The Tiger Within 52 No Regrets Part 4

She began to gain on him, Kyera wasn't sure if it was adrenaline pulsing through her body or if it was the boy slowing his step. Either way there was a cry of thanks from the lover's hearts as the young one came closer to being within Kyera's reach. "Talis, Slow down." She demanded but he didn't seem to hear her.

Verone realized this and Roared several times, loud and fierce but he was too far behind for him to hear him. Unsure of why, he fed off Kyera's terror and tried to stop his younger brother while cursing himself for being out of shape. He would never allow that to happen again. Still Talis seemed caught in his own little trance as he dashed towards the river bank.

Silver serpent was a long river and they would cross it twice before they made it home. This was the first, and shortest of the two. A single leap across. Years had made a single path seem the safest for a crossing and every creature knew the path.

Talis turned toward it and Kyera's eyes were drawn to the bank. Just across from where he would leap, the place that she had often landed herself was coated in a thin veil of leaves that were placed too perfectly. The faintest wisps of silver caught her eyes.

"Talis NO!" She screamed again, but it was too late there was only one choice. He had began to leap and she had no choice but to follow suite. His leap was carefree and lacked velocity, but kyera put everything she had into her own flight. Throwing herself into the air, Kyera used her ma.s.sive shoulder to ram into Talis' body. She felt the ribs crack upon impact and her own shoulder seared with deep set pain. The force was enough to knock him away from her.

Verone watched in slow motion as his brother leaped and then his lover directly after. Kyera had put so much force into her jump that her body rammed into Talis with the sound of a thunder clap. He watched as Talis was sent flying further left than he should have landed. His body aimed for the thicket and river bank where his landing wouldn't be pretty. However, that was hardly Verone's biggest concern when he saw Kyera land. Her body fell in a mangled heap on the leaves. His world stopped.

Talis. .h.i.t the dirt and skidded along the bank for several feet, pain radiating from anywhere his body touched the dirt. His mind was muddled and lost, having almost no idea where he even was. He remembered the river, and he remembered jumping but… what hit him? Someone had yelled… Talis shook his head to try and clear it. There seemed to be a ringing in his ears...

He turned to see his brother standing across the way. Eyes filled with dread as he stared in his direction. Talis waved, but then noticed his brother's eyes were not on him. A sense of dread hit him as he followed his brother's eyes.

Kyera's body hung several feet in the air, a net holding her high above their heads. A bell above making a ringing noise every time the net bounced. The piercing sound that struck them both to the core. They didn't have much time.

"Kyear, KY!" Verone cried out, standing beneath the net, reaching out to try and touch her. The net was just too high… there was nothing.. Nothing he could do. For a long moment, he thought her dead. Nothing could describe the joy and pain in his heart as he heard her agonized moan.