Life of a Chultan: Natali

       I was born in a small cave hidden by mounds of brush and foliage, on the side of the Mist Cliffs of the island of Chult. Five of us cubs in total, however my sister- Sana, brother- Osaw, and I quickly noticed we were not average tigers like our mother and two other siblings. We were smarter, could speak with one another in ways they could not. The three of us had the ability to learn from the humanoids to use their dialects as well as our feline language. Around age one, Sana and I learned our talkative brother was different from us as well, for we could become human, where as he could not. Eventually, she and I learned we are therinthropes, tigers with the ability to look human, spirit guides chosen by Ubtao. 

When we were around two years old, we all went our own separate ways. I decided to travel the island, roaming the forest, coasts, and mountains, learning what I could from the nature and the spread out tribes around me. After about three years of travelling, I found my way to Mezro, and as it turned out, Sana. After we left our mother, she told me, she left for the biggest cities she could find, knowing how loved we were among humans, she intended to have the easy life most tigers never have. Her arrival in Mezro changed a lot for the town, as she relished in how revered our kind is among the tribes and took full advantage of everything they offered her, she and I were chosen, and therefore have even more power than the lords. She wanted me to join her there. I refused. 

I continued my travels, eventually meeting a deinonychus and after spending some time together, we became friends. I named him Yklwa, the word the humans use for spear, for he is my spear and I am the arrow, together a deadly pair. 

A few more years passed, finding myself in the area of Mezro yet again, I stopped in to visit my sister, and this time, she had changed drastically. Gone was the easy going, lazy, yet power hungry, sibling I had known, replaced with a malevolent, angry, evil tiger, the kind that would eat her own young if she felt they slightly threatened by their presence. Something had corrupted her, touched her very soul and burnt it to the core. I left Mezro and vowed never to return to that wretched place.

Around age 22, I found myself near the Peaks of Flame, never having entered the mountains after hearing the stories of the monsters that lie within. This time, I entered. It was a huge mistake as within a few days I found myself in a fight Yklwa and I could not win, so I pulled him into his own plane as I continued fighting many demons at once, and then, there was smoke. A deep fog surrounded me; I could see vague outlines of the demons that were, just moments ago, trying to kill us. They have carried me with them now for many years; it seems I may never find a way out.

Photo by Desiree Knight