The winds ran loose through the forest like resentful spirits.
Thunder roared like beasts from atop the clouds as the torrential rain fell with an unrestrained desire to drown every living being.
'I don't like this at all.'
From outside the cave, I watched the storm advance with its overwhelming power.
It wouldn't be strange if a tornado appeared.
A flood wouldn't be strange either.
All the animals in the forest were worried as they frantically sought refuge.
Yet, the rain was refreshing.
As such, I simply lay down, unbothered, letting the water wash over me.
It was sad to see the pure liquid touch me only to run off tainted with the colors of violence.
Inside the cave, my mother and siblings were feasting on a deer.
Each bite tore wet, ripping chunks from the poor animal, while a red pool spread not only around them but also onto their fur.
Its death was a sacrifice to keep us alive—one I personally didn't like.
I had once been human. I had learned to love and respect all forms of life, to always avoid causing suffering…
However, having been reborn as a tiger, causing suffering was a basic requirement for surviving another day.
Its death gave us the meat we needed to live.
Even so, what bothered me today wasn't the disastrous storm, nor the sacrifices I had to make daily to survive.
What I truly disliked was the fact that I didn't care anymore.
I wanted to feel disgust.
But I wasn't bothered.
How long had it been since I reincarnated? A few months?
And in that small span of time, I had already abandoned my humanity.
Had I still been human, I would find it revolting to feed on raw, bloody meat while still seeing the animal's glassy eyes and remembering its final desperate moments.
However, the meat tasted good, the blood wasn't bad, the smell was even pleasant—and it made my stomach growl.
The fact that I had taken the life of that innocent animal was, to say the least, indifferent to me.
I didn't like that.
I had changed.
A few more months passed since that day.
My life as a tiger was strangely peaceful. I believe it was a privilege of being a great hunter.
The only constant annoyance was my siblings—cute, even adorable, but in need of a few swats and fierce bites to leave me alone.
Today, I followed my mother into the forest with my siblings on a harmonious family excursion.
And of course, to kill something along the way.
As an experienced huntress, the tigress moved smoothly through the forest, effortlessly camouflaging herself in the leaves as she approached the river.
The river that fed the forest was an essential part of life for all animals around.
But it was also the place where they were most likely to lose their lives.
And the tigress knew this.
At the riverbank, a boar lowered its head to quench its thirst. It was alert, for it knew well the dangers lurking there.
The boar knew too.
This was probably the first lesson the tigress taught us:
Prey are neither stupid nor weak.
From the moment it decided to go to the river, that boar was prepared to flee or fight. And although it had no chance of winning a fight, it could still deal heavy injuries—and that would be its death.
Whether from bleeding or infection.
In the wild, any wound can be fatal.
The tigress approached with extreme caution, not making the slightest noise.
And then she prepared to leap like a spring—one swift, instantaneous movement.
Before the boar even noticed, she grabbed it by the neck as her heavy paws slammed it onto the ground.
She crushed its bones with her bite while all it could do was scream louder and louder.
In a short time, it was over.
The cubs quickly approached, either hungry or simply imitating their mother.
One of them jumped on me again and bit me hard; once more, I hit him and pushed him away.
'I'm never going to have peace with them around…' I sighed internally and, instead of following my siblings.
I chose to approach the river.
The water was clear and gave a good view of the many fish swimming there.
My siblings only imitated my mother, but I had understood a deeper truth in her teachings.
In a short while, we would be left to fend for ourselves.
Tigers were solitary creatures like most felines, creatures that claimed their own territory and lived alone.
Thus, the sooner I became independent from her, the easier my future would be.
I stood in the water for a while, sharpening my vision and preparing myself with all my grandeur.
I was a mighty hunter!
The mightiest!
And then, in a quick movement, I lunged at a fish, already imagining the sweet taste of its flesh.
My fierce, powerful bite struck only cold water…
I failed…
Damn…
I sighed mentally before trying again.
My body was still too small and cute to be called imposing.
As if mocking me, my siblings pounced on me again and bit me.
I drove them off once more.
However, after several attempts, I caught a fish.
Proud of myself—and tired of my siblings—I looked at them one last time before walking off into the forest.
There was nothing dangerous around, and my mother was relatively close anyway.
Carrying my trophy in my mouth with pride, I lay down near a tree and began to feast.
The gentle wind brushed against my fur.
The bittersweet scent of the river filled my nostrils.
The song of the birds entertained my ears.
The beautiful sight of the forest soothed me.
And the delicate taste of the fish gave me a strange sense of belonging.
I could see myself years from now doing the same thing under the same tree.
A tiger's life wasn't bad.
Crack
A twig snapped—someone had stepped on it.
I immediately turned toward the sound, trembling at what I might see.
"My divine heavens, a tiger cub! What a fascinating encounter!"
A man in luxurious clothing approached me cautiously along with his men.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
My heart pounded harder and harder as instinctive fear took over.
My body shrank back as I tried to retreat.
"Easy, little friend, uncle won't hurt you, I promise!"
He kept approaching with slow steps, his hand reaching toward me.
I didn't approach him—I knew the nature of humans and how distorted it could be.
"Here, look at this!" he suddenly pointed to his own clothing; there was a crest on it.
On the crest, there was a tiger amidst stormy clouds. It looked imposing and powerful.
"I'm from the House of the Lightning Tiger—we love you! I'm your fan, how could I hurt you?"
For a moment, I analyzed his words.
There was no way he could know I understood him.
He seems friendly…
I took a deep breath and allowed him to come closer.
Soon his hand touched me, his eyes shining with innocent delight.
"My goddess! No one's going to believe this! Hahaha my brothers are going to die of envy when I tell them!"
He kept petting me with increasing enthusiasm.
"Thank you, little one, you made my day hahaha—"
Suddenly, there was an unmistakable tiger's roar—and it was furious.
Cutting swiftly through the forest, my mother rushed forward, and before the guards could react, she leapt at him.
Her fangs sank into his neck.
In just a few moments, my vision was filled with red as the gentle man fell dead in front of me.
She growled fiercely at the guards; they trembled as cold sweat dripped down their foreheads.
They were unprepared and only pointed their spears at her with shaking hands as they slowly stepped back.
They fled, and the tigress didn't pursue—she was worried for her offspring.
I swallowed hard, trying to process what had just happened.
A noble had just died.
My mother killed him.
Several people saw it.
And those people left alive.
I had been human once, and I had heard similar stories before—I knew how they ended.
'Shit…'
A tiger that tastes human flesh must die.
But worse than that, a storm is coming.