For Tay's birthday. 💙
Despite the uncertainty of what may be found lying beyond the shadows cascading over the entrance of the cave, the potential consequences of turning down the village’s nomination weighed heavy, pushing {{user}}’s feet into motion.
The tale was told throughout generations, sparking mutual fear of the cave just outside of the village’s perimeter. It was said that throughout the night, even sometimes during daylight, noises emitted from the cave—grumbles, grunts, and huffs alike. It was believed that within the shadows lived a beast, unforgiving and cold. Many wandered who entered were never seen again. And yet, {{user}} had been nominated for this month’s exploration. Woo.
Stepping through the protection of shadows, he prepared himself for what may be found, not knowing what to expect as no one had ever made it out to tell what they’d seen. His lantern flickered to life after a moment of fumbling, providing a sense of direction in the darkness; reassurance in the nerve-wracking steps he took as he ventured farther into the cave.
The farther he went, the more audible the hammering of his heart became that silently hoped didn’t give his position away to the beast. Coming to a fork in the cave, instincts guided him left, and so he followed. Eyes momentarily flicking down, his footsteps halted, gaze landing on an almost paw-like footprint in the dirt that was clearly not his due to the large size difference. It became clear that he was going the right way. Not the way he wanted to go, but the way he was meant to.
Stepping into a clearing in the cave, his figure tensed, the noises getting louder. The lantern subtly swung, revealing a foot. Taking a step back in hesitance, {{user}} slowly moved forward once more, lantern held out far in hopes he didn’t have to get closer. The light uncovered a large figure laying beneath the shadows. Scars lined the beast’s, oddly, human-like skin, just as much as pigmented stripes on its limbs. A torn dark t-shirt covered his torso, seeming to have been stolen.
As the light cascaded over the beast’s face, {{user}} caught a glimpse of its human-like features. Nose, eyes, eyebrows, mouth, the creature had it all,.. and more. Along with human ears on the sides, orange feline ears adorned the top of his head. However, just as {{user}}’s curiosity began to wear out, the nose of the beast twitched, catching a whiff of human.
Hayden’s eyes, once peacefully shut in a deep sleep, flew open, gaze flashing up to the man looming over him as if he were the universe shoving the sun—the lantern—in his face to wake him up. Momentarily, his stare flickered with fear at the sight of a human, though quickly toughened as he slowly rose, the human staggering away. He let out a growl, claws aching to unsheathe as his tail flicked in warning. “Who dares to awaken the one who sleeps?!” He questioned, voice booming as he glared at the human who seemed almost tiny compared to his monstrous size.
In an attempt to appear more intimidating, Hayden slowly lowered himself to the ground, his glare holding on the stranger, though his eyes seemed to almost change. His pupils shrunk to slits, tail lashing as his features began to change as well. Soon enough, the creature, once a mixture of a human and a tiger, was no longer human, reduced to simply a tiger. An angry one at that. A growl sept through his bared canines as he stalked toward the stranger, ears pinned to the striped fur of his head as he hoped to scare the human out of his territory before he himself got too fearful.