Opening Cages Opens Graves

Chapter 18- The Two Sides of Tiger Wood

Every time she looked around, the mist of the damp forest would slowly cloud her vision. It was also quite hard to breathe under all of the warm air. Apart from that, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. The dark clouds from above gave the forest a nice glow of purity. Beyond the mist of the forest was the mountain side, where wind elegantly cascaded through the grassland, giving it a peaceful whisper sound.

If they hide in that area, they would, but it was just too open. For now, they just had to hide in the misty forests. By the looks of it, it looked like it was very early in the morning.

Good, Echo thought as a smile began to draw on her lips. Keilie would be there soon, ready too take her away from the monster.

"You should get some sleep, you know." Her thoughts were interrupted by Tiger's voice.

"It is like four in the morning. Get some sleep." They both sat behind a large tree, staring at a small

fire and watching it as the wood slowly blackened at it's flames. The smoke from the fire would only mix in with the mist which was safer for them too keep hiding.

Echo let out a rough sigh and leaned back against the tree, clutching the thin jacket Tiger gave to her, and shivering uncontrollably. She soon felt his hands wrap around her. Although his hands were ice cold, she could still feel a slight warming feeling beyond them.

"Don't worry," she heard him slowly whisper into her ears.

"It'll be over soon." She only nodded her head, waiting for him to remove his hands. After a while, she laid, staring at the ground below her. He still had not removed his hands. Although, it was not like she did not enjoy the warmth he was giving her, and the slight tingly feeling she would get every now and then, because she did.

She looked down at his hands which were red about then. They were not ice cold anymore. It was like life finally slipped into his body and re awoke him into his sanity. Yes, he felt truly warm. This was a side she had never seen from him. The side that had proven he was still alive.

After a while, her eyes slowly opened, then squinted slightly. She glanced around the dark mist of the forest. It was quiet, too quiet. A sharp gasp quickly left her lips as she turned to her side. He was gone, Tiger was gone. She quickly rose to her knees, lets out short and quick breaths of panic.

"Tiger," she called out. There was no answer. She rose to her feet and took a step forward.

"Tiger," she called out once again.

That time, she heard a slight rustle coming from a bush not too far away. She took a slowly step backwards, and let out a gasp as her back hit the tree behind her.

"Tiger, is that you? Tiger, if you think this is a game, you-"

Her sentence was cut short by a sudden body, tackling her to the ground. They rolled down the hills of the forest, sharp dead leaves and broken branches cutting through their clothes and skin. Before she could speak, a hand quickly covered her mouth.

Her eyes slowly softened at the sight of Tiger. He was peeking up from the hill. Panic filled his expression as he glanced around, cautiously. Echo tried to speak once more, but her voice was muffled by the grip that was tightening around her face. He turned to her, his eyes were as dark as his own soul. He glared at her, intensely and slowly leaned in until the space between them was long gone.

"What did you do?" His voice deepened, the tone of his voice darkened, and the forest grew silent. Echo could barely breathe at that moment. Her warm breath would collapse on her as she tried to breathe. She felt her head begin to sweat.