The Tiger Within 184 Paper Contrac

Every fiber of her being wanted to knock the dangling piece out of her fur. The thin chains dangling by her ear, tingling softly as the stones lightly brushed against one another. It wasn't a unpleasant sound, but it reminded her of her gracefulness. Each step affected how the chains moved, making her hyper aware of how she moved. This wasn't a bad thing, par say but it was annoying when she thought about how graceful her mother was compared to her own movements. Years of being a hunter had taught her to be quiet, but elegance had never truly been part of her. Now she wished it had been.

For the moment, she followed him into the belly of the beast. Even in human form Kyera had avoided coming into the main palace this deep. She knew they were near the main throne room. The smells were consistent with incense burnt in those areas. However, being surrounded by walls and no sign of the sky was making her uneasy. It reminded her of the cell she had been kept in when she was first captured. A involuntary shiver tore through her.

Clovis observed the changes in his tigress as they moved deeper into the palace. He could tell she was uneasy, and honestly he couldn't blame her. This big palace often was overwhelming for him, more or less a tigress use to open s.p.a.ces or at least trees and direct eyeline to the sky. He angled his step a bit, letting one leg brush lightly against her side as they entered the throne room. Her golden eyes glanced up at him, her questioning gaze was met by a soft, confident smile. It sent warmth through her.

"Welcome, My son. I was wondering if you were going to be late to your own party planning. No bother, as long as you arrive on time to the actual event." The Emperor greeted, he was slightly sweaty from playing with the children in the garden. He had made a point of being out there for a short while, before coming to meet his son. In truth he had not been waiting long, and if Clovis had been on time their positions would be reversed and he would be late, but there was no point in admitting that.

"Party Planning?" He seemed surprised for a moment. Then it dawned on him. "Ahh for the bride thing." Clovis added after he realized what he meant. The Emperor nodded turning to smile at the white tiger at his side.

"Yes and you need to sign her contract so that pretty Tigress isn't on a magical tether for the rest of her life." The Emperor added motioning to the paper on the table. Kyera's heart skipped a beat as she stared at the papers. There was a hint of magic swirling over the paper, and she had to fight back the urge to destroy it.

In truth, even if she tore it to bits it would not affect anything. The contract was still etched into her skin with the magic. Contracts when bound by magic, hardly needed the paper component at all. It was the formality of the thing. Ownership of the contract belonged to the human who signed it. She knew it was more convenient for humans to sign then have to find a mage to bind their name to the symbol instead. It was also less permanent. A contract could be signed over the symbols however, could never change hands again once it was altered. Kyera was more curious as to if her terms would be more plainly stated on the paper version.