Page 58 of Tiger's Destiny
“Yes, if they survive the climb. The white and black tigers are on their way to you now.”
I looked down the mountain anxiously but didn’t see them.
“It is time for me to choose a new egg,” the Phoenix announced.
“Already? But you just hatched,” I answered, confused.
“The young Phoenix inside must be given time to develop before my time is done. If you’d like to help, you may bring the eggs to me so I can choose the right one.”
I gathered dozens of Phoenix eggs. Each sparkled, lit with its own inner fire. When I had built up a rather large pile of gemstone eggs, I held them up one at a time for the young Phoenix to inspect. It peered into the heart of each egg and declared each of them not ready. When I’d exhausted the pile in the nest, it asked for more.
“There are eggs in the hidden cracks and crags of the mountain.”
Quickly, I set aside the amethyst egg I’d been polishing and hunted for more of the precious eggs. “Will you be laying more eggs today?”
“No. All Phoenixes are males. We don’t lay eggs.”
“Then how did they get here?”
“We have no mother that we know of. Even the wisdom of the ages does not explain where we come from, but we have always known that when the eggs run out, it will be the end of our lineage.”
“There aren’t a lot of eggs considering you only live for one day,” I commented, doing the math as I looked over the nest.
“We do not fear for the future. Each of us is allotted our time. When the eggs are gone, we will cease to exist. I do not dwell on things I cannot control.”
“I can’t imagine what it would be like to live only for one day.”
“One day, if you make the most of it, can be more satisfactory than a lifetime squandered,” the wise young bird replied.
I slipped on some loose rock and almost dropped a delicate opal egg, but managed to right myself just in time. As I set it down before the Phoenix, I asked, “Does each bird have different coloring?”
“Yes, each bird is unique. The coloring of the egg is similar to the feathers of the bird.” It peered at the opal egg and dismissed it. “No, not that one either.”
Directed by the Phoenix, I climbed farther and farther away from the nest to find more eggs. The cliff was perilous so I edged carefully along. As I shimmied my way onto a thin ledge, I saw a gleaming, topaz-yellow egg on a shelf just beyond my reach.
I wedged my foot into a crack and hoisted my body upward several feet until I could just touch the egg with my fingertips. I needed to climb higher. Lifting my other foot, I stepped onto a protruding rock and tested my weight on it. Confident it would hold, I continued the climb.
The egg was beautiful. It sparkled like a yellow diamond and was about the size of a football. I gently tucked it inside my dress above the belt. My skin turned warm where it rested. I started to move down, feeling blindly for a foothold.
My foot dangled in the air and suddenly the rock that held my weight started to give way. It dislodged and tumbled down to the valley below, slamming my body into the cliff on my right. Clinging to the ledge with only my fingertips, I desperately shouted to the Phoenix for help. Then my fingers slipped off the edge and I screamed and tumbled through the sky.
Luckily, after only a moment of freefall, something stopped my descent. At first, I thought I was caught on a tree limb, but then I looked up and saw the face of my rescuer.
“Are you alright?” Ren asked.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugged him tightly, and exclaimed, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” as I kissed him on both cheeks repeatedly.
He touched my cheek gently. “You’re welcome.” Ren hugged my body to his and then pulled back with an expression of confusion on his face as his eyes scanned my protruding belly. He raised an eyebrow and stared.
I glanced down at the bulge hidden under my clothes, wrapped my arms around my precious cargo, and cried out, “My egg! Ren, quick! Let me down!”
As soon as he set me on my feet, I retrieved the yellow egg and examined it for fractures.
“It’s fine.” I smiled in relief and set it carefully onto the floor of the nest.
I heard the sounds of a struggle and spun around to find Kishan wrestling with Sunrise. The Phoenix had grown again and was nearing the size of its predecessor. Kishan hollered at the bird as he slowly strangled it. Flat tears streamed down Kishan’s handsome face.
I grabbed his arm and tugged with all my strength, but Kishan just shoved me roughly aside and shouted, “Leave me alone, Ren. It’s my right!”
