Kalus sat
bolt upright, weak but stable, and called out to her.
'Sylviana!'
He felt the cold wind rushing past. The door was open. She was in
danger. He stood with difficulty and made his way towards her, holding
on through the dizziness that sought to rob his will. He stood beside
her, leaning heavily against the door-frame, and stared out into the
night. She had regained her rationality, and now looked down upon a
wounded and half-starved predator.
Pity stirred at last in Kalus' heart, as if a sign had been given and
understood. There was no time to question, or debate whether his own
life was worth saving. Here was a creature, young and without guilt,
who would die if he did not act.
'Sylviana. Help me carry him in.'
'Are you all right?' She looked hard at him, and he answered
honestly.
'I'm not the one who matters now. Will you help me?'
She nodded vaguely and together they lifted the tiger as best they
could, bringing it inside. Though fully six feet long, in its ravaged
condition it couldn't have weighed more than two hundred pounds. But
it was limp, lifeless weight, and the best they could manage was to lay
it just inside the barrier.
'It's all right,' Kalus panted, head down. 'This is a snow
tiger. He won't need much more heat than this.
Pages:
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174