the secret garden

Indigo didn’t take very long to feel protective over her, especially now in the face of a threat. He didn’t mean to judge her ability, but he couldn’t help the trait rise up in his chest. He liked the feeling of being needed. Duchess needed him to stand in the way of the threat, she didn’t even have to ask, she just had to stay close. He didn’t know if there were more lurking in the shadows he wanted her close in case of an ambush. Indy continued to growl, bordering on snarling as the beast moved towards them and out of the trees.

He already knew it wasn’t going to back down, but the efforts weren’t wasted, it was slowed in its approach. Careful not to step on the precious parcel he was protecting, He just wouldn’t move his feet much. He could take a couple hits, besides it was only one cat. These thoughts raced through his head but were gone as he realized Duchess wasn’t under his protection anymore. He panicked as the cat threw a fully clawed paw at him. The sharp tips gouged his cheek and he accidentally allowed the massive feline through towards Duchess.

”No!” Indigo bellowed as the cat spilled the dainty girl’s blood. He was moving long before he was thinking. Indigo was on the massive cat without missing another beat. Frenzied and feeling all too much like his assault on the hyenas. Indy could hear Rue’s screams in the back of his head and he vowed he wouldn’t allow anyone else he cared about to make that terrible noise. The sabered feline fought back but it was not match for Indigo’s rage. Claws from both beasts shredded fur and skin, teeth clashed, but Indy’s mass and spirit won out.

This wasn’t just to protect Duchess, this was still the grudge he bore for his friend’s death. The one he placed on himself. For not being enough, and for allowing that terrible end to fall on Rue. He cried out, desperation filling his crazed voice as he delivered one final blow to end the bloody struggle. The quiet was eerie, and Indigo was numbed. He remained still, his frame heaving as he gasped breaths through the blood that covered his nose and mouth. His, the cats. It was all the same now.