It growled at him and curled its upper lip, but the great
head would not be supported. It lowered to the earth as before.
'It's all right,' said Kalus reassuringly. 'I won't hurt
you.' He took a piece of meat from the bowl, and set it a few inches
from its mouth. Then feeling the cold, he moved back to the door and
began to close it. Again, as he thought it might, the tiger reacted.
It felt trapped and closed in. He began to move away, but then thought
of something else. Going to the opening, he went outside and brought in
a piece of crusted snow. This he placed as close to its mouth as he
dared, then closed the door and returned to his place beside the fire.
'Snow is the most constant part of its existence,' he explained to
the girl. 'And I think it needs water even more than food.'
Together they watched, hoping for the best.
As the man-child hovered about it, the tiger's eyes had followed his
every movement. Now it turned its senses, heightened by physical
extremity and need, toward the objects placed in front of it.
The big cat hesitated, then reached out its tongue and licked the hard
snow. Again. Then stretching out his neck, he took the blessed
substance in his teeth and brought it closer. And chewed off a small
piece.
Kalus smiled quietly, remembering a time not so very long before, when
he had shared his meat with Akar.
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