Chapter One
Day broke hot and humid in Julamanad. The large blue sun Felinae rose into the sky, its corona edging white between it and the blue of the sky. The thick air weighed heavily on the wild jungle, green with life. Mists rose from the tops of the trees as their leaves heated up with the morning. Water dripped from the branches and the psychotic call of monkeys rang through the stillness.
Through this place of primal beauty, a young white tiger swiftly padded. Its brilliant fur was matted with mud and sweat. A rude smear of blood blazed in crimson flame on its nose and the creature favored the right foreleg. The tiger looked worriedly over one shoulder and loped off farther into the rainforest.
" Callara!" she, for it was a tigress, called in a loud whisper.
The dripping palms and damp evergreens echoed with her voice, making it sound hollow and tired.
" Callara!" she called again, more urgently.
A flurry of bright plumage landed clumsily next to the tigress with an undignified squawk. The large bird immediately began preening its feathers as though nothing had happened. It turned its head and looked at the big cat angrily with one eye.
" What do you want Borealis? I was foraging and you—" he began.
" Shut up, Callara, you stupid bird!" she hissed, " I need a place to hide from the guards."
" Gah! I cannot believe you ran away again! You will get me roasted for sure this time!" he wailed.
" Would you stop blubbering and hide me?" Borealis growled.
He shook his ruby tail feathers at her and would not answer.
" They cannot kill you, it is against the law for anybeast to kill a Legend Bird except those of the royal family," she eyed the proud bird menacingly.
With an indignant "hrumph!" the fuchsia bird flew off clumsily underneath the eaves of the trees, away from the path. Leading Borealis deeper into the jungle, he tottered ungracefully in the air. She laughed at his awkward flight.
" Do you still miss your down feathers, Callara? You do not seem to like your new flight feathers much."
" Very funny, ha ha!" he muttered, sounding not the least bit amused, " Here you go."
He landed in front of a dark hole, screened with hanging plants. His russet eyes glittered impatiently at the tigress. She peered at the cave and sniffed, shook her head. She didn't like the smell; it stank of rotting bones.
Her sky blue eyes narrowed at her annoying companion, " I am not going to hide in a hole all day!"
Callara sighed, " It is not a hole, it is a secret ground passage to one of my nests. Earth crawlers cannot get up any other way, take it or leave it."
The Tolerj turned his black wingtips to the sky and fluttered up the sheer rock face. He looked imperiously around his domains from the cliff edge for a moment before disappearing into his nest. Borealis wiggled into the hole; she just barely fit.
She coughed in the dank tunnel, " Smells more like a garbage shoot than a hallway for visitors."
After the first three feet, the hole widened out and began climbing the inside of the cliff. The tigress had to dig her claws into the rock to pull herself upward. At last the path flattened and the sun shone harshly through a grubby weed blocking the exit. She started to break past when her escape was halted by a fuchsia wing.
" Stay down!" the Tolerj whispered furiously.
The white tiger heard summoning roars from the foot of the cliff. She recognized the voice of one of her hunters as Reshlor, Captain of the Ivory Fang Patrol.
The Ivory Fang Patrol? she thought, What are they doing looking for me?
" Mysterious Tolerj," he rumbled, " have you seen the Princess Borealis today?"
Callara rolled his eyes at the title and replied haughtily, " No. Now, leave me in peace so that I may sleep."
Reshlor raised an eyebrow, but bowed and stalked out of the clearing. His patrol quickly followed and, after they had left, Borealis scrambled from the reeking passage.
" Why was my mother's guard looking for me?" she asked her friend worriedly.
" I do not know, but I think you should return to the palace."
She shook her head.
" You are the Left Fang," he continued, " and as such, you have much training to do as a future advisor. Your mother could be sending out all the patrols but her Black Fang Generals to find you to make you study, then again, there could be something wrong at the palace."
As much as she hated to admit it, her chicken-hearted friend was right. With a growl she swiped the filthy plant that covered the tunnel over the precipice. She tensed at the edge and made a great downward leap into the nearest tree, sixty feet away. The great bird shook his head and the violet plume quivered.
" I will see you tonight!" he trilled after the shrinking white tiger.
Day broke hot and humid in Julamanad. The large blue sun Felinae rose into the sky, its corona edging white between it and the blue of the sky. The thick air weighed heavily on the wild jungle, green with life. Mists rose from the tops of the trees as their leaves heated up with the morning. Water dripped from the branches and the psychotic call of monkeys rang through the stillness.
Through this place of primal beauty, a young white tiger swiftly padded. Its brilliant fur was matted with mud and sweat. A rude smear of blood blazed in crimson flame on its nose and the creature favored the right foreleg. The tiger looked worriedly over one shoulder and loped off farther into the rainforest.
" Callara!" she, for it was a tigress, called in a loud whisper.
The dripping palms and damp evergreens echoed with her voice, making it sound hollow and tired.
" Callara!" she called again, more urgently.
A flurry of bright plumage landed clumsily next to the tigress with an undignified squawk. The large bird immediately began preening its feathers as though nothing had happened. It turned its head and looked at the big cat angrily with one eye.
" What do you want Borealis? I was foraging and you—" he began.
" Shut up, Callara, you stupid bird!" she hissed, " I need a place to hide from the guards."
" Gah! I cannot believe you ran away again! You will get me roasted for sure this time!" he wailed.
" Would you stop blubbering and hide me?" Borealis growled.
He shook his ruby tail feathers at her and would not answer.
" They cannot kill you, it is against the law for anybeast to kill a Legend Bird except those of the royal family," she eyed the proud bird menacingly.
With an indignant "hrumph!" the fuchsia bird flew off clumsily underneath the eaves of the trees, away from the path. Leading Borealis deeper into the jungle, he tottered ungracefully in the air. She laughed at his awkward flight.
" Do you still miss your down feathers, Callara? You do not seem to like your new flight feathers much."
" Very funny, ha ha!" he muttered, sounding not the least bit amused, " Here you go."
He landed in front of a dark hole, screened with hanging plants. His russet eyes glittered impatiently at the tigress. She peered at the cave and sniffed, shook her head. She didn't like the smell; it stank of rotting bones.
Her sky blue eyes narrowed at her annoying companion, " I am not going to hide in a hole all day!"
Callara sighed, " It is not a hole, it is a secret ground passage to one of my nests. Earth crawlers cannot get up any other way, take it or leave it."
The Tolerj turned his black wingtips to the sky and fluttered up the sheer rock face. He looked imperiously around his domains from the cliff edge for a moment before disappearing into his nest. Borealis wiggled into the hole; she just barely fit.
She coughed in the dank tunnel, " Smells more like a garbage shoot than a hallway for visitors."
After the first three feet, the hole widened out and began climbing the inside of the cliff. The tigress had to dig her claws into the rock to pull herself upward. At last the path flattened and the sun shone harshly through a grubby weed blocking the exit. She started to break past when her escape was halted by a fuchsia wing.
" Stay down!" the Tolerj whispered furiously.
The white tiger heard summoning roars from the foot of the cliff. She recognized the voice of one of her hunters as Reshlor, Captain of the Ivory Fang Patrol.
The Ivory Fang Patrol? she thought, What are they doing looking for me?
" Mysterious Tolerj," he rumbled, " have you seen the Princess Borealis today?"
Callara rolled his eyes at the title and replied haughtily, " No. Now, leave me in peace so that I may sleep."
Reshlor raised an eyebrow, but bowed and stalked out of the clearing. His patrol quickly followed and, after they had left, Borealis scrambled from the reeking passage.
" Why was my mother's guard looking for me?" she asked her friend worriedly.
" I do not know, but I think you should return to the palace."
She shook her head.
" You are the Left Fang," he continued, " and as such, you have much training to do as a future advisor. Your mother could be sending out all the patrols but her Black Fang Generals to find you to make you study, then again, there could be something wrong at the palace."
As much as she hated to admit it, her chicken-hearted friend was right. With a growl she swiped the filthy plant that covered the tunnel over the precipice. She tensed at the edge and made a great downward leap into the nearest tree, sixty feet away. The great bird shook his head and the violet plume quivered.
" I will see you tonight!" he trilled after the shrinking white tiger.