Tiger's Curse (22 page)

I stepped out and looked up at him. “I’ll have to sleep in the jungle again, won’t I? Are you sure I can’t go with you while he gets whatever it is he needs?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Kelsey, but in this case he will need you. It’s something he can’t do without you and may not even be able to do with you.”

I groaned, “Right. And, you, of course, can’t tell me what it is.”

“It’s not for me to tell. This is his story to share.”

I muttered, “Fine. And you’ll be back to pick us up when?”

“I will go into town and purchase a few items. Then I’ll meet you back here in about three or four days. I may end up having to wait for you. He might not be able to find what he is searching for on the first couple of nights.”

I sighed and glared at Ren. “Great. More jungle. Okay, let’s get on with it. Please lead the way.”

Mr. Kadam handed me a bottle of bug spray with sunscreen, placed some items in my backpack, and helped fit it onto my shoulders. I sighed deeply as I watched him pull away in the Jeep. Then I turned to follow Ren off into the jungle.

“Hey, Ren. How come I always have to follow you into a jungle? How about next time you follow me to a nice spa or maybe to the beach? How about that?”

He snuffed and kept on moving.

“Fine, but you owe me after this.”

We walked the rest of the afternoon.

Later, I heard a rumbling noise ahead of us but couldn’t figure out what it was. The farther we walked, the louder the noise grew. We walked through a grove of trees and into a small clearing. Finally, I saw the source of the sound. It was a beautiful waterfall.

A series of gray stones were spread out like steps onto a tall hill. The water foamed and flowed over each stone, plummeted down, and spread out like a fan falling to a wide turquoise pool below. Trees and small bushes with petite red flowers surrounded the pool. It was lovely.

As I approached one of the bushes, I noticed it looked like it was moving. At my next step, hundreds of butterflies took to the air. There were two varieties: one was brown with cream-colored stripes and the other was brownish-black with blue stripes and dots. I laughed and twirled around in a cloud of butterflies. When they settled again, several landed on my arms and my shirt.

I climbed a rock that looked out over the falls and studied a butterfly perched on my finger. When it flew off, I stood quietly watching the water tumble down. Then I heard a voice behind me.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s my favorite place in the entire world.”

“It is. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Ren came up to me and nudged a butterfly from my arm to his finger. “These are called crow butterflies, and the others are blue tigers. The blue tigers are brighter and easier to spot, so they live with the crows for camouflage.”

“Camouflage? Why do they need it?”

“The crows are inedible. In fact, they’re poisonous, so other butterflies try to mimic them to fool predators.”

He took my hand and guided me a little way along a path by the falls. “We’ll make camp here. Go ahead and sit down. I have something I need to tell you.”

I found a flat place and set down the backpack. I pulled out a bottle of water and settled myself against a rock. “Okay, go ahead.”

Ren began pacing back and forth and started speaking. “The reason we’re here is because I need to find my brother.”

I choked on my mouthful of water. “Your brother? I assumed he was dead. You haven’t mentioned him at all, except that he was cursed with you. You mean he’s still alive and lives here?”

“To be honest with you, I don’t know if he’s still alive or not. I assume he is because I am. Mr. Kadam believes that he still lives here in this jungle.”

He turned and looked at the waterfall, and then sat down next to me, stretched out his long legs, and picked up my hand. He toyed with my fingers as he spoke, “I believe he’s still alive. It’s just a feeling I have. My plan is to search the area in ever-widening circles. Eventually, one of us will cross the other’s scent. If he doesn’t show up or if I can’t catch his scent in a few days, we’ll go back, find Mr. Kadam, and continue our journey.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Wait here. I’m hoping that if he won’t listen to me, meeting you might convince him. Also, I hope that—”

“Hope what?”

He shook his head. “It’s not important now.” He squeezed my hand distractedly and jumped up. “Let me help you set up camp quickly before I begin my search.”

Ren went off to look for firewood while I unrolled a small easy-to-set-up two-person tent strapped to the outside of the backpack.
Thank you, Mr. Kadam!
I zipped open the tent bag and spread it out on a patch of even ground. After a few minutes, Ren came over to help me. He already had a fire going and had a nice stack of wood to keep it ablaze.

“That was fast,” I muttered jealously as I stretched the tent fabric over a hook.

He popped his head over the other side and grinned. “I was trained extensively on how to live outdoors.”

“I guess.”

He laughed. “Kells, there are many things that you know how to do that I don’t. Like setting up this tent apparently.”

I smiled. “Pull the fabric down over the hook on the stake.”

We finished up quickly, and he dusted off his hands.

“We didn’t have tents like these three hundred years ago. They look similar, but these are much more complicated. We just used wooden poles.”

He walked up to me, tugged on my braid, and impulsively kissed my forehead. “Keep the fire going. It scares wild animals away. I’m going to circle the area a few times, but I’ll be back before it gets dark.”

Ren bounded off into the jungle as a tiger again. I tugged on my braid, thought about him for a minute, and smiled.

While I waited for him to come back, I looked through my backpack to see what Mr. Kadam had provided for dinner.
Ah, he outdid himself again—freeze-dried chicken and rice with chocolate pudding for dessert.
I poured some water from my bottle into a little pot and set it on a flat rock that I had pushed into the coals. When the water bubbled, I used a T-shirt as a pot holder and transferred the hot water to my dinner pouch. I waited several minutes for it to reconstitute, and then enjoyed my meal, which wasn’t half bad actually. It sure was tastier than Sarah’s tofu turkey at Thanksgiving.

The sky started to darken, and I decided I’d feel safer in my tent, so I climbed in and folded my quilt up to use as a pillow.

Ren returned shortly after that, and I heard him place more wood on the fire. He said, “No sign of him yet.” Then he changed back to a tiger and settled himself at the tent opening.

I unzipped the tent and asked him if he would mind me using his back as a pillow again. He moved and stretched out as an answer. I scooted closer, laid my head on his soft fur, and wrapped my quilt around me. His chest rumbled rhythmically in a deep purr, which helped me to fall asleep.

Ren was gone when I awoke and returned around lunchtime as I was brushing out my hair.

“Here, Kells. I brought you something,” he said unassumingly and held out three mangos.

“Thanks. Uh, dare I ask where you got them?”

“Monkeys.”

I stopped in mid-brush. “Monkeys? What do you mean monkeys?”

“Well, monkeys don’t like tigers because tigers eat monkeys. So, when a tiger comes around, they jump up in the trees and pummel the tiger with fruit or feces. Lucky for me today they threw fruit.”

I gulped. “Have you ever . . .
eaten
a monkey?”

Ren grinned at me. “Well, a tiger does have to eat.”

I dug a rubber band out of the backpack so I could braid my hair. “Ugh, that’s disgusting.”

He laughed. “I didn’t really eat a monkey, Kells. I’m just teasing you. Monkeys are repellant. They taste like meaty tennis balls and they smell like feet.” He paused, “Now a nice juicy deer,
that
is delectable.” He smacked his lips together in an exaggerated way.

“I don’t think I really need to hear about your hunting.”

“Really? I quite enjoy hunting.”

Ren froze into place. Then, almost imperceptibly, he lowered his body slowly to a crouch and balanced on the balls of his feet. He placed a hand in the grass in front of him and began to creep closer to me. He was tracking me, hunting me. His eyes locked on mine and pinned me to the spot where I was standing. He was preparing to spring. His lips were pulled back in a wide grin, which showed his brilliant white teeth. He looked . . . feral.

He spoke in a silky, mesmerizing voice, “When you’re stalking your prey, you must freeze in place and hide, remaining that way for a long time. If you fail, your prey eludes you.” He closed the distance between us in a heartbeat.

Even though I’d been watching him closely, I was startled at how fast he could move. My pulse started thumping wildly at my throat, which was where his lips now hovered as if he were going for my jugular.

He brushed my hair back and moved up to my ear, whispering, “And you will go . . . hungry.” His words were hushed. His warm breath tickled my ear and made goose bumps fan out over my body.

I turned my head slightly to look at him. His eyes had changed. They were a brighter blue than normal and were studying my face. His hand was still in my hair, and his eyes drifted down to my mouth. I suddenly had the distinct impression that this was what it felt like to be a deer.

Ren was making me nervous. I blinked and swallowed dryly. His eyes darted back up to mine again. He must have sensed my apprehension because his expression changed. He removed his hand from my hair and relaxed his posture.

“I’m sorry if I frightened you, Kelsey. It won’t happen again.”

When he took a step back, I started breathing again. I said shakily, “Well, I don’t want to hear any more about hunting. It freaks me out. The least you could do is not tell me about it. Especially when I have to spend time with you outdoors, okay?”

He laughed. “Kelsey, we all have some animalistic tendencies. I loved hunting, even when I was young.”

I shuddered. “Fine. Just keep your animalistic tendencies to yourself.”

He leaned toward me again and pulled on a strand of my hair. “Now, Kells, there
are
some of my animalistic tendencies that you seem to like.” He started making a rumbling sound in his chest, and I realized that he was
purring
.

“Stop that!” I sputtered.

He laughed, walked over to the backpack, and picked up the fruit. “So, do you want any of this mango or not? I’ll wash it for you.”

“Well, considering you carried it in your mouth all that way just for me. And taking into account the source of said fruit. Not really.”

His shoulders fell, and I hurried to add, “But I guess I
could
eat some of the inside.”

He looked up at me and smiled. “It’s not freeze-dried.”

“Okay. I’ll try some.”

He washed the fruit, peeled off the outside with a knife from the backpack, and sliced off segments for me. We sat next to each other and enjoyed the fruit. It was juicy and delicious, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much I liked it.

“Ren?” I licked the juice from my fingers and took another piece.

“Yes?”

“Is it safe to swim by the waterfall?

“Sure. It should be safe enough. This place used to very special to me. I came here all the time to escape the pressures of palace life and to have time to be alone and think.”

He looked at me. “In fact, you’re the first person I’ve ever shown it to, other than my family and Mr. Kadam, of course.”

I looked at the beautiful waterfall and began to speak quietly, “There are dozens of waterfalls in Oregon. My family used to take picnics by them. I think we saw most of the falls in the state. I remember standing close to one watching it with my dad while the cloud of spray slowly soaked us.”

“Did any of them look like this one?”

I smiled. “Nope. This one’s unique. My favorite time to visit was in the winter, actually.”

“I’ve never seen a waterfall in the winter.”

“It’s beautiful. The water freezes as it falls down the craggy mountains. The smooth rocks around the falls become slick with ice, and, as more water pours over them, icicles start to grow. The spiky ice slowly swells and lengthens as it creeps down the hill, stretching and crackling and breaking until the icy tips touch the water below in long, thick, twisted ropes. The water that’s still moving seeps, dribbling over the icicles slowly and glazing it in shiny layers. In Oregon, the surrounding hills are lush with evergreens, and are sometimes tipped with snow.”

He didn’t respond.

“Ren?” I turned to see if he was still paying attention, and I found him studying me intently.

A slow, lazy smile lit his face. “That sounds very beautiful.”

I blushed and quickly looked away.

He deliberately cleared his throat. “It sounds amazing, but cold. The water here doesn’t freeze.” He took my hand and laced our fingers together. “Kelsey, I’m sorry your parents are gone.”

“Me too. Thanks for sharing your waterfall with me. My parents would have loved it here.” I smiled at him and then jerked my head toward the jungle. “If you don’t mind, I’d like a bit of privacy so I can change into my swimsuit.”

He stood and bowed to me dramatically. “Never let it be said that Prince Alagan Dhiren Rajaram denied the request of a beautiful lady.” He washed his sticky hands in the pool, changed to a tiger, and trotted off into the jungle.

I gave Ren some time to move off, slipped on my swimsuit, and dove into the water.

It was crystal clear, and it quickly cooled my hot, sweaty skin. It felt delicious. After swimming and exploring in the pond, I swam to the falls and found a rock to sit on just under the spray. I let the water pound over my body in icy cold blasts. Later, I scooted over to the sunny side of the rock and folded my legs up out of the water. Pulling my wet hair over my shoulder, I let the sun warm me.

I felt like a mermaid looking over her tranquil domain. It was so peaceful and pleasant here. With the blue water, the green trees, and the butterflies fluttering here and there, it was like a scene right out of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
. I could even picture the fairies flitting from flower to flower.