Chapter I: What just happened to me?!

An awkward introduction when Cougar awakens with a vague memory that we will explore in detail as it all comes back to him.

Cougar Bear awakens to the smell of cooking Human. No, not cooking, scorching. Burning flesh.
He feels strong hunger pangs and begins regaining full consciousness due to that pain.
Eyes open but it's hazy; sight blurry, can't see, smoke, bright haze, can't breathe.

Cougar Bear is bleeding atop his head near his left ear; ringing in the ears, coupled with unbearable light sensitivity.
Still can't see well, the daylight seems blinding. No; not daylight.

A full moon hovers gracefully over the dark evening skies above the raided Human village he's awakened in.
No sense in letting the good meat go to waste, just got to get ahold of yourself Cougar...  His thoughts are disjointed, but clearing up.

Still blurry; "That's too bright to be the moon..." He wonders aloud.
Cougar slowly raises to sit upright, grasping his pained head in one hand, steadying his poor equilibrium with his other.  He attempts to look around, but this causes pain in his neck and shoulders, back, and hips.  He tries to remember where he is, but this hurts even more - Right where his hand is.
He tries to breathe, but it's painful.  Breathing slower, not as painful... it still stings.
He tries to shift his weight, this hurts a lot too, but he is determined to stand up.  Even if it kills him.

He is not willing to occupy a lesser body; his Werecougar body is his most capable and honored body left...  He almost forgot...!  He is mourning for his losses now, and falls again, tears streaming silently down his furry cheeks and whiskers.

He vividly imagines his internal Warrior's Secret Tomb;  Elephant bowing on broken legs, one good leg standing firm, head smeared with the smashed corpse of a small mouse with only its snout and tail to lend to what this poor critter was, and the elephant's back is occupied by the greatest Weretiger warrior: His head mangled into a barely recognizable alien figure with a grotesquely protruding stalk eye dangling from socket, tail bent permanently in half, and he is sitting tall and proud upon his wise mount...

They all seem to acknowledge Cougar Bear.

"One last fight..." the virtually corpse-Weretiger speaks sternly, defiantly spiting his mortally wounded body and lifting himself up to stand as this internal vision fades.



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But a few days before hand...
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Cougar Bear is hungry. Cougar Bear is ready to hunt.

Cougar is a proud warrior, simple minded, straight forward, but above all, he is defined by his strong will, determination, and persistence.

As much a lone wolf as any Skinwalker, Cougar had been lounging around alone near a remote mountain lake hing up Mt. Olympus, in the form of a cougar. He was content to relax for so long; after a raging battle with a Wereram, honing the abilities of his Weretiger body.  He earned the rest.

He devoured the "ram man" at his own request.  Too a proud warrior to face his defeat, the Wereram demanded that his life be ended.

Cougar Bear grows hungry, and without thinking much of it, shape shifts into the Weretiger face.  He starts quickly off yet stops short of a nearby mountain valley ridge, thinking he should work in his new body.

He didn't take as long to shape shift into his new Wereram body as the first time.  Always improving with every shift-in to each body.  He tested it out, got the hang of it, exercised off the vertigo and...

Takes off running.  He is in search of an easy meal, but a picky eater, he wants to have meat. The easiest prey he prefers of around here is Humans.  They live in tribes at the foot of the great mountain passes.

Down the mountain he goes, traveling quickly as a Wereram.

He is gleeful of the new body, as he is of any new body, but more - he is gleeful because he won this body in a challenging fight.  His Weretiger body suffered a lot of damage in that fight.  It was torn up and dying; he had to heal it over most of the weeks following, during which he devoured his adversary's traveling companion, gaining the ability to assume his, weaker, Weretiger "face".  A Skinwalker term for each form.  However, this is also a good reason to choose his new and virginal Wereram body for a test ride.

It was perfectly suited to the contours of mountainous terrain with all the comforts and conveniences of anthropic mobility and accessory.

In his haste and enjoyment, he ran quickly past a raging battle not far off his right and he had completely forgotten to hunt the Human village, passing into the more flat and rocky terrain that led into a valley where the Orcish tribes had settled.

He was now aware that he was much closer to the Orcish flatlands than the foot of Mt. Olympus, where the Human villages were scattered about.  Now, however, he was starving and quite suddenly aware of it.  He slowed down to a halt and shape shifted into his Weretiger body.

Not yet completely healed, but it would serve it's purpose in gaining food from the villagers.  This wasn't always as tasty as Human, but the Orcs admired warriors and would feed worthy adversaries.  Their hunters' choice in meat was usually good enough for Cougar anyways. 
His spot at the dinner table was already reserved, they just didn't know it yet.

Cougar Bear approached the outer walls of the Orc village and waited. After several minutes, an entourage of warriors and a surprisingly fair skinned female Orc with barely any clothing greeted Cougar Bear, the Weretiger.

The largest of the four Orc Guards spoke, "Ho wanderer, what brings you to our village?"

"I am great warrior, far from home. I looking for food and for fight!"  He responded promptly and confidently.  The 'home' part was his nomad's lie, but it generally warmed people from all races to his requests for food.

The large Orc looked him up and down and balked "You fight for food!  Ha!  You look like PUNY warrior, you a girl?"

Cougar Bear knew how to gain their respect.  He had high speed and agility as a Weretiger.  This was one of his preferred bodies because it was his fastest.

He was much too fast for them.  He spun low into a crouch, whipping the Orc in the shins with his tail and following up with a sweeping kick with the remaining inertia of his spin. It was just enough to throw his opponent's balance off.  In the time it took the behemoth's 3 partners to respond, Cougar had already leapt high with a flying kick, catching the stumbling guard's chin with his foot.  He dug his claws in briefly and contracted his knee to gain higher altitude and became airborne for a moment. 

His heel was rapidly descending upon the closest backup grunt as the group leader looked up from his fallen position, then cried out with rage and readied himself, low to the ground, preparing to lunge into the Weretiger "guest".

By the time he could stand up and barrel after him, Cougar had already broken his first guard's neck, and knocked another one out with a hurricane kick.  "Two on one not fair. For you!" Cougar taunted, his back turned to the larger Orc.

His mockery infuriated him, just as intended, although to better effect than expected and intimidated the other who turned and ran, furthering his taunt and explosively installing raw and seething rage into the gate keeper.

Cougar dashed ahead and took out the third grunt by clawing into his back, severing his spinal column just below the neck.

The initiation of Cougar's last attack prompted the gate keeper, a large Orc Berserker, to charge.  As Cougar dismounted the falling corpse, he was rammed into it from behind, smashed to the ground on top of his own victim.  Before he could respond, he is lifted into the air with a massive foot as the enraged Berserker follows up and kicks him.  He takes advantage of his feline reflexes and turns to face his opponent, mid-air.

The Berserker was still following through with his heavy launching-kick as Cougar landed gracefully on his feet yards away, and leapt into an all-fours dash.  The brutish Orc sees Cougar Bear charging him and prepares a two handed clubbing fist.  Cougar leaps at the Orc's face.  The Orc swings his mighty arms upward at him.

In just split second reactions, Cougar Bear squirms, airborne, around the Orc's fists, reaching out with exposed claws, and wraps his forearms around the Orc's shoulder and jaw, swinging around his opponent's mighty weight, but pulling in enough momentum to knock his balance over, and to tear up his face.

He retracts his claws and discovers a claw on his left paw to be snagged under the Orc's collarbone.  The Orc cringes on one knee and hollers in pain.  Standing, he reaches up and rips Cougar Bear off his head. In this motion, Cougar Bear's claw is dismembered, his paw now malformed, but not without compensation.  The Orc's collarbone was dislodged slightly, his jawbone is exposed, and most of the right side of his face hangs in a bloody and tattered mess.

Cougar is flung into the ground and bounces away from the enraged Berserker, breaking a rib and opposing elbow. The impact bent his elbow backwards in an inappropriate reverse bend which would even bother some Trolls out of their appetite.

The Orc was slowly bleeding to death, becoming light headed, but too blood lusted and berserk to cease battle short of death or victory.  The expense of being a Berserker Guard.  A crowd had gathered at the gates of the village.

Cougar now couldn't expose himself, at risk of his meal ticket, so kept the damaged face and endured the fight.  In a normal hunting situation, not that he'd suffer this much damage, but in the event, he could normally shape shift into a fresh body and easily take over the fight.  Now, however, he had to rely on his warrior reputation, his warrior instinct and honed experience, to survive.

They were at a stand off, cougar composing himself, the Berserker out of breath, dizzy from blood loss, still determined to fight, but vulnerable and weak.  He heaved and let loose a terrifying, albeit weak, war cry and lunged once more at Cougar Bear.  Cougar thought to himself that his torn ligaments guaranteed extra rations after he kills their Berserker.  He couldn't think of much else than defeating his opponent and cashing in on honor and glory.  Food, that is.

He spun around the attack and swiped the Orc in the back, barely scratching him, but inflicting significant pain.  The surface wound was sure to sting.  He was wearing thin, this body couldn't last a lot longer.  He needed to end it now.

The Orc spun around and flailed at Cougar, knocking him unconscious.  He gave into victory cries and laughter which evolved into hallow echoing cries of regret and agony as he began swallowing his last breaths.  Choking on his own blood in the end.

The blood had poured from his body and now fertilized the clay beneath his fresh corpse.  Cougar's unconscious body was taken into the village by their Shaman and attended by the village Medicine Man.

Cougar was abruptly awakened by a fairer skinned female Half-Orc bringing in breakfast. Cougar couldn't tell what the other half was, if it was Human or Elf, or possibly, though so unlikely, Ogre, it was beyond Cougar's perceptive skills. Beyond his base knowledge of other races, in fact.

He was startled at first and shot up to a sitting position, which lent a sudden realization that he was wounded. Wincing under the pain of his own attempt to speak, "where...?" he muttered briefly as his memory started to pan things out for him.

"You took on a real beating yesterday, challenging our gate guards like that... You're either the stupidest and luckiest warrior in the plains, or you've been traveling for a long time and starving... But you got hurt very bad, you must still be exhausted."

Cougar Bear was, in fact, exhausted. So much so that he hadn't realized she said 'yesterday'. "But I lost today, why you feed me if I lose?"

The Orcish maiden blushed a little and tittered "you killed our gatekeeper, Thugh, Last evening before sunset. It is late morning now."

Cougar blinked twice and got out of bed and headed right out the hut, not even acknowledging the maiden, his breakfast, or his crippling pain.

Sure enough it was several hours after sunrise, and in the center of the huge village was Thugh; laying atop his ceremonial pyre, having been prepared by the tribesmen under the guidance of their Shaman, to ceremoniously meet his maker.

A lone Weretiger among mostly larger Orcs stood before the pyre, staring at his most recent opponent's lifeless body. A brief rush of pride and personal glory was cut off by a piercing twang of regret... He hadn't wanted to permanently harm anyone, just fight! ... and eat.

A gentle hand rest atop his shoulder, cuing his attention with grace. He turned and met the deep green eyes of the maiden. "You have so much power, you get up after fight like that so soon?" She said, clearly admiring him, more personally than her innocent words revealed; though he was oblivious of it.

"You are strong warrior, let us honor you tonight. I will introduce you to the chieftain. It should be you to light Thug's pyre during celebration."

"It, is... ... It is Honor." Cougar replied shakily, returning his gaze to the pyre.

"Let me show you to the chieftain... umm..." she paused, realizing she didn't know his name yet. After he didn't pick up on her cue she asked, "What is your name, warrior?"

Cougar Bear stood tall and proud "I am called Cougar Bear because I am powerful warrior. Fast and calm like Cougar, strong and unrelenting like Bear."

The Orc girl tittered a little more, highly impressed by this, "My name is Gartha, My mother was a Human, but she died here when I was very young. She used to tell me father was great warrior, but I never meet father. Now I serve our chief with pride and grace."

They talked for a very short while before she left to find the chieftain. Cougar had no social skills and learned only enough language to earn honor amongst warrior tribes. Mostly Werekin. Their conversation was brief and awkward, his experience with the chieftain would be of little difference.

With that, she was gone and cougar wandered the village beside himself.

The day went by fairly uneventful, the villagers gathered around Cougar to offer their admiration or gifts, usually consisting of food or bone necklaces; small festivities spattered the village areas near the pyre and the young Orcs ran about in all directions, often attempting to climb all over Cougar.

Throughout the afternoon, Cougar participated in various activities, at the requests of children and other young villagers, enjoyed telling poorly worded stories of other fights he's won as a Weretiger (being ever careful to conceal what he is, or what else he has been), and competed (but usually lost) in small Orc games of endurance and strength.

During one such event akin to one-on-one tug of war, Cougar was paired up with a giant of an Orc who seemed to have a fierce grudge against Cougar. His body mass was that of at least 3 grown adult Orc men, in great shape with muscles rippling from toe to forehead. His feudal sneer was as fierce as his body mass, making him appear to be thirteen times more fierce than he already was. Which was already thirteen times that of an ordinary Orc!

They stared each other down, fiercely gripping their ends of the rope, eyes locked.

A Spectator, acting as referee, called the start of the match, and both contestants strained with their all. It wasn't much of a match, the giant Orc whipped his end of the rope downward, yanking Cougar, briefly 3 feet into the air, straight to his face in the muddy clay.

The Giant Orc Berserker laughed and boasted, bragging that "this puny werecat couldn't stand against me for a whole second!"

Cougar, in the hospitality and good graces of an Orc village, let slide the Berserker's taunts. They weren't terribly well founded, though given the circumstances of Cougar's recent victory, they weren't unwarranted either.

Cougar brushed himself off and stood up, the Orc had stepped forward, towering before him menacingly, Cougar feigning ignorance, trying to act oblivious to the Orc's intimidation techniques.

This was only successful in pissing off the wrong Orc.

Before Cougar lifted his head half way to meet the Orc's fierce and angry gaze, he found himself looking up at his jaw instead, from the ground, through massive fingers.

Cougar's patience was overextended when he lost the of tug of war.  Putting up with the Orc's taunting and bragging was an enormous gesture of respect to the tribe, even if they didn't know it; but now, Cougar's thin patience had been poked through like tissue paper; the final straw had been lain, this patient camel's back was broken.

Roaring like the tiger, he grabbed the Orc's arm and jumped to his feet, prying the grip off.
He then got in the Orc's face.

"CHALLENGE!" He snarled.

This shocked the Orc; that cougar had gotten back up was a surprise - one that was to be expected of fools who dont know their place, that he had just jumped in the Face of a respected Orc champion was flat out inexcusable, but to issue a challenge under these mournful circumstances warranted the welcome of their guest null and void.

"Your Welcome Has Worn Out!! Puny WereCat!" The Orc boomed, his voice thundering in the very core of Cougar Bear's body, possibly in the core of the Earth. He imagined even the core of the heavens themselves was trembling.

Not backing down, Cougar stepped forward, tip-toeing, narrowing the gap between their bodies, and further narrowing the already insignificant gap between their faces. He whispered "you have no honor" and stepped down, returned to his heel, but maintained a threatening composure.

The Orc Champion roared in rage "I Accept challenge! Puny Cat is going to light Thugh's pyre with his body!!!"

The small crowd that formed at the start of the tug of war had quintupled and nearly the entire village was present to witness the challenge, cheering on their Champion Berserker.

The maiden from before appeared as if from nowhere, out of the crowd, and approached the two.

she lifted their arms into the air and proclaimed "The challenge has been accepted, Cougar Bear will be the next to face off against our Honored Champion Berserker, Gorak!!!"

While the crowd cheered and fawned over their champion, Gartha took Cougar aside and told him he was to meet the Chieftain; sternly, "Now."

Gartha showed Cougar to the chieftain's hut and told him to wait a moment as she prepared the chieftain for a visitor. She was quiet about it, barely audible, "there's been a challenge against the champion." "what his name?" "cougar bear." "send him in."

She was gone no more than a few brief moments when an arm breached the threshold of the doorway, beckoning him to enter. Hesitant, he reluctantly did so.

"Cougar Bear!" came a warm booming voice. "Welcome to our village! Gartha tell me you great warrior, defeat Thugh last night! Thugh our best gatekeeper for long time!" In spite of the warmness, the generosity, the kindness emanating from the chieftain, he still spoke critically and accusingly about the circumstances."You great warrior, kill our gate keeper. you great warrior indeed, but you no earn honor. you kill good gate keeper."

The warmth was fading.

"We have gate keepers, they keep us safe from wild animal, from enemy tribe, but now we lose best gate keeper..." This momentary pause left cougar an unpleasant feeling, "You new gate keeper?" This was not as much a question as it was a demand, the earlier friendly expressions had drained completely from the chieftain and he now stared hard at cougar, expecting a favorable answer.

Cougar shrugged "Me no Orc, get Orc gate keeper."

The chieftain slammed his thick staff to the ground. "You come to village, kill our gate keeper, and challenge greatest champion! You disgrace village!"

Cougar was getting excited, now he knew he wasn't leaving here without a fight.

Rather than express his excitement, he shrugged "You win honor back?"

This clearly offended the chieftain, who, in spite of his efforts to hide his offense and maintain cordial composure, glared hard at Cougar Bear, brows furrowed, a grim frown painting his thin lips, chapped and torn as they were, the frown seemed to make his blemishes themselves grow angry.

The tension built moment after moment as the silence between them grew louder and louder. The silence was deafening by the time the chieftain spoke.

"We No Lose Honor To Puny Weretiger!" his words growing louder, as loud as he himself was angry, "Puny Weretiger Earn Honor Back or We Eat Puny Weretiger!!"

Instinctual twangs...... Cougar flinches at the word "eat", which the Chief recognized from past battles with other Skinwalkers. Though he said and did nothing... Biding his time.

"I kill champion like I kill guard!" Cougar shot back. "I EAT CHAMPION!!"  This confirmed it, but the chief still did nothing, concealing a certain excitement with all his willpower.

However, the chieftain had had more than his fill and demanded Gartha escort him out. "He be tested by champion before ceremony." He turned to face Cougar Bear, "Champion kill disrespectful Weretiger! Lay his tattered body as sacrifice to Thugh!"

Before he knew it, he was back in the center of the village, surrounded by a mix of venomous and amorous Orcish faces and responses.

Being so much shorter than the average Orc, Cougar Bear couldn't see him past the crowd, but he hears the champion boasting somewhere. Near the pyre no doubt.

"I KILL Puny Werecat With One Fist!!!" Cougar could barely see the larger mass over the crowd. He was flexing, posing, and generally soaking in his fame and the admiration of his fellow tribesmen.

"Puny Werecat Not Stand! Puny Werecat Defeated Already! Just not know it!!"   Raging cheers and hollers.

Calling an early defeat to cougar bear? His ego pulsed.

"Puny Werecat defeated before Puny Werecat Make Mistake of Challenge!!"

Like gentle waters flowing from a stream into a sudden whitewater rapid, Cougar's ego flooded and surged. A snarl painted his lips though silent as he remained.

Gartha had escorted him this far, warned not to confront him before the challenge began. "Don't do it, don't give in, I can see in your eyes that you have more honor than his words show."

He either ignored her or hadn't heard her at all, for by the time she finished her sentence, he had already begun walking into the crowd, looking for the champion.

"Wait!!" she noticed him leave as her words came to closure "come back!"

He was oblivious to her calls.

"Cat no stand chance against Champion, Gorak! Gorak the Mighty No Lose EVER!" He roared, his boasting seemed to grow exponentially with each volley of egotistical pride. He slammed a huge fist against his chest, emitting a deep war-drum beat across the crowd which responded in kind, creating a miniature shock wave.

Cougar found Gorak standing on the middle step of Thug's Pyre, using it for his own self-celebratory soap box.

Cougar had his chance. He could defame the champion's honor so easily now! "You Disrespect Gate Keeper Thug! Pyre no place to boast!!! GET DOWN AND FACE ME NOW!!!"

Author's Note

Reworded occasionally, working through the flow - not looking for grammatical review, but content and context review. I am asking you: How does the story flow?