The cheetah and the lioness

*WARNING: Gore/Disturbing descriptions/extreme violence/Mention of sexual acts*

Six weeks later, in the late morning.

Taz was being Transported to her uncle's villa. She was in a small wagon progressing through Babilim's main road to the eastern part of the capital.

She sat in the wagon's bed and faced Nawar, who sat across.

She wore a beige linen shirt and black pants, as those were the official garments given to prisoners.

Taz looked at the colored buildings on her short journey as she had never been to this side of the capital.

Nawar looked at her and said, "Does the architecture here impress you?"

Taz smirked and said, "Yes, It's beautiful."

Nawar leaned forward, clasped his hands and asked, "You're going to stay here for a while, I heard?"

"Yes, until I reach adulthood," Taz replied.

Nawar smiled and said."I have faith you will do great."

Taz looked down, rubbed her hands and said, "Nawar?"

"Yes?" Nawar said.

Taz looked at him sadly and said, "My uncle told me everything about that night."

"And?" Nawar said.

"Do you want my head after what I have done to your men?" Taz asked.

After a brief silence. Nawar replied, "No, and a child should not ask that question."

"That question is my reality, Nawar," Taz said.

"I know, Tanaz, but I want you to know that I carry no hatred towards you. If anything, it's guilt," Nawar said.

Taz kept her silence as she looked down.

"Sergeant, we reached the villa," The wagon driver said.

Ahmad's villa had a high stone wall that was seven meters tall. The walls were painted white in the middle and blue on the top and had parallel blue vertical lines going in a snake pattern.

The wagon stopped in front of the villa's gate.

The gate was massive, six meters tall and six meters wide.

Two royal guards stood by it.

They carried short white shaft spears. They wore heavy steel armor painted white ivory, and a golden lion's head was painted on the chest plate.

Nawar stepped off the wagon, opened the bed's door and pulled the key to the cuffs from his belt.

He looked at Taz and said, "Sit on the bed's edge. Let me get those cuffs unlocked."

Taz sat on the bed's edge and extended her hands to Nawar.

He unlocked her cuffs, took them off her hand, and threw them in the back of the bed.

He grabbed Taz's shoulders, looked into her eyes, and said, "before we go inside, promise me one thing."

"What?" Taz said.

"Be careful around A'saal and her kind; they are not human," Nawar said.

"What do you mean? Apart from her eyes, she looks normal," Taz said.

"Tanaz, beast hunters are created to be ruthless and efficient; they do not feel empathy or fear," Nawar said.

"I will keep it in mind, Nawar," Taz said.

Taz jumped off the wagon's bed onto the ground and went with Nawar to the gate. When they reached it, the guards stopped them.

"Only the girl passes. You're not allowed to go in," The guard said.

Nawar looked at Taz and said, "Stay safe, Tanaz. You know where to find me if you need anything."

Taz nodded and said, "Thank you, Nawar, for everything."

She went inside and walked through the plaza.

It had large stables to the right and the villa's entrance to the left. The ground was layered in smooth beige stone and had the image of a snake on it.

She reached the entrance and was greeted by an albino man with a warm smile. He was prominent in size and height. He had blue eyes and long snow-white hair tied back from the sides.

He wore white steel gauntlets, boots, and fancy blue garments. He had a long-curved sword with a green grip strapped to his hip.

The man kept his warm smile, sat on his left knee, looked at Taz and said gently, "Welcome, Lady Tanaz. My master notified me of your arrival."

"Your master? Do you mean my uncle?" Taz said.

"Yes, my master relieved me from being his guardian and ordered me to be yours," He said.

"I never had a guardian before. What are your duties?" Taz said.

"I am to protect you from any threats or dangers that will bring harm to you," He said.

"What's your name?" Taz said.

"My name is Siraj, Lady Tanaz," Siraj said.

"Siraj, who is protecting my uncle now?" Taz said.

"My sisters accompany my master; they will protect him with their lives," Siraj said.

"Where do I go from here, Siraj?" Taz said.

"Lady A'saal is waiting for you on the roof," Siraj said.

"A'saal?" Taz said.

"After me, Lady Tanaz, I'll guide you there," Siraj said.

Siraj went inside, and Taz followed him.

They walked into a large hall.

The path to the stairs was layered with a red carpet. There were large pillars that stood on both sides. They were painted white and framed with golden steel. The course was lit by lanterns that contained magic stones emitting warm yellow light.

They went up the white marble stairs until they reached the roof.

The roof was an open garden with flowers and trees, and the paths were layered with stone.

In the middle of the garden sat A'saal in the shade next to a large tree on a sizeable brown carpet. She was reading a book and eating dates from a clay bowl.

"I will give you some privacy, Lady Tanaz," Siraj said

Siraj stood under a tree nearby. He pulled a small book from his pocket and read it.

Taz went to A'saal and stood before her.

"Good morning, Lady A'saal," Taz said.

A'saal looked at her confused, chuckled and said, "Why the formalities, Tanaz?"

"You are not mad at me?" Taz asked.

"Why should I be mad at you?" A'saal replied with a smile.

"Uncle told me everything about that night," Taz said.

"I am not mad at you, Tanaz, and never will be," A'saal said.

"Thank you, A'saal," Taz said.

"Besides, you weren't that much of a challenge," A'saal said.

Taz furrowed her eyebrows.

A'saal patted the spot beside her and said, "Anyhow, sit down. That woman should be here soon."

Taz sat beside A'saal and asked, "Who is she?"

"She is someone I used to work with decades ago," A'saal replied.

"Another beast hunter?" Taz asked.

"Yes, although she is different from me," A'saal replied.

"How so?" Taz said.

"It's forgotten history. You don't need to know about it," A'saal said.

A'saal continued reading her book and eating the fruits, and Taz admired the garden's scenery around her.

A'saal made a noticeable inhaling sound from her nose and said, "She's here."

A woman walked into the garden.

She had a dark-brown skin tone and was tall and slim. Her hair was black, braided and reached below her shoulders. She had a sharp jawline and big black eyes.

She wore black leather armor, carried a short golden spear on her back, and had a short-shaft Axe strapped to her hip.

A'saal stood up and said, "You're late, Nasya!"

"I was eating breakfast," Nasya said.

"It's midday! A'saal replied.

"It was a heavy breakfast," Nasya said.

A'saal approached her and said. "For a woman called the cheetah of Alkebu-lan, you eat a lot."

Nasya crossed her arms and said, "For a woman called the lioness of Mesopotamia, you're frail."

A'saal crossed her arms behind her back. She walked away slowly, keeping her back straight and said, "Remember that day? That shameful day in your forgotten past, you begged me to do that one thing for you and keep it a secret from everyone," She turned around and smiled at Nasya.

Nasya approached A'saal, glared at her and said in a displeased tone, "Did you make me travel all this distance just to blackmail me, A'saal?"

A'saal approached Nasya, looked into her eyes and said, "It's time to pay your debts, Nasya."

A'saal stared at Taz, and Nasya stared as well. Taz was sitting on the carpet, plucking the grass from the ground.

"What do you want me to do with the girl?" Nasya Asked.

"Train her, and you will be compensated nicely," A'saal replied.

"I don't understand. You could have trained her yourself," Nasya said.

"I'm old, Nasya, and retired a long time ago. But you are still an active huntress and in your prime. I will visit the girl occasionally to guide her, and I will entrust you to teach her how to become a fighter," A'saal said.

"I have asked around, A'saal. I heard you killed four armed men barehanded to protect that girl. Who is she to you?" Nasya asked.

"She is the daughter of my favorite tailor. That's all you need to know about her," A'saal replied.

Nasya chuckled and said, "I will take your offer. I assume you have prepared a place for me to stay?"

"Talk to the man who hired you to arrange that; I am just a medium," A'saal said.

"Who is he?" Nasya asked.

"A nobleman named Ahmad. He is one of the King's advisers," A'saal replied.

An albino maiden came into the garden.

She wore white steel gauntlets, boots, and fancy purple garments.

She had purple eyes and long snow-white hair that reached her lower back. She had two short swords strapped to each side of her hips, and their grips were brown.

She approached A'saal and Nasya and said, "Apologies for interrupting your conversation, but my master requested the presence of the huntress and Lady Tanaz."

"Well then, Nasya. I wish you luck in your new contract," A'saal said.

"See you later, A'saal," Nasya said.

Nasya, Taz, Siraj and the pale maiden went together in the villa's halls.

They soon reached a large room that was empty of decorations. The room's walls were red, the ground was brown wood, and the ceiling was white. It had a balcony on the right side that displayed a view of the capital's streets.

In the middle of the room stood Ahmad. He crossed his arms and looked forward at a large curtain covering the entire wall. Another albino maiden stood Behind him who wore the same boots and gauntlets as Siraj and fancy pink garments.

She had short snow-white hair reaching her neck and pink eyes.

The albino maiden approached Ahmad and said, "The huntress and lady Tanaz are here, master."

Ahmad turned around and said, "Thank you, Noor."

Siraj, Noor and the second maiden stood on the side and in a straight line, shoulder to shoulder.

Ahmad turned to Nasya and said, "A'saal spoke highly of you, huntress."

Nasya approached Ahmad and said, "I assume you're the man that hired me."

"Yes, but first, I wanted to see a demonstration of your skills," Ahmad said.

Nasya raised her eyebrows and said, "how so?"

"Behind that veil are five men convicted of murder and set to be executed. I told them if they can kill you or me, they will gain their freedom," Ahmad said.

Nasya looked at Ahmad and said, "Are you willing to forfeit your life for a test?"

Ahmad looked at Taz and said softly, "I don't value my life, but I value hers." He looked at Nasya and said, "Since you're going to be in charge of training this girl to survive, I can't let her waste precious time on false teachings."

Nasya smirked and said, "I accept your challenge, advisor."

Ahmad looked at the pink-eyed maiden and said, "Afra, open the veil."

Afra went to the right side of the curtain. She grabbed it with both hands, walked to the left, and revealed the men behind it.

Each had his knees on the ground, and their hands were tied to the shackles on the wall behind them. They were half-naked, and the only thing they wore was baggy pants.

Ahmad looked at Nasya and said, "Get ready, huntress."

Nasya stepped forward and pulled her spear.

Afra pulled a lever on the wall, and the shackles of the first three men to the left unlocked.

They stood up, glared at Nasya, and charged at her linearly.

Nasya threw her spear at the man in the middle. It landed on his heart in a precise throw and killed him instantly. She then extended her index fingers and shot both men in the head with a roaring bolt of lightning that echoed across the room.

It took her only five seconds to kill them all.

Ahmad looked at her and said, "You chose efficiency over flamboyance. I can see why A'saal recommended your expertise."

"I am flattered, advisor," Nasya said.

Ahmad turned to Noor and said, "Noor, take the huntress to my office; I will be there shortly."

Noor went to the corpse with Nasya's spear in it.

Nasya looked at Noor and said, "Be Careful, woman. That spear is five times heavier than a normal sword."

Noor plucked it out and almost slipped as the blood on the floor made her footing slippery. She walked to Nasya, handed her blooded spear back, and said softly, "After me, huntress."

They left the room as Ahmad and Taz watched them go.

Ahmad turned to Taz and said, "Do you know who these men are?"

Taz looked at Ahmad and said, "Criminals."

Ahmad walked to the two men in shackles and said, "Why don't you introduce yourselves to the girl?"

The man on the left looked at Ahmad and said, "You are sick."

Ahmad looked at Taz and said, "The men you see before you are responsible for your parent's murder, the living and the dead."

Taz approached him and shouted, "Why haven't you told me, uncle?!"

Ahmad smirked and said, "Because the true criminals are beside me. The man on the left is the mastermind behind it all. He followed Hajras in the shadows hoping to get to me. Isn't that correct, Hatim?"

Hatim glared at Ahmad and shouted, "Because your existence is vile, your demonic tribe slaughtered and enslaved innocent people. The biggest joke is that two families of those demons live in my country, eating, drinking, and consuming our resources."

Ahmad walked to the man on the right, stood beside him and said, "The man on the right. The son of Hatim." He leaned toward him and said, "Why don't you tell the girl what you have done to her mother before killing her, Kurdan?"

Kurdan smiled, laughed, looked at Taz and said, "I remember that short whore. She had the best cunt I ever fucked. I remember that night so vividly. I fucked your mother repeatedly as I made your father watch from start to end," and laughed.

Taz's face turned red, and her facial veins expanded as she growled and gritted her teeth.

Ahmad pulled a dagger from under his robe, threw it before Taz, and stood aside.

Taz grabbed the dagger and started walking toward Kurdan. She approached him, raised her hand high and stabbed the top of his skull repeatedly as she screamed.

Taz then shoved the dagger into Kurdan's neck and punched a hole in the place where she stabbed his head. She stuck her hands in, tore his skull open, removed his brain, and threw it to the floor.

She stepped back, gasped, and panted as she looked at her blood-covered hands.

Hatim cried and shouted, "I'll kill you, damned demon!"

Taz glared at him, walked toward him and raised her fist, but she stopped as she had another idea for torturing him.

She took the dagger from Kurdan's neck and approached Hatim with a wicked smile.

Taz stabbed his jaw beneath the cheekbones. She pressed her thumbs into his eyes forcefully. His eyeholes began to sprout blood as he screamed and shook his head in pain and agony.

She then took the knife out of his jaw, stabbed his neck and ended his life.

Taz stepped back, panted, looked at her bloodied hands and smiled.

Ahmad approached her, smirked and said, "Feels good, doesn't it?"

Taz looked at Ahmad, chuckled and said, "Yes! Yes!"

She started laughing in a childlike manner and wiped her bloodied hands on her cheeks. Ahmad laughed with her as his long patience paid off.

He finally managed to turn his little niece into a killer.

The End