And this time there was no one to
angrily question his will, or rebuke him for showing compassion. This
in turn gave him a cautious feeling of pride and independence. He
looked around him, seeming to remember that all of this was now his, and
that if he could but live to see it, the world still held much for him.
In that swift moment of emotion, he felt an almost exaggerated desire
coursing through his limbs, as if in compensation for his illness. His
thoughts returned to find the girl watching him, eyes glistening. She
spoke.
'You're thinking that you finally have something to call your
own.'
'YES. How did you know?'
'Because..... I've been waiting since I've known you to see
that look. To see you look at ME. Don't you know what you have?'
At that moment the tiger, seeming to revive a little, stretched forward
and rolled one forepaw beneath its head, and with a last glance at the
others, began to study the proffered meat more closely. As Kalus looked
on, understanding at the last, it took the first piece in its jaws,
chewed tentatively, then swallowed.
'Yes, Sylviana. I have hope.' As the tiger moved itself weakly
over the bowl and began to eat, he wrapped the fur up around his eyes,
overcome.
'I love you,' was all he could manage.
Chapter 25
Sylviana rose the next morning to find Kalus standing in the open
doorway, looking out across the snow.
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