Night 2- A Tiger's Tail
Magi © Shinobu Ohtaka
Shahra © Me
It was a dark, cold night in the desert. In a single wagon drawn by two camels, a woman and her child slept peacefully, side-by-side. Then, the child began to whimper and squirm in her sleep, and as if she knew, her mother reached over and sleepily pulled her into her warm embrace, causing her daughter to smile happily before she continued her slumber.
In the corner of the wagon, who should happen to see this but young Aladdin, who stared at them with a sad, almost envious look? The boy then sighed before he looked up at the night sky and stared at the quarter moon and the twinkling stars above. He also saw the tiny rukh, fluttering through the air before flying off ahead of the wagon.
It had been 2 days now since Aladdin left the town of Utan…and since his beloved mother, Sheba, had passed. At first, Aladdin tried to put his best foot forward, but in the end, no matter how hard he tried, he still missed Sheba. Whenever he slept, he would always wake up crying for her and wishing for her to come back, but he knew that no matter how much he cried for Sheba, no matter how much he wanted her to hold him in her arms again, it was no use. He soon became very depressed and lonely, and not even talking to Ugo seemed to help.
'Mother…' he thought. 'I…I'm trying so hard to be strong for you…but it's just so hard…!'
He sniffled and chewed his lip as he tried to fight back his tears.
'Why did you have to die?' he thought as he wrapped his arms around his torso in a futile attempt to comfort himself. 'Why did you have to die, Mother?!'
He then began to sob quietly as he curled up into a little ball, crying himself to sleep.
XXX
The following morning, Aladdin snored quietly as he lied in the corner of the wagon. His cheeks were stained with the tears he had shed last night. As he snored, a hand reached over and shook him, causing him to awaken.
"Huh?" Aladdin muttered, blinking his eyes.
"Hey, kid," said the wagon driver. "Wake up. We're here."
Aladdin blinked for a moment before he got out of the wagon and jumped down to the ground. However, he stumbled a bit before he tripped and fell down, face-first, in the sand. He grunted as he stood up, and then spat out the sand that got in his mouth before scraping his tongue clean with his hands. Unfortunately, the taste remained behind.
It was then that he decided that he should find something to wash the taste of sand out of his mouth. Something fresh, sweet, and juicy…like a ripe, plump watermelon.
With that, Aladdin went off to find himself some breakfast, but before he did, he turned to the driver and smiled at him before he held out his pouch of gold dinars, then gave one to him.
"Here you go," Aladdin said. "Thank you for the ride."
"No problem, kiddo," said the driver. "You have a good day."
Aladdin then turned to the camels that had been pulling the wagon. He petted each of them on the muzzle, then fed both of them some hay.
"And thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Camel," he said. "You worked hard, too."
The camels just made a guttural groan in response, causing Aladdin laugh before he walked off.
The town that Aladdin ended up is known as Maulla. Like Utan, it is an oasis town where many people gather to trade goods. However, as peaceful as it looked, sometimes…even this town had some shady dealings going around here, but let's not get into it now.
As Aladdin walked through the busy streets, he found himself struggling to squeeze through the large, bustling crowds of people, passing by.
"E-excuse me," Aladdin said. "Sorry. Pardon me."
"Hey, kid!" shouted a man. "Watch where you're going! I'm walking, here!"
"Sorry!" Aladdin said as he kept walking, but then, he yelped in pain when someone stepped on his toes.
"Ow!" he cried before he looked at the passerby who did so. "You really should apologize when you step on someone's foot, you know!"
"As if I give a damn, you brat!"
Aladdin sighed before he finally made it out of the crowd, but once again, he cried out in pain when he felt something sharp stick into the soles of his foot.
"Ah! Ow, ow, ow!" he cried before he fell down on his bottom, and when he looked, he saw shards of glass stuck to the bottom of his poor feet. He sighed miserably before he began to painstakingly pull out the shards one-by-one. Sheba always told him to wear shoes, but he never listened to her. He would always go out, running around barefoot, and after all the times he got something stuck in them, one might think he had learned his lesson, by now, but alas, the blue-haired ten-year-old continued to go around without anything to protect his feet.
After what seemed like hours, Aladdin finally got the glass out, but now, he had to find a way to clean off the cuts. If he tried to walk on his feet now, the sand would get in his wounds and infect them. Thankfully, he found a barrel full of water for him to dip them in. Of course, he decided to get a little drink for himself before doing so. If there was one thing Aladdin learned in the desert, it's that one must drink water to keep hydrated, and the last time he had a fresh drink of water was since yesterday morning.
As Aladdin continued to soak his feet, he felt a shadow looming over him. At first, he thought it was just a simple cloud, come to give him some shade from the hot sun, but then, he heard angry seething coming from in front of him, and when he opened his eyes, he gasped upon seeing a man, glowering at him.
"What do you think you're doing, putting your bloody feet in my water, you brat?!" he asked.
"I-I'm sorry!" Aladdin cried as he scrambled to get away, accidentally toppling the barrel over and spilling the water as he did. This, of course, prompted the angered man to give chase. The boy soon turned a corner into an alley before hiding behind a stack of crates while the man ran off in another direction. Aladdin panted as he sat on the ground, catching his breath before he held up his flute.
"Boy, Ugo," he said. "The world sure is a mean place. Ever since we left home, it's been one thing after another. It must be hard, being on your own."
The flute hummed a bit in response, causing Aladdin to smile.
"You're right," he said. "I shouldn't let it bother me."
Guuuuurggh…! Aladdin blushed sheepishly as his stomach started to growl.
"I should be looking for some breakfast," he said to himself as he stood up and walked away. "I hope I can find something to eat, soon. I think my stomach's starting to eat itself."
As Aladdin continued his search for food, he heard a lot of clamoring going on up ahead. He soon saw a large crowd, gathered in the middle of the town square.
"Huh…there's a lot of people over there," Aladdin mused. "C'mon, Ugo! Let's go see what the hubbub's about!"
With that, curious little Aladdin went up to the crowd. However, there were so many people, he could barely see what was going on up front, so he did the only thing he could do: politely squeeze his way through. It took some doing, but he managed to get his way passed the large crowd and soon saw a large, portly man with a goatee, wearing three golden rings on his fingers, dressed in dark red robes, and a turban around his head, standing upon a stage of some kind.
"Welcome, everyone!" he exclaimed. "Welcome to Ishmael's Auction! Here, you will find only the rarest and finest merchandise! Comes around only once every few months!"
The crowd members began to murmur amongst themselves while Aladdin looked on, confused.
"An auction?" he repeated. "Uh…excuse me, Mister Ishmael? What is an auction?"
"Ah! A curious newcomer!" said Ishmael. "I'm glad you asked, my boy! An auction is where people bid money to buy whatever's on sale! Whoever bids the highest gets whatever I'm selling!"
"That sounds interesting," Aladdin said. "What are you selling?"
"Just wait and see, kiddo!" Ishmael said before he made a hand gesture, and soon, two more men came up…hauling an iron cage, and in that cage…was a female tiger, looking very miserable. Her fur looked dirty, and she looked like she had not eaten for days.
Aladdin gasped in shock and horror at the sight while the rest of the crowd seemed in awe.
"We found this tiger in a desert jungle oasis, not too far from this very town," said Ishmael. "Have any rats in your barn? No worries! She'll kill them for you! Or perhaps you need a star attraction in a circus or zoo! Or perhaps your kids want a pet tiger of your own! The limits are endless with this great cat!"
Aladdin just glared angrily. How could anyone treat such a beautiful animal with such cruelty?
"The bidding starts at 300 dinars!" exclaimed Ishmael. "Do I hear 300?"
Someone in the crowd raised his hand.
"Excellent!" Ishmael said. "Do I hear 350?"
Another person raised his hand.
"350 dinars! Do I hear 400?"
Another hand raised.
"400 dinars! Do I hear 450?"
Aladdin looked at the tiger in the cage, who looked back at him with ruby red eyes. She seemed to let out a miserable groan before she closed her eyes, almost like she was giving up.
"Ugo?" Aladdin asked as he held up his flute. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
The flute vibrated in response, causing Aladdin to nod before he pulled himself up on the stage.
"H-hey!" Ishmael said. "Get down, kid! If you want the tiger, you have to win her in the auction!"
Aladdin didn't listen. Instead, he held his flute up to his lips and blew it softly, and somehow, the bars of the iron cage became bent!
"W-what the…?!" Ishmael questioned.
"What just happened?!"
"Did that kid…just bend open the bars without touching them?!"
The tiger also stared at Aladdin shock as he stepped inside and blew the flute again, causing the chains around her paws to somehow snap in half!
"Go!" Aladdin shouted as he began to push the tiger out of the cage. "Go on! Run! You're free now!"
As realization finally hit, the tiger jumped out of the cage and roared powerfully, causing the crowd to run and scream. Even Ishmael screamed, more out of anger of losing his "merchandise" than the tiger causing potential harm. The tiger turned to look at Aladdin, who smiled at her.
"Go on," he said. "Get out of here!"
A pause came, but then the tiger soon bounded off, jumping up on an awning before disappearing behind a building. Aladdin turned to leave, but soon, he found the blade of a saber, belonging to Ishmael, pointed in between his eyes.
"You damned kid!" the man cursed. "I could've made a profit off that tiger!"
Aladdin simply glared and said, "It's wrong to put animals in a cage and sell them."
"Psh!" Ishmael scoffed. "It's just a dumb cat. It couldn't tell up from down!"
(A/N: Says you, you sack o' shit.)
His two lackeys appeared behind him, both holding sabers.
"As for you," Ishmael said, "I think someone will pay a pretty penny for you! A lot of people pay a high price for child slaves!"
Aladdin sneered…before he blew his flute again, causing Ugo's arms to appear. Ishmael and his two cronies gasped in horror at the sight of the huge arms, which then clapped loudly, creating a humungous shockwave, which sent the men flying into a pile of camel manure…face-first. Aladdin, seizing his chance, turned and ran off, smiling triumphantly.
"I must be better at taking care of myself than I thought I was!" he said, but as he turned a corner, he suddenly bumped into an older boy, about 16 years old, along with 3 others around his age. The leader had bucked teeth and a freckled face, as well as red hair and mean-looking green eyes. He wore a maroon vest on his torso and a pair of beige pants with patches on them.
"Well, well," said the bully. "What have we got here?"
Aladdin glared at the boys before he reached for his flute…but as he did, he found that it wasn't on his person. He looked around and soon found it on the ground, but one of the teenagers picked it up before he could so much as grab it.
"Hey!" Aladdin cried. "Give that back!"
The teens laughed before they began to toss it back and forth amongst each other, with Aladdin trying to get it back.
"Come on, you guys!" Aladdin cried. "Please, give it back! My Mother gave me that flute!"
"Aww, boohoo!" said the lead teenager before he smirked and snapped his fingers, causing one of his friends to grab the younger boy by his arms. The leader then handed the 4th teen the flute before he approached Aladdin and cracked his knuckles.
"I'm gonna enjoy this," he said before he reeled back a fist and began to throw punches into Aladdin's stomach, causing him to cry out in pain, and even when he started to shout at him to stop, he still kept going. Then, he landed one final punch on the boy's face, causing him to fall down.
"Take his money, too," the lead bully ordered as one of his friends took the pouch of money Leila had given to Aladdin a few nights ago. Aladdin tried to stand up, but alas, he was in so much pain from getting beaten like that, he just lied there and watch the boys leave with his money and his flute. Then, he started sniffling as his vision got blurry with tears of anger.
When Sheba was alive, she always kept Aladdin safe from bullies and comforted him whenever he got beat up like this, and then would take him out for a meal later to cheer him up.
Now that he remembered those times…he suddenly found himself missing her again.
Wallowing in his defeat and frustration, Aladdin stood up and walked away…not noticing that all that time, he had been watched by a pair of ruby red eyes from the shadows.
XXX
"What the hell is with this stupid flute?! You can't even play it!"
The bullies are seen, sitting outside a bar while holding Aladdin's flute. The leader had attempted to play a song on it, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't make a single sound.
"Why would that kid carry around something so useless?" asked one of his lackeys.
"What should we do with it?" asked another.
"Well, it looks like it's made of real gold," said the leader. "Maybe we can sell it for booze money."
The teens chuckled, but their laughter was short-lived when they heard growling coming from behind them. They turned…and they saw the glaring red eyes and sharp, white fangs of the tiger as she came skulking out of the shadows. Then, with a roar, she lunged at the teenagers, who all screamed in terror.
XXX
That night, Aladdin is still wandering the streets of the town.
"I looked all over," he said, "but I couldn't fight those boys, or get my flute back."
Gurrrrmgh…urrrrmmgh…! Aladdin rubbed his growling stomach and he sighed.
"I also didn't find anything to eat, today," he said as he sat down on a crate to rest his weary feet. He then looked up at the moon above and sighed.
'…Mother,' he thought. 'Everything seems to be so much harder without you. I know you said you were always with me…but why does it feel like I'm alone?'
Grrrrr…! He sighed as he heard another growl.
"I know you're hungry," Aladdin said as he patted his tummy. "You've told me a hundred times, today!"
Grrrrrrr…!
"…That's not me," Aladdin realized before he looked and saw a rather large dog, scruffy and so skinny, that his ribs showed. The dog licked his lips at Aladdin, who smiled at him as he got down from the crate.
"Hi, Mister Doggy!" Aladdin greeted. "Are you hungry?"
A pause…but then, the canine curled up his black lips, flashing his white teeth as he growled, to Aladdin's unease.
"Uh…I'll take that as a yes," the boy said, nervously.
Soon after, 3 more dogs appeared from the shadows, all growling viciously and licking their chops at Aladdin, whose eyes went wide as he began to back away, causing the pack of four to advance. It was at that moment that Aladdin realized…the dogs were planning to have him for their dinner.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Aladdin screamed as he turned and fled, prompting the canines to pursue him, barking viciously and wildly. One attempted to snap at his ankles and even his braid in an attempt to slow him down, but Aladdin pulled his hair out of their reach. He turned a corner, hoping to outrun the hungry dogs, but as he looked up, he gasped in horror upon realizing he had reached a dead end.
"Oh, no!" he cried. "W-what'll I do?!"
He then shivered when he heard the dogs growling behind him, and turned around to see them beginning to advance. Aladdin whimpered as he backed away until it looked like he was practically glued to the wall.
'They're gonna eat me…!' he thought as tears formed in his eyes. 'They're really gonna eat me, and I can't do anything! Mother, I wish you were still here! Oh, please, help me Mother!'
With a bark, the dogs charged at Aladdin, who screamed as he covered his head, but then, a large, shadowy figure, much larger than the dogs jumped down from the roof, intercepting the pack. Aladdin looked and saw that it was the tiger from earlier, much to his surprise. Before long, the tiger lunged at the pack of dogs, roaring and snarling as she swiped her claws and snapped her fangs at them. One managed to latch onto her hindquarters, only to be smacked in the face with her paw. When another tried to get at Aladdin while she was distracted, she only grabbed that one by the neck with her teeth before throwing him into a barrel. Doing that finally got the message through: the tiger wanted them gone, and with their tails tucked between their legs, the dogs yowled in pain and defeat before scurrying off.
The tiger growled at the fleeing canines before she put her fangs away and nodded her head with a huff, as if she were saying "And don't you dare come back!". She then turned to Aladdin, who sighed in relief and smiled at her.
"Thank you," he said. "You saved me."
The tiger approached Aladdin, who seemed rather hesitant, but then he reached his hand out, and the big cat rubbed her head against it, purring. Aladdin chuckled happily as he scratched her neck, gently. Then, he spotted something, wrapped up in the tiger's tail: it was his pouch of money, as well as his flute.
"My flute and my money!" Aladdin gasped as he went and took them. "You got them back for me!"
The tiger seemed to smile at the boy as he held his flute in his hands, checking for any scratches, dents, or cracks. Once he made sure everything was all right, he placed the flute around his neck.
"Are you all right, Ugo?" Aladdin asked, and the flute hummed and glowed in response. "Good. You had me worried for a while."
He then looked at the tiger, who just sat there, staring at him. He smiled as he went up and scratched under her chin, causing her to purr again.
"Thank you," he said. "I'm so glad you got my things back for me."
The tiger licked his face, causing him to laugh.
"Hey, stop that!" he said. "It tickles!"
As he wiped the tiger saliva off his face, Aladdin glanced up at the tiger, who blinked at him.
"I wonder what I should call you," the boy pondered. "Hmm…I don't think I should call you just 'Miss Tiger'. I'm sure there are lots of others like you. I should call you a pretty name."
It was then that Aladdin seem to remember something from a long time ago. When he was only 8 years old, he snuck out of his and Sheba's house to go find something to do, and he somehow winded up in some kind of house where there were lots of women with well-endowed chests. One of them was a red-eyed beauty named Shahra, and seeing the tiger's eyes reminded him of that woman.
Of course, when Sheba found out where the boy had been, she punished him with no dessert for a week, but let's not go into details about it.
"I know what I'll call you!" Aladdin exclaimed. "I'll call you…Shahra! What do you think? Do you like it?"
The tiger nuzzled and licked his face, causing him to laugh.
"That's a yes!" he said. "Hi, Shahra! I'm Aladdin! It's nice to meet you!"
The newly christened Shahra just purred as she nuzzled Aladdin again. The boy only laughed, but then, his laughter was replaced with a yawn.
"I sure am tired," Aladdin said as Shahra began to pad off, to his confusion. "Shahra? Where are you going?"
Shahra turned to look at the boy before she craned her head forward. It was then that Aladdin realized that she wanted him to follow, and so he did. They walked further into the city before they headed into an empty house. It looked like no one had been inside for months, at least. Shahra yawned as she lied down on the floor, and soon after, Aladdin lied down at her side.
"Your fur is so soft, Shahra," said Aladdin, causing Shahra to smile.
'…This feeling,' Aladdin thought as he began to shut his eyes. 'It's so familiar, somehow…almost like…'
An image of Sheba holding him in his arms appeared in his head, causing him to smile.
'Mother…'
With that, Aladdin's eyes closed as he lied at Shahra's side.
Dream Sequence
Aladdin found himself sitting in the middle of a huge room made of stone, and the walls were filled with gigantic books. All around him, he saw the rukh, fluttering about.
"H…hello?" Aladdin asked. "Is anyone here?"
A pause…but then, he heard a familiar voice coming from somewhere nearby, calling to him.
"Aladdin…!"
He gasped before he looked up at a flight of stairs, where the rukh seemed to be swarming the most. Without a moment's hesitation, he ran up the stairs…and at the top, he found Sheba, sitting by a fountain, smiling at him.
"Hello, Aladdin," Sheba said.
"Mother!" Aladdin cried as he ran up and jumped into her arms with tears forming in his eyes. "I miss you so much."
"Shh~!" Sheba shushed as she stroked Aladdin's hair. "There, there…it's gonna be okay. You'll see."
"Why did you have to go?" Aladdin asked. "Why did you leave me? I feel so alone."
Sheba sighed as she looked up at the ceiling.
"I know it seems unfair," she said as she continued to pet her son, "but these things, like life and death…they just happen and there's nothing we can do about them. I'm sorry, Aladdin."
Aladdin looked up at Sheba and sniffled.
"However," Sheba said, "just because I can't be with you physically…doesn't mean you're alone."
"What do you mean?" Aladdin asked.
"Well, you have Ugo with you, and you also have friends like Leila and Sahsa, and even that tiger you met today."
"You mean Shahra?"
"That's right…and if you keep looking, I'm sure you'll find even more friends on the path you take."
Hearing this caused Aladdin to smile.
"Will I, really?" he asked.
"Of course," Sheba answered as she kissed his forehead. "Remember, even if you can't see me, I'm never too far away…"
She then pointed her finger at his chest.
"…Just keep me inside your heart."
Aladdin smiled before he looked at Sheba.
"I will, Mother," he said as Sheba held him close.
"Good boy," she cooed, softly.
Dream End
The sun shined bright through the windows of the empty house where Shahra and Aladdin slept. A beam of sunlight soon landed on Aladdin's face, causing him to awaken. He yawned and stretched his arms before he sat up, scratching his hair. Not long after, Shahra woke up with a yawn, as well, before she looked at Aladdin, who looked back at her.
"Good morning, Shahra," Aladdin said. "I hope you slept well."
Shahra nuzzled her face against Aladdin, who giggled.
"I slept great," he said. "How did you sleep, Ugo?"
The flute flashed a vibrant yellow in reply, and Aladdin giggled.
"Good," he said before he looked up at the ceiling. "…I dreamt about Mother last night. She told me…that I was never alone, since I have Ugo…and Leila and Sahsa, and even you, Shahra!"
Shahra licked his face, who laughed happily, but his laughter was soon interrupted by the rumbling of his belly. He gasped softly before he laughed sheepishly.
"My tummy's talking," he said. "Come to think of it, I haven't eaten a thing yesterday. No wonder I'm so hungry."
A growl came from Shahra…and it wasn't coming from her mouth.
"You're hungry, too, huh?" Aladdin asked with a giggle. "How about we go to the market and get breakfast?"
Shahra just growled softly in her throat before she stood up and padded out with Aladdin following her before he hoisted himself up upon her shoulders. The cat didn't seem to mind. In fact, she purred a little as Aladdin scratched at her hackles.
XXX
Aladdin and Shahra soon arrived at the bazaar, which looked very busy this morning.
"Mm…so much food to choose from," Aladdin thought aloud, licking his lips. "I don't know where to start!"
As Shahra made her way through the streets, the people that gathered all gasped at the sight of her before they immediately jumped out of the way.
"Wow," Aladdin said. "Everyone sure is being polite, today! They even cleared a path for us!"
Shahra then approached a fruit stand, where the owner is hiding behind.
"Excuse me, mister!" Aladdin called. "Can I have some fruit, please?"
"S-s-sure!" the man stammered.
"How much for-" Aladdin began, but the owner cut him off.
"J-just take it!" he cried. "Take whatever you want, as much as you want! It's free!"
Aladdin blinked curiously, but then he smiled as he held up an empty sack.
"Thank you!" he said as he put an assortment of fruit inside, like apples, pears, and his personal favorite, watermelon, into the bag. "Are you sure you don't want me to pay for it, though? It does seem a bit rude-"
"JUST TAKE IT, KID!" the owner barked. "TAKE IT AND GO AWAY!"
Aladdin was a bit taken aback by the man's jumpiness, but he smiled nonetheless. However, he didn't realize that the reason why the man had given him the fruit in the first place was because of Shahra. He feared that if the boy was denied any type of nourishment, he'd sic the tiger on him.
"Thanks, again!" Aladdin said as Shahra walked away, carrying him with her.
A pause…but then the stand owner just keeled over, unconscious.
Shahra then walked over to a stand with fish.
"Mmm…this fish looks tasty," said Aladdin.
Shahra sniffed the fish, checking to see if it was fresh. Once she assured herself, she took the biggest one, a large tuna fish, in her mouth.
"How much for the-" Aladdin began, but the fishmonger stopped him.
"J-just take it!" he cried.
"O-okay," Aladdin said. "Thanks!"
With that, Shahra and Aladdin left the bazaar, leaving behind many relieved patrons.
"Thank goodness…I thought that tiger would never leave!"
"How could that boy get so close to such a ferocious beast?!"
"He's not human!"
XXX
Plop! An apple core fell to the ground, amongst some watermelon rinds, some pear cores, and a fish's skeleton, stripped clean of its flesh.
Aladdin sighed happily as he lied against Shahra's side, patting his round tummy. He then let out a small burp, causing him to gasp.
"Oops!" he giggled. "Excuse me."
Shahra began to lick Aladdin's face, cleaning off the sticky juices of the assortment of fruits he ate. The boy only laughed, not seeming to mind the smell of fish on her rough, sandpaper-like tongue.
"Okay, okay, Shahra!" Aladdin said. "I'm clean, now!"
Shahra stopped licking Aladdin, who sighed as he rubbed his stomach and his eyelids became heavy.
"…It's been a long time since my stomach had felt so full," Aladdin surmised. "I feel really sleepy."
Shahra purred as she nuzzled the boy's face, making him giggle.
"Yeah, a nap does sound good," Aladdin said with a yawn, but just when he was about to shut his eyes, he suddenly heard incoherent chatter coming from somewhere nearby.
"Hmm?" he hummed before he got up, his stomach slimming down. "What's that?"
As he went to go investigate, Shahra soon stood up and walked ahead of him before she stopped, her head peering around a corner. Aladdin did the same and saw that it was Ishmael and his two goons, the former not looking very happy.
"It's that man from yesterday," Aladdin whispered. "The one who put you in the cage."
Shahra quietly growled in anger at the memory.
"That damned kid ruined my auction!" Ishmael cursed. "I could've made a profit off that tiger until he came along! Dammit!"
"But boss, where are we gonna find him?" asked one of his lackeys. "That kid and the tiger could be just about anywhere, by now."
"They may've even left town," said the other.
"Then search every street and alley until you do find them!" shouted Ishmael, pointing his saber at them both, causing them to yelp in fright. "Rough 'em both up, if you have to, but bring them to me alive! I'll make sure I'll sell that tiger, and make sure that boy doesn't get in my way…because he'll be spilling blood when I'm done with him."
He chuckled in a sinister tone as he licked the blade of his sword in a sick manner, while Aladdin gulped nervously.
"This isn't good, Shahra…!" Aladdin whispered. "If they catch us, they'll kill us both!"
Shahra looked at Aladdin, worriedly.
"We can't stay here, anymore," he said. "We need to leave this town, and fast! We'll take a carriage and get outta here!"
Shahra nodded before she and Aladdin turned to run, only to run into the 4 bullies from yesterday.
"Well, well, well," said the red-haired leader. "If it isn't the whiny little twerp?"
"You again," Aladdin hissed as he gripped his flute while Shahra growled viciously.
"So you're the one who sent the pussycat after us," the leader said. "Figures. You'd even send animals to do your dirty work for ya, huh?"
"You stole my things from me and beat me up," Aladdin said. "Shahra was teaching you a lesson."
"Tch!" the leader clicked his tongue. "Yap-yap-yap…you keep talking nonsense, you're gonna end up losing your tongue, one day, kid!"
"Just get out of our way," Aladdin said. "We don't want any trouble."
"Too bad," said the red-haired punk, "because you've got it, you blue-haired piece of dog shit. HEY! MISTER ISHMAEL! I FOUND THE KID YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!"
Ishmael and his goons turned to see Aladdin and Shahra, and the bullies pointing to them. A pause, but then a wicked smirk appeared on the man's lips.
"Perfect," he said. "Get the tiger and kill the kid!"
"Right, boss!" the two goons shouted as they charged at Aladdin with their sabers.
"RUN!" Aladdin shouted as he jumped on Shahra's back. "RUN, SHAHRA, RUN!"
The tiger soon dashed off while Ishmael and his two cronies chased after them. As they ran, Aladdin spotted a crowd up ahead.
"MOVE!" he shouted. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
Civilians both gasped and shrieked in shock when they saw the runaway tiger before they scrambled out of the way.
"THANK YOU!" Aladdin called as he and Shahra continued to make their escape, while Ishmael and his men kept chasing after them. As they fled, Aladdin reached his arm out and knocked a barrel of oil, which caused Ishmael and his thugs to slip on the ground and fall.
"DAMN THAT KID!" Ishmael roared.
Aladdin laughed as he and Shahra continued to run away, but then, he looked up and saw a low beam. By the time, it was too late to duck down, so he ended up hitting his head instead, thus causing him to fall off Shahra's back.
"Oof!" he cried as he landed on the ground. Luckily, he didn't get knocked out. Still, he knew that Ishmael and his men were going to catch up to him. "Sh-Shahra! Shahra, come back! I fell off!"
Shahra braked to a halt before she turned and dashed to Aladdin, who scrambled to his feet as Ishmael grew closer. Then, the tiger snatched the boy up by they back of his vest with her teeth before she continued to make a run for it.
"Get back here!" one of Ishmael's goons shouted. "You can't run away forever!"
Shahra soon turned a corner into an alley. However, she soon found that she had reached a dead end.
"Oh, no! We're trapped!" Aladdin cried.
Shahra growled and turned to face Ishmael and his men, who snickered as they advanced toward them with their sabers drawn.
"Well, well, well," Ishmael said. "Nowhere to run, kid, and nowhere to hide."
Aladdin whimpered fearfully while Shahra snarled and roared furiously, but the three men remained unafraid.
"S-s-stay back!" Aladdin shouted as he held up his flute, albeit with shaking hands. "Get away from us!"
"You think I'm afraid of you?" Ishmael questioned before he smacked the instrument out of his hands and then pointed his sword at his face. Shahra roared angrily and attempted to lunge at Ishmael, but his two lackeys pointed their swords at her, stopping her in her tracks.
"I'm not gonna just kill you, little boy," Ishmael said with a wicked grin. "I'll torture you, slowly. First, I'll stab one of your eyes out, then I'll cut your ankles clean off of your calves, followed by your grubby little fingers, and finally…I'll slit your stomach open and gut you like a fish!"
A terrified Aladdin whimpered as tears formed in his eyes, and then looked back at Shahra, who was trying to fight off Ishmael's thugs. However, she roared in pain when one of them landed a hit on her shoulder, leaving a bloody gash.
'W-what am I gonna do?!' Aladdin thought. 'They're gonna kill us, and I'm too scared to do anything!'
"Now…let's get started," Ishmael said as he held his sword back, preparing to stab Aladdin in the eye.
'Mother…Mother, help me!' Aladdin thought as tears fell from his eyes. 'Help me!'
"HELP ME, MOTHER~!" he screamed at the top of his lungs…and out of nowhere, Ishmael's blade shattered into pieces!
"W-what the hell?!" Ishmael questioned before he looked up…and gasped in horror upon seeing what looked like a giant, white, transparent dragon with two heads, standing over Aladdin while growling viciously. Shahra's jaw dropped in surprise upon seeing it, as well, and one of Ishmael's men looked like he had just soiled himself at the sight of the beast. Aladdin also gasped upon seeing it.
"A…a dragon…?!" he whispered in shock.
Then, the dragon roared as one of its heads snapped at Ishmael while the other went after his two cronies. The three men were so frightened by it, they scrambled to their feet and made a run for it!
"THAT KID'S A MOSNTER!" Ishmael yelled at the top of his lungs.
Aladdin panted heavily as the dragon began to vanish. All that remained was the rukh, fluttering about before disappearing into the sky. A pause…but then a knowing smile appeared on Aladdin's face.
"…Thank you, Mother," he whispered.
Not long after, Shahra approached Aladdin and licked his face, causing him to laugh.
"Okay, okay, Shahra!" he exclaimed. "I get it! I'm glad you're okay, too!"
Shahra blinked at Aladdin before she nuzzled him, purring affectionately.
"That was really scary," he said, "but I'm glad it's over now."
He then went over and picked up his flute.
"You okay, Ugo?" Aladdin asked, and the flute hummed in response. "Good. I think it's time we left this crazy town."
Shahra nodded before she padded off with Aladdin following behind her. However, as they walked away…they didn't notice two shadowy figures, watching from the skies above.
"Did you see that?"
"Yeah…he put a up a borg. That's no ordinary kid, is it?"
"He seems rather extraordinary for a magician. I've never actually seen a borg like that before. Should we inform the others?"
"…No. Not yet."
"Are you certain?"
"Yeah…he's probably not very important, anyhow."
"If you say so."
With that, the two flew off on their magic carpet.
XXX
Later, Aladdin and Shahra are climbing up into a carriage. However, it proved to be rather difficult when the former tried to push the latter up into the back of the carriage.
"Come on, Shahra!" Aladdin urged as he pushed on Shahra's hindquarters. "Hurry up!"
With one final shove, the tiger managed to get in.
"Okay, now help me up!" Aladdin said as he reached up. As he did, he heard the sound of someone whistling a tune coming from around the corner. "Hurry! Somebody's coming!"
Shahra gently clamped her teeth on the back o Aladdin's vest, pulling him up into the carriage. Soon after, a young man of average height with blond hair and amber eyes appeared, carrying a basket full of apples. The top of his hair is styled into a short, thick ahoge, and he wears a long, white, cape-like shirt. He wore a sash around his waist, which held a dagger with a golden handle, and a pair of black shoes. However, one shoe seemed to be a boot of some kind with blue stripes around the leg.
The young man placed the basket into the carriage, not seeing Shahra or Aladdin, who had ducked in the shadows to avoid being seen.
"There," he said. "Finished."
"Hey, Alibaba! We all set back there?" asked an older man with a scar over his lip, a pair of beige pants, and smoking a pipe.
"All set!" the young man, known as Alibaba, said as he climbed up to the driver's seat and grabbed his whip. "Next stop, Qishan!"
With that, he snapped at the camels' reins, causing them to pull the carriage out into the desert, heading to the next town. Aladdin and Shahra sat in the back, amongst the watermelons and other fruits that had been packed inside. Shahra had already lied down, beginning to fall asleep.
"Qishan, huh?" Aladdin muttered as he lied on Shahra's side and yawned sleepily. "I wonder…what that place is like."
XXX
In the town of Qishan…a lone tower, so high that it could touch the heavens themselves, stood lying in wait.
Until Next Night…
Probably not my best, but tell me what you think anyway!
Review, please!