Her lips curved. “Yes. They seem to forget that, despite my age, I am still one of the best hunters in our ambush.”
“Might as well get this over with. Lead the way.”
Farah conversed with him as they entered the jungle, moving away from the village, Johan and Zafira trailing behind. He and the old woman exchanged tidbits, such as the fact she lost her parents at a young age to poachers and how one of her three children never managed to connect to their primal side.
The admission had him asking, “Does your non-tiger kid know what you are?”
“Yes. We had to explain it because her brother could shift at will from a young age and struggled with the concept of keeping that skill discreet. Usually, they are only told the truth once they’ve managed to change.”
“Does it happen often, someone born of tiger parents not having that ability?”
“Often enough, hence our caution.”
“But they’re family. Don’t you trust them?”
Farah snorted. “Just because they share a bloodline doesn’t mean the non-harimau aren’t scared or jealous.”
Fair point. “Does your non-tiger daughter have kids?”
“You wonder if the gift skipped her and passed on to them?” Farah quickly surmised his reason for asking. “And the answer is yes, hence why I spend much time with them to assess whether or not they will change.”
“And if they do? Then what?”
Her lips turned down. “If at least one of the parents isn’t harimau, then the child is removed.”
“And the parents don’t argue?”
“Not when they think they’re dead. A fake accident that leaves no body behind is common in those cases. The youngster is then fostered with a harimau family member.”
“That seems cruel,” he exclaimed.
“Crueler than their family finding out and ostracizing them? Crueler than our secret being revealed and leading to possible genocide of our kind?”
The sobering revelation led to him asking another question, one closer to home. “What if a tiger shifter falls in love with someone who isn’t? Is that allowed?” Or would their relationship be doomed, like Romeo and Juliet?
Farah’s bright smile returned. “Yes, it’s allowed, even encouraged. Bloodlines are stronger when the pool of mates is wide.”
“But doesn’t that mean there’s a bigger chance the child won’t be harimau?”
“Surprisingly, no, and often if the young ones show the gift early, the non-shifting marital partner, if deemed trustworthy, will be let in on the secret.”
“You mean, they otherwise don’t know?” Phoenix gasped.
“We’ve survived this long by following strict rules about who is allowed in on our secret.”
“How do they usually react when they find out?” Nadirah had taken it well, considering, but Phoenix imagined some would feel blindsided.
“Either they accept, or they die.” A blunt response.
“Harsh.”
“Necessary. We cannot afford to be exposed.” Farah exited the jungle onto the bank of a river that flowed rapidly, churning over rocks. “You will show us your tiger here.”
He could have asked why there, but the location didn’t matter. Given he didn’t have any spare clothes, he shoved his embarrassment deep and stripped bare before he glanced around, looking for a way to hurt himself.
“I don’t suppose I could borrow a knife?” he asked. Cutting would be quickest.
Farah shook her head and then turned to ask Johan and Zafira in Malaysian. No surprise the latter came armed. A machete, sheathed down Zafira’s spine and hidden by her shirt, emerged, but she didn’t hand it over. Rather, she held it poised to strike.
