If you haven't guessed the songs that Zaceev sang in the last chapters, I guess I'll tell you. They are Tunak Tunak by Daler Mehndi and Pairon Mein Bandhan Hain from Mohabbatein.

Here's the next chapter. I extended the discovery scene with Ripun and added a scene with Neethi.


Chapter 10: He's Alive

After living another carefree day in the desert oasis, Singham, Tamash, and Pravraj laid down on the warm desert sand, watching the starry night sky.

"Well, what a day, right, Singham?" the mongoose asked.

"Yeah. I'm stuffed already," the tiger replied.

"Me too. I eat like a pig," the boar added.

"Pravraj, you are a pig," Singham said.

"Oh, right." The trio sighed deeply together and stared at the stars in complete silence until Pravraj broke it. "Tamash?"

"Yes?"

"Ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?"

"Pravraj, I don't wonder. I know."

"Really? What are they?"

"They're fireflies." Singham raised his eyebrow when he heard Tamash's answer. "They got stuck up in that bluish-black thingy." Tamash pointed at the sky as the stars twinkled.

"Well, I always thought they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away."

Tamash expressed annoyance when he thought what Pravraj was saying is the truth, but it's just nonsence to him. "Pravraj, with you, everything is gas."

Pravraj noticed Singham was silent the whole time he and Tamash were discussing about what the stars are. "Singham, what do you think?"

Singham had memories of his last moment with his father play in his mind and decided not to tell them what he thinks the stars are. "Well, I don't know." Tamash and Pravraj begged simultaneously to Singham to tell them his thoughts, but Singham refused.

"Come on, Singham," Pravraj begged. "We told you our thoughts. Now tell us yours."

"Fine," Singham gave in. "Well, somebody once told me that the great kings of the past are up there watching over us."

"Really?" Pravraj was in awe of Singham's thoughts.

"You mean a bunch of royal dead guys are watching over us?" Tamash didn't know what to think of Singham's thoughts. He thought for a few seconds, and then broke out laughing. Pravraj laughed along with him, and Singham laughed nervously, just to join in the fun. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard! Who told you that?! What crazy animal told you that?!"

"Yeah, it's pretty dumb," Singham laughed a little, and soon the mongoose and boar stopped laughing and took a breath. Singham's smile turned upside down when he realized the words he spoke were the same words his father told him and the animals who raised him after his exile just mocked his dead father. Singham stared at the sky and got up to go into the oasis. Tamash and Pravraj looked at the tiger leave, feeling a little guilt in them.

"Was it something I said?" Tamash said to Pravraj.

Singham walked into the oasis, looking down at the grass, until he reached a ledge with desert grass and flowers. Singham raised his head up to the stars and then collapsed his body on the ledge's edge while giving out a sigh, sending dust, flowers, and pollen flying into the sky.

The flying dust and flowers reached into the far ends of the Ambush Lands where in some part of it, green grass flowed with the wind beneath a large mushroom-shaped banyan tree. The dust and plants reached an end when a hand picked them up from the air. That hand was from Ripun, and he sniffed the plants. He grunted and ran down into the roots of the tree where he did most of his work. He pulled out a turtle's shell, put the dust and plants inside it, sifted it, and started to examine it, not before he took a fruit from his side. He ripped it in half, ate one half, and looked at the plants and dust he collected until he made a face of realization.

"Singham?" Ripun looked at the painting of Singham on the thick roots he had painted on. "He's alive. He-he-he's alive!" Ripun laughed and ran to grab his stick he carried with him always. He ran over to the root and grabbed some powder and juice from the fruits below it and began to paint a bigger tiger below the painting of the cub. He laughed with more glee as he painted more strokes on the new painting. He stared at the finished painting with zeal and said, "It is time."

Ripun held his stick and got out of the roots, sunshine shining on his face and he felt blissed. "Oh, great kings," he started to pray, "please give me strength in the journey to convince Singham to come back home and take his rightful place as king. Please show me the way to his whereabouts." Ripun felt wind blow on his face and it blew into the direction to the desert. "Thank you." Ripun began to run into the land, stick in his hand.


Neethi had walked far from her home until she was at the desert. She was starving and thirsty after walking for a few days. She stared at the sun shining on her face. I'm so far from home. Neethi thought to herself. How am I ever going to find help? I know I'm supposed to let the ambush believe in me, but what if I can't do it? What if the Ambush Lands are doomed forever?

Neethi looked up at the sky and thought of beseeching to the great kings. "Send me a sign! A hint! Anything!" Neethi sat down on the sand and waited for a moment until she saw dust flowing on the sands in front of her. She felt like it was telling her to go in that direction. The tiger got up and followed the dust. Okay, maybe I can take a hint, if it's a hint.

She followed the dust for two minutes until her nose caught something clean and fresh. "Could it be?" She reached up a dune and saw a stream of sparkling water. Her eyes twinkled from seeing the sun shining on it. "WATER!" she screamed. She ran down the dune and jumped in the water. She sighed satisfyingly, letting the water cool her fur. She laid in it for five minutes, crossed the stream to the other side, got out, and shook her fur. She began to drink the water with her tongue, taking in the satisfaction of the cold droplets. Her nose caught in a smell that made her mouth water.

"It smells like meat," the white tigress said to herself. "Meat of a pig. No, a wild boar." Her eyes widened, thinking that she had found food after days of starving and dehydrating. She looked up to the sky and thanked the great kings for bringing her to the desert.

She began to walk into a grassy plain that she saw from afar. She smelled if the boar was nearby and it was. Neethi saw from the distance the boar following something. It looked like a dung beetle. The tigress lowered her body in the grass, being careful not to alert herself and not to be seen. She crawled in the grass quietly until she accidentally stepped on a twig. The boar heard it and turned to see in the grass. Neethi hid successfully, not moving a muscle. She saw the boar go over a log, staring at the dung beetle until it flew away. Neethi hunched her shoulders ready to chase and pounce on the boar.