Orange & Black

As the massive brute collided with his prey, the tiger launched a feeble counterattack, its teeth grazing the side of Caedes's scruff in a last-ditch effort to fend him off. But it was too little, too late. Caedes's own jaws clamped down firmly around the tiger's throat, his tongue teasing at its jugular as he began to cut off its air supply, squeezing the life out of the formidable predator.

With a steady pressure, Caedes bore down on the tiger, his weight pinning it to the ground beneath him. Despite its desperate struggles, the beast found itself outmatched, its hind legs kicking at Caedes's sides while its front claws scrabbled ineffectually at his shoulders, more in a futile attempt to dislodge him than to inflict harm. Caedes's grip only tightened, his movements calculated and relentless as he mirrored the tiger's own predatory tactics. The way it usually wrapped around its quarry and suffocated it. But just as the beast's muscles began to weaken and its breath grew shallow, Caedes relented, releasing his hold on its throat with a calculated pause.

A grin. Caedes rose to his full height, placing a paw atop the tiger's skull in a gesture of dominance. It was clear to anyone watching – the tiger's defeat was an offering, a show of Caedes's strength. All for his cousin. His emeralds flashed as he glanced towards Sephiran, backing off the tiger as he waited for the killing blow to be delivered. This was his purpose. His use.