Page 68 of Tiger's Tale
22
DON’T DIVIDE THE PELT OF A BEAR THAT ISN’T DEAD
It took the little group three days traveling at top speed to get to the Dreaming Mountain. When they reached the base, they stopped. By that time Danik and Nikolai were both furious with the newcomer, Iriko, who had assumed full responsibility for the tigers and the journey. Though he was younger than the other men, he was much larger, bolder, and brasher. It wasn’t that they were particularly frightened of him; it just seemed like less trouble to let him have his way.
Iriko also had the ability to communicate with the tigers, and that was worth something, even if the others resented it somewhat. Danik and Nikolai did, however, take great pleasure in blaming him for running out of their carefully preserved stash of meat. Iriko, though in human form, retained a tiger-sized appetite, and by the time they stopped, they were out of food entirely.
Apparently, Iriko, being unable to see the provisions, ate freely, assuming there were more. With nothing left to feed the exhausted tsarinas, and the men, with the exception of the priest, spoiling for a fight, the three others decided to head out in different directions, trying to hunt some game for the tired cats, each man feeling incredibly guilty for their own reasons.
If any of them had ideas about trying to hold Iriko back from wandering off on his own due to his disability, he quickly proved he needed no such pampering. With the heightened senses of a tiger, he lifted his nose to the air and padded off without so much as a fare-thee-well to his newfound companions.
Meanwhile, Zakhar took advantage of the quiet to build up a little fire and spend time making more copies of the prophecy, trying his best to figure out the meanings of various passages on his own. He thought to share it with the others from time to time on their journey, but with tempers raised, a good moment never came. The others were always arguing about something or another. He did take the opportunity to read his work to the napping tigers though. They lifted their heads and blinked, acknowledging that they were listening, though they couldn’t respond without Iriko nearby.
He was deep in his work, catching up on his chronicles of the journey thus far, when Nikolai returned. He’d apparently set a few of Danik’s traps and had been planning to make their camp a bit more comfortable for the evening.
“What are you working on?” he asked Zakhar as he prepared the sleeping furs.
“I’m trying to draw a likeness of Iriko and his mother, but I fear I’m not doing either of them justice.”
“May I take a look?”
“Certainly.”
After a long moment of perusal, Nikolai handed the page back to the priest. “It’s good,” he said. “But you’ve forgotten the most important piece.”
“Did I?” Zakhar said, quickly scanning the page. “I have the cloak here and the fact that he’s wearing no footwear. I’m still working on his musculature, if that’s what you mean. I don’t often see specimens with his, shall we say, bulk.”
Nik snorted. “I’m not talking about his physique. I mean the tiger token.”
Clucking and shaking his head, Zakhar said, “How foolish of me. I was caught up in the emotion of the reunion between mother and son and forgot the purpose for which we were seeking him out. Forgive my disregard. I will attempt to correct my mistake immediately.”
Shrugging, Nik returned to his work. “Isn’t that your true purpose? To repair family bonds and help people find renewed joy in life, whether with one another or with God?”
Zakhar lifted his head and considered Nik’s statement. “It is.”
“Then why feel sorry for doing your job?”
“I... I wish to contribute to the group as best I can.”
“Believe me—if you can help us keep the peace, you are contributing.”
“I’ll try, but... I fear I am failing in that regard as well. I’ve left you to your squabbles and instead have become absorbed in my studies.” Zakhar went back to half-heartedly scratching on the page but then stopped. “Nik?” he asked. “Is there something you’d like to talk about or perhaps some guidance I can offer regarding the infighting between you three?”
Nik sighed. “No. It took time with Danik. It will probably take more time with this one. The weird thing is... if he was a cat, I’d probably get along with him better.”
“It’s interesting, isn’t it?”
“What’s interesting?” Nik asked, dragging a felled log closer to their fire.
“How the new addition has, in some way, bonded you and Danik.”
“I suppose,” he agreed, sharpening Danik’s axe before splitting the log. “At least the hunter hasn’t played any music lately. Seems melancholy because of it too.”
“I agree.” Zakhar bent his head over his paper again, careful to shield it from the light snowfall. After a moment, he called out, “Nikolai?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m afraid I cannot recall what the tiger token looks like. Perhaps you might be able to describe it for me?”
