A frustrated sound escaped him. "If we were going to eat you, you would be dead."
The man drew back into himself again. "All right. All right. It is just... you are both very big, especially your teeth and your paws and... I am not used to tigers who can be men and who play, just ones that roar and eat things. Things like my Master."
This he knew. Which was why he tried for patience, even though it was far from his strong suit. "I am sorry you hate it here."
"Hate is perhaps too strong a word, Malik. I..." The man sighed. "I am lonely."
A short nod. "Yes. You are unhappy. Rishi. He can smell it on you. That is why he tried to bring you into our play today."
"I didn't know that was meant to be play," the man reminded him. "I am not used to being held down and... licked. I will know next time. And perhaps I need another bath if I smell."
How did one explain to a man who had no wild instincts what fear smelled like, how the scent of unhappiness was like rot? "I do not think a bath will help unless you are more happy. I..." He stopped. Thought. "Perhaps if Rishi and I try to spend some time with you as men?"
"Oh... I - yes, then at least I would have someone to talk to."
Malik tried not to laugh as he imagined the man and Rishi talking. Still, it would be good for Rishi as well, to grow more used to playing man. For every year more of them came, and soon they would be impossible to avoid.
"Yes. Then that is what we will do. Do you like your roof and walls?" For just the day before Malik had replaced the roof that Rishi had pounced down, and added two little walls.
"Yes, I do, thank you." The man gave him a look and then asked. "When do the rains start?"
Lifting his head, Malik tasted the wind, then frowned as his man form made it hard to read the air. "Soon, I think. The pool is green at the edges, and the heat makes us all growl."
"Would you mind terribly building me at least one more wall? I do not have your fur and the rains will make me very cold and very wet and that will make me sick. If I had another wall and one that could open -- like a door?"
A door. Malik thought back very hard, to when he lived with men, but roofs and walls were not what he had had. Tents. They had lived in tents. "You will show me this door, how it works, and I will build."
"It's like a wall that opens, so that I can go in and out. If you can't make one, then just leave a hole in the last wall."
"I can do that. Make you a door." If it would make the man happy, then Malik would do it. Even if it was more work than he had done in years. Men always thought work made them good.
"Thank you. I would appreciate that very much."
"You are welcome." Malik was silent for a moment, thinking some more. "I will go wake Rishi. He will come and talk."
Malik marched over to Rishi and scratched his mate's back. Rishi purred and stretched, arching happily into his touch. He gave good scratches, knowing he was about to ask much of the young one. "Rishi. I need you to be as I am now. To be a man for a bit."
Rishi gave him a long-suffering look, but pushed into his hands once more before shifting, eyes still bright and gold in the smooth face.
His Rishi. Malik leaned forward and pressed their lips together, rewarding Rishi with a kiss. "My good Rishi."
Rishi purred and returned the kiss enthusiastically, hands petting his hair, his shoulders.
"Mmm." So good. But it was not helping the man. A small sigh fell on Rishi's lips. "Come, Rishi, and sit with Lynnnn."
That got him a frown, coppery eyebrows lowering, Rishi's nostrils flaring.
"It will make him stop being stinky." Well, Malik hoped it would.
Rishi opened his mouth, then shut it with a snap, leaping off his rock and stalking over to Lynn, low, unhappy rumbles sounding as he sat.
The man gave Rishi a small smile. A very small smile. "I'm sorry I thought you were trying to eat me."
Malik watched closely, but did not intrude, hoping Rishi's good nature would see them through. The young one rolled his eyes, the low vocalizations rough and odd from the man-throat. Poor Rishi -- he wore the man-shape so rarely, he only understood his true form.
"Perhaps we can get to know one another?" suggested Lynn. "How old are you?"
Shaking his head, Malik went to sit at their feet, hand on Rishi's leg, petting and reassuring.
Rishi blinked over at Lynn, then at him. "O-o-o-old?"
"How many rainy seasons do you have." Malik looked at Lynn. "Yes?"
The man's face lit up. "Yes, that's it exactly."
"Not so many as Raj. More than the Long-Leg Bird in the water."
"The long-leg bird?" Lynn asked.
Rishi nodded, pointing out to the pond where the white and black cranes nested and fed. "Long-Leg Bird in the water."
"Oh... and how many rainy seasons has the long-leg bird in the water had?"
"The... the Long-Leg Bird in the water came with the Biting Hard Creeping Ones." Rishi held out his arm, showing the scar left from the snapping turtle, the marks pale and faded.
"Oh, you were bitten!" Lynn looked alarmed. "Malik? What on earth bites tigers?"
He stifled another smile, for Rishi was brave and wonderful and would not like to be laughed at. "Turtles. Snakes." He tickled Rishi's foot, making his mate chuff and twist. "Other tigers."
"Turtles?" Lynn looked like he didn't believe it. "Turtles?"
"Yes. They have very sharp beaks and they know we cannot eat them for they have very hard shells." A bad little impulse made him add, "Watch your toes in the water."
Nodding, Rishi moved closer to Malik, nuzzling in, comforting himself. "Bite h-h-h-hard. SNAP"
Lynn looked rather alarmed and drew his feet up under himself.
That would not help, if the man was scared to bathe. "We will help protect, yes?"
"That would be most appreciated." The man tried to smile, though it was not his best effort. "How many rainy seasons have you seen, Malik? Maybe that will help me narrow down how old Rishi is."
Oh. Closing his eyes, Malik thought hard. "Seven of your years have passed since I came to be with Rishi. Before that," Malik spread his hands, shrugging helplessly, "I do not know. We did not have the rainy seasons where I come from. Time passed differently it seemed. How many years do you have?"
"I am twenty one. You both seem much older than seven years. Well in your man forms. You seem older than I am," Lynn told him. "While Rishi seems younger, though not by very much. At least physically."
Petting Rishi's soft skin soothed him as well as his mate. There would be many hard questions, he knew, but he owed the man that much.
"Yes. Rishi is young for our kind. I am... well, I am much older than Rishi, and older than you as well." He smiled. "You are Eeenglish, yes?"
Rishi's hand trailed over his belly, the young one watching the butterflies, purring softly. "Eeeeeeenglish. Eeeeeenglish mans."
"Yes, yes, that's right. I am an Englishman." The man seemed pleased for a moment and then frowned again. "I suppose I shall never see my home again. Lord Ledringham intimated as much when we left, though I am quite sure he meant that we would most likely die, rather than be stranded with shapeshifting tigers. Of course, he is dead, now isn't he?"
"Do you miss having to serve the man?" He could not let the man think too much on what he left behind.
"It might sound strange, but yes, I do." The man looked off into the distance. "Lord Ledringham wasn't a bad Master. He never beat me. And I had a place, I knew where I belonged, duties to keep me busy..."
Oh. His head hurt from thinking so much, something he had not done in a long time. "I am sure Rishi can think of things to keep you busy, yes, my young one?"
Rishi looked up at him, a questioning noise sounding. Then Rishi nodded. "Bizzy. Yes. Buzzy mans."
"Oh. Thank you."
Rishi dipped his head and started grooming them both -- Malik's shoulder, his own arm.
"Yes. You can chase butterflies and play and nap and perhaps brush him when he is
not a man." He only just remembered the brush. Malik rumbled happily. Perhaps the man would brush him as well.
"Br-r-r-r-r-r-r-rush? What is brrrrrrrrush?" Rishi pushed further into his lap.
"I could show you," replied Lynn, getting up and going to his box. He came back with the brush. "I use this on your fur. I suppose it is like grooming."
Rishi reached out, finger touching the bristles and shivering. "Ooooh! Now?" Suddenly his lap was full of tiger, heavy and furry and purring.
That would certainly help Rishi to like the man. "Do you mind?" he asked, looking at Lynn.
"You or me?" Lynn asked, holding out the brush to him.
"Oh, you. I would brush too hard." Malik smiled, knowing it was true. Besides, he liked holding Rishi.
"All right." The man moved a little closer and tentatively slid the brush along a small patch of Rishi's back. Rishi shifted and wiggled, waiting for more. The man slid the brush again, this time from Rishi's neck to the base of his tail. Rishi purred, stretching and arching, rippling on his lap.
"Oh. He liked that." Lynn did it again, pressing a little harder.
"Oh yes." Malik was a bit breathless. Rishi was heavy.
Yes. Rishi was purring, eyes closing, tongue lolling out. Those strong claws appeared and disappeared, rolling methodically. Malik hoped Lynn enjoyed brushing.
Lynn gave a little chuckle, looking happier than they had seen him in days, and continued brushing Rishi. Maybe he had found a way to help them get along after all. Lynn kept brushing, looking more and more confident as Rishi's purrs got louder. Rishi's pelt was shining, beautiful and sleek under the sun.
So wonderful, his young one. So pleasing to him. Malik looked longingly at the brush. Next time maybe the man would brush him.
"It feels good, doing this for him," Lynn said softly, smiling.
Rishi lifted his head, turning to nuzzle and lap Lynn's face.
"Oh!" The man gasped, looking surprised, but also pleased.
"He likes it too. He is happy that you will do this thing for him." Very casually, Malik scratched Rishi's ears. "Will you do it for me, sometime?"
"I would be very happy to -- I owe you much."
Rishi rolled over onto his back, idly playing with his hands, batting and boxing, big head rubbing his thighs. Lynn carefully brushed the long belly. The white-white fur was so soft, the young one's skin so sensitive and Malik smiled as Rishi stre-e-e-e-e-etched, panting.
He stroked the fur under Rishi's chin. "You do not owe me anything. I have kept you away from your life, yes?"
Rishi's tongue lolled out, the expression pure bliss.
"You could have killed me though -- I am sure it would have been easier. Instead you make me a shelter and bring me food and worry that I am not happy."
"It is not your fault you are stuck here. Not entirely." One of Rishi's paws batted at him as he stopped scratching, and Malik began once more. "It will become easier."
"I'm sure it will," replied the man, still brushing Rishi.
Malik could only hope it was true.
~Chapter Eight~
Lynn suddenly had a constant friend in Rishi.
He was going to have really strong hands as soon as they stopped aching. Who knew tigers liked being brushed so much? He had to admit though, it was nice. Instead of ignoring him and more or less having nothing to do with him, Rishi would come often, golden eyes gazing at him until he gave in.
Today he'd decided to try something new, to "play" with the tigers, especially Rishi. While the tigers were asleep, he'd hidden the brush among the grasses near the river. When Rishi came to beg wordlessly for his brushing, Lynn just shrugged. "I've lost the brush."
Rishi blinked, came right up and smelled him, nostrils flaring.
"I don't have it -- truly. If you find it though, I will brush you."
Rishi looked him over, then bounced over to his make-shift house to look. Oh, perhaps he hadn't thought this out completely...
"It's not in there!" He blushed. "I've hidden it," he admitted. "So we could... play?"
Rishi stopped. The tiger made an odd, happy noise and pounced him, paws landing on his shoulders as his face was thoroughly licked. Then Rishi bounded off, looking for the brush, tail high and swishing.
He picked himself up and wiped his face, chuckling. The sound made him stop still. It had been awhile since he'd truly laughed. The bruises from being pounced were forgotten in favor of watching Rishi's antics, of enjoying them.
Of course, Rishi found many things to bring to him -- a turtle shell, an egg, a baby crocodile, a feather, a bone, Malik... He kept them all but the baby crocodile, to which he'd given a rather cowardly shriek and jumped up and away from.
Malik, however, he gave a smile, scratching the huge tiger behind the ears. Malik looked at him with a sort of sleepy disgruntlement, Rishi having awakened him to be delivered, and settled at his feet.
"What about you, Malik? Why haven't you asked to be brushed? Don't you like it?"
A great sniff answered him, Malik's tail batting him as it swung hard against his legs.
"No? We shall have to find something that you do like then that we can do together. I'm enjoying my time with Rishi." He laughed lightly, still not quite used to talking to them as tigers and expecting them to understand. It rather felt like he was talking to himself.
A low growl came to him next, and Malik stood, turning that great back and walking off in what looked to be a distinct huff.
He had the most strange urge to stick his tongue out at the big cat. Until the brushing, Malik had been the only one of the two who seemed to pay any interest in him, and now that he and Rishi were getting along, Malik was... well sulking by the looks of it. Surely Malik wasn't jealous of the time he and Rishi spent together. Maybe the brushing had some meaning he was unaware of.
Rishi gave a roar and strutted over, brush in his mouth. He passed by Malik, nudging with one hip.
"Oh you found it! Good Rishi!" He clapped his hands together.
A harrumph came from Malik's direction as the big tiger flopped to the ground and stretched out.
Rishi gave Malik a long look, then the tiger dropped the brush on the ground near Malik and looked over at him, eyes expectant.
"You want to get brushed over there?" He shrugged, unsure how Malik was going to take it, but the big tiger would let him know if he wasn't happy. He made his way over and picked up the brush.
Without seeming to do it deliberately, Malik rolled, coming up against Rishi's legs and sending the other tiger sprawling down so that of he wished to brush one, he would have to brush both, they were so close. Rishi purred, leaning over to lick Malik's face, gold eyes shining.
"No biting my hand off if you don't want this," Lynn muttered, confused by the tigers, as usual. He began to brush gently.
Rishi's purring was almost immediately drowned out by a deep bass rumble the likes of which he had not heard before. Well, at least not for anything he'd done. Rishi nuzzled close to Malik, grooming and purring. The eyes that met his were warm, happy. He smiled and kept brushing, putting a little more force behind the brush now, using some of his new arm muscles. Eyes dropping closed, Malik pushed against Rishi, tongue lolling out, the purring increasing. It was an astonishing display for the usually reserved cat.
Rishi looked blissful, tongue lapping at Malik's ruff, Malik's paws.
It was hypnotic, the pull of the brush through the soft fur, the sound of their purring. The soft touch of Malik's tail thudded gently against his leg with each pull, and Malik's big claws kneaded the air. Rishi settled, eyes closing, purring and quiet. Calm and peaceful.
He closed his own eyes, hand and brush moving over the tigers.
The brushing went on twice as long, since there was at least twice as much tiger. But it was quite nice to be able to do something for them, and to see Malik so receptive to his touch.
Eventually Rishi scooted over and started grooming him, careful not to disturb the brushing of Malik, licking hi
s back, his neck.
Oh.
He felt tears gather in his eyes. The touch might not have been human, but it was a touch, and meant as a kindness.
Rishi made a soft noise, then suddenly a young man was pressed against his back. "No hurt. Rishi no hurt the Mans. No eye raining."
One of Malik's big paws settled on his foot, those strange blue eyes looking up at him intently.
He leaned back against Rishi. "Good eye raining," he told them.
Shifting Page 33