ARC I: The Bao Gu Orphanage
CHAPTER I: When Ti Met Dai
Sobbing…
Uncontrollable sobbing…
"I d-didn't hurt him…"
The tears won't stop flowing from her cheeks as she bangs on her door.
"Please! Let me out! I'm sorry!"
The caretakers had locked her inside her room once again. For reasons one would see as unfair. She didn't even touch him, he faked it.
He faked his crying. Zhao.
That damn pig and his damn brothers. Lao...Bao…
Damn them for doing that.
Tigress only wanted to play with someone...and those pigs…
Zhao had punched his brother Bao in the eye, leaving a blackened mark. All three of those filthy animals began to fabricate a story to Miss Chen, about how Bao was "viciously attacked" and how Bao "would've been eaten alive" by Tigress.
These embellishments needed no basis or proof to them, because back then, one look at Tigress was enough to judge her...even though they knew next to nothing about her.
It was blatant discrimination, but that was how it was back then…
Goats, Geese, Pigs and Bunnies we're all treated with respect and gratitude.
While practically all felines and canines were looked upon with fear and resentment.
It was unjust. And Tigress couldn't stand it.
"Please! Let me out!"
The tears flowed.
"Please! I don't like it in here!"
Her voice echoed.
"Why are you doing this to me?!"
Everything slowed.
"Help! Someone! Help!"
To her this wasn't an orphanage.
"Please...anyone…*sniff*...get me out of here…"
It was a prison. Her prison.
She eventually gave up pounding on the door. She knew no one would help her. They never do. She gave up and resumed her sobbing.
She sat down on her bed. Her arms around her knees and her head lowered. She would cry for hours without end.
Her pain was everlasting.
But then...one day...he changed everything.
Tigress was about 5 years old at the time. She decided to stay in her room. She'd gotten so used to being locked in there that she didn't bother to leave. She knew she never would be able to without those awful pigs lying about her. So she just lay there on her bed. Her room littered with broken chairs and torn fabric. Dry tear streaks on her face.
Meanwhile.
A caretaker sheep named Miss Chen had found something quite peculiar.
A black leopard was left by the front door. Except unlike Tigress, he was just laying there asleep. No blanket.
Almost as if he was just wondering around and decided to fall asleep here...in the pouring rain.
Miss Chen knew she couldn't leave this child out in the rain. So she scooped him up and brought him inside.
Now even though this child was a feline, Miss Chen wasn't afraid of him. As a matter of fact, Miss Chen wasn't afraid of Tigress because she was a Tiger, like all the other caretakers.
She was afraid of her raw strength and what she could be capable of.
As she shut the door behind her the wind from the storm blew it back open. She quickly backed up against the door, holding it closed. She had to lock it. She gently put the leopard on the floor and grabbed the wooden beam next to the door and used it to hold the doors shut.
"Whew."
She turned around to pick up the child, but...he was gone…
The little leopard had escaped and had already begun wandering around this new place.
'Whare am I?'
'How did I get here?'
The little cat thought to himself.
He was about the same age as Tigress and he had no idea what this place was.
As he walked through a hallway he found a large door that towering above him. The door appeared to be simultaneously partially repaired and partially destroyed. A massive metal beam blocked the door. He got closer as curiosity got the better of him. As he did, he could hear something…faint...almost like…
sobbing…
As he pressed his ear to the door to confirm his suspicion, he was scooped up by none other than Miss Chen.
"Little one you nearly gave me a heart attack. You shouldn't be running away like that. You could've gotten lost or worse."
"What's behind the door?" The cub asked rather bluntly.
"You needn't worry about that, little...oh pardon me, I forget. I didn't quite get your name."
"Dai."
"Well Dai. I'm Miss Chen."
"Hi Miss Chen. Where am I? How did I get here?"
"Oh dear you don't remember?"
"All I remember is going to sleep on my bed and then... I'm here."
"Oh dear...well...is that all you remember?"
"My mommy and daddy asked me to give this to the first adult I see."
Dai pulled out a little scroll from his little pant pocket and then handed it to Miss Chen.
"When did they ask you this?"
"Right before I fell sleep."
"Oh…"
She carefully examined the note:
Take GOod
Care Of HIm
It wasn't written very well...whoever wrote this must've been in quite a rush.
"Have you seen this note?"
She asks.
"My mommy and daddy made me promise them that I wouldn't read it. By the way...where are they?"
"Oh...uhm...I unfortunately do not know…"
"Wh-what…"
The leopard cub began to tear up a little.
"But! I do know that they entrusted me to take care of you until they come back!"
"When are they gonna come back?"
"Now I can't say for certain, but I know that someday you'll see them again."
Now let me pause the story for a moment to tell you a little something about the Bao Gu Orphanage.
Just about every kid in this orphanage (including Tigress) never knew their parents.
They were either orphans due to their single mother's dying at childbirth, due to their parents abandoning them as a newborn or their parents would be murdered and the child would survive because either the murderer and/or assassin couldn't find it in them to finish the job, or they simply could not find the child due to their mother's finding a good hiding spot...the orphanage.
In Tigress' case. We don't know.
In Dai's case...it started to appear as if Dai's parents abandoned him...at least that's what Miss Chen thinks.
Miss Chen absolutely hated lying to a child...but she simply didn't know how to handle this situation.
Every other child was raised never knowing their real parents and they grew up accepting that fact.
But Dai...he had parents...he grew up with them...she couldn't just tell him that his parents may or may not have abandoned him. She's just going to have to wait til he's older. She hated having to lie, but this was a necessary lie.
Now that that bit of exposition is out of the way, let's continue our story.
"Now I can't say for certain, but I know that someday you'll see them again."
"Really?"
"Really, but it may take a while."
"How long?"
"I'm not sure."
"Oh…"
"Here, Dai. Let me show you to your room."
"What's in the blocked door?"
"Now why do you want to know what's behind there?"
"Because I heard something in there."
"It's just a bunch of cleaning supplies, one of them must've fell over. Follow me now."
Chen then leads Dai to an empty room. It's rather nice due to it never being used.
"This is your new room. I hope you like it."
"It's nice. Thank you."
"You're very welcome Dai. Now go on. Best get to bed now because I'm going to introduce you to the others in the morning. I have a feeling that you're gonna make alot of friends here. Goodnight."
Dai walked into his bed and lied down.
"Goodnight."
Miss Chen then closed the door.
A few minutes passed.
Dai then immediately shot up out of his bed and gently opens his door.
He snuck his way over to the big door that Miss Chen says is a supply closet. Well sorry Miss Chen but supplies don't make crying sounds.
Dai pressed his ear against the door.
Nothing…
Dai decided to see if he could communicate with whatever was in that so-called closet.
"Hello? Someone in there?" He whispered.
…
…
Dai couldn't really hear anything.
I guess Miss Chen was right.
"Hello?...Who's there?"
Never mind.
"Hi there. My name is Dai. What's yours?"
"I...I don't know...the caretakers call me Tigress."
"You're a tiger?"
"Y-yeah...so?"
"Cool. I've heard of Tigers but I've never really seen one before. Is it true that you have stripes on your fur?"
"Y-yeah…"
"Wow...that's really cool. I wish I had stripes on my fur.
"Y-you have fur…?"
"Yep. I'm a leopard. I don't have any spots or stripes though. My fur is all black."
"O-oh…"
"Are you okay?...You sound scared."
"I'm not scared…"
"Okay then…."
…
"Uhm...Tigress?"
"Y-yeah?"
"Why are you locked in here?"
…
…
…
"They locked me in here…"
"They?"
"The caretakers…"
"Why'd they do that? Did you do something wrong?"
"No. I didn't do anything…"
Tigress began to sniff up as tears began to form.
"I didn't do anything wrong...they just hate me."
"Who hates you?"
"Everyone. Everyone in this orphanage hates me."
…
"I don't hate you."
…
sniff* "Y-you...you don't?"
"Why would I hate you?"
"Because I'm a monster…"
"No you're not."
"Yes I am...they all call me a monster...they're all afraid of me…"
Tigress' light sobs can be heard through the door. Dai walked closer to the door.
"You're not a monster. You're a tiger.
You're a cat. Like me."
Dai didn't completely understand what Tigress was going through. But he couldn't stand her crying. He didn't know if what he was saying was helping her. He just didn't want her to be sad. After all, Dai was only a child, not a therapist.
…
"Y-you…*sniff*...you really don't think I'm a monster?"
"Tigress, if you were a monster, then I'd have to be one too. I know I'm not a monster. So what does that make you?"
"Heh...that rhymes…"
"Really? Cool."
"Heheh...uhm...what was your name again?"
"Dai."
"Thank you, Dai. You really made me feel better."
"You're welcome. I hate it when other people are sad."
"Hey Dai?"
"Yeah?"
"Uhm...I was wondering if...uhm...uh...never mind."
"What?"
"Nothing, forget it."
"What is it?"
"I SAID FORGET IT!"
Dai was taken aback. He'd only ever been yelled at by his parents...he didn't like being yelled at…Tears began to form in Dai's eyes...and he began to sniffle.
"Y-you don't have to yell at me…"
Regret immediately begins to materialize within Tigress.
"Wait! Dai! I-I'm so sorry...Dai...I didn't mean to yell I just... I'm really sorry...I...please...don't...don't go... don't leave me alone…"
No response.
"please…"
...
"don't leave…"
...
"i'm sorry…"
…
"dai…"
"don't leave me all alone…"
"i'm scared…"
…
…
…
…
"Don't be scared. I'm not leaving you."
"Dai?"
"Yeah?"
"I thought you'd run off... I'm really sorry for yelling at you."
"Really?"
"Yes. I am. I'm really sorry."
"I forgive you. But...please...I don't like it when I get yelled at…"
"I promise I'll never yell at you again."
"You really promise?"
"I really promise."
"Thank you Tigress."
"You're welcome Dai."
"Hey Tigress?"
"Yes Dai?"
"When we wake up tomorrow, do you want to play a game in my room?"
No one has ever asked her to play anything before. Hearing those words made her heart soften.
"Y-you really wanna play with me?"
"Mhm. I wish I could play with you now, but I can't reach the iron bar blocking the door."
"I...thank you... thank you so much...no one's ever asked to play with me...actually...no one's ever played with me…"
"No one?"
"Yeah…"
"That changes tomorrow morning.
I'll make sure the caretakers let you out of there so we can play."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Thank you Dai… You've already done so much for me and you don't even know what I look like…"
"If I'm gonna be here for a while I might as well make friends."
"Y-...you actually want to be my friend?"
"Yep."
"...Before I yelled at you...I actually was about to ask you if you wanted to be friends...but I changed my mind because I thought you'd say no...but even after I had yelled at you...you would still want to be my friend?"
"I already forgave you. And yes. I'm still willing to be your friend."
"Thank you Dai."
"You're welcome. Again."
"Hehe...well...goodnight."
"Goodnight Tigress. See you in the morning."
Dai left, sneaking back into his room. He lied down and went to sleep.
For Tigress. This would be the first time she hasn't cried herself to sleep. She was ecstatic. She couldn't wait to be with her new friend. She smiled and closed her eyes, waiting to drift off into a sweet slumber. For once, she'd actually have a reason for getting up in the morning.