Chapter 161: Taming the Tiger

~ ZEV ~

Time moved very slowly.

A tiger's skin around their neck is loose, but their fur thin. Zev had no trouble gripping the cat even as he flew through the air, while his own thick fur made him a bigger—but less effective target.

Five, razor-sharp claws raked down his ribs in what felt like lava inching down his side. Zev had to consciously force his jaw to remain locked on the tiger's throat and leave his tender side exposed.

They turned a slow somersault in the air, Zev twisting, whining at the pain. But while Xar instinctively rolled onto his back, readying to engage his back paws, Zev kept the pressure on his throat so that the tiger couldn't breathe, and twisted his body, landing to the side of Xar's shoulder, and turned more than halfway around—and immediately twisting again, leaping so most of his boday was behind the tiger's head.

Unable to get air, Xar couldn't make a soun, but his mouth opened, his fangs long and glistening as he attempted to grab Zev's neck and force him to release. But Zev had gotten hold of him high enough that Xar's mouth simply brushed his thick ruff, on tooth catching on his skin, but doing no real damage. He reached with a thick paw, up and back, trying to catch Zev's leg and pull him forward, but Zev twisted, again and again, those claws cross-hatching his side in bleeding gashes, but unable to get a grip.

Xar's lower body curled up. If he couldn't use his back legs to disembowel the enemy, he would take advantage of that liquid, feline spine to twist and flip back onto his feet. But the split second Xar was forced to rethink his attack gave Zev the time to brace his weight on all four feet, his jaw still locked on Xar's windpipe, and pull.

The tiger's head was stretched back, and now the lack of air began to hurt him.

Xar had already been panting before they engaged. Now he'd gone seconds without any air at all, and with Zev keeping the pressure to extend his neck, Xar was having trouble heaving his great weight over to get his feet under him.

The second time the tiger twisted to position himself, Zev hopped back, keeping the cat's spine extended and allowing him no room to move. But then Xar was onto him and curled, rolling his entire body backwards, towards Zev.

Zev was forced to either let go, or risk being borne to the dirt by the tiger's superior weight.

With a snarl that would have been a curse in the human tongue, Zev didn't let go, but tore his teeth out of Xar's throat as he darted back and out of reach as the Tiger flipped back onto his feet.

Spitting out the chunk of flesh in his teeth, Zev scuttled back, dancing on his paws, ready to evade the next attack… but he blinked as he realized the old King wasn't really moving.

He'd rolled and gotten his feet under him, twisted to face Zev, but he was wavering, swaying, and shaking his head, blood pattering to the dirt and flowing down his neck and chest.

Zev was wary. It was a grievous wound to be sure, but not deadly.

Was Xar in worse condition than he'd realized?

The tiger crouched, all four paws flat on the ground, but didn't raise his hind end in preparation to rush.

Zev, two wolf-lengths away now so that he could see the cat coming if he jumped, growled.

Xar's eyes locked on his, and he coughed. Then shifted back to his human form.

Stunned, Zev watched as the old tiger—now a naked man—crouched in the frozen dirt, one hand to the grass, the other out as if to balance, despite being so low to the ground.

Blood ran down his chest and stomach.

In a blink, Zev shifted back as well—was Xar submitting already? It couldn't be that easy, surely?

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They stared at each other, the crowds behind them silent, everyone confused. It was rare for any fight to return to human form after their animals had been taken. But a fight for dominance over all? Zev wasn't aware of it happening ever.

"You betrayed your people, and now you would return to bury an old man who kept your people safe in your absence?" Xar rasped, his voice damaged by the wound, but not stolen.

Zev narrowed his eyes. "An old man? If you are too old to rule, you should be beaten, Xar," he growled. "Why do you return to human form? Do you submit?"

Xar blinked and his eyes clouded for a moment.

Be careful, he's crafty, Lhars' voice rang in his head. He will try to distract you.

Zev nodded so his brother would know he had heard and was listening, but he kept his full attention on his enemy, poised for action, braced for attack.

"Speak, Xar," he snarled when the tiger didn't respond. "If you do not submit, take your cat, or prepare to die. We fight to the death unless you concede."

"I… I cannot…" Xar rasped, coughing again and stumbling slight to the side. "I can't breathe…"

His breath bubbled, but whether that was because there was simply blood in his throat, or because Zev had been more successful than he'd thought in biting something crucial, Zev didn't know.

Another caution came from Lhars, and Zev nodded again.

Was it a ruse? Buying time, just to get his breath back? Zev suspected so. And so he was resolved.

"Your time is up, Xar," he growled. "Take your cat, or prepare to die."

Zev shifted back to his wolf and snarled, stalking forward slowly as the man cowered—but never dropped his eyes. It wasn't submission then.

Zev shook his head until his ears flapped. It was distasteful to kill a Chimera in their human form when you were an Animal, but they'd all heard him warn the male, twice.

So he took a deep breath, sank onto his haunches, then leaped forward, prepared for the male to shift back into his Tiger, or to run.

What he wasn't prepared for was for Xar to roll suddenly sideways, up against his own pile of clothing he'd remove before the fight, so Zev's momentum carried him several feet past where the tiger now hunched.

Zev landed with a snarl, twisting his body around, his paw scrabbling on the dirt and sparse grass as he fought for traction to get turned so the tiger wasn't in his blind spot.

As he turned, and launched himself again, Xar shoved something between his teeth, shifted into his tiger and leaped across the space.

Not towards Zev.

But directly at Sasha.

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