Nadirah lay down, her head pillowed on his flank. She slept, but without the tremors and chills of before. The fever appeared to have broken, and when she woke from her nap, she rummaged for food. She offered him some, but he shook his head and instead waded into the river for a fresh-caught fish. Might as well save their supplies. Besides, his tiger enjoyed the raw meal. So weird how the blood of it didn’t trigger the change.
He licked Nadirah’s wound again a few hours later. By morning, her ankle looked much better, and she even got up and walked around a little bit. When she wandered to the riverbank, he remained close by to protect.
They spent that day mostly resting, with him licking her wound at intervals, pleased that it already appeared muchbetter. During that time, she spoke to him, despite the fact he couldn’t reply. Telling stories about her childhood, giving him a glimpse of the woman. While he already found her attractive—and couldn’t get enough of her scent—he also found himself liking her as a person. She had a sharp wit and obviously didn’t lack for bravery, given her dangerous choice in jobs. He knew from his research on tigers that, while the felines didn’t actively hunt people, mishaps did happen, especially with those in captivity.
That night, she curled against him, unbothered by his beastly shape, probably one of the few people who accepted and didn’t fear. It felt nice to not feel like a freak.
In the morning, she declared herself ready to continue their journey and began packing their things.
He cocked his head in question.
“I’m fine, and we can’t camp here forever. We’ll run out of food. Not to mention, the sooner we do this, the sooner we can leave the jungle and find a real bed for the night.”
He snorted.
“Yes, you make a comfy pillow, but your cat snores.”
He reared indignantly, and she giggled. The best sound in the world.
“I’ll be fine.”
The issue came when she went to grab both packs. Oh hell no. He nosed a bag, and she glanced at him, chewing her lower lip.
“You want to carry it?”
He nodded.
“I don’t think I can loosen the straps enough to get it around your body.”
He grumbled.
Her lips pursed. “They’re not that heavy. I’ll be fine.”
His teeth clamped onto a bag and tugged.
She sighed. “If you insist.”
She allowed him to carry a bag in his mouth, not ideal, but better than having her toting it. They set off on foot, with her handling the compass, but soon he didn’t need her pointing it to see if they remained on track.
The scent of men came to him. He could even hear the murmur of voices. They were close to something.
When Nadirah whispered, “I think we’re almost there,” he dropped the bag. Nadirah sat down on it and whispered, “What now?”
Now he’d scout. How to convey that? Anyone watching would have ogled in disbelief as he waggled his paw at her and then stamped it on the ground before tapping himself and pointing in the direction where he scented people.
“You want me to stay here?” she properly interpreted, and he nodded.
“Be careful.”
He planned to, because it wasn’t just his life on the line.
The dense jungle provided plenty of camouflage as he crept close to the voices. He couldn’t understand a word they said but didn’t imagine it involved him. No one knew they were coming.
He selected a tree with sturdy limbs and climbed it, using it as a bridge to the next one, bringing him closer and closer to the edge of a clearing, where he spotted canvas tents and crates. A few all-terrain vehicles were parked. That would have been handy, rather than walking.
He spent the next hour watching. Counting. Six guards, armed with rifles. All male and, given their demeanor, possibly military trained. There was also an older gent with spectacles, stocky with his hair cut short. Given he sat typing on a laptop, he must be the archeologist. Of the group, only two appeared Malaysian, and all spoke English. Strange, as he would have expected a historic site to be using locals only.
Late afternoon, Phoenix returned to Nadirah, relieved to find her safe. Leaving her alone hadn’t been ideal, but neither did he want her walking into a possible volatile situation.
