# Paws of Fire: Tiger in Town - Chapter 11

Author: Ambelsyn
Tags: Alligator, Cheetah, Leopard, M/F, M/M, Wolf

#4 of Paws of Fire: Tiger in Town

 **Chapter 11: Unsure Alignment**

The three warriors had made it halfway to Bai'ji now.&nbsp; Their stomachs were growling the whole way.&nbsp; The hunger that grew in them slowed them down more and more.&nbsp; Jalhamut raised his paw up, signaling his companions to stop.&nbsp; He turned his head, glancing back at Aveyi.&nbsp; "How did you eat the last time the world was like this?"

Aveyi was holding her tummy, cringing in pain as she surveyed her surroundings.&nbsp; Her ears flicked back in dismay, whimpering a bit.&nbsp; "Even in corruption, some trees bare fruit...but you'll only find a source of meat from trappers...or furs."&nbsp; Aveyi winced again as her stomach roared out.&nbsp; Out of all of them, she spent the most energy constantly protecting them and fending off undead.&nbsp; "There should be...fruit trees in Bai'ji...I can hold out long enough to get there..."

Jalhamut pitied the wolfess.&nbsp; She was starving, and food would be such a long distance away.&nbsp; He was starving too.&nbsp; He hadn't eaten since he had ran from Qurrah's hideout.&nbsp; He then looked in the direction that Bai'ji lied.&nbsp; "I hope that our orchards are enough to feed my people...and all the refugees."&nbsp; Jalhamut knew the orchards were vast, and they could feed those who lived in Bai'ji fifteen times a day if they could eat that often, but he knew not how many refugees there would be.&nbsp;

Nick spoke up, "Are there any towns nearby?&nbsp; There are often trappers hiding out in the old homes of furs."&nbsp; Nick had experience with the corruption as well.&nbsp; He had never had to eat a trapper before, but he remembered their habbits.&nbsp; "Maybe we can hunt for some and eat up.&nbsp; Then we'll be ready to head back."&nbsp; Nick's stomach roared loudly, the wolf falling to his knees.&nbsp; Jalhamut was the only one who could still stand, despite his own stomach's complaints.

He looked in a different direction, nodding lightly to Nick's question.&nbsp; "Yes.&nbsp; There's an abandoned village close-by."&nbsp; He turned his head to the two starving wolves.&nbsp; "You two stay here and rest.&nbsp; I'll go bring you something to eat.&nbsp; I'll be fastest, after all."&nbsp; He smiled at them, winking before he darted off, not giving the wolves a chance to protest.

It wasn't long before the cheetah bounded over the series of hilltops and reached a small valley, covered with huts on either side of a rock pathway.&nbsp; Upon first inspection from afar, the place was deserted.&nbsp; It would make more sense for a trapper to not actually be out in the open, Jalhamut thought.&nbsp; They earned the name 'trapper' for a reason.

Jalhamut jogged to the bottom of the valley, entering the small dark village that seemed completely deserted.&nbsp; He creeped behind one of the first huts he came across, peering slowly into the opening with just a smidge of his head exposed to the inside.&nbsp; It was empty.&nbsp; He crept inside, crouching low in the corner and curling his tail around his legs as he hid in the complete darkness.&nbsp; He reached down into the red dirt, dislodging a small rock before throwing it outside.

The rock broke the eerie silence as it slid along the other rocks along the pathway for a short distance.&nbsp; Shortly after, Jalhamut glared out of his hut at the several trappers that were trying to stealthily peer out from their huts.&nbsp; Their long snouts gave them away too easily.&nbsp; He pulled back into his hiding place, waiting patiently for the eerie silence to take hold of the village again before peering back out.&nbsp; The peeking heads of the trappers were gone.&nbsp; He slowly crept out of his hut once he thought the coast was clear, heading silently for the nearest hold of a trapper.

The ground beneath him gave way after he just lifted his other hindpaw up.&nbsp; He sank deep into the ground, letting out a yowl of distress before suddenly stopping, his head just barely above the ground now.&nbsp; He was completely immobile except for his eyes.&nbsp; He was staring upward into the endless sky, struggling in vain to move around inside of the collapsed ground.&nbsp; He could hear footsteps approaching.&nbsp; "Jackpot!"

The trappers surrounded him now, looking down at the helpless cheetah's head.&nbsp; One of them yelled out, "Wow, we just bagged the king!&nbsp; What should we do with him?"&nbsp; The trappers began chattering, discussing the various ways they could make the cheetah suffer in his helpless state.&nbsp; "We could pour lava down his throat!"&nbsp; "No!&nbsp; We can't kill him!&nbsp; We need to drag it out."&nbsp; "Set hot coals on his eyes!"

Shortly after, one of the trappers had left the group, only to come back with a long stick holding a hot coal on the end.&nbsp; The trapper nodded to two of its buddies, the two alligators kneeling on either side of Jalhamut's head and wrenching his jaw open.&nbsp; Jalhamut glanced downard so he could see what was happening, unable to close his jaws under the might of the trappers.&nbsp; He watched in horror as the red rock was slowly lowered down, closer and closer to his open maw.&nbsp; He couldn't move his head, yowling out in desperation as the coal got closer and closer.&nbsp; He could feel the heat rising in his mouth as the red rock almost entered him.&nbsp; He shut his eyes tight, his entire body tensing in panic.

A gush of wind blew against Jalhamut's face, the intense heat of the red rock sliding just by his cheek, singing the tip of his whiskers before it rolled away a little bit, not harming the cheetah.&nbsp; He opened his eyes, glancing around wildly in search of the alligators.&nbsp; There were only two more that were still standing over him, along with a new figure that stood between the two trappers, large dirks piercing their hearts.&nbsp; Jalhamut hadn't heard a sound of pain or impalement, but he could easily tell that someone had just slain those two.&nbsp; The new silhouette pulled the dirks out, letting the dead alligators fall back and out of Jalhamut's sight.

It crouched down, a paw striking into the earth with vicious speed and grabbing the scruff of Jalhamut's neck under the ground.&nbsp; The cheetah yowled in agony as he was jerked up through the dirt by his neck.&nbsp; As his body emerged, covered in red particles, he quickly got settled on his feet, glaring up at his rescuer.&nbsp; He instantly recognized the leopard that previously had let him and the other two warriors go without a fight.&nbsp; Ryu was standing their, eyes glaring angrily into Jalhamut's.&nbsp; The leopard growled loudly.&nbsp; "I thought I told you to run and hide..."

Jalhamut was stiff with shock.&nbsp; Why was he saved by Ryu?&nbsp; Wasn't Ryu a bad guy?&nbsp; "Listen, kit...I let you live back there because you were a waste of my time.&nbsp; Keep poking around in place where you shouldn't poke, and you'll become my prey."&nbsp; There was great hostility in Ryu's voice.&nbsp; "Stay away from Bai'ji, or we will meet again...and I'll have to kill you.&nbsp; I'm showing you mercy...you should consider taking it."&nbsp; The leopard reached up and shoved Jalhamut backward, the cheetah falling onto his back as the leopard turned tail and ran with speed that rivaled the cheetah's.

"Wait!"&nbsp; he called after the leopard, but he was already gone.&nbsp; Jalhamut turned over onto his front before struggling to pull himself upright and onto his legs.&nbsp; He stood their, shaking his head to get rid of the confusion that was boggling his mind.&nbsp; Ryu was a strange one.&nbsp; Jalhamut pushed his curiosity aside about the leopard for now.&nbsp; He needed to take one of these trappers back with him to the others.&nbsp; They were starving, and so was he.&nbsp; They could feast together on the bulky alligator and rest for a while.&nbsp; The exhausted cheetah bent over and hauled up one of the alligators over his shoulders.&nbsp; The trapper was a bit heavy, but it didn't slow down the cheetah as he pushed with all his strength to quickly reach his friends.

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Jalhamut had never tasted anything to terrible in his lifetime.&nbsp; The three of them ravished the dead trapper like wild hungry bears.&nbsp; They were starving enough to push back the filthy taste and the rough texture.&nbsp; The reptile meat would fill their bellies and give them their strength, but now they needed to sleep.

"We should rest here."&nbsp; Jalhamut held his tight belly, trying his best to keep from bursting while also not retching up the horrible meal.&nbsp; The relief washed over the other two's faces as well.&nbsp; They clearly wanted to sleep as much as he did.&nbsp; "I'll take the first watch."&nbsp; Nick spoke up, nodding to the cheetah before the wolf sat back upright, ears perked up.&nbsp; "I know I can't fight as well as you two, but I can be just as alert."&nbsp; Jalhamut didn't need to be convinced to agree to Nick's proposal.&nbsp; The cheetah laid on his side, the hard ground beneath him feeling as comfortable as a cloud after his exhaustion.&nbsp; He closed his eyes, memories of those beautiful yellow eyes glaring at him.

"Why do I feel so soothed by the stare of an enemy?&nbsp; Why did he save me?"&nbsp; These and several other questions flew through his mind as Jalhamut slowly drifted into slumber.

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"NICK!"&nbsp; The frenzied howl of Aveyi woke Jalhamut.&nbsp; He sat upright swiftly, looking over at the distressed wolfess.&nbsp; She was on all fours, sniffing around where her mate sat watch just a little while ago.&nbsp; She was sobbing with distress.&nbsp; Jalhamut hurried over to her, noticing quickly that Nick was nowhere in sight.&nbsp; "Is there any scent of where he went?"

Suddenly, Aveyi stopped, sniffing carefully at a certain spot before she turned her head in the direction of Bai'ji.&nbsp; The wolfess' eyes and paws lit ablaze with the blue fire.&nbsp; Her voice trembled as her rage tremored through her.&nbsp; "That...that...WHORE!"&nbsp; She immediately mounted a board of ice, crouching on it as she sped away through the air toward the city.

Jalhamut watched her rush off without him, taking a moment to sniff around where she was startled before he followed.&nbsp; Jalhamut jerked upright as he recognized the scent of a bat in heat.&nbsp; The scent of lust was heavy in the dirt there.&nbsp; He stood up, dashing after Aveyi a moment later.&nbsp; It seems he would have to fight Ryu later on regardless of what he wanted to do.&nbsp; He had to help save Nick from his captor.

Lush was in a mood, and Nick was her prey.

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/0mvv3E0m
Part of the series Paws of Fire: Tiger in Town
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