The White Tiger

Prologue: Wanted

Wanted dead or alive: One White Tigress.

The stained and worn piece of paper was roughly stuck to a tree trunk, it bore the face of a striped tiger, the tigers lips curled back in a fanged snarl, it's eyes showing pure insanity drawn from black ink.

The thump of huge paws grew closer, with a snarl, a great ivory claw shredded the paper, leaving an indent in the soft bark.
The tiger growled, sounding afraid, her green eyes filled with anger and fear. With a pounding of her paws against the earth, she ran deeper into the dense forest, sniffing for prey and predators alike.

The dense forest canopy let little light onto the damp ground, the tigers matted white fur standing out amongst the many green plants and trees. She walked for a while longer, her ears twitching at any and all sounds, a particular crunch ahead of her stopped her in her tracks, she lowered to a hunch, claws extended. A pair of deer slowly emerged from a patch of bushes, noticing the great tiger they stopped and stared at her. She huffed, startling the deer back into the forest.

I don't have time to go hunting... The tiger thought to herself, looking longingly at the deer as they leapt away. I must keep moving If I wish to live...

She stopped short, her nose picking up the distinct smell of dogs. The tiger bolted into a powerful sprint, a chorus of barks and howls rang out faintly behind her as a dog pack picked up the tigers sent, chaotically racing after the white shape, the hunting party not far behind.

Curse my snowy fur! The Tigress panicked,  leaping deeper into the forest where the trees grew thicker and much closer together. I didn't do anything! Go chase someone else! She thought, the dogs were gaining on her, she could hear their howls right on top of her.

She leaped over fallen trees and through leaves; then coming to a huge rising in the level of the earth, she hunched her body to leap over it. Slowing for half a second to grab her bearings and spring.

As she leapt over the rising, she was shot out of the sky and missed the leap over, sliding downward and landing on her back, an arrow shaft sticking deep into her hind leg. The tigress got to her paws and looked behind her, seeing the pack only seconds away from her.

She scrambled to her paws and mustered her strength, barely making it over the rising. As she landed on the other side, agony lanced up her back, but she had to keep running. Every time she landed on her injured leg, pain shot up it, slowing her down considerably.

Her breath was becoming short and she began to slow in pace, her vision blurring from the pain and blood loss. All the sudden she let loose a roar of pain as the arrow shaft hit a tree trunk and split off, leaving the stone head deep in her thigh.

Writhing in agony, the dogs and hunters within reach, the tigress bolted with what strength she had left, suddenly losing her grip and roughly tumbling down the side of a cliff. Reaching out a claw, she slowed her fall and landed on the floor of the cavern with a loud "thud."