Wild Tiger Chase | Book #2 (Complete)

29: anima weld (part III)

— Léon —

Léon sliced a thick piece of his roasted cassava and blew on it until the steam was gone. "Pipo?"

The little boy accepted it and took a bite. As he ate, his eyelids weighed over his eyes and his shoulders sunk. Sometimes he stopped munching and kept very still, while others he shook his head as if to keep awake. Kids are so funny.

With a smile, Léon caressed Pipo's hair and popped a kiss on the crown of his head. Pipo was still seven, and after what had happened this morning, Léon could imagine how tired he must be. "Go take a nap, Pipo; I'll wake you up in an hour, all right?"

With a nod and a grin, Pipo stuffed the slice of cassava in his mouth and dragged himself towards Caidara's cottage.

As soon as he was gone, the atmosphere changed. Léon and the others ate in silence, sharing nervous glances and uncertain gestures that whispered about their hopes for the future or lack thereof. And while Léon could understand why Rob, Rafa, and Phillip felt that way, it was a mystery to him why Modraniht was avoiding him. He couldn't still be angry about Léon and Phillip, could he?

Things got even worse when Phillip called Anhangá by his name in one of his vain attempts to lift people's moods.

Rafa's reaction was a muted kind of anger that Léon had only seen in movies. Bulged veins in her neck, reddening face, tensing muscles. Rafa placed her unfinished plate down, got up, and invited Rob for a private conversation.

When they came back, Rob's eyes were red and puffy, and he looked more like an abandoned bear in the rain than an actual person.

Rafa hadn't looked at him once since their conversation, and Rob kept his eyes down, playing with the loose threads in his ripped jeans. Whatever she had said to him, Léon knew two things. One, it was justified; and two, Rob wouldn't forget it so soon.

Now, though, after everyone finished their meals, Rafa brushed the gloom and doom away and got up.

"All things considered," she said, "I'm glad to have Anhangá with us." Her eyes swept the faces around them and set on Modraniht. "Doctor... I'll say the same about you."

Modraniht scratched the back of his neck. He didn't look in her eyes either. "Eh... thank you, kiddo. I'm glad to see you're as energetic as always."

She nodded. "I thank Caidara, too, for letting us stay and for lending us her knowledge. And for saving Phillip, of course."

"Don't talk about me as if I'm not here!" Caidara said.

Rafa let out an embarrassed chuckle. "I'm sorry. I meant... thank you for everything you did for us, Caidara."

"Just make sure you won't die after I had all this trouble."

"I can't make any promises, Caicai," Phillip said with a shrug. Caidara raised her spoon, and Phillip flinched away, chuckling. "She's angrier than my Nana," he mumbled.

"Yeah, well... now that that's out of the way"—Rafa straightened her posture and fit her hands into her pockets—"I decided I'll leave this place tomorrow, as soon as the sun sets."

Rob jumped to his feet. "Rafa! Please! I understand you're angry with me, but if you do that, we—"

"The forest around Senibetama," she continued, cutting him off, "is thick enough to prevent NAVs, so Cae and his people will need around two days to reach us by foot. This is an extensive area, though; it's safe to assume they might need an extra day to find the entrance for this pocket dimension."