The Graveyard
The elf stared at me with her head tilted as curiosity got a hold of her. Darn it, I was hoping she would appease the fiery tiger a bit; I don't want to be interrogated like this... can't we just settle this peacefully?
"Well, your reasons, humans?" The tiger-man roared, demanding an answer. The sheer power of the roar left ripples in the air that damaged my eardrums. It was a good thing I covered Fiona's eyes and ears in time.
Fiona shook her head, setting my hands down to my side. Her voice in a low whisper, she said, "Daddy, we should tell them. They don't look like they want to kill us, maybe they can help us instead..."
I sent a voice transmission in response. I didn't know if tigers or elves have good hearing, but it's better safe than sorry. "Fiona... are you willing to trust them?"
She looked just as curious as me about the other races. But the matter of her birth father's poisoning might have something to do with them... I don't want to see her disappointed or have a fight.
Fiona ignored me as she jumped down from my embrace. Landing on two feet, she turned to face them, her head peeking out from behind me.
Oh, Fiona... do you really think acting cute will work...? Your stubbornness might kill us here! These are the other races, the other races, I repeat! Just because they're curious about us doesn't mean that they don't hate us!
"M-mister tiger... we—we want nothing from you, or from pretty elf sister! Daddy has an emergency back home, so I—I thought that crossing the Forbidden Lands would be faster. M-maybe mister tiger and pretty elf sister can help us?" She asked, her gaze full of tears and expectation.
The tiger-man dropped the pressure as he scratched the back of his head. His tail curled around and his cheeks were red with embarrassment, reminding me of Fiona and her look of a flustered kitten. Except this time... it's with a real big kitten, a tiger, and a male one at that...
D-don't tell me he's a sucker for cute little girls?
"Little girl... since you called Lura here pretty, I shouldn't be a 'mister.' Call me handsome tiger sir instead, and I'll gladly help you out of here!" The tiger-man said, pointing a claw at himself. His face curled up into one of pure bliss as he met Fiona's smile.
"H-handsome tiger s-sir, will you really help us?" Fiona asked, acting like she took a brave step forward towards him. Her eyes were wide with eagerness that gleamed while the moonlight followed her like a spotlight, making her seem like an angel, no, a little moon goddess in more appropriate terms.
Fiona's got another one on her fingers with her cuteness...
The elf sighed exasperatedly as the tiger-man nodded up and down ferociously, like an engine to a car.
"Little girl, don't be scared, handsome tiger sir will definitely help you—acck!" He was patting himself on the chest when the elf pinched him.
"Help them or not, I don't care, Rajah, but they have to do that first." She whispered something into his ear, and his face turned solemn. I braced myself for the worst—did the elf instigate him to attack us? And what do we have to do...?
The tiger looked upwards suddenly and took a long sniff, sending me a great shock. I thought he was calling for reinforcements, but it looks like he's just tracing the other human that they lost.
He turned and sniffed in different directions before finally sighing. "You're right, Lura, he's gone. I've completely lost trace of him, that sneaky bastard. He's good at concealing himself; it looks like these two will have to take over his place."
"Little girl, you must help sir handsome tiger Rajah and pretty elf sister Lura first before we can help you exit the Forbidden Lands, is that all right?" The tiger-man said politely, nodding to Fiona.
She looked at him, then looked at me. Her eyes were of a bright gleam and her lips were a confident smirk, almost as if she was teasing me—look daddy, just follow my lead. Ahh, she's teasing me again... I didn't expect that playing cute would work... who knew that the fiery- and ill-tempered tiger to be a huge softy for Fiona...
Is it because the two of them are both like little kittens, that they have a natural affinity for each other?
I could only make out a wry chuckle and rubbed her cheeks. Stuffing Fiona into my arms again, I turned to the elf. "Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see," she answered mysteriously, and the two climbed the trees. With a flick of her hands, she gestured to us. "Come, don't get left behind."