" Her eyes narrowed, and she scowled at him.

"What's the matter, Princess, don't you like it?" His grin widened as he feigned innocence, his nails digging gently into her skin.

"I... I don't know. However, I am asking you to stop." She pulled her legs up to her, and scooted a little ways away, maintaining a decent distance between them.

"But... why?" He asked quietly, a child-like tremor creeping into his voice, as he pouted. Then, with a disgusted sigh, he rolled away and sat down next to her. "Kat?"

"Yes, Damien?"

"Will you... That is... What I mean to say... Well... ah..." He pulled at the collar of his shirt, loosening it, as his face flushed. "Will you marry me!" He blurted suddenly.

She sighed, shaking her head silently, her eyes showing her pity. "You know that I cannot. The Council - "

He cut her off with a sharp growl. "The Council!" He snarled in disgusted rage.

"Always! Always the Council with you! Well!" He said with a bitter laugh, "Let me remind you, Princess, that your precious Council does not usually entrust normal mortals with their precious secrets, nor get close to their most important members. So I think we can agree that I am no ordinary case."

"Well no, true you are an exception, however-"

He cut her off again. "And didn't they even teach me their language? Brought me in as though I were one of their own, and now look, here we are alone in the woods together, and they sent with you no bodyguard, no chaperon to insure your innocence. Why!" He smiled evilly, "Why they as good as gave you into my keeping, tonight."

"Well, yes, and that's all fine and good but..."

Seeing that her arguments were falling thin, he leaned closer, his warm breath teasing her ear, "Then think you, truly, that they would forbid a union between us? Honestly?"

"Well, no," She stammered, her face flushing as she turned away, trying to get some space between them. He was far too close, and it was making her uncomfortable. "I mean, I... I do love you, Damien. But... It cannot be. It really cannot. You would be a..." She paused for a moment, the word "liability" had almost slipped out, and she knew him well enough to know that he would not take kindly to that. He could be a tad... hypersensitive where his masculinity was concerned.

"A what, Princess? A weakness? Hmm? Is that what you were going to say?" He snarled at her, his left hand darting out and grasping her chin roughly, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Look at me and tell me the truth! Were you about to call me weak?"

"No!" She gasped, jerking her chin from his hand, one hand coming up to shove him away from her. "No! Not at all... " Although it was true, he could be a weakness... for her. "You are a strong magician, and very powerful-"

Grinning maniacally and cutting her off with his words as she pushed him back.

"I am no magician, Kathryn! I do not do tricks. And neither am I weak. Indeed... Princess. I shall show you how 'weak' I really am." He cut off with a manic laugh and held her with one hand as she tried to stand. "This magician can pull a few 'tricks' over even such a great sorceress as yourself." His laughter turned bitter, "The great Princess of the Tigers." His left hand rose to hover over her face, his right one tightening its grip on her wrist. As he began to chant in a strange and ancient language that she didn't understand, she felt him lower her to the ground. She struggled but found that she couldn't move.

"Damien... what- what are you -? Doing to me? Don't - Stop it! Damien... Please!" She screamed.

X

Later that night when Kathryn returned to her lair, she found her brother there, waiting for her. He tended to her wounds, bathed and bandaged her, murmuring promises of vengeance as he soothed her battered body. When she was tended, and her servants had carefully dressed her, he escorted her before the rest of the Council. An old woman dressed in a cloak of owl feathers came down the stairwell from the giant dais and stood before them.

What she told them had the pronouncement of doom to their ears, but yet, in her words there was hope. Hope for the future at any rate. Though there was nothing could be done to save Kathryn, for she was compelled to return to the one who had wrought such terrible havoc on them, nor for the child already started within her, yet still, one day one would come, marked by the animals whose spirit she held merged within her own soul, chosen, someday, to restore the balance of magic in the world, and set things right.

Tiger's Scar: Prologue

Prologue:

The burning color of the young woman's hair made a mockery of the sunlight as it streamed through the gnarled branches of the trees that loomed above her. A young man, who appeared to be only a few years older than her, followed swiftly behind, trying desperately to catch up with her. "Kathryn!" he cried after her as she sped away from him.

"No, Damien!" She said with a soft giggle, her pace increasing, her feet flying fast o'er the ground before he could get the chance to catch her.

"Come here you!" He cried, lunging forward, his hands wrapping tightly around her waist, her feet popping off the leaf-strewn forest floor, as he dragged her to the ground.

"All right, all right, you win. Let me up now, Damien. You'll ruin my gown."

"Ah-ah-ah." He shook his head with a sly smile. "I'm sorry, Princess, not this time." His hand, which had been holding one ankle previously, now slid its way upward, under her dress, winding its way to her upper thigh.

"What do you think you are doing, Damien?" Her eyes narrowed, and she scowled at him.

"What's the matter, Princess, don't you like it?" His grin widened as he feigned innocence, his nails digging gently into her skin.

"I... I don't know. However, I am asking you to stop." She pulled her legs up to her, and scooted a little ways away, maintaining a decent distance between them.

"But... why?" He asked quietly, a child-like tremor creeping into his voice, as he pouted. Then, with a disgusted sigh, he rolled away and sat down next to her. "Kat?"

"Yes, Damien?"

"Will you... That is... What I mean to say... Well... ah..." He pulled at the collar of his shirt, loosening it, as his face flushed. "Will you marry me!" He blurted suddenly.

She sighed, shaking her head silently, her eyes showing her pity. "You know that I cannot. The Council - "

He cut her off with a sharp growl. "The Council!" He snarled in disgusted rage.

"Always! Always the Council with you! Well!" He said with a bitter laugh, "Let me remind you, Princess, that your precious Council does not usually entrust normal mortals with their precious secrets, nor get close to their most important members. So I think we can agree that I am no ordinary case."

"Well no, true you are an exception, however-"

He cut her off again. "And didn't they even teach me their language? Brought me in as though I were one of their own, and now look, here we are alone in the woods together, and they sent with you no bodyguard, no chaperon to insure your innocence. Why!" He smiled evilly, "Why they as good as gave you into my keeping, tonight."

"Well, yes, and that's all fine and good but..."

Seeing that her arguments were falling thin, he leaned closer, his warm breath teasing her ear, "Then think you, truly, that they would forbid a union between us? Honestly?"

"Well, no," She stammered, her face flushing as she turned away, trying to get some space between them. He was far too close, and it was making her uncomfortable. "I mean, I... I do love you, Damien. But... It cannot be. It really cannot. You would be a..." She paused for a moment, the word "liability" had almost slipped out, and she knew him well enough to know that he would not take kindly to that. He could be a tad... hypersensitive where his masculinity was concerned.

"A what, Princess? A weakness? Hmm? Is that what you were going to say?" He snarled at her, his left hand darting out and grasping her chin roughly, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Look at me and tell me the truth! Were you about to call me weak?"

"No!" She gasped, jerking her chin from his hand, one hand coming up to shove him away from her. "No! Not at all... " Although it was true, he could be a weakness... for her. "You are a strong magician, and very powerful-"

Grinning maniacally and cutting her off with his words as she pushed him back.

"I am no magician, Kathryn! I do not do tricks. And neither am I weak. Indeed... Princess. I shall show you how 'weak' I really am." He cut off with a manic laugh and held her with one hand as she tried to stand. "This magician can pull a few 'tricks' over even such a great sorceress as yourself." His laughter turned bitter, "The great Princess of the Tigers." His left hand rose to hover over her face, his right one tightening its grip on her wrist. As he began to chant in a strange and ancient language that she didn't understand, she felt him lower her to the ground. She struggled but found that she couldn't move.

"Damien... what- what are you -? Doing to me? Don't - Stop it! Damien... Please!" She screamed.

X

Later that night when Kathryn returned to her lair, she found her brother there, waiting for her. He tended to her wounds, bathed and bandaged her, murmuring promises of vengeance as he soothed her battered body. When she was tended, and her servants had carefully dressed her, he escorted her before the rest of the Council. An old woman dressed in a cloak of owl feathers came down the stairwell from the giant dais and stood before them.

What she told them had the pronouncement of doom to their ears, but yet, in her words there was hope. Hope for the future at any rate. Though there was nothing could be done to save Kathryn, for she was compelled to return to the one who had wrought such terrible havoc on them, nor for the child already started within her, yet still, one day one would come, marked by the animals whose spirit she held merged within her own soul, chosen, someday, to restore the balance of magic in the world, and set things right.