Tamara listens very carefully when he speaks about this tigress he knows, ears perked up. She let out a low sad mew when he says that she has been killed, shaking her head a bit, thinking that this shouldn't have happened, especially because she had cubs to take care of. She breifly remembers what happened to a certain wizard, who once came to her den and threatened a young orphand ragon she adopted. He didn't tasted that good, but he was filling, and he did paid the price for being so cocky and threaten someone she held dear.<br/><br/>She freezes as he takes a step away, ears flattening some, sitting back on her haunches and not trying to come closer to him, remaining still, even her tail stopping to move. She shakes her head a bit as he mention he don't make a habit of making friends with the dead. Bitsa is still not getting it, and the tigress ponders how she can make him understand that, despite what the collar seems to indicate, she not really less free than he is, that it is mostly an ornament.<br/><br/>When he mention that her feral form is not the one that suits her the best, she takes it as some sort of an insult. The blow is unexpected, despite what he said before, and hurts her, making her cringe some. But she doesn't reacts, just nodding and slowly shifting back to her natural anthro form, now sitting crosslegged on the snow.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">- I have never been dishonest with you, Bitsa,</span>she says, her tone calm and neutral.<span style="font-style: italic">As you said, I assumed this form because it was more fitting for the hunting. But you knew from the start that I was an anthro, not a feral.</span><br/><br/>She looks down and let out a low sigh/mew.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">- I don't know what to tell you, how to make you udnerstand that you're wrong in assuming this collar what this collar truly means, that you're wrong in assuming I'm no more a true tigress, that I am dead...</span><br/><br/>She pauses for a brief moment, shifting, her tailtip flicking a bit before going still again.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">- I was once in the same situation than the tigress you just spoke about. Well, more than once in fact, but the time I will tell you about does have a particular meaning for me. I had to defend a young creature I adopted. A poor orphan dragonling wandering alone on parts even more dangerous than the more dangerous parts of this parc.<br/><br/>- A wizard, whose name I never knew, tried to kidnap him. Fortunately, I was tehre and prevented him to do so. He threatened me, threatened my cub, and even tried to use his magic on the both of us. It was a very close call, both my young dragon and I were injured, but, in the end, the wizard ended up as food. I guess I was more lucky than your tigress...</span>she ends with a low voice, letting out a low mew filled with sadness.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">- As for this collar, it is merely a nice ornament. It announces to the world that I am loved by someone. But maybe the fact you're a feral and I am an anthro does give a different meaning to the word 'love'. I don't know how it goes with your tigresses and your cubs, back in Siberia. I don't know what you mean exactly when you uses the word 'love'. What I know is what I mean with this word, what it means for my love and me when we say that we love each other.<br/><br/>- Maybe you've heard about what they say during humans weddings. Both lovers swears to remain together, to be there for each other, until death do them parts, and they exchange what they call a 'wedding ring'. You can consider this collar to be some sort of a wedding ring. We swore to be there for each other until our last breathe. I would die for my love, and so would he. I would do anything for him, to make him happy, and so would he. It is a two way relationship.<br/><br/>- So yes, you might say that I gave up a part of myself. Because, as I like to say: he's mine and I am his. We're bonded by the most wonderful bond there is. I have found my mate, the one that makes me feel complete, the one I know will always be there for me, no matter what. He'll support me when I need it, help me when I need it, do everythign for me when I need it. And I will do the same for him.<br/><br/>- The rest, like this collar, it's just a game of pretend we like to play from time to time. Everybody has kinks, and this is one of ours, a kink we share together. But that doesn't make me dead, that doesn't means I am no more a tigress. The fire still burns inside me, and whoever threatens me, my mate, or any of my friends will pay the price.</span>