Special Note: Josh and Mike!
Thanks a ton to you! I’d have been lost without your help!
Chapter
3
“The Night's Melody”
The day was near its end, the
inevitable dance about to begin. A haunting melody trickled down from the
surrounding: murmuring doctors, hushed nurses and groaning patients. The
lighting squeezed in through cracked curtains, giving the room a dim look.
Within was a sleeping tiger, a Siberian Tiger to be exact. Lost in peaceful
slumber, he had no conceivable idea of the spiraling future he was all too soon
about to enter.
A peaceful silence seemed to
envelope the room and Jai was in love with it. From the time of his childhood
on, he had always enjoyed silence, as well as the solitude that came along with
it. It was in these times that he would turn his thoughts to the future, going
from where he was now and listing off the many eventual outcomes he could have.
With a contented sigh he slowly leaned backwards into his pillow, allowing his
heavy lids to close and indulge in serene relaxation.
"I shouldn't have let myself
fall into something as disgraceful as that…no matter how…" Jai mentally
punished himself for wandering back to that which he could not change, knowing
that in doing so he would only be torturing himself.
"Later Jai... you can figure
that out later." He told himself as he started to quietly gaze towards the
back wall, once again soaking in the comforting silence that pervaded his
quarters.
Seconds turned to minutes, minutes
turned to hours, and finally the tiger settled into a sublime state of mind,
his thoughts shifting from childhood to adulthood and back again. A small smile
grew upon those cracked lips of his as he chuckled to himself.
"I guess I should have
listened to my trainer a bit more carefully..." He mused, his thoughts
suddenly interrupted by a loud and exuberant voice from his flank
“My god! You look like the devil
himself leaped clear out of Hell and started beating you with a stick!"
That voice, that rather penetrating
tone of voice that broke the veil of silence was little more welcome than the
sound of nails grating across a chalkboard. Unwanted and certainly unneeded, it
rather irritated him to have his personal space so rudely intruded upon. He
turned his head slowly towards the open doorway with a soft growl emanating
from his throat, not in any mindset to worry about manners or courtesy to
anyone, female or otherwise.
Of course being the rather
exuberant girl that she was, this monkey would let her presence be known beyond
simply speaking. She promptly took her place right on the bed next to the
hostile tiger, as she had done in the past, and began to yammer on as if they
were the oldest and best of friends.
"My, my, my, what in the
blazes happened to you? I do say, you are ripe lucky that I found my way to
this room instead of my normal route. You must be going out of your mind in
here all alone!"
And this wasn't the end of the
girl's verbal barrage. She continued to drone on for what seemed like an
eternity of eternities. He could hear her asking any number of random
questions, though in truth she answered most of them herself anyway, with
little care or requirement of input from the tiger she was talking at.
It seemed to Jai that the limits
of his patience were being pressed more and more with each word she blathered,
almost teasing him with the way she'd appear to be ready to leave only to turn
about and start the banter anew.
"Hello there! My name is
Andrea! What is your name, my friend?" She asked with sickening cheer, her
head cocked to the side in an honest display of curiosity.
Jai could only let out a heavy
sigh as he finally was forced to give up hope of recapturing his serene privacy
any time soon.
"My name is Jai. Jai Taigas
to be exact. Since you seem to have made yourself… well… at home here, I might
as well take the time to get to know you..." He near-growled, ears flat
against his head as he turned his head away from the invading female.
"Well then, Jai, I was just about to clock out and go home when I forgot that you hadn't yet gotten your medicine," She then extended her paws, the left holding out a small cup containing several white pills and the other filled with water, both of which she offered with a friendly smile
Jai
could only shake his head as he reached out to take them. "God, I hate
these things," He muttered under his breath before downing the contents of
both cups in one rude gulp.
Andrea
could only give a light giggle before moving her paw to slap Jai's side with a
firm 'SMACK'! "Silly boy! You're going to need those for when you wake
up."
Andrea's
rather hyper movements could only be rewarded with a loud, drawn-out cry of
pain and discomfort. He moved his paws quickly to grasp his side and growled
out deeply towards the monkey once again. "You little! Are you really a
nurse!? I just had an operation here!"
The day was near its end, the sun
setting in the west as two small children huddled close to one another at the
bus station. Christine, the elder of the two, was more than a bit nervous. If
their baggage were checked, how would they explain it?
For the moment she was able to
brush off that worrisome fact and turn her attention to her brother, who was in
desperate need of just that. She felt she needed to grow up quickly, to be the
mature one so she could protect her little brother from the World's many
dangers. As to whether she felt she was ready... well, that was another matter
altogether.
The hustle and bustle of
surrounding furs was almost overwhelming for the small siblings, the long line
of various canines, felines, and even horses being an overwhelming sight to
behold for them. After what seemed like hours of waiting, the children would
finally come up to their turn… their time to get on the train. The rather tall
and imposing feline that stood before them craned his head downwards to study
the little one's faces, his eyebrow raised curiously as he offered out a single
dirtied paw.
"Your tickets?" He
asked, his foot tapping somewhat impatiently as Christine rummaged through her
various pockets in search for the elusive pieces of paper.
The crowd behind them was growing
restless, tired of waiting for these two unprepared children.
"Hurry up! I've been standing in line for too long already!" An irritated ferret shouted out with a sneer.
Of course this didn't help the
situation in the least, only welcoming more displeased murmurs and resentful
growls from the crowd. The conductor was growing nervous, as well, for it was
his first day on the job and he had no desire to have a riot on his hands. His
mouth seemed to jump ahead of his mind as he sputtered to the children in a
firm and hasty voice, "Just get in!" His other paw pushing the
children in the backs gently to usher them into the train.
Mike gave out a mischievous giggle
as they scurried into the train without a single word of thanks towards the
flustered conductor. They didn't have the time to be polite at the moment.
"We have to find a hiding
place til' we reach
"I know, Christy,
but…where?" The young raccoon lad asked, looking about. "They got
adults everywhere."
Christine was growing rather
impatient with Mike for no real reason besides her own anxiousness, worried
about getting caught when they were so close to their goal. Her paw quickly
snapped outwards, grabbing Mike's in a rough fashion.
"Keep your head down
low!" She whispered yet again, more harshly this time.
Pulling her little brother along,
Christine moved as quickly as she possibly could, weaving in and out of legs,
dodging baggage and random conductors that were calling out last calls to board
the train. Her senses were at a heightened sense of alarm, going on pure
instinct while her heartbeat seemed to race a mile a minute.
Finally, after only a few minutes,
her hawk-like eyes spied the perfect hiding place. Her free paw pointed to a
small area just under the seats as she turned, whispering again to her younger
sibling. "Quick! Under that chair! Between the bags! And stay quiet!"
Her voice, choppy and full of fear, did little to hide the nervousness she obviously felt. Mike knew it was best to listen to his sister in that situation and as such stopped being the pest he normally loved to be. Crawling on all fours, the children just barely dodged the conductor as he made his way through the passenger car, his loud, booming voice resounding clearly to the ears of all the assembled furs.
"Last call! Last call! Pulling out an departing in five minutes!"
Christine and Mike's breathing was ragged as they panted from a mix of worry and exhaustion. Christine's arms wrapped comfortingly around her brother's shoulders, hoping to ease the weight on his wary mind, his distress apparent from the way he shook. His eyes closed tightly as he saw the feet of the conductor approach, hoping that the grown-up wouldn't notice them beneath the seat.
"Your ticket, sir?"
"Jack! Over here!"
The aged bear's eyes slowly roamed about the room, trying to
find where exactly Joy was calling him from. She wasn't in their usual booth,
nor was she near any of the window seats. With a frown upon his face he glanced towards the
room's center, but turned it to a smile when he spied his wife sitting at one of
the tables right across from the old bandstand.
Lee and Lyman were at the bar ordering drinks, leaving Joy at the table alone. Jack and Rob remedied that after a few 'excuse me's and 'pardon's, finally making it over to the table.
"Hello there my sweet," Jack smiled, pausing to kiss his wife before sitting down. "Confused the heck out of me when I didn't see you at our usual booth. Not nice to play tricks on an old fur, you know."
"I know, Hon, I know. Our usual seat was taken," Joy replied with a giggle, returning the quick peck. "Hope you don't mind, but I sent Lyman and Lee for some drink.
Jack would have happily stayed there looking into his wife's eyes had he not heard a small chuckle off to the side, smacking his forehead with the base of his palm in embarrassment.
"How rude of me," Jack apologized with a chuckle of his own. "Joy, this is our newest friend, Rob. Rob, this is my wife of 44 years, Joy."
Rob forced out a rather weak smile, not being able to help but feel dwarfed by the two bears. His single, dirtied paw reached upwards and slowly rubbed through his headfur as he started to gather his sense of the place.
"Rob Dachs, Ma'am. Pleasure to meet the both of you…" he stammered out towards the duo. He then offered a polite pawshake to the female before waiting to be offered a seat at the table, not really sure if his was an accepted intrusion upon this get together yet or not.
"Hello there, Rob, it is indeed a pleasure to meet you," She replied sweetly before turning a reprimanding glare to her husband. "And it's of 47 years."
She followed up with a sarcastic sigh but simply couldn't keep up the facade, soon breakng once again into a giggle as she offered a seat for the newcomer.
A single grubby grasped the aged oak chair before him as he recognized a faint scent that seemed almost to call out to him. Could it be that cursed tiger that he'd been after? Could his luck be so good?
"Rob? You ok?"
Those words brought the aged canine back to reality once more, that distant look fading from his eyes before he started to shake his head slowly.
"Oh, sorry about that. There was a scent…something I smelled that brought back some rather painful memories," He flashed a weak smile towards the two before he pulled the oaken chair back to allow his weary bones a rest. "I take it you two are from around these parts. It must be nice to live in such a beautiful area, eh?"
"Oh no. Don't live anywhere near here, actually. We live a couple hours away, deep down in the boons," Jack's paws nearly engulfed the poor canine as he gave him a friendly pat on the back. "We're here on more of a business sort of thing, to tell you the truth."
Rob's scrutinizing eyes swiveled from one to the other, instinctively checking for any clear cut signs of lies before catching himself
Damn it, not again. Why am I always on the defense like this? I need to stop being so distrustful. Just wish I knew if it were worth the risk… Those words ran through his mind as he brought a friendly smile to his face once more.
"Ah, ok. What sort of business?" Rob asked, quickly adding. "If you don't mind me asking, of course."
"Oh, it's a rather strange story to say the least," She started, shifting her position slightly as she spoke. "We found this tiger near our grounds a few nights ago and oh my, were he in bad shape. Jack and I took him right over to the hospital and we're waiting for a call from the doctors to see if he pulls through or not. Couldn't just dump him off alone and all."
Click! The wheels and gears in the mind of that sly little canine started to sputter and turn the moment her words hit his ears.
“Tiger?” He asked himself. Could it be that same elusive tiger he sought? His curious nature couldn't be contained at that point, for he had a great deal of trouble thinking the end of his little "mission" had come so fast.
"This tiger you found… was it a Siberian tiger, perchance?" Rob asked, though quickly continued when he noticed Joy's expression skew slightly. "I'm on the lookout for a Siberian Tiger, you see. A few days ago I was hiking in the woods with my friend when he went missing, so now I've been asking around to see if anyone has seen him."
Yes, it was a clear cut lie. Yes he did feel bad for lying to those that took him in, but what choice did he have? Did he really want to have Edward Fox after his rear just for a moment's weakness?
"Oh! Well… I'm not sure what exactly a Siberian tiger
would look like, but this one was white with black stripes, if that helps you
any," She paused, tapping her chin as she tried to think of any more
useful information. "If you want to be sure, you can try the hospital.
It's no more then a few minutes down the road. Oh what was that name… Ah yes!
A light smile grew across her lips as she caught sight of the absent three diners, rising in her chair to motion towards the oncoming males.
"About time you three made your way back here, we were getting lonesome. Weren't we Ro-," She stopped in mid-word as she turned back to regard her new acquaintance, her smile quickly replaced by a look of utter confusion.
The seat was empty, and he was gone.
Seconds seemed like hours to the siblings as the conductor still stood nearby, idly tapping his foot no more then a few mere feet away from the children. An aged otter gave a light chuckle as he turned his gaze towards the conductor, an impish grin upon those lips as he spoke in a rough, raspy voice.
"Why hello there. Sorry, I almost zoned out, there," He chuckled again as his worn fingers dug into his deep pocket, pulling out a rather ragged-looking ticket and holding it out to the conductor.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but you're on the wrong train. Your
ticket is set for the
"Why do I have to waste my time and energy to grab my stuff and run across the train yard when it was you conductors that made the mistake of guiding me to the wrong train?" The raccoon practically snarled, digging his claws into the seat cushions about him.
"Please sir, we don't want to make a commotion here. I'm sure that you can make it there if I give you a paw with your luggage," The conductor offered, doing his best to handle the unruly fellow. "Now where did set your baggage?"
Yet another awkward pause ensued as the Conductor waited for the peculiar passenger to respond, but the only reply he got came in the form of that same impish smile. It only grew upon the raccoon's lips as he slowly rose and motioned to the open door.
"No need to worry, Sir," He started with a crack in his strange voice. "I have no luggage, but would you be so kind as to guide me towards the other track please? My sight isn't what it used to be."
"Of course, Sir, it would be my pleasure," The conductor nodded and gently grasped the coon's paw, trying to guide him towards the door while making extra effort to make sure he didn't lose his balance or fall.
"Now, Mike! Run!"
Adrenaline pumped into the blood streams of the two frightened children as they tried to find yet another safe spot for the two to hide, quickly ducking into a pair of unoccupied seats to duck the gaze of the pursuing conductor. After the older otter had passed, seeming quite flustered, Mike poked his head out to take a look. A big smile grew upon his lips as he pointed an eager finger towards the Mink that sat across the aisle from them.
"It's Ryoukosan!" Mike squealed out with delight before making a mad dash towards the seemingly unaware female.
"Ryoukosan!" The two little children screamed out with delight before rushing out of their hiding place, promptly plopping themselves into her lap. "Hi, Big Sister!"
"Ooof! What the?" The mink grunted in surprise, dropping the book she had been reading just a moment before. Now here was something she didn't expect! "How in the world did you two little ones get on this train?"
Both let out a mischievous giggle before Mike replied, "We sneaked on. Conductors are easy to fool."
"Mike!" Christine scolded as she turned towards her younger brother and rewarded him a good pinch on the forearm. "You don't tell adults that stuff! Now she's going to get us kicked off the train! She's not our Big Sister!”
Her arms crossed her chest in a huff as she continued to rant on for what seemed a never-ending minute of time, "We don't need her help! I can protect us both! I'm a big girl!"
Ryoukosan could only shake her head slowly as she took clear
notice of the girl's hostile reaction. The last time she'd seen the pair was
during her last day on the job the Soup Kitchen on
"Christine, are you still mad at me for offering to adopt you?" The mink asked, a sullen tone finding its way into her voice. "I told you all ready that it isn't what you think, then you two ran away and I couldn't find you. You really scared me!"
Tears began to well up within her eyes as she leaned forward slowly and wrapped her arms around the two tykes, squeezing them tightly in her grasp. "Don't ever run away from me like that again, okay?"
"Ah, that's better," Jai sighed leisurely as he leaned back in his bed.
His serenity had returned his room far quieter now that the cursed monkey had taken her leave and was hopefully halfway home by now. A peaceful smile grew upon his face and his arms slowly eased to rest behind his head, his dark brown eyes starting to take another survey of the room as he relished in the silence once more.
"Where exactly am I?" He asked no one in particular before his eyes turned down towards the table that rested to his right.
A card? Jai thought curiously, a confused look shown quite plainly upon his face as he gingerly reached over to grasp the heart shaped card that decorated his otherwise bare bedside table. Whether out of curiosity or simply a lack of other things to do, he brought it up to his face and opened it up, his gaze dancing across the lines of finely penned text.
Dear Jai,
What
a troublesome little feline you’ve been as of late. Running away, the
malcontent,
and
let’s not forget what you’re doing to that poor little mutt of mine. Even as we
speak
he’s
alone in the world, half expecting himself to actually find you. What a joke,
at least
you
got him out of my hair… But, on the other paw, I’d watch my back if I were you,
little
kitten.
Edward Fox
Jai broke out into a coughing fit as he started to lightly
push himself up upon his elbows, ears perked forward as he started to turn his
gaze around the room, scanning for any sign of intrusion, any little bit of
evidence that can found evident by the now alert tiger.
"I got to get out of here," he growled before
starting to force himself up, every part of his body seeming to protest as he
attempted to get up and out of bed.