Page 71 of Tiger's Tale
“Can she though?” Danik asked. “She’s injured now. I think you can do without a meal or two so she and her babies can live.”
Iriko blinked once and then twice, his blue eyes unfocused. “You aren’t like the other hunters I’ve seen. They take and take with no thought of saving. Most hunters would have looked at that bear and seen only the wealth in her fur. But this one”—he jerked his thumb in Zakhar’s direction but missed him completely—“wants to be a kormilica, and you want to feed the mother, who would eat you if you gave her a chance.”
“Yeah? Well, we’ll be feeding that bear an injured priest in a minute if we don’t get him out of there.”
“Um, there’s a slight problem,” Zakhar said somewhat sheepishly as he tried and failed to nudge the polar bear cubs back into their cave. “I seem to have twisted my ankle. I’m not sure I can get up the hill.”
“Fantastic,” Danik said under his breath. Then, shifting his pack off his back, called out, “Hold on. I’m coming down.”
Iriko threw out an arm to stop him. “I will do this for you. Wait here.”
“No, Iriko. Wait!” But Danik’s words had no effect.
With a mighty leap, Iriko was down and standing next to Zakhar. Before the priest could protest, he wrenched the man to his feet, flung him across his back, and with a series of running steps, he was up and at the top of the hill. “There,” he said, yanking Zakhar from his back and dumping him in the snow as if he were nothing more than a sack of potatoes.
“Ow!” Zakhar said in protest, clutching his ankle.
“Er, thanks,” Danik said, helping his friend to his feet. He put Zakhar’s arm around his shoulders, and the two began to hobble back to camp. They’d only gone a few steps when they heard the mewing cry of the two bear cubs, who were making a desperate attempt to follow them.
“Poor things,” Danik said. “You’re right. They’re hungry.” Pulling Zakhar’s arm away and steadying him, he said, “Iriko, hold on to Zakhar for a moment. I’ve still got some meat in my bag.”
Grunting, Iriko rolled his unseeing eyes, but obeyed. He was about to pick Zakhar up again and toss him over his shoulders when the priest protested and said, “Just let me lean on your arm for a moment, would you?”
Danik tossed a bit of roasted deer meat down to the two cubs, who ran after it, playing with it for a moment before ripping it apart and devouring it. “Come on,” he said, taking Zakhar’s arm again. “Let’s get some distance between us and them, before Mom comes back.”
After they returned to camp and Zakhar was settled, getting all his papers in order, Danik asked Nik to borrow the boots. He sped from trap to trap, collecting all of them and any animals he’d caught. Quickly he decided on which they wanted to skin and keep for themselves and which they could spare, and he left a pile of them at the lip of the bear’s cave so they’d have food for several days, then he sped back and removed the boots.
The group took stock of their supplies and divided up the remaining meat, giving the tigers enough for the journey ahead and saving some for later, then they packed up everything and were about to place the boots on the feet of the tigers when Iriko held up a hand.
“The mountain isn’t far from here. This is a magic place. A place for tigers. We don’t know if the three of you will even be welcome to set foot upon it. I think it’s best if you stay here and camp. Or, even better, head back to the nearest settlement and wait for our return.”
“Absolutely not,” Nik began.
“You need me,” Danik protested.
“I think we should listen,” Zakhar said, putting his hands on the other men’s shoulders. “He could be right. What if the mountain rejects us? We’re only human, after all.”
“But my job is to protect the tsarevnas,” Nik said. “It’s my duty. What if they perish there, and I was down here roasting a fish? How could I live with myself?”
Iriko snorted. “Like you could catch a fish.”
Nik’s face went purple. “You arrogant...” He couldn’t help himself; he began chanting a spell, a dark one, one he’d promised himself he’d never ever use, and Iriko’s breath cut off.
“Stop that immediately,” Zakhar commanded, shaking Nik. “You don’t really want to do that, and you know it.”
Nik ceased his spell, and Iriko started breathing normally. Veru glanced up at Iriko and then at Nik and growled softly. Wincing, Nik looked straight into Veru’s eyes and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
Her growl cut off, but it was Iriko who answered. “No harm done. I suppose I deserved it. Didn’t know you were a budding shaman.”
“I’m not. I’m a...” Nik didn’t know how to finish that sentence. “Well, I’m not a shaman,” he said lamely.
“I have an idea,” Danik said. “Since our shaman here has those magic boots, and we’re heading to a magic place, why don’t we let the magic decide?”
“What do you mean?” Iriko said, folding his arms across his beefy chest.
“I mean let’s put the boots out for the tigers, and if they create something for all of us to head up the mountain, then we all go; but if not, then we’ll agree that those of us of a human nature will... stay behind. Is that acceptable?”
Nik shook his head nearly imperceptibly at Danik, not wanting to take the risk, but Zakhar voiced loudly that he agreed, making the decision for them.
