Suddenly I heard someone whistling. They were coming towards me. I looked over in the direction it was coming from and got ready for anything.
Cassim came around the corner of the nearby cliff. He was the one that was whistling.
I relaxed as soon as I saw it was him.
I listened to his whistling for a moment. I didn't know the tune he was whistling, but I liked it.
Cassim over to me, stopped whistling, bent down, slowly reached out, and stroked my head.
"Good morning, Rajah."
His deep voice was cheerful and almost carefree. I had never heard him talk in that kind of voice.
"How are you this morning?"
"Good."
Cassim let out a yelp of fright as he jumped back. His feet slipped out from underneath him as he landed, and he tumbled over backwards.
Once he regained his breathe he sat up and stared at me.
"You,... you can talk?"
"Yeah. Chaos put a spell on me so I could talk. The others know I can talk, but I don't talk very often."
"No offense, but I'd be less surprised and startled to hear my horse ask why I was helping a tiger."
I laughed.
"Now that would scary."
Cassim got over his fright and gave me more food and water.
"Do you think you're strong enough to walk?"
"Only one way to find out."
Cassim helped me up. I took a few steps forward. I walked around the campsite. Cassim walked beside me, ready to steady me if I stumbled or catch me if I fell.
"What are you doing way out here anyway?"
"Chaos has been sending me on these crazy adventures. He said that I need a friend to help me on this one."
"Let me take a wild guess, I'm that friend."
"It looks that way. Are you up to it?"
"Rajah, you're talking to the former King of Thieves. Yeah I'm up to it."
I laughed again.
"Lets get going."
Before long we set off into the desert.