The Jaguar’s Arranged Mate

A quick peek behind him at the front door revealed he would have no backup for some time, if any were to come. The Brutal Claws still outside were more than holding their own against the few were-jaguars who were opposing them. Miera and his father…

A piercing scream had him rushing into a room down the hall and to the right. The sight inside halted him in his tracks. Kathy Clearwater—the were-jaguar who acted as his father’s secretary—was staring down at a dazed Brutal Claw. It appeared to Beric that she had smashed a monitor onto the Brutal Claw’s head, but he was trying to get to his feet.

Killing him was almost too easy. Beric changed his mouth to be able to talk to her. “Are you all right?”

She nodded once, twice, a hundred times, her eyes wide.

The female was clearly in shock.

“Get in bed. Stay there. I’ll lock the door behind me.”

Her unfocused eyes looked up above his eyes, and they widened. A trembling hand came up, and she pointed behind him.

That was all the warning Beric had. He felt the teeth a moment later, as he was trying to turn around. Two Brutal Claws were entering the room. Already Beric was feeling worn down. Battle after constant battle… his body wasn’t made to survive suffering through so much strain. Maybe this was how the Brutal Claws always dominated. They would send small groups in, day after day after day, until their enemies collapsed at their feet, dead. They certainly had the numbers to afford losing some of their warriors that way.

Well, Beric would ensure they would lose more right now.

He backed away from the two so they could enter the room entirely and jumped over them to shut the door. Two was more than enough for him to handle right now. He didn’t need any more to join in the fray.

The first darted toward Kathy, while the second circled around Beric. A long paw swiped toward him, and Beric jumped to avoid the blow. He raced across the room and then backpedaled toward the door. The wall beside it he jumped onto, his claws allowing him to walk up the wall. The Brutal Claw stalked toward him, and Beric dropped, landing hard on his back, his claws digging deep. He tore into his fur before pressing two paws against the back of his foe’s neck, suffocating him.

One down.

Beric glanced up to see that Kathy was holding up her IV stand, using it to ward off blows from the other Brutal Claw. The Brutal Claw stopped lashing at her, focused on the stand instead, and easily cut it in half.

Kathy, having obviously recovered from her shock, scrambled onto the bed. The Brutal Claw tore after her.

Beric was on the other side of the bed. He jumped on top of it, one of his claws scratching Kathy accidentally, and dropped onto the ground to prevent the Brutal Claw from following after her. He and the Brutal Claw clashed, meeting and blocking blow after blow. Beric backed him up step by step. He was bleeding and sore, and this foe was fighting him harder than some of the others had. He had to finish this, and finish it soon, or else he would be the one to fall.

To fall. He wouldn’t but maybe…

He nipped and swiped and continued to force the Brutal Claw back until he darted forward and lifted the Brutal Claw up and through the window. The Brutal Claw fell. Yes, it wasn’t far, but he landed on rocks, and he got up limping. He tried to jump but couldn’t get nearly enough height to be able to re-enter the room.

Kathy was gasping for breath. Beric turned around to face her and again took on his human mouth. “I’m sorry.”

She frowned at him as she ripped the sheet into strips. “For what?” she asked as she began to bind his wounds.

“For…” He winced as she tied one too tightly.

“Sorry.” She swallowed hard. “This isn’t going to ever end, is it?”

“Don’t say that.”

“But there’s so many of them, and they… they’re attacking our wounded!” She shook violently and grabbed her head.

“What’s wrong?” He couldn’t see why she was confined to bed yet.

“Brain bleed,” she murmured. “It sometimes affects my vision and…” She jerked around and reached for a bucket. Kathy held it up to her mouth in time to catch her vomit.

“Stay in here. Lock the door. I’ll come back for you.” He darted to the door.

“Yes. And, Beric?”

He glanced over his shoulder at her.

“Thank you.”

Beric nodded. He had to change a paw into a hand to be able to open and close the door. Several Brutal Claws were running in and out of rooms, but now there were more were-jaguars fighting them. Some were wounded, maybe from this battle or they were patients in the hospital well enough to fight. Regardless, they fought as if possessed, and Beric joined them. One by one, they cut down through the Brutal Claws, although there were casualties on their side, too.

Finally, when it seemed like everything was contained, Beric made his way back outside. Twenty were-jaguars were in a circle, all friends he believed. He pushed his way through the crowd to see what was going on.

His father was in the center.

Dead.