6.5

Rey, somewhat puzzled by the question, answered truthfully. "Yes. I have recollection of much of what happened while I was in my mother's belly....."

With a smile on his face, Heroclades was silent for a long moment:

"I found you. I found the one I was looking for," he thought as one who saw the green of nature more radiant than ever, the sky more luminous and everything around him looking better. Aloud he added another question:

"Can you feel the wind in your face?"

Rey, while seeing the symbol on the cover of the huge book hanging from his master's waist, at the same time he also listened to the third question that the latter addressed to him, as one who was inspired to say something.

"Take a deep breath. Enjoy this calm, the life and the air around you. Insignificant things you fail to notice when in truth they are so necessary and wonderful. Oh, my disciple, enjoy. Enjoy much now and whenever you can, for I assure you that a busy future lies ahead, and eagerly awaits you. You will train much. Training that will have the purpose of becoming the compass that will guide you on the path of survival. As soon as you and your siblings learn how to guide yourselves through the calamities, we will return to the house so that the other members of the herd will form a different opinion of you... That you are not a burden and, of course, that you are not a threat and will be able to go through the initiation."

Before any further comment could be made on the air, the attention of Rey and Heroclades was caught by a Paradise guardian cub crying for help.

A helpless baby liger, in cries, called out to the one who was missing. Hungry and battered, it staggered listlessly through the undergrowth. The creature screeched as loudly as the strength of its tired lungs would allow. Rey, concerned, surveyed the area until he came upon the little cub:

"Am I seeing what I'm seeing?" he asked in a low, almost trembling voice, as one who was disappointed and could not believe what was happening.

Both walkers stopped. Rey looked up to see his master. Before this fact, Heroclades made a gesture of confirmation and decided to cross his arms to observe the so empathic and unusual behavior of his disciple. For him it was a good opportunity to see how the little one without a last name related to other living beings.

Heroclades knew that no matter how hard he tried, how much he was advised or disciplined, someone of an intelligent nature could not always be in control of himself and avoid behavior suggestive of his mental condition or power. "No matter how correct a Of-Bastador might want to act, he will always be exposed because of his personality alterations, especially to those who are weaker than he is," the old man thought.

In this case, faced with an intelligent and rational disciple, who was perhaps already aware of his problem and the consequences to which his condition led, Heroclades expected to see, during the course of his training, Rey present one or several obsessions against which he would fight all the time to maintain a normal appearance. And what better opportunity to see these behavioral events than by letting his disciple have a pet. The desire to harm and cause suffering to others is like an intrusive, uncontrollable, suffering-generating thought.

On the other hand, after receiving his master's approval, Rey returned his gaze to the small feline. He did not understand how it was possible that the large and majestic white beasts, which he remembered for being true examples of familiarity, could leave their young unattended. Lowering his body almost to the height of the small feline, Rey approached and extended his hand in its direction.

"It has to be a mistake, maybe they are looking for you... Two parents must be desperate to find you. Come to me and I will help you find them, you don't deserve to suffer what I have."

Heroclades upon hearing his disciple's words did not know what to think. He was prepared to watch him violate the rights of the small defenseless animal, tear off its legs, gouge out its eyes, pierce an object through its stomach and make it walk until it died of pain and suffering without any remorse or empathy. But he had given up his arrogant and haughty behavior to help someone else not go through what he was going through. "Sure, instinctively, Rey is doing for others what he wants others to do for him," he came to a conclusion. Ripping any thoughts related to personality changes from his mind, Heroclades completely dismissed the idea that disciple could be a Of-Bastador:

"I warn that being strong becomes a lonely path" Heroclades said aloud with some regret."

He was seeing things differently, a somewhat troubled future.

"I do not recommend your intention. Far from helping, you're going to end up doing a lot of damage. Still, if you plan to let him come with you to help him, never take his licking as something to be scorned."

Combining a dose of cruel curiosity and reality, the master warned his pupil, seeing that the latter's gaze had become attached to the liger puppy and was trying to make contact. Rey was looking for a family. It is not unusual for someone like him to choose to find someone younger and fit him in.

Heroclades continued his words:

"If he licks you, he will feel strange. The feline's tongue is rough, but he would be making you one of his own. In that affable gesture he will share his scent with you....".

The master continued speaking as he saw that the boy awakened feelings for those who needed someone.

"Admire that creature. It is an intelligent animal in recognizing that it can no longer live alone, but, even so, it distrusts you. It does not understand your language, nor your intentions or your motives. Unfortunately, perhaps its experiences shaped the way it behaves. Eating the flesh of creatures similar to you doesn't make you very trustworthy. On the other hand, good things don't come by themselves. He needs support and is making you qualified by the simple fact that he is faltering. Don't turn him away, or let your intentions waver now when he is at his weakest" Rey approached slowly in front of the small feline who was looking at him with intrigue. "He is a great cub and at some point he will be able to shine. Come closer. Show him something why he should trust you. His coat is dirty, but you should not show rejection for that reason. It may be that such a gesture on your part will make him lose his will to live, as it could end up amplifying his feeling of being abandoned."

Listening to Heroclades' advice, the little guy shed his upper garments and careful not to scare the striped cub away, tossed them aside. "Felines may not have faces that show emotions like I can show, but they can look and also understand. Understand that I also need someone, that my father and mother also abandoned me...", thought Rey, who with his hands took from the earth at his feet and rubbed them over his body to get dirty and, instead of extending his arms, on his knees he left his chest bare and showed a face of sadness that said "I am like you".

Heroclades opened his eyes and although he hid it with his hand, he laughed at the sincerity of the little boy. A parody of what he was seeing, as if the sick man was taking care of the wounded one.

On the other hand, the puppy was trying to stand as firm as he could. He no longer squealed as before, but looked with his sharp eyes and pointed ears in the direction of the being so different who, at the same time, looked so similar. With hesitation in its footsteps, the feline approached emitting a strange noise. One that the white-eyed youth had never heard before.

Heroclades, seeing the surprised expression his disciple wore, decided to explain:

"Purring. You shall not worry. That sound has the characteristic of reassuring him when he is frightened. He is throwing himself to trust you" Once the two little ones made contact he continued. "You can bring him with you, but from here on out it will be up to you whether he will become your best companion."

In a loud voice, even more inspired, he continued to speak almost shouting, scaring the little feline unaware.

"The greatest secret of the beast tamers is that they were always one with their companions! They fed them the same food they put in their mouths. They shared bedding, bathing, happiness and crying. If they got sick, they took care of each other and protected each other from all dangers from the predators of darkness. If they did not have a goal, they both cultivated common interests throughout life. They were both proud of each other. And if at some point they died, a good tamer would intend to die beside his faithful companion or at least bury his body with respect. Will you follow my advice! If you do, you will be able to create an unbreakable bond between you and that beast. Otherwise, it will only end up as a wretched being that would have preferred to die rather than lose its freedom."

Rey lifted the little cub off the ground before it scampered away from Heroclades' sporadic burst of emotion. With watchful eyes, Rey looked at the ball of churre he carried in his arms, as if inspecting him for wounds as he writhed in fear of being airborne without being able to touch the ground with his claws.

Heroclades continued:

"No matter how strong you are or become, a bond of friendship may be able to save your life by protecting you from loneliness. I said that being strong is a lonely road, only if you don't learn to take care of those with you... At that point, you will have to overcome hopelessness on your own and stay sane in the process."

The puppy was scared. It was the first time he was lifted off the ground and he thought he was going to fall, but with this, the little guy placed him on his head. Lying on Rey's furry surface, the feline saw a whole world that he had not been able to before because of the size of the grass. It was no longer only green and light that he could see, but in that world there were also trees, rocks, hills, water and a horizon in which the view was lost. From swimming in the vegetation to floating almost in the air, the little liger was also able to spot individuals of his own species. On the walk, making sure to keep his balance, the little feline shrieked in the direction of the ligers he could spot, but none seemed to care about the cries of a creature that was not his own.

Rey and Heroclades spent the rest of the journey talking to each other and ignoring the behavior of the desperate little creature. Thus they proceeded for a long time until they seemed to reach the opposite side of the place from which they started. As it was the little white-eyed one who was in second place, this one needed to stop so as not to bump into his master when he stopped.

"Here I will place the house. This place is perfect, don't you think?" said Heroclades boisterously, once again startling the little feline who opened his eyes as if they wanted to pop out of their sockets. "A one-bed tent and a campfire outside will suffice. Not to mention all this space we have to train without harming anyone. Best of all, the Ever-Changing Forest is just a few leagues from here...."

Letting out the air he had in his lungs, the tan-skinned fellow changed the tone of his voice.

"Listen to me well my disciple. Behind that forest lies hell and behind hell there must be a path to the other two planes. As long as you do not sleep, no one will be able to wake up. This means that you will have all the time you need if you wish...."

Rey raised his gaze, narrowed his eyes and raised his chin in distrust. With this exception, Heroclades realized that his disciple had been taken by surprise. It was more reasonable for Rey to expect a warning and not to be encouraged.

"In me you can trust. I know you are perceptive and I will speak the truth to you. Listen carefully. Every night, as long as you live in this place, you will have the opportunity to be free if you find a way. Do what you want to do and what you understand is best. But by day, if you are still alive, here, we will continue your training. Well... training is not the most appropriate term, for you will have to fight as much or more than you suffer in order to survive. Torture, martyrdom and torment are better terms."

Rey raised his right eyebrow and narrowed his opposite eye as he looked to the side. He spoke as one analyzing the situation:

"Are you telling me that I can escape? Also that if I fail to fulfill my escape I will be subjected to torture and martyrdom?"

Heroclades continued as if distressed:

"Indeed. If you do not succeed, you will know hatred. Yes. I assure you that you will come to hate me with every ounce of your body. As time progresses, if you fail to live up to the immense expectations I have of you or fail a test, I will be the one to bestow upon you the most painful form of punishment. There may even come a time when the punishment will come to you whenever I wish it, without the need for you to fail me or do anything to deserve it. You might think "this old man intends to kill me in a roundabout way, just so he doesn't have to dirty his hands and justify to Fang that I died because I was weak". Yes, that's how harsh I'm going to be and your thoughts are partly correct. I am warning you beforehand that, as your mentor, until you meet the conditions I give you, I will be responsible for setting you tests and guiding you through them, but I will not be responsible for whether you live or die. I would feel very bad if in the future you die because I was an incompetent teacher in teaching you. You must be able to survive not only any situation you may encounter out there, but also those that may be provoked by those around you, disguised as allies... I hope you understand what I mean?"