She was growing weaker, her legs no longer obeying her desperate urge to run as fast as she could. Each step felt heavier, as though the very earth was conspiring to hold her back. Behind her, the horrifying sounds grew closer—the deep, guttural growls and relentless snarls of a beast in pursuit. It was nearly upon her. In a split second, she felt her foot snag against a gnarled root that jutted from the forest floor, and she stumbled forward. A small, fearful whimper escaped her lips as she collapsed, her knees scraping against rough dirt, pain shooting through her side as she hit the ground.
She gasped, rolling onto her back and clutching at her injured leg. The pain was searing—sharp and blinding—as it radiated from her twisted ankle up into her calf, nearly immobilizing her. Panic seized her heart, quickening its rhythm as her gaze darted around, hoping for an escape. But in the shadows before her, a pair of golden eyes gleamed, glinting with a predatory stillness that made her blood run cold. The creature's menacing form stalked forward, muscles rippling beneath a dark, furred silhouette that was still obscured by the night, yet undeniable in its terrifying presence. Its growls quieted, though each sound was no less spine-chilling; this was no mere dog, nor was it a wolf. There was something far more powerful, far more sinister in its snarling approach.
Just then, the moon emerged from behind a shroud of clouds, casting a pale glow across the forest floor. Leila's breath came in shallow, rapid gasps, her chest rising and falling as her heart pounded within her ribs. She looked up, and her wide, fearful eyes beheld the creature in full. The moonlight revealed its terror, a beast both majestic and monstrous, too fierce and uncanny to be of the natural world. A single tear rolled down her cheek, her gaze locked onto the golden irises that stared back at her, unblinking and merciless.
The beast, though terrifying, exuded an unmistakable, kingly presence. Standing before her, it was cloaked in a coat of mesmerizing orange and black stripes that seemed to ripple under the moon's faint light. Its eyes, fierce and unyielding, gleamed like molten gold, burning bright against the darkness. As it snarled again, blood dripped from its whiskers, each drop a reminder of its lethal power.
A tiger...
Shahkhur was a tiger.
The realization gripped her heart, filling her with an indescribable dread. This was the creature the gypsy had warned them about, the same fearsome presence that had haunted the villagers' whispers. She understood now why uncertainty and terror had clung to their tales—no one who had ever crossed paths with this beast had lived to tell their story. In its presence, Leila felt her strength drain away, her courage melting into the forest floor. Even the will to run was stripped from her as she stared into those burning, golden eyes. She knew, in the depths of her mind, that it was already too late. Resisting was futile; fate had already cast its shadow over her.
Fear pumped through her veins, paralyzing her as she locked eyes with the tiger. But then, a strange sensation overtook her—a haunting sense of déjà vu. This scene felt eerily familiar as if she had been here before. Memories flickered in her mind, fragments of a dream she had, a dream that now resurfaced in vivid clarity.
The tiger roared, a sound so powerful that it shook her to the core, causing her body to jolt in reflexive terror. But as she steadied herself, a thought emerged from the fog of fear. The tiger wasn't attacking her. There had to be a reason for this hesitation, though she couldn't fathom what it might be.
"I know you!" Leila shouted, her voice trembling but resolute. The beast stood still, regarding her with unblinking eyes, its posture regal and threatening, but it made no move to advance. "I've seen you before... in my dream."
The words hung in the air, surreal and strange, yet undeniable. Who would have thought? Shahkhur—the very creature that haunted her nightmares—was the tiger before her, a being trapped within a monstrous form, carrying the weight of a fractured and tortured soul.
"You're trapped in that body, aren't you?" she questioned, her voice shaking but carrying the hint of an unspoken understanding. As she tried to push herself up, her injured ankle protested painfully, but she ignored it, focusing on the creature before her. The tiger, for a moment, seemed to pause, its gaze fixed on her as if it were processing her words.
"I can help you, but only if you promise not to kill me," she continued, not even sure where the words were coming from, but something deep within her urged her to speak. If Shahkhur was more than a mere beast—a demon, perhaps—then maybe, just maybe, he could understand her. Her sole goal, for now, was survival. Escape.
"If you're injured... or sick... I can heal you." Her voice softened, and she took a tentative step back, ignoring the ache in her ankle, her eyes never leaving the creature. The words felt strange even to her, but there was an undeniable truth in them. If this beast could be more than it seemed, then perhaps there was a chance—just a sliver of a chance—that she could reason with it.
But then, the air around her shifted. The tiger's behavior grew erratic. It howled, a bone-chilling sound that echoed through the forest, and then it grunted, deep and guttural. Leila's breath caught in her throat as the creature began to thrash violently, its body convulsing with unnatural force. She staggered back in terror, her heart hammering in her chest as the terrifying transformation began.
There was a sickening crack, followed by more snapping sounds. Her eyes widened in disbelief as the beast's bones seemed to break and realign, its massive body shrinking and twisting in ways that defied nature. The fur receded, whiskers fading into smooth, bronzed skin. The ferocity in its eyes softened, and the creature began to take on the shape of a man.
Before her stood a figure—a man, though one that was as fierce and striking as the tiger had been. His face was sharp, his cheekbones high and pronounced, and his jawline chiseled, a perfect blend of beauty and danger. Unruly black hair framed his face, cascading down past his shoulders, and in that moment, he looked almost... otherworldly. His golden eyes, still burning with that same intensity, locked onto hers. There was no trace of the tiger in him now, only a dark, unsettling presence that seemed to pulse with the power of both man and beast.
The golden irises never wavered, still burning with contempt as they bore down on her. It felt almost like a cruel magic trick, like the world itself was playing with her reality, warping it into something too monstrous to believe. Leila's mouth fell open, her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't move, paralyzed by a fear that was deeper and more suffocating than anything she had felt when facing the tiger. This... this man-tiger—this impossible hybrid—was more terrifying than the beast that on stood before her.
Her body trembled, and just as she made the instinctive decision to run, the transformed man moved with the speed and force of a predator. Without a single hint of effort, he grabbed her by the neck, his hand closing around it like a vice. Leila's feet were lifted from the ground as though she weighed nothing. She clawed at his arm, but the grip was unyielding. Panic flooded her senses as she kicked and gasped, struggling for air that would not come.
"You dare bring your filthy legs into my territory?" His voice was a guttural growl, low and menacing, sending chills down her spine. The venom in his words hit her like a physical blow. Leila clawed harder, her hands shaking as she tried to loosen his grip, but he didn't even flinch. He was a mountain of power, solid and unmoving. "After all my desperate efforts to purify it, you brought those lowlife creatures in here as well, didn't you?"
The accusation sliced through her like a blade, but there was no time to comprehend it. Her vision blurred, her lungs screamed for air, and her body felt like it was about to break in two under the weight of his unrelenting strength. Just as her consciousness began to waver, a surge of anger and fear sparked inside her.
Then, with terrifying ease, he flung her to the ground as though she were nothing more than a ragdoll. Leila's body hit the earth hard, and she gasped for air, her throat raw and burning as she scrambled to her knees. Her hands flew to her neck, her fingers tracing the bruises that were already forming. The taste of blood and panic flooded her mouth, but she forced herself to stand, her legs shaking beneath her.
Tears slid down her face as the crushing weight of her realization hit her all at once. The dream she had had that very morning—the one that had felt so real, so vivid—was no longer just a nightmare. It was true.
The tiger, the vessel, the soul it contained—it was all real. The tiger had never been just an animal; it had been a man, a soul trapped in that monstrous form.
At that moment, standing before him, Leila couldn't reconcile the man in front of her with the terror she had imagined in her dreams. She had always believed that this being, whatever it was, had been a dead soul—a vengeful one, a force of darkness, trapped forever in the body of a beast. But here he was, alive, and the fury in his eyes was undeniable.
"I shall kill you for that," he growled, his voice as dark and cold as the night surrounding them. "And you won't be getting it as easy as those wolves."
His words were like a threat of doom, and as he reached for her again, Leila scrambled backward, heart hammering in her chest. She could feel her body tremble, but she fought the overwhelming urge to break into a full sprint, but her injured leg wouldn't let her.
"Wait, I promise I wasn't looking for any trouble," she pleaded, her voice hoarse with fear. "I was just going home. I was chased by those wolves. I never intended to enter your territory."
Her words hung in the air, fragile and desperate, but the man's expression remained cold and unyielding.
"All the ones who came in said the same thing," he snapped. His eyes glinted with a cold, cutting finality. "And even if I let you go, you won't survive it anyway, this forest is crawling with beasts ready to tear you apart."
Before Leila could even react, his hand shot out, and he yanked her up by the hair, the sudden pain making her gasp. The world around her spun, her breath caught in her throat as she felt the raw power of his grip.
"You have seen my secret," he continued, his voice a low growl, "which is why I can't let you go."
The words struck her like a blow, and fear surged through her, clawing at her chest. She had never felt so powerless, so exposed. Her survival instincts kicked in, and she gasped, her eyes pleading.
"I won't tell a single soul," she begged, her voice trembling with sincerity. "I swear on the goddess, I won't say a word."
But his gaze hardened, his golden eyes narrowing as if searching for the truth in her words.
"How do I believe you?" he sneered. "You humans are good at deception."