Ice Hearts 2: Drifted

4. Catch a Tigress

The storm wasn't the roughest part of their day. Soon they were accosted by a ship of pirates. A motley crew of different animals, and if a deranged rabbit wasn't enough, a young white tiger leapt up on the edge.

"Look, we don't want any trouble. We just need to get back to the continent," Manny explained.

Gutt laughed. "The continent? That pile of rubble?"

He elicited laughter from all but the tigress.

"My family's there, so if you could just..."

The white cat's eyes twitched at the mention of family.

"Your family? That is so sweet," Gutt mocked. "I hope you said goodbye because there's no way back."

"Yes, there is," the seal reminded him. "Don't you remember, Captain? You can sail to Switchback Cove and catch the current back from there. It's like a steel trap, this noggin is."

Apparently, that was supposed to be a secret. Captain Gutt lost his patience and ordered his crew to battle. Diego prowled too. He ran around their ice raft, biting off the ropes holding it captive. He had almost got the last one but the other tiger got it first.

"You almost made it," she teased him, pulling it back with a claw.

"I don't fight kids," Diego said, while still posed to fight regardless.

The tigress let the rope go, whipping Diego off his feet. The rest of the gang fell right after. They woke up to find themselves tied up to the mast. After the crew made the singsong introduction and proposed them to join the crew, Manny denied the invitation on behalf of the pack, irritating Gutt that he made them prepare to walk the plank.

Manny swung the mast around so Diego could cut the vine tying them down. A fight broke between the two crews, until the ship snapped in two, splitting the parties and drowning the plentiful bounty. Shira ended up on their escape raft, left behind by her crew to drown. She wasn't feeling much gratitude, especially not when they put her in a jail.

"So what do you think?" Manny asked once they really found Switchback Cove.

"Two words: anger management," Sid said as he watched Captain Gutt having his second ship prepared.

"I'm talking about the current. Diego's right. We found the way home," Manny corrected him.

"Yeah, that's great. Too bad we don't have a ship."

"Sure we do," Manny pointed his face to the pirate ship. "It's right there."

"Well, that's a flawless plan. You want to pirate a pirate ship from pirates," Shira rolled her eyes.

"It pains me to say this, but... our prisoner has a point," Diego gritted.

"Yeah, well..."

Sid shushed him. "Guys. The trees have ears."

They discovered the hyraxes living in the forest have been captured and enslaved by Gutt, and make a plan to help each other. The herd will rescue their friends, while they help steal the ship.

When night fell, Diego couldn't sleep. Not that cats slept at night any way, but something was bothering him. He strolled around their camp and noticed Shira was awake too. From the way the moonlight fell on her, Diego could see claw marks on her neck now that there wasn't a bandana around it.

He went and filled a bark with water and took it over to her. Shira jumped when she heard a twig snap, facing the threat.

"Easy, kitty. Water," Diego slid the bark through a slot. "You need it."

"I don't need anything from you," she rebelled.

"Fine, die of thirst. That will really show me," Diego smirked and turned.

"Wait. I'll take it. Thank you."

"You have a way of saying 'thank you' that makes it sound like 'drop dead.'"

"It's a gift," she quipped as she took a long needed drink of fresh water. "I thought sabers were supposed to be ruthless. You're pretty soft."

"Excuse me, I am not soft. I happen to be a remorseless assassin," Diego's ego was deflated by Sid pretty quick.

"Yeah, I think I'm starting to get why you're not in a pack. The age got to you?"

"I am not old! I chose to walk out on my pack," he grimaced at the memory. "What happened to you?"

"I guess my parents walked out on me too," Shira turned around, not letting him see her sadness as she lay down in memory. "I would have starved if Gutt hadn't saved me."

"Yeah. Real father figure he is. Guess that's why he sent out a search party for you. Oh wait, he didn't," this memory hurt even more. He had lead a search party, but had returned empty handed, and lost even more.

"You know, you won't beat him," Shira reminded him. "Your big furry friend over there? He has no idea what he's up against."

"Yeah, but neither does Gutt."

Deep down, Shira didn't understand why she didn't want to hurt these land mammals. Somehow, they were like a forgotten memory. Too bad she didn't remember much before coming of age on Gutt's ship. She and a bunch of other abandoned young ones. Shira fell asleep conflicted.

The little cub woke up in her cave. She flexed her body and looked at the back of the tiger still sleeping beside her. She smirked, and tiptoed back out of the cave, accidentally rolling down the short steep.

She shook herself clear and dug her paws into the ground. That was better. Now she needed to hunt. She took her hunting stance and leapt off into the woods.

She spotted a butterfly hovering around a flower and set her sight on it. She focused, lowering herself low to the ground, hips preparing. And then she jumped, catching a wing on her tooth.

The poor injured bug made the struggle to fly out, carrying itself on one wing. She leapt and pawed it out of the sky. She played with it for a while, tapping it back to the ground every time it tried to fly. Eventually she got bored and ate it.

She prowled around the forest some more, going all the way to the edge of the land. It over looked the open water, and looked so pretty with the sun hitting it just right.

Her parents had told her the water was not safe, so she just filled her gaze to her heart's content, and turned back to head home. As soon as her back was turned, claws grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her into the sky.

"Daddy!" She yelled. He would save her. She kept yelling for him as long as she was awake. He didn't come.