like a gentle earthquake it intensifies
The past few days had been the happiest that Tigerlily could remember. Even in her foalhood, when she’d still felt loved by her family, there had always been an anger raging within her, something that had cast a darkness over everything. But being here, in Paradise, with Björn… The waters were indeed sweet here, and it seemed that the rugged, scarred Bear King cared for her. To what extent was yet to be determined (her own reservoir of affection for him grew deeper everyday), but Tigerlily was grateful for any time he spared her. For the most part, when she was not with Björn, Tigerlily roamed the jungles herself, a soft smile rarely leaving her lips. The great green cavern that the Icelandic stallion had shown her when she first came home with him was still her favourite place to visit, but she also loved a secluded spot high on the Ridge that she’d discovered after stumbling upon a hidden pathway that led to the cliffs.
It was halfway up this path that she clambered after the call rang out, summoning Björn and drawing him away from her and the rest of the herd. As the echoes of it faded in her mind, a shiver raced down Tigerlily’s spine as her muscles trembled from the sudden exertion of her hurried climb. Something was vaguely familiar about the sound, and it filled the blue-eyed mare with a dread she could not explain. Desperately, she scanned the island below as her lungs hungered for air, and through a break in the trees, she glimpsed movement. Not one, but three figures were making their way boldly through the jungle. The fear she felt for herself quickly shaped itself into concern for the one who’d been there for her when no-one else had. With her heart in her throat, Tigerlily carefully and quickly picked her way along the winding rocky path and descended into the dense growth of the jungle.
By the time she had managed to follow the three foreign scents, Tigerlily found that Björn was already there, standing before them. Her whole body tensed, preparing to charge in, but then her eyes caught sight of the grey phantom that had haunted her dreams for most of her life, and her blood turned to ice. She trembled in fear, hidden in the undergrowth. She had been quiet, and unless the wind changed and gave her away, it would be possible for Tigerlily to leave without the quartet of males ever knowing she’d been there. But, as scared as she was, she would not abandon Björn, not when he may be in danger. Tigerlily was not willing to lose what precious little she had gained. She would not run from the great grey beast.
Never again.
You are safe here. That was what he had told her, all those years ago. Even in her youth and innocence, Tigerlily had known that his words were anything but true. For years, his brutality and deceit had shattered Tigerlily’s trust in stallions. And here, with Björn, she’d finally been able to start letting go. But the grey beast was persistent, had come to these very shores that had become her sanctuary. Perhaps the Fates were testing her, to determine whether she was deserving of all that she wanted – a life of peace and safety, with Björn taking care of her. Never before had Tigerlily wanted anything so much as to believe the words the scarred grullo stallion had whispered in her ear, beneath that ceiling of green, when she'd spoken of wanting to heal.
That is all I want for you, my Tígrisdýr.
It was this new and most cherished memory of hers that chased away the horrors of her past, and enabled the buckskin and white mare to break free from the fear that chained her. She burst from the undergrowth and rushed forwards, ears pinned and a shrill cry pierced the silence of the air. She had no idea who the other two stallions were, or what they were all doing here, but in her fury and desperation to get to Björn's side, where she could defend him, Tigerlily was blind to the way they’d all stood together, almost
companionably. Everything was a blur, but she rushed into the midst of them, planting herself in front of Björn.
“Get the hell away from him!” Venom laced her words, which she spat at the grey stallion, her eyes wide and dark with hatred. She made no move to strike any of them, and pulled her chin close to her chest as she shifted into a defensive position. Already, the adrenaline was wearing off, and her senses were returning to her. There was no aggression in the air except what she had stirred up. Surely it couldn’t be that Björn was a
friend of such a despicable stallion…
All the anger that Björn had started to help her let go of blazed brighter than ever, and her trembling heart withered in her chest. She was deaf to any outbursts that were made. The pounding of her terrified heart drowned out all else. No, no… This could not be. His cursed Fates had deceived her, and this, her presence here, her chance meeting with Björn, none of this was the kindness she’d taken it to be. Perhaps he was just another deep disappointment, and the latest in a line of stallions that broke her trust and her heart.
Already, Tigerlily was giving ground, shrinking from the stallions, and withdrawing. Her valiant defense of her stallion crumbled, and weakly, she acknowledged her mistake.
“You're not here to harm him...” Tigerlily squirmed and her movements were clumsy as she tried to turn without getting too close to any of Björn’s three guests, and she shoved her way past Björn as she fled, snapping at him with teeth and words as she did so.
“Don’t touch me!” And just as quickly as she had appeared, Tigerlily was gone, crashing through the undergrowth as she sought to put as much distance between herself and the cluster of stallions she’d left in her wake.
T I G E R L I L Y
it’s like my lungs are breathing fire