“You can do this, Invincible. It’s time for you to wake up now. Good luck,” The Great Tiger whispered, and Invincible howled in triumph.
“Thank you, Great Tiger, for all that you’ve done for me! I am ready! Awaken me, and let me see the terror in my enemies’ eyes. Send me awake, and I promise I will use the powers that you’ve given me in the best way that power can be used. Wake me! Wake me now!” he roared.
“You are awake now, Invincible, and you will be treated with respect like never before.” Darkness swirled in the corners of his eyes, and he fell away into the black void of it.
His head shot up, and he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. It was midnight, and everyone was sound asleep. It was time to go to Flora.
Invincible hopped out of his nest and trod toward the den. No one was standing guard tonight, for some reason. But that just made it better. He crept into the cave and stalked to where the sleeping Goldenclaw lay.
He bent close to her and whispered softly in her ear. “Blite is here now, Flora. It's time for you to die.”
Flora was startled awake, but she didn’t have time to move. Invincible snatched her up by the scruff and sank in his teeth in deep. Flora gasped, flailing helplessly in her shock, but it was no use. She looked up at him in terror and fury, but Invincible ignored her and trod up the Jagged Cliff. Once at the top, Invincible let her throat go and pinned her down fiercely with his claws at her neck and chest.
“Do not talk,” he snarled in her ear. She clamped her jaws shut in helpless fury.
It’s time to make the call.
“Streak! Come out here and face me! Come out of your dens and sit straight! I better see respect!” he yowled. The tigers poked their heads out of their dens and looked at him in surprise. Their eyes fell on Flora, trapped under silver claws, and howled in protest.
“Rajah!”
“What are you doing?”
“Let her go this instant!”
“No, Rajah!”
“Flora!”
Chara and Calzar looked at him, their gazes calm and triumphant. They bounded up to him and sat neatly and his haunches.
“Cosimia? Ceart? What are you doing?” Kopono exclaimed. Invincible snarled softly.
“Those aren't our names, you know,” Invincible told him silkily.
The tigers gasped, the stink of fear rolling off their pelts like a stream. “Oh, no. No, no,” Invincible laughed, the fear making him stronger. “I suppose you know of that . . . cub, the tiger cub that you exiled not long ago?” He gazed around at the Streak, and they exchanged glances, knowing.
“You know Blite? How?” Ade stammered.
“Oh, yes. I know Blite. I know him because I am Blite,” Invincible growled back.
The tigers gasped, staring in shock.
“But you’re not black-and-white!” A tiger called out.
“Yeah! Show us your black-and-white pelt! You can’t be Blite!” another shouted.
Invincible growled. “Ok, then. I’ll show you.”
His pelt rippled, and the color started changing. Invincible stared at himself as he turned regular, the tigers watching, their eyes wider than moons. Eventually, he was exactly the form of "Blite", and shot the Streak a challenging glare. “I am no longer Blite! My name is Invincible, and I have all the powers you can ever dream of. My friends, Chara and Calzar, are with me until the end, and the end will never happen! I will reign until the end of time, and even after that! And right now, before your own eyes, I will kill Flora,” he announced.
There was absolute silence, until one tiger yowled, “No! Don't!” The Streak erupted into cries of protest, and it was music to Invincible’s ears. But in a moment he stopped them.
“Silence! Sit down now!” he snarled. The tigers sat, tense. “My cub! Don’t do this!” Silver cried. Invincible looked at her, and fury boiled up inside him.
“I will do it, Silver! You should never have banished me! I have been vowing for revenge all along, and the Great Tiger is with me! He gave me all these powers so I could get my revenge on The Streak that exiled me for being a different color of fur! You should have thought twice about that. But it’s too late. I will make all of you miserable!" he screamed.
He looked down at Flora, and she flailed desperately but was no match for Invincible’s strength. “Say goodbye, you foolish Goldenclaw! Your Streak will suffer for what they’ve done, and you will die because of your decision! You could have said no a few blue-skies ago, and I would have grown up to be a loyal member of the Streak. But now, that you’ve made the wrong choice, Invincible has now taken over." Invincible looked down at the leader. "Goodbye, Flora Goldenclaw.”
He bit into her neck and sank deep. She struggled, and Invincible crunched deeper. He heard the satisfying crunch as the neck snapped. Flora went limp. The Streak then erupted into cries of horror. Invincible let them grieve for their leader and then silenced them. 264Please respect copyright.PENANAIcxdpQI2N7
“I am your Goldenclaw now! You will bow before me. I better not hear you grieving for Flora any longer, or I’ll do the same thing to you. I am Invincible Goldenclaw! Say it!” he growled. The Streak hesitated, clamping their jaws shut, but then rose again. “Invincible Goldenclaw! Invincible Goldenclaw!” they cheered gloomily.
“Louder! Don’t be all sad! Crouch now and say it cheerfully!” Invincible snarled. “Invincible Goldenclaw! INVINCIBLE GOLDENCLAW!" They shouted, their heads high now.
Invincible smiled in satisfaction. “Now, let’s go over some rules. There is no leaving camp unless I say so. There are no patrols unless I know there are. And soon, you will all get your mark, to show that you’re one of my tigers. Oh, and of course!” Invincible flicked a claw, and a clearing of thorns appeared at his thought.
“We need to have a punishment, of course. If you break any of these rules, you can be forced to step on every one of those thorns. You won’t be free until you’ve stepped on every one. So I'd recommend not breaking any rules,” he growled. The tigers looked at the thorns in horror.
Invincible smiled. "I will rule, and you will all be miserable for what you’ve done to me,” he growled.
His eyes caught Howskie and Lichest, and he snarled in fury. “I see you, my tiger-brothers. You are not allowed to play fight without my permission. Still don’t want to play with me? Go on, I’d love to hear the insults,” he challenged.
Howskie and Lichest’s mouths gaped, and Lichest squealed, “You can’t make us! We can practice battle moves whenever we want! You can’t make us, black-and-white Blite!” he growled.
Invincible bared his teeth. “If Blite can’t do it, Invincible will make you!" He leaped at the cub, and Lichest yelped in shock. Invincible bowled him over and pinned him down, his claws at his brother’s throat. He could feel the pathetic creature shivering in horror, and Invincible bent down to snarl in his face. “I think you deserve more than stepping on thorns. This is your punishment, cub.”
He twisted around, gripped Lichest's tail in his teeth, and yanked it off.
Lichest screeched in agony, his tail thrown on the ground beside him. The tigers watching howled in protest, and then he did something to die for . . . and then . . . and then Babur leaped at him.
Invincible blinked in surprise and then snarled in rage a heartbeat later, meeting Babur in the air, sinking his claws in his shoulders, bringing them both crashing to the ground. Invincible brought Babur to the bottom of him, using the tiger as a cushion, and they landed with a thud. 264Please respect copyright.PENANAC554DCXt8H
Babur suddenly went limp, and Invincible sniffed the body. 264Please respect copyright.PENANAYx9shCyzLT
Blood was coming from his skull. Babur was dead.
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