Without the armor of his white fur, without the mass of his beast form, Kael was nothing more than a toy for the Black Tiger King.
Carik didn't just want to kill him; he wanted to break him. He wanted to smear the legend of the White Tiger into the dirt until it was unrecognizable.
CRASH.
Carik's massive black tail whipped around, catching Kael in the ribs like a steel beam. Kael was launched across the clearing, slamming into the hard-packed earth with a force that stole the breath from his lungs.
"Get up!" Carik roared, his beast voice distorted and booming. "Where is the King? I see only a cowardly tiger!"
Kael tried to push himself up, his arms trembling. His chest felt like it was on fire—ribs were definitely broken. He could heal broken bones. He could heal internal bleeding. But he couldn't fight the crushing weight of a five-ton monster while trapped in this weak form.
