Beyond The Realms

Chapter 27

My knee jerk reaction is to run away screaming but I remind myself that this great white tiger looking at me is Prince Ruslan's familiar.

The animal must have felt the Prince's pain .

The tiger steps towards me and I step back instantly , closer to the lying prince .The tiger notices my movement with its huge feline eyes its expression weary .

Can tigers look weary ?

I scream as it clenches the edge of my sleeve in its jaws and tugs at me forcing me away from the injured Prince .

" What are you doing ? " I let out panicked shrieks as the tiger keeps tugging insistently.

The tugging becomes all the more forceful and it growls a little as if somehow the giant predatory feline is becoming frustrated with me . I try to calm myself down though I'm absolutely aware that this majestic predator can gobble me up in minutes " What do you want to do ?"

Not letting go of my sleeve from its mouth it leads me towards the mouth of the cave.
" You...You want me to follow you ?"

Since the tiger does not growl or snarl at me I take that as a yes.

Wow look at me trying to talk to a tiger !

The tiger grabs my sleeve again and this time I let it lead me outside the cave and as soon as I see what is outside I want to run back inside and probably lock the cave if it had door . But I resist the urge .

There are so many great white tigers at the mouth of the cave it makes my legs tremble but none of them attack or even roar at me as they quietly open a path in front of me from amidst their group.

" You are taking me somewhere?" I ask the tiger leading me by the sleeve .

The tiger lets out a small rumbling sound from deep within its throat.
I might have been scared which is instinct when you see a predator as powerful as a tiger but I have also established that this tiger does not have me on it's menu ,after all it literally has my arm in its powerful jaw . If it had wanted to eat me it would have started the feast already.

" Wherever you are taking me we need to get back to the Prince quickly" I say out loud wondering if this graceful predator understands me.

It leads me on a twisted path covered in bushes and bambles until we are in front of a huge tree.

I look at the tree puzzled. I see huge trees all the time in this forest . All have brown barks and green leaves and Wait a minute....
Is that a house at the top of a tree ?

I look at the tiger beside me in surprise and it gently but firmly pushes me in the direction of the tree.

" You want me to climb the tree?" I recieve a gentle push again " OK I'm going "

I wish I could say the climb was easy and it took me only a second to get to the house but it wasn't , because I'm no Tarzan dammit !

When I get closer to the house and inhale the smells coming from inside it I can't help but grin.

Herbs.
Aunt Vic sometimes uses them to sleep better.

I can help the Prince now.

" Knocking down my front door won't put me in a mood to help you " An annoyed voice yells from inside the house though I have yet to knock on the door when it swings open.