The Tiger And His Friends

Once, there was heavy rain in a forest and a tiny tiger cub was very excited to feel the first droplets of rain. So he went out without telling anyone, as his mother had told him not to move out of his home. But he so much wanted to find out who growled so loudly outside.  It was coming from the sky. The sky was gleaming with light. Dark clouds thundered. Suddenly the little cub became scared! He wanted to go home. When he turned back he couldn’t find his home as he had wandered very far away. He began to cry for his mother “Mama! Mama where are you? Help me I am scared!”

Sadly, his mama couldn’t hear him. “I guess I have to find Mama myself” he thought.

He walked tired and drenched in the rain looking for his Mama, crying out for her every now and then. It was getting dark! He had to find some shelter! He looked for a place where at least he could spend the night. At last, he found a rocky cave close by!

“Hope there is no danger here!” The cub stepped cautiously into the cave and gave a sigh of relief! There was no one there. The floor was flooded with rain water, may be whoever lived here had left the place because of the water gathered there. The tiger cub had no other place to go. So he settled on a jutting out rock, positioned higher than the ground. He shivered in the cold as the rock didn’t provide any warmth. He missed his mum’s soft fur where he could cuddle and sleep without worry. He hated the sound of the pouring rain now and shook himself dry though water didn’t touch him.

The water drops ticked away the time, and soon he was fast asleep. Then something soft and furry jumped on him! Startled, he opened his eyes and saw a little bear lying above him. Normally he would have snarled at him, If not for the fact that the bear provided him cover from the icy cold weather. “Who are you? Why are you here?” asked the cub.

“I am lost! I was too lazy to follow my mum! Then there was a loud noise and she suddenly fell silent! She didn’t move! I waited for help. But no one would help! ” The little bear started crying!

“Oh! I am so sorry to hear that! Ï am lost too! I didn’t listen to my mum and came out in the rain! Come close to me! You will feel better!” said the little tiger.

The bear and the tiger hugged each other tightly and waited for their mother, hoping against hope that their mothers would come looking for them. But someone came panting drenched in rain. It pounced on both of them and sagged down. It was a lion cub! It was so exhausted that it had no strength to speak.

“Well, three is better than two!” said the tiger to the bear. “At least we can cuddle together for warmth!”

Slowly as the night progressed, the lion found his strength back and sat up. “What brings you here?” asked the bear.

“I was walking with my father in the evening. Then something happened. I don’t know how to tell. He got trapped to the ground!  He couldn’t free himself! And then the ground shook and he fell down below. There was a big black hole in the place he was laying! I just stood there and couldn’t do anything! When the rain came, I had to find shelter. So I am here! ”

“We have all lost our parents today” comforted the bear. Then, the tiger and the bear related their story to the lion.  The poor animals comforted each other throughout the night hoping for the best.  They were unaware of the fact that they were never going to see their parents again.

 But someone did come in the morning, a group of forest officials have come to survey the rain water flooded area. They were surprised to find a tiger, a bear and a lion huddled together in a cave! They have never seen a wonder like this. “Lions, tigers and bears are natural enemies! This is a touching discovery!” They quickly clicked photos of the little ones and rescued them. They were taken good care in an animal sanctuary. The officials were so pleased at the friendship that blossomed in the cave that they kept the three friends together. They all still play and live together in their habitat.

Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes! Tigers have feelings too!