Tempest: The Moments In-Between (#1.5)

Chapter Five: Dr. Fauna

Des Louviere

There was a quiet in the zoo that was unsettling. The stillness that was left in this abandoned locale was an odd one to place. It was simultaneously liberating and creepy. But more so the latter. My fur stood on end as I cautiously prowled past countless empty cages. Aside from a few small creatures scurrying away, I have not been approached again in several minutes.

And then, suddenly, a low and distance growl.

My ears perked up as my eyes narrowed. I zeroed in on a lion pacing along the front of the Animal Rehabilitation Center. He shook his mane for a moment before continuing to stand on guard.

It's got to be there. I frowned, trying to figure out how to avoid a fight with this mammal. I really don't want to go claw-to-claw with a lion today.

Before I could formulate a proper plan. A tiger came out with a man walking beside it. The lion and the tiger barely gave each other a glance. Which was quite shocking. My own animal instincts wanted to challenge the creatures, but these two stood only a few feet away from each other and did nothing? Oui, something is definitely wrong here.

I watched the man cautiously from my position. He was in his thirties, perhaps. Tall and skinny with chocolate brown hair that he had pulled back into a messy bun. He had a long, splayed-out beard. His nose had a black and chrome septum piercing and his ears had large gages in them. He was dressed rather smartly with his lab coat and suspenders. A veterinarian? Why is he still here when everyone else has run off? And why aren't the animals coming for him?

I pushed aside my curiosity as I just spied a hint of his tattoos coming out from the ends of his lab coat. But the thing that really drew my attention were his eyes. There was nothing particularly remarkable about his brown orbs, but there was something wicked about them. Something that was gnawing at me.

I blinked for a moment, uncensoring my sight so I could see his aura. At his core, his aura was green, but he had wisps of yellow and red coming off from that. Clearly, this man is intelligent. But... he's also furious about something. Wait... I froze, my eyes widening for a moment. Is that... Oui, there's a blackness tainting his soul from the inside out. It remined me of the way Petite's soul was surrounded by that shadowy gray wisp. Could it be the same?

But that would mean—

"Do not disappointment me, Dr. Fauna." A familiar woman's voice echoed as she stepped out of the shadow of the doorway. "I've given you an extraordinary gift." Her molten eyes leered before a wicked smile graced her red lips. "Do not waste it."

"I won't, Miss C. I swear." Dr. Fauna spoke with reverence.

Chaos! I scowled. So, that's why his aura looked like Petite's. Penn must be connected to Chaos in a similar way. The thought of that made my skin crawl. It also made me want to rip her to shreds.

"Good," she said slowly as she pushed back a bit of her short, black pixie hair. She turned her head ever so slowly and made eye contact with me. My eyes widened as she smirked at me. "Oh, and Clay," she addressed Dr. Fauna. "Make sure you take care of your little guest too." And before I could do anything more, she vanished.

Swiftly, Dr. Fauna peered around, but he hadn't quite spotted me. He turned to the lion and said, "Guard the front gate. Make sure that no one will be able to enter." The lion hesitated, pawing his head like he was trying to resist. However, Dr. Fauna left no room for error. "Now!" he screamed, and immediately, the lion hurried away.

So, he can control the animals... No wonder those wolves were acting strangely. They can't defy him. For a moment, I wondered if I could handle this. He controls creatures. Would he be able to control me too? Non! I told myself. I am Rougarou. I am strong. I can do this!

Despite the tiger being beside Dr. Fauna, I saw this as my brief opportunity to get closer. He was still looking around, not even registering me as I came nearer, but when, his eyes settled on me, and it was like knew I wasn't under his thumb.

"Stop!" he demanded of me.

I could feel that pounding on my head getting stronger as he tried to force his way into my mind. Non! You will not get me. I declared internally, but he banged louder, and louder. The closer I got, the more debilitating it became. Still, I pressed on.

"I said, stop!" he yelled.

My paw hesitated, but I inched closer.

His eyes narrowed before he addressed the tiger. "Attack the wolf."

The tiger growled fiercely as it dove off the steps and swiped at me with its claws. I just barely missed the attack as I dodged and bared my own fangs at the big cat. The creature came at me again, and again. I continued to dodge, and counter by swiping my claws back.

This tiger was relentless though. It neither gave me a moment to stop dodging nor properly counter. And if we kept this up at this rate, I was sure Dr. Fauna would make his escape.

For a split second, I glanced back at the steps of the Animal Rehabilitation Center, and rather than seeing Dr. Fauna running away, he was observing me. His keen, intelligent eyes were watching my every move.

A shiver went down my spine as I realized that he was studying me. That can't be—

The tiger took advantage of my lack of attention and struck one of my front legs. Its claws sunk in deep before yanking up and ripping a part of my skin and fur off. My animalistic side took over and howled at the creature in pain and anger. I tried to put my leg down, but I wasn't able to walk on it properly without causing further damage.

, I needed to do something! I forced myself to put my leg down as I crouched low to pounce. In those few seconds, Dr. Fauna calmly said, "Don't move."

And suddenly, I couldn't.