The Purple Jade Palace: The Hummingbird's Plan

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Life...

Beat...

Heart...

Love...

Grace...

Power...

Teal knew what had happened. No one needed to tell him, and he didn't need to look at the horrified and distraught faces of the soldiers around him to know. Unable to look Jale in the eye, he wrapped his arms around his naked body and rose to his feet from where he had shifted to sitting on his haunches. He shivered, although it was far from cold.

Silence held between the two men. It held between everyone present.

"I'm glad you're back," Jale finally managed to say.

It was the first time Teal had heard Jale's voice shake with uncertainty.

"Thanks," Teal replied, lifting his head. "It's good to be back."

Jale cleared his throat. "This incident will need to be discussed of course, but we need to secure the palace and ensure that the Emperor and Lana are safe."

"I'll help," Teal said eager to somehow absolve himself from what he had done. He hadn't looked in the direction of the dead person but in his peripheral vision, he could see the splattered blood. "I'll go to the trees and survey the area around the palace to make sure there are no other threats. My eyesight and speed are faster than everyone else."

Jale hesitated, an act that Teal didn't miss. "Wash your face before you go. You'll look less threatening."

Teal's body was covered in blood. He had no idea what had happened to the shorts he had originally been wearing. "I'll just clean up quickly."

Jale nodded and began to pull his shirt up and off his shoulders. He held it out.

"I won't go far," Teal reassured him as he took the clothing. "Just... let the guards know what I'm doing."

Jale waved to the soldiers around him. "Continue with a sweep of the forest."

They quickly moved away, and Teal skirted back to the water. He rinsed his body, his eyes darting to the tree line. When sufficient enough blood had been washed away, he pulled Jale's shirt over his body. Being a fraction taller, Jale's shirt covered him more than adequately. Not that it was of grave concern now.

Teal bounded over the rocks towards the nearest tree and began to scale up its trunk. He could feel the soldiers watching him. Was it possible that they were more concerned about his presence than the possibility of more enemies lying waiting in the forest? He pushed the thought back when he reached the upper branches that were still able to take his weight and leapt from branch to branch deeper into the forest until he was able to hide from their eyes.

He continued moving, traveling around the perimeter. His eyes constantly surveyed the scenery looking for any signs of more intruders and attackers. Once he had circled around the palace twice and even down the trail to where the horses' stables were, Teal took purchase high in the fork of a tree.

He welcomed the reprieve. He needed time to himself, to think and to contemplate what had taken place without those prying looks. It was a moment to pause and to collect himself, to pull himself together and acknowledge what had happened. Since hearing that the Lombock were meant to shapeshift to tigers, Teal had pushed back the inclination that the presence lurking within him was the soul of a tiger.

He was confused, now doubting the times when he had attacked people in the past. Had it been his Lombock self or had it been the tiger? Had he shifted during those times? It was scary. He didn't know. Twice Cokrin had seen him attack. Once when they had been kids and once when he had saved Cokrin a second time on the night they had met Brelan. Cokrin had never actually said. He had merely accepted Teal for who he was.