Page 5 of Tiger's Trek
Danik spluttered his tea.
“There now, son. Don’t waste it. It’s a good brew.” Leaning over, the man refilled Danik’s cup and gestured that Veru should commence drinking her own. She sipped carefully and found the beverage delightful. Still suspicious, but delightful.
“So you’re saying she’s a tiger?” Danik asked, confused.
“Oh yes. Indeed she is. Not at the moment, of course.”
“Not at all, apparently,” Veru countered.
“Really?” the man said. “That’s terribly interesting. You’re saying you can’t even change for a short time?”
Veru shook her head. “Not at all.”
“And do you possess the tiger’s abilities?”
“Not as far as I can tell.”
“How fascinating.”
Danik spoke up. “I don’t understand. What’s fascinating? Who are you, and what’s going on?”
“Ah yes.” The man set down his own cup on a nearby rock. When he leaned over, Veru noticed an amulet hanging around his neck. It looked similar to her own, but not quite. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Anik Kadam.”
“You’re a tiger too!” Veru exclaimed.
The man looked at her quizzically. “Why would you assume so?”
“The charm you wear. It’s like ours.”
“Hmm. Very astute.”
Anik pulled the charm out to show them. “Do you see the writing on the edge?”
“Yes,” they echoed, peering at it in the firelight. “It’s a different language,” Veru said.
“Exactly. This charm was loaned to me. I wear it for safekeeping and for protection, but the tiger remains with the owner.”
“Then there are tigers in your part of the world as well?”
The man paused. “Yes. I suppose that is the best explanation for the moment.”
Veru snapped her fingers. “It’s the scroll prophecy. It said something about learning from our elders.”
“Right. Well, I suppose you could call me an elder, though technically speaking?—”
Veru stretched out her legs, crossing them at the ankles, and interrupted the man. “So teach us. What do we need to do to get out of here, get home, and get rid of the tigers permanently? That is why we’re here, right?” She jerked her thumb at Danik. “Also, he needs his memory back. He must’ve been thumped on the head during the transition. He has no idea what’s going on.”
“Icanspeak for myself, you know,” Danik groused.
Anik Kadam held up his hands. “Keep in mind, I am here as your guide, not as your fix-it man. I’m not the Wizard of Oz, young lady, here to give him a brain and you a trip home to Kansas. You young people have a set number of tasks ahead of you. How—or if—you complete your journey will determine the course of your life. This is true of all of us, of course. In your case, the process is simply accelerated. Trust me when I say it’s for your own good. It’s no small thing either. And definitely not something you want to face on an empty stomach or without a good night’s rest. I insist. Questions will wait. I’ll set you on your path in the morning. The others are being told the same thing.”
“Hold on. You know where the others are?”
“Yes. We are the ones who created this dream, after all.”
Chapter2
WHEN LEADING A TIGER ABOUT BY THE NOSE, ONE MUST BE CAREFUL
