Page 36 of Tiger's Dream
Almost carefully, he stepped out onto the muddy ground, and a moment later, my brother was standing in front of me. He was barefoot, in his typical white clothing. His eyes piercing me like needles. Ren spoke first as I stood there mutely wondering where to begin.
“Who are you?” he said.
My brow lowered. “Your brother,” I replied.
He walked around me in a wide circle, sniffing the air like a suspicious dog. “You don’t smell like my brother,” he said. “And I trust my nose more than my eyes.”
I laughed then but it was a bit maniacal—a straightjacket laugh, Kelsey would have called it. “Despite everything, I’ve missed you, Ren.”
His mouth fell open but he quickly masked his reaction. “So…brother…you’ve come to rescue me then?”
“Not…not exactly,” I said as I scraped a hand over my bristly jaw. “I was just hoping to talk.”
“To talk?”
“Yes. This is going to take a while so you might want to switch back. I know you don’t have a lot of time.”
Ren frowned. “Neither do you.”
“Yes. Well, about that…” I found a cleanish spot on the ground and sat, resting my back against the wall. The rain was heavy enough to mask my voice should anyone pass by, and both of us could see well enough in the light to make out one another. Almost reluctantly, Ren changed back into tiger form and lay down. Not too close. And he took up the space between me and the door just in case he wanted to leave. That didn’t bother me at all.
Taking a deep breath, I began.
For hours I poured out my story to him. I told him everything—Kelsey, the curse, Durga, Lokesh, Kadam, our parents, his becoming mortal, even his upcoming wedding. His tiger eyes were riveted on me the whole time. If it weren’t for the twitching of his tail, I might have thought he was a statue. By the time I was done, the storm was over. The sun would rise within the hour.
I brought up a knee and rested an elbow on it, sinking my head into my hand. “To burden you with all of this is selfish, I know. It’s just…I don’t know what to do.”
Ren transformed without me even being aware of it. He sat across from me and rubbed his hands slowly, his eyes trained on them as he formed his thoughts into words. Finally, he said, “You’ve always been the stronger one.”
My hand fell away from my face. I gaped at him incredulously. “What are you talking about? Have you even been listening?”
“Of course I have. The story you tell…it’s…well, fantastic. It gives me hope. You give me hope.”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
“No. It’s just…”
“What?” I asked.
His blue eyes darted up. “Do you know why the future me sought you out in the jungle?”
“Yeah. You wanted me to help you break the curse.”
“Yes. Of course. But there must have been a part of me that was scared to do it without you.”
“That doesn’t sound right.”
“It is. You’ve always been the brave one, Kishan.”
I shook my head. “You’re the leader, Ren. Not me.”
“You’re wrong. Yes…yes…I was the diplomat. The one who spun pretty words to charm pompous, overstuffed rich men, but you were the warrior. For you Yesubai was a long time ago, but for me it was recent. I understood why she loved you. She looked to you as I did. You were always comfortable in your own skin. Mother’s favorite. Kadam’s favorite.”
“None of that matters anymore. Besides, you are brave. You fought alongside me, defeated Lokesh, saved the day countless times. I’d never seen you so focused in battle.”
He lowered his head. “I must have loved her then. Will love her, I mean.”
I grunted. “You did. You do.”
