"Akira, Miss Kelsey!" my father exclaimed as he pulled me into his arms "I am so glad to see you two, I hope the boys took good care of you."
The tiger brothers huffed and snorted before finding a shady place to rest
"They did, we're fine." Kelsey replied as he led us to a log by the campfire
"Have a seat while I break camp. That means you too, Kira." He looks at me pointedly
With a grumble I morph back to my wolf form and sit at Kelsey's feet, I roll onto my back when she leans down and starts rubbing my stomach.
After awhile Kelsey stood and walked over to the foldup writing desk near the tent "Mr. Kadam, are these the translations from the prophesy?"
"It is, I've begun working on the translation from the monolith. I am certain that we need to go Hampi, I also have a good idea of what we're looking for. Kira, what is that your wearing?" he calls out to me
I lift my head and feel the smooth amulet rub against my chest, I morph back and stand up unclipping it from my neck "Here Kelsey, Kishan wanted me to give this to you. It will protect you like how it protect you like how my father's half protects him."
She nodded and turned around, letting me clasp it around her neck, she rubbed it between her fingers "How does yours protect me Mr. Kadam?"
My father finished packing up his things and leaned against the bumper of the jeep "Well, it has protected me from serious injuries, but I can still get small one like a cut or a sprained ankle. I still get ill but have never experienced diseases and my wounds tend to heal quickly, not as quickly as Kira's or the boys though."
As they began talking more about the amulet I walk over to where the tigers lay sleeping and kneel in front of them "Wake up you guys, my father is packed up and ready to head back."
Ren lifted his head and let out a large tiger yawn but Nalin didn't move, with a smirk I lean forward and blow in his ear. The orange tiger roars annoyingly and swipes his paw, his sharp claws slash into my upper shoulder and I jump back with a yelp
Nalin instantly shifts to a man and stands with a complete look of regret on his face "Kira... I- I'm.."
Before he could finish his sentence, he is shoved by Ren as he approaches me "Get a hold of your temper Nalin." He glares at his younger brother before he presses his hand on my bleeding arm
"Ow! Dammit Ren!" I hiss at him
"Relax, its to stop the bleeding."
My father comes up beside him with bandages "I'm sorry but this is going to hurt more." He warns, before he pours alcohol on it
I howl out in pain and if Ren hadn't been holding me still, I would have bolted but after a minute the burn subsided, and I knew I was starting to heal.
"Help her into the car Ren,"
I shake my head "I'm fine dad, besides I have to shift back anyway."
With a concerned look he nodded, I look around for Nalin and find his tiger form already in the Jeep, Ren joins him in the back and Kelsey in the passenger seat. With a deep breath I change back and curl up on the floor at Kelsey's feet, my shoulder throbs with every bump in the road but when the road smooths out, I close my eyes and take a nap.
When I wake up, my father is pulling into a hotel parking, Kelsey leans down and rubs my head "We dropped the boys off in the jungle, don't worry they'll be alright for a night, your dad says we'll continue onto the temple tomorrow." She explains before she gets out and opens the door wide for me to get out
My shoulder throbs in pain as I slide out of the car, but the cuts have closed, leaving small pink scars. I grumble lightly when I feel Kelsey slip a leather collar around my neck with a leash attached to it
"I'm sorry but your father said its better to be safe than sorry." I walk between the two of them as we go through the town. "Here, try this." Kelsey kneels and offers a small part of her popsicle; I gently take it from her hand and lick her fingers in thanks for the yummy treat.
We take a motorboat taxi across the river to a restaurant; people give me confused or frighten looks but my father assures me that I mean no harm. After we are seated, they began talking about what my father learned about the prophesy
"I believe what we are seeking is called thee Golden Fruit of India. It is said to be an object of divine origin given to Hanuman to watch over and protect."
My mind began to wonder as I listened to his story, but a voice brought me from my thoughts and my heart skip a beat
"Hey Kadam, mind if I borrow Akira for the rest of the night?" I lift my head to see Nalin standing there, he wasn't wearing the normal dark ember shirt and pants that appear on him after he shifts but now he wore a long sleeve buttoned down shirt and black pants, his feet however were still bare.
My father sighed "Alright, but don't go outside the city limits and you will go back to Ren when your time is up, understood?" when Nalin agreed, he attaches a key to my collar "I'm sure you can track down which room is ours by your nose, I wont be out long."
I nuzzle his arm and turn to follow Nalin to a taxi boat, when there was no driver, I shoot him a questionable look which earns me a chuckle
"Don't worry Kira, I didn't steal it."
I huff but leap in and he steers it to the open water, I walk toward the edge of the boat and lean my face toward the night sky, the cool air flowing through my fur
"So, you gonna shift back so we can talk? Or am I going to do all the talking?" he asks as we pulled up to the docks and he stood to tie us up
With another huff I step onto the dock and start walking toward the town
"Guess that answers it," he says as he walks beside me "Look, I'm sorry about what happened today, you have to understand that I've spent three centuries sleeping in the jungle. Those jaguars that attacked you, well they were a constant for me and Kishan. Most nights we would take shifts keeping watch over our kills."
A part of me rumbled at that thought, I could understand in Ren's case because his fur was more likely to be spotted in a hunt so he would have to savor his kill for as long as he could. But the twins? They would have a less harder time blending in.
"Something tells me you guys didn't have trouble hunting." I say as I shift beside him, not breaking my stride
"What? Because there were always the two of us?"
"That and because you two don't exactly stand out like Ren." I snap back at him
He scoffs and shakes his head "My point still stands, what I'm trying to say is, that I'm sorry for hurting you."
I smile lightly and take his hand in mine. "I accept your apology; just next time don't be so cranky when I wake you from your nap."
He chuckles and kisses my head "Deal."
We talked until his time time was up, with a kiss goodbye he shifted to his orange tiger and bound into the forest. With just a minute before my wolf took over again, I was able to unlock the door before falling to my knees as the change forced itself on me
My fangs were the worst part of it, I know to my father and Kelsey, the change seems almost instantaneous but for me and the boys would more than likely agree; it felt long lasting.
The next morning I feel my father lightly shaking my head to wake me but I grumble and roll onto my back in a attempt to fall asleep and I almost do, until he sets a fresh rice cake in front of my nose
"That is cheating" I say when I shift and take it from him
He smiles and shrugs "Worked didn't it?"
After a quick breakfast I phase back, and we met Kelsey in the lobby
"Miss Kelsey! Did you sleep well?" my father asks as we head to the jeep
"I slept fine, a little bit too long though. Sorry about that"
He waves it off and hands her a rice cake as well, "Not to worry. We will get the boys and drive to the temple."
When we picked up Nalin and Ren, Ren came running out of the trees like a playful cub but Nalin came slugging out, with a big tiger yawn. After they were settled, my father pulled away from the jungle and made our way to Durga's temple