Romance Warfare: a Tigress' Guide to NOT Secure a Mate(22)
“Dad, Bella’s a good girl to begin with. What trouble could she have been in?”
Her dad shrugged. “Sometimes the big city changes people.”
“Bella’s fine, dad.”
“Hmm. Good.” Her dad was lost in his newspaper again.
Later, she headed up to her old room, her bag bumping along the stairs behind her. The room hadn’t changed since she moved out. The white twin bed and dresser still in same spot, her desk still holding books and pictures from high school. The light yellow walls were covered with boyband posters. In the corner of a framed sunflower picture she found a small photograph. It was her and Adam, on the night of junior homecoming. Her in an off-the-shoulder dress, Adam in a collared shirt and tie, his arm tightly around her waist, her head resting on his shoulder.
Eva sighed and flopped onto the bed, the picture in her hand. She lay back and stared at the ceiling, thinking about Adam. Adam then and Adam now. She loved him. She always had. No man had ever elicited feelings like she had for Adam. Her pride forced her to leave all those years ago when she thought he was cheating on her. She might have buried her feelings for him, but she never lost them. Finally admitting it to herself lifted a weight from her shoulders. Now, she just had to figure out if she should tell Adam or move on. She fell into a light sleep, their old picture still clutched in her hand.
***
A couple hours later, Eva finally woke up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The sun had tracked across her bedroom floor and she realized it was after noon. She went into the bathroom and splashed water on her face before heading back downstairs. Her dad was still in the kitchen, but her mother was nowhere around.
“Hey, honey. Have a good nap?” Her dad wandered out the sunporch and started watering the plants spread around the homey room. She followed, pinching at a few dead leaves on one of her dad’s ferns.
“Yeah, not too bad, I guess.”
“Mom had to run to the market, I guess we’re out of your favorite cereal.”
“She didn’t have to do that.”
“Well, you know mom.”
“Ah. Listen, I was thinking about going out to Sourland Preserve. You want to come? Take a run with me?”
Her dad turned to face her, his glasses glinting in the overhead light. He smiled at her and came to give her a hug. She buried her face into his Rutgers sweatshirt, inhaling the familiar scent of pine and coffee that always seemed to cling to her dad. “You go ahead and go run if you need to, sweetie. I think I’ll stay home this time.”
“Oh, okay then. Well, can I borrow your car?”
“Sure, sweetie.” As Eva turned and head of the sunroom to go and get ready for her run, he called out to her, “You know, I always did like Adam,” before returning to his plants.
***
Eva pulled into the far end of the empty parking lot and locked up the car before taking off for a hiking trail that looked like it hadn’t been used recently. She headed in several hundred yards, making sure the parking area wasn’t visible anymore, before veering off the trail and into the woods. She walked for about ten minutes, jumping over branches and a small stream, before finding a small clearing well away from any potential hikers. She stripped down, folding her clothes neatly before pushing them under a small fallen tree branch. She stretched, letting the sun beat down on her shoulders and ease the past few days from her. With one last stretch and groan, she dropped toward the ground, shifting before she hit.
A beautiful she-tiger now stood in Eva’s place. Her coat tawny and shiny, streaked with strong black stripes, small tufts puffing out over her ears. The tigress gave a shaking roar and bounded across the clearing, her feet pounding against the grass and dirt as she ran. She raced through the mountain forest, dodging around trees, and jumping over obstacles until her breathing was hard. She found a stream and dropped down beside it to have a drink before lolling in the sunshine. It’d been a long time since she was able to stretch and play in her animal form. It felt good to stretch out her muscles and roll in the grass.
She stayed in form and sniffed the air. The scent of an animal nearby caught her attention. She couldn’t remember the last time she was able to hunt. The lure was irresistible. She scented the air and followed the smell, jumping to her feet to follow the smell. It was a rabbit. Lowering her nose to the ground, whiskers twitching, she followed the scent until she spotted it standing under a bush. She lowered her head, her body tensed to pounce, her eyes never leaving the rabbit.
As she was about to spring, another animal appeared. It was another tiger. Large and regal, a male. His body was all sinuous, coiled muscle as he stalked across the forest floor, large head swinging from side to side when he caught Eva’s scent.
Eva backed away, uncertain if this new animal was dangerous or not. It wasn’t a tiger she recognized and she thought she knew every tiger in the area. Then she saw the odd stripe on his back leg, the one that curled into the shape of an apple. It was Adam. Without hesitation, she took off into the trees, paws flashing over the ground as she tried to put distance between herself and Adam.
She heard a pounding behind her and realized that Adam had given chase. She pushed herself harder, running from him, her claws digging deep into the loamy soil as she sprinted away from him. She was no match for his longer legs and strength. Her day of play had tired her and she was slowing down. She heard the growl behind her and turned her head in time to see him leap. He landed on her and they rolled to the ground together. She slashed at him, not to hurt him, just to warn him. He bared his teeth at her, growling deep in his chest.