I'm back with another chapter. Sorry to keep you waiting.

Chapter 11: Reunion

Pravraj was distracted by a dung beetle when he was strolling along with Tamash. The boar was far from the mongoose when he followed the dung beetle that he barely saw where he was going. He was about to eat the dung beetle, but it flew on a log. Pravraj snuck and hid near the log, trying not to get detected by the beetle. He got on the log before he heard a rustling sound. He turned to see a grassy plain with long grass behind him.

"Tamash?" the boar asked. The plain was silent and there was nobody out there. The boar shrugged and proceeded to go over the log to get a good look at the dung beetle before eating it. The dung beetle flapped its wings and flew away and Pravraj saw something white hiding in the grass. He squinted his eyes, saw what appeared to be a white tigress, and screamed in fear. The tiger got out of her hiding spot and ran to catch her prey, teeth baring, and claws stretched out.

Pravraj made a run for it while panting heavily. They both ran into the desert oasis. The tigress was almost on the boar's heels, but the boar was the fastest to escape the big cat's claws. Pravraj screamed and gasped until he heard Tamash calling out his name. He raced through some leaves and got stuck in a tree root, trying to squeeze through and dig out by using his hooves.

"Pravraj, what's going on?!" the mongoose demanded.

"SHE'S GONNA EAT ME!" Pravraj shouted, almost making the mongoose losing his balance. The mongoose got on the tree root to see what was chasing the boar, and he saw the silhouette of the white tigress.

"Whoa!" Tamash exclaimed and tried to push the helpless pig out of the root. "Why do I always have to save your AAAAAAHHHH!" Tamash screamed loudly as the tigress leaped on both the mongoose and boar. The duo thought it was the end for them, but they were saved by Singham who leapt over Pravraj and landed on the surprised tigress. Two tigers were fighting and clawing at each other. Singham was fighting to protect his guardians and the tigress was fighting for competition of food. Tamash got on the limb of the tree root to see the two tigers dueling.

"Don't worry, Pravraj," the mongoose assured his big pig friend. "It's okay. Everything is gonna be alright." Tamash turned to Singham fighting the tigress. "Get her! Fight her! Bite her head off!" The tigress was strong and big for Singham, but Singham managed to avoid her attacks and swipe at her. "Go for the jugular! The jugular!" Tamash betted. He then turned to Pravraj who was trying to see what was going on. "See, I told you he would come in handy."

Singham pounced on the tigress on the tigress but the tigress flipped him and pinned him on the ground. Singham was startled and recognized that move and only he knew it from his childhood. He stared at the tigress, showing her bare teeth.

"Neethi?" The tigress gasped when she heard her name, and her teeth wasn't sharp and baring anymore. She got off the tiger and backed away from him, examining him. "Is it really you?"

"Who are you?" Neethi asked.

"It's me, Singham."

"Singham?" The orange tiger nodded. Neethi paused for realization when he recognized the tiger from his childhood. She noticed features of Mustafa in Singham: red eyes, orange fur, black slender stripes, and his body shape was like that of the past king. "Singham, it is you!" The two tigers nuzzled each other and looked at each other. "You are alive! How did you? Where did you come from?"

"How did you… where did you… look at you! It's so great to see you!" Both tigers were enthused and surprised at meeting each other after three years. Tamash, who saw them reunite, had no idea what was going on.

"What's going on?" Tamash asked but the tigers ignored him. He walked between the looming tigers, staring at them, and wanted to know what was going on.

"What are you doing here?" Singham asked Neethi.

"What do you mean 'what am I doing here?' What are you doing here?"

"HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" The tigers looked down at the annoyed mongoose.

"Tamash, this is Neethi. She's my best friend."

"Friend?!" the confused Tamash asked.

"Yeah. Hey, Pravraj! Come over here!" The boar pulled himself out the tree root and saw Singham with the tigress and the mongoose. "Neethi, this is Pravraj. Pravraj, Neethi." The boar walked over and saw Neethi who was not looking savage and hungry the last time he saw her.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"The pleasure is all mine."

"Whoa, whoa!" Tamash interrupted. "Time out! Let me get this straight. You know her, she knows you. She wants to eat Pravraj, and everybody is okay with this? DID I MISS SOMETHING?!" Tamash was so confused that he was steaming.

"Relax, Tamash," Singham told the mongoose and then turned to Neethi, who was full of glee.

"I can't believe you're alive. Look at you. You look just like your father. If only he was alive to see you."

"Well, look at you. You're almost the same size as me," Singham complimented the tigress' body while taking notice of her shining snow-white fur and her strong physique.

"Wait until everybody finds out you've been here all this time. And your mother. What will she think?"

Singham misunderstood what Neethi said, thinking she was talking about the accident and he still believed that he was responsible for his father's death. "She doesn't have to know. Nobody has to know."

"Of course, they should know! Everybody thinks you're dead."

"They do?"

"Yeah. Scar told us about the stampede."

"He did? What else did he tell you?"

"Does it really matter? The important thing is that you're alive. And that means…" Neethi opened her eyes widely with realization. "…you're the king."

"King?" Tamash repeated the last word with confusion. "Lady, are you crazy or what?" Neethi glared at the mongoose.

"King?" Pravraj repeated the word, but with awe, knowing that Singham was once royalty. "Your Majesty, I gravel at your feet." He bowed down to Singham's paw and kissed it noisily.

"Stop it." Singham pulled his paw away from the pig.

"It's not 'gravel'. It's 'grovel'." Tamash corrected the embarrassed boar. "And he's not the king. Are you, really?" he whispered to Singham.

"No!"

"Singham!" exclaimed Neethi.

"No, I'm not the king! Maybe I was gonna be, but that was a long time ago." Singham walked away from Neethi, Tamash, and Pravraj.

"Let me get this straight. You were the king, and you never even told us?"

Singham turned around to look at Tamash. "Look, I'm still the same guy."

"But with power."

"Could you guys excuse us for a moment?" Neethi asked to Tamash and Pravraj.

"Hey, whatever she has to say, she can say it in front of us. Right, Singham?"

Singham thought and said, "Maybe you better go."

Tamash was surprised by what Singham said to him and Pravraj. It's like he saw a newer version of the orange tiger. "It starts. You think you know a guy." He and Pravraj walked into the bushes, leaving the two tigers alone.

"Tamash and Pravraj. You'll learn to love them." Singham turned to Neethi and his grin turned down when he saw the white tigress' face full of sadness. "What?" He walked over to Neethi, who didn't look at him. Her head was facing down, eyes closed. "What is it?"

"It's like you're back from the dead." Neethi opened her blue eyes and turned to Singham. "You don't know how much this will mean to everyone. What it means to me."

"Hey, it's okay."

Neethi put her head under Singham's chin, shocking the tiger, but he returned her action by nuzzling her. "I've really missed you."

"I've missed you too."

The two tigers rubbed their heads together, not knowing that Tamash and Pravraj were watching them while hiding in the bushes and leaves. Tamash sighed heavily and said, "I'm telling you, Pravraj. This stinks."

"Oh, sorry."

"Not you! Them! Singham, Neethi, alone."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Don't you get it, Pravraj?" Tamash got on the boar's head and stared at the two tigers leaving the oasis. "She's trying to take our Singham away. They're gonna fall in love, and Singham will leave us. He'll probably forget about us and chintaa mastu. Oh, I can just imagine it!" Tamash sounded worried and sad, thinking about Singham and all the moments they had together. "We have to find them! Quick, Pravraj! Move those legs of yours and fast!"

"Okay!" The boar with the mongoose on top of him raced off to find Singham and Neethi out of the oasis and to the places where Singham would usually be.

Singham took Neethi to a desert waterfall near the oasis where the setting sun sparkled on the water. Neethi began to walk around Singham, and he decided to do the same thing as Neethi. They were taking in each other's movements as they walked near the water and decided to drink. Singham drank the water with his tongue as he stared at Neethi drinking.

Neethi looks so pretty. Singham thought to himself. There are so many things I want to tell her. But how? How can I tell her about my past? If I told her, she'd laugh and walk away from me. Singham shook off his thoughts and saw Neethi staring at him, confused.

Singham is holding back something. Neethi thought to herself. He's hiding something, but I don't know what. He's not acting like the king I know he is. Deep inside him, there is the boastful and excited cub in him who just couldn't wait to be king. Singham, what happened to you? As she thought, Singham started to run back into the dune hill. He raced back with full speed and splashed in the water pond.

Neethi looked to see where Singham was until he saw bubbles forming in the water and Singham emerged out of the water, dragging Neethi with him. The tigress sprang out of the water, gasping and she got back onto the sand, shivering and dripping. Singham got out of the water and Neethi pushed him into the water playfully. Soon the two tigers chased each other in the grass, birds flying away from them. They reached the small jungle and they began to tussle and play fight with each other like they used to do when they were kids. Then it led them to fall and tumble down a hillside, leading to Singham pinning Neethi for the first time.

Singham felt happy after pinning Neethi and knowing he was not the one pinned on the ground this time. Neethi licked Singham's cheek, almost like a kiss. Singham was startled and looked at Neethi, who was staring and smiling at him seductively. Singham smiled back at her. Later, they rubbed their heads together, embracing their love for each other.

Meanwhile, Pravraj and Tamash walked in the jungle trying to find the two tigers. Tamash lowered his head, thinking that Singham was long gone. "Well, it's official," Tamash grumbled. "I have no idea where they are. Maybe he left us for good."

"I don't think so," Pravraj stopped when he caught sight of Singham and Neethi.

"What do you mean?" Tamash asked. "Why have you stopped?" Tamash looked at Pravraj's eyes and looked in his direction to see Singham and Neethi nuzzling each other and Tamash felt tears in his eyes when he saw Singham lick Neethi's cheek. He got off from Pravraj's nape and landed on the ground. "It can't be true."

"But it is true," Pravraj said.

"She's making those eyes," Tamash noticed.

"And he's smiling that smile."

"They're laughing and hugging and… he felt the love tonight. They've eloped." Tamash's tears came out and hugged Pravraj's leg. The boar assured the mongoose with his hoof.

"I guess it means he's leaving us for good," Pravraj sniffled. The boar and mongoose saw the two tigers leave the spot they were on, and when they were gone, they began to sob.