Page 90 of Tiger's Destiny
“So the Chimera is a cat?” Kishan asked. His nose twitched, and he ran his fingers lightly along some claw marks on a fire tree.
“Sort of,” I replied. “It’s built a bit like a lioness but also has the head of a goat and a snake for a tail.”
“We’re in its territory,” Ren added.
“Yes,” Kishan rubbed his jaw. “Do you smell it?”
Ren nodded.
Just then a series of rumbling roars echoed through the trees.
“That cinches it,” Kishan said.
“What?” I asked. “What is it?”
The brothers looked at each other knowingly. Ren shrugged, then Kishan said, “She’slooking for a mate.”
“Oh.” I stammered lamely. “What . . . um . . . what does that mean for us? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“It could be a good thing. We could work it to our advantage,” Kishan said.
At my look of confusion, Ren explained, “What he means is that she will be easily distracted.”
Kishan cleared his throat with a deep chuckle. “And I vote that you should be the one todistracther while I get the Rope.”
“How about you distract her, and I’ll get the Rope,” Ren countered.
“Why don’t you both go, and I’ll get the Rope,” I suggested.
“No,” they both answered in unison.
“I’ll go,” Ren volunteered with a sigh. A low moan shook the ground. He grimaced. “Just make it fast.”
“Of course.” Kishan grinned and winked at me as Ren disappeared through the trees.
When we next heard the plaintive roar, it was answered with a deep growl.
“That’s the signal.” Kishan kissed me quickly and slunk off through the trees.
I sat there listening to a loud series of snarls, growls, and hissing. Time passed, and the noises grew louder. It still didn’t seem angry or violent. I was trying to figure out which sounds were coming from which parts of the Chimera when a new roar split the air. It was answered with a matching roar. I knew both of those voices well, even as tigers. Kishan had joined the pair for some reason. I was needed.
Carefully and quietly, I made my way through the trees, skirting the area where the racket was coming from. Finding a good place to hide, I peered through the undergrowth and saw Ren and Kishan fighting as tigers. The female cat lay nearby, licking her paws while surreptitiously watching the two tigers battle.
She didn’t look exactly like I expected. From all my reading, I thought the Chimera would be a double-headed monster with a snake head on its tail, but she was more like the Qilin. Though she appeared to have the traits of many different creatures, the Chimera had only one head and six legs. Her body was the basic shape of a cat, a lioness maybe, but much larger. I’d say she was around twice the size of a lion.
Instead of having the coat of a cat though, the Chimera’s skin appeared a tawny reptilian gold. It was scaled like the Qilin except for a flickering mane of fur that was aflame. Two long horns sprung from the top of her head. Chimera’s feet were clawed and her tail moved back and forth sinuously like a snake, but I could see no head or fangs on the tip.
The Chimera sat at the base of a large tree. I scanned the branches for the Rope of Fire but couldn’t make anything out from where I was hidden. I bit my lip trying to figure out what my next move should be. Ren and Kishan appeared to be making a lot of noise, but they were mostly posturing. They pushed each other around and snarled loudly but didn’t really use their claws or teeth.
As soon as I started to move, the creature immediately turned her head into my direction. The beast sniffed the air and got to her feet. When the Chimera leapt toward my hiding place, Ren ran to her side and batted her feet with his paw. Distracted, the creature turned to him and rubbed her head over his back while peering at Kishan. Her snakelike tail wound around Ren’s.
Kishan roared as if challenging Ren once again for the Chimera’s affection. The Chimera moved off as the two of them recommenced their feigned battle. The beast arched her back while lowering her fore body, then settled next to a boulder to watch. She growled softly and snapped the air with several sharp teeth. Restlessly, she kneaded her claws in the soil and thumped her horns against the rock. The sound was like a woodpecker drilling into a tree.If the woodpecker was the size of a rhinoceros.
I took advantage of the noise and began making my way over to the tree the Chimera was guarding. Ren shoved Kishan, who rolled next to the Chimera. The female hissed, showing more of her teeth. Kishan stared her down, quietly growled back, and fanned his whiskers. He snapped at the creature’s hindquarters. She snarled, rolled onto her back, and nipped at his forelegs. A small burst of fire emitted from her mouth as the Chimera waved a few paws into the air.
Kishan darted away from the flames. The Chimera licked her chops and sneezed, then rolled to six feet and took off after the black tiger. While the three cats chased one another, I made my way to the tree.
The Rope of Fire was on an uppermost limb and just as I placed my hands on the trunk to climb it, the vines began whipping back and forth. A thin vine dipped under the Rope and began unwinding it from the tree.
