In the forest.
"I don't think I can go on with you."
The plumpy lady said, breathing heavily. Her face was already pale, and her cheeks clothed in the heat of the gnawing sky. The sun was at its peak. The branches of the trees could only but severe the ties of the unbridled rays.
"But how am I supposed to get through this? How am I supposed to locate the old man in this thick forest, alone, Jimat?"
Tahni complained, wielding the persuasive gaze. Though she didn't have all, but she had that compelling gaze. That gaze which makes you go out of your own way to please her. And that was the gaze which had brought the two of them that far. But would the charm's potency be enough at such face of stress?
"You just have to keep going straight."
The lady said, her arms supported by her knees as she stooped in weakness.
"Don't be ridiculous, Jimat. Are you serious now? I should keep going straight in a forest? I bet you won't call all the turns and twists we've taken as straight? Or would you."
Tahni objected. The lady didn't seem persuaded. She shot,
"Look, Tahni. I've tried for you and you know that. Even those men looking for your father and sister haven't come this far into the forest. What if we are being attacked by some wild animals? What do we have to defend ourselves with."
She paused and looked around quickly. She seemed to had heard a movement. She continued when nothing came,
"It might be quite easy for you, you know. When we are probably being attacked, you could run and grab a tree. But come on, you know that, just by two flexing of the limbs, I'll be panting like someone going on the 16th round of sex."
Tahni chuckled at the lady's sense of humor, but that smile didn't last long. As she kept her stance,
"We've come too far to go back. Plus you're the only one who knows there. And about wild animals, I'm sure there are none out here. Haven't the king addressed that?"
Jimat sighed and shook her head,
"It seems like you ain't getting it. So, you're saying if by chance there's any wild animal in this forest, they would had walked to the village to introduce themselves to the king. Like..."
She tried to dub a voice, going on one knees, like you do when you bow,
"Dear King, I'm Mr leopard. With me are Mr and Mrs Hyena. And also brother Tiger, his nephew was the brother of my mother's uncle who was the niece of my daddy's aunt."
Tahni couldn't help but laugh. But soon, she tucked the smile under the lawn of her frown.
She said more determinedly,
"Don't be ridiculous, Jimat. The day isn't on our side. Let's go quickly and return home."
"Look, Tahni. You're the one who's being ridiculous and rather inconsiderate. I don't think you know how serious I am about this. I can't continue please, you can choose to return with me, which will be the best option, or keep your trail and get torn into halves."
Jimat cautioned. But the frown seated in Tahni's face had been melted into frustration. She snapped,
"Just leave. Thanks for being kind. That you're a coward doesn't make me one."
Jimat was moved,
"Really? Is that what I get for leaving my work to take you to the sorcerer?"
Tahni rolled her eyes and shot,
"Whatever. You don't get to get any praise. No accolades for halfwork done."
She turned away from Jimat and began to walk into the woods as though she knew where she was going.
"Don't be foolish, Tahni."
Jimat called at her in vain; Tahni would not back down. Jimat kept her eyes on her till she disappeared into the heights of a bend.
Jimat shook her head and turned in the other direction. She began to walk away. Returning through the path which led into the village.
Tahni on the other hand kept walking through the woods. One of her legs got caught in the creepers and after struggling for a while, she got rid of the obstacle. She kept on walking.
Now, she had been walking for over five minutes with yet no faintest idea of where she was going to. The heat of the day was waning off as the forest got thicker and the calls of bare-necked umbrella birds were beginning to be heard.
She knew she was beginning to feel funny and nervous from the depth of her consciousness, but she was obstinate. She was bent on finding out where the sorcerer truly lived. She only wanted to ask few questions and get some proofs.
Then suddenly when she was about to take a bend in an undergrowth, which would lead to another half of the forest, she heard some disturbing and ominous movements from behind her. She gasped but held unto herself.
Then she began to hear a deep growl from behind her. She began to wet her pant though she was yet to see what was there. She only had the words but no guts.
"Tahni."
She kept saying to herself. Probably a means of encouraging or giving herself a reason not to be scared.
Then the growl became clearer and nearer, threatening and ruthless, demanding and stalking. She couldn't help but turn.
As she turned, she tried as much as possible to hold herself back from screaming. Her back pressed against the murky bark of the tilted trunk of the large fir tree.
Twas a towering tiger. Deep brown cloth of skin with the stripes of glowing black. She'd never seem that kinda tiger ever. Its golden eyes scorching her guts, its heaving face watering her lips.
"I'm sorry Sir tiger."
She started, shuddering. Ask her what she was doing. She had no faintest idea.
The tiger was moving closer to her and she wished she was invisible or was some ant which could disappear into the tiniest hole of the trunk.
"Don't hurt me. I'm unarmed. You don't want to do a cold blooded thing. Only a coward does that. And I know you're far from that. You would want a fair battle with a beautiful lady."
She quit gibbering. The tiger didn't stop. It kept creeping on her. She was done for, she thought.
Then suddenly, the tiger crouched on its belly, eyes keen, whiskers flowing, ready to pounce.
"Please, don't. Don't."
She started crying. She didn't know what to do. She didn't even know what last thought to think. She didn't get to know her father well.
But all fell on the tiger's deaf ears. It leapt and pounced on her.
Tahni screamed so loudly that she felt like her intestines were going to pop outta her stomach.
But then, she didn't feel claws digging into her milk skin. Neither did she feel the huge teeth tearing into the side of her neck.
All she felt were mortal palms on her shoulders. And the face of a beautiful but dusky lady by her neck. Then she felt hoofs of a goat on her legs. For once she couldn't think.
She pushed the lady away from her immediately. The tiger had transformed into a lady?
The lady pushed fell on her back. Naked, beautiful, with the hoofs of a goat. That was all Tahni could catch with such position the half-lady and half-goat was assuming.
Remember that dryad? Yes! She was.