As everyone else followed Triskix and Lexian to the arena, I slipped off unnoticed to go back to my room. I wasn't them I would be fighting; it was Nyx, and I needed to prepare.

An all-out fight tournament for survival? I laughed. Survival was my middle name. Closing my door behind me, I sat on the floor in the middle of my room. Permission to kill? Just what I needed. I was, after all, a professional killer.

But still...I wouldn't get too cocky. I knew nothing about Nyx's fighting style, only that she carried a guitar and a sword. I breathed deeply, trying to focus. I would need to be completely in my element in order to ensure her defeat.

It was almost like being Kateri again. The thrill of the hunt never made me feel so close to being alive. I could feel my element rising in me: my hearing sharpened, my sense of smell heightened. I could see every little motion out of the corner of my eye.

When I figured I was at full capacity, I stood up and looked in the mirror. Perfect. My eyes had changed to a full light brown with slitted pupils. I smiled and noted the glistening points of my sharpened canines. I held up my hand, unsheathing my short claws. This was the true form of Spirit of the Tigress.

I left my room, went back to the battlegrounds, and sneaked into the rise box from a secret entrance. I glanced over at Nyx, who was busy watching the match, and chuckled quietly. This was going to be very, very interesting...