((Warning! Could get squeamish! Don't say I didn't warn you! I have tried to keep it from getting really gorey though as I'm not fond of that kind of thing. Use your mind's eye. :) ))
With a slight start, the mother tigress lifted her head in the direction of the crackling noise in the forest. Both of her ears turned towards the source of the sound. It was much like something stepping on dried twigs, cracking underfoot, but she couldn't quite tell what it was. The two cubs laying beside her also perked up at the noise, unsure of what to make of this new sound. Was it another tiger, invading in on marked territory? Was it dinner, unawares of the dangers that lay beneath the tree, three orange and black striped tigers that were always on the lookout for their next meal? Cautiously, the tigress stood up and started making her way towards the disturbance, her keen eyes peeled for any signs of movement in the trees. Her two young cubs watched her go, sitting on their rumps, their gaze following their mother off into the forest.
Stalking silently through the dense underbrush, the mother tiger moved closer to the crackling sounds. It seemed to be coming from several directions now, first in front of her, then off to her left, and then another, off to the right. Her ears twisted and turned, trying to get a bearing on the intruder to her territory. Then, she saw it. The source of the noise, or at least, 'A' source. It was a tall creature, doing it's best to blend into the scenery, standing on two legs, but part way crouched. It was trying to move silently but just didn't seem to have the knack for it. The creature seemed to have loose skin that shifted as it moved, and it appeared to be a mottle of different colors, greens, browns, blacks, tans. In its hands was what appeared to be a long stick of darkly polished wood, the purpose of which she was not sure of. Either way, it was not a tiger, it was not prey, but it was in her territory, and that simply could not happen. If the tigress allowed incursions of any sort, that would serve to weaken her standing and other tigers might move in to take over. She couldn't let that happen, not to her, not to her cubs. Crouching down low, she watched and waited, seeking an opportunity to take down this creature. Her best bet would be to approach when the creature's head was turned, for if she moved now, she would be spotted and the creature would most likely flee. Patience. Patience is everything when on the hunt.
Off to her side, though, was another creature who had already spotted her. This one WAS moving quietly, making no noise as it stepped through the brush, stepping carefully on clear dirt patches, avoid twigs and branches and anything that could make noise. It was staring intently at the tiger, eager to take her down. The tigress had not spotted him yet though, so fortune was on his side. He watched silently as the tigress crept forward on the pads of her feet, focused on the target in front of her. She paused every so often, to reassess the situation no doubt.
In front of her, the creature stopped. And stared... right at her! It appeared that she had been spotted, but that does happen. After all, it's hard to blend orange into a forest of greens and browns. Relaxing slightly, but still keeping her eyes trained on the creature, she gave up trying to stalk, and watched and waited to see what it would do. The creature, apparently getting over some kind of initial shock, slowly raised the stick he was holding and turned it lengthwise in her direction. She wasn't sure what it was doing, but it wasn't running away. An immediate sense of danger started registering in her head, and then it was justified when the stick emitted a small cloud of smoke and a loud CRACKing noise. At the same moment a small sapling she had been crouched next to suddenly exploded into splinters. Startled, she jumped backwards and to the side somewhat, looking at the toppling sapling, and then back at the creature.
It was doing something to the stick, it looked as those there were more smaller sticks attached to the larger, longer one that the creature was manipulating, and then it lifted it up again and pointed it at her. Another puff of smoke, another loud noise, and something imbedded itself into the dirt next to her front paw, throwing up a plume of soil and dust. At this, the tigress decided there was something seriously wrong here, and that somehow she had gone from the hunter to the hunted. Instinct took over, and she turned to run back into the forest, back to collect her cubs and cart them off to safety, away from this strange creature in the forest.
She didn't get very far, when she noticed another creature off to the side of the path where she came. It took was holding a stick, pointing at her. Another CRACK, and she felt the whiff of something fly along her back. Nothing hurt though, but definitely something very very wrong here. She twisted her body and began running in the opposite direction, angling away from not one, but now TWO of the odd beings. She heard more CRACKing noises behind her, and she let out a sharp growl to warn her cubs that there was danger coming. The tigress MUST get to her cubs before the creatures do! They have to get to safety!
She ran as fast as she could through the forest, leaping up onto fallen tree trucks and darting through the underbrush. Another CRACK! and something strange happened she wasn't familiar with. Her rear legs suddenly buckled underneath her, sending her skidding to the ground. She felt something new, something bad, there was pain, a LOT of pain coming from her rump. She tried to get back up to keep running but her rear legs were not working the way they were supposed to! With a yelp of pain and fear, she tried to use her front paws to claw her way forward, to try to lift her heavy body off the ground and get moving. It was no use.
The creatures behind her had started making some kind of noises, they were yelling and hollaring, and the forest around the tigress erupted with more shouts. She looked around, desparate now for a way out, but she could only drag herself forward, and yawl with all her might in the hopes that her cubs would hear her sound, sense something was wrong, and get themselves to safety. The creatures were approaching now, their sticks pointed at her.
She looked around, there were several of them now. If she could not run, then she must fight her way out! She lashed out with a forepaw, deadly sharp claws extended, and swiped at the nearest one. The creature darted back several steps, but stayed safely out of reach. She roared with all her might and swung back around to the other side, where another of the the creatures was approaching. This one was not holding a stick, but something small in one hand, it was flat, and glinted in the sunlight. It too dodged back out of her reach. She was getting frustrated and angry, and the pain in her hindquarters was getting worse. Her cubs! She must get to her cubs! With all of her might, she pushed herself up and attempted to leap at the nearest foe. Several loud CRACKing sounds filled the air, and then she felt her body change momentum and fall to the side. Her entire midsection was in pain now, and she could not move. She felt her lungs filling with fluid, and in desparation she lifted her head and mewled the saddest sound one could ever hear... the sound of a dying tiger. Her vision began to blur, and she saw the creatures moving closer. She felt very tired and sleepy now, but in the back of her mind all she saw was her cubs. Perhaps it was all just a dream, and she should go back to sleep now. Yes, sleep. She heard birds chirping in the trees as she closed her eyes.
And then she heard no more.