by Amber Jacobs
The sincere, pleading tone of voice very nearly worked. Ashley could tell Grady was genuinely concerned, but she couldn’t let a mystery this intriguing go without investigating. Her curiosity simply wouldn’t permit it. “I can’t,” she said softly. “If I don’t do this, it’ll eat me up from the inside out. I have to try to find her.”
“But why?”
Ashley shrugged. “I just do.” Standing on tiptoes, she planted a quick, soft kiss on Grady’s cheek. “It looks like about a two-hour hike out to the mountain. If I’m not back by nightfall, don’t come looking for me.” She held up a hand to forestall his next words. “I mean it. You’ll only get lost in the dark. Wait until morning, at least. Okay?”
He nodded reluctantly. “Just be sure that doesn’t happen.” He ran his fingers through his hair in what Ashley knew was a gesture of frustrated acceptance. “What makes you think she’s over near that mountain anyway?”
Ashley winked. “Just women’s intuition, I guess.” Adjusting the straps on her backpack a final time, she waved back at Grady and made her way out of camp.
The hike was as long as she had anticipated, so Ashley took her time and enjoyed the journey. At a few places along the way, she stopped to take photographs, capturing occasional shots of young monkeys as they played among the short, twiggy bushes under which their parents sat. By the time she reached the ridge, Ashley was breathing hard and the front of her loose cotton shirt was damp with sweat. Her active lifestyle kept her extremely fit, but that didn’t count for much in the Indian heat. Thick, ominous clouds had moved in from the north, turning the air more humid. Taking a rest and refilling her water bag at a fast-running stream near the base of the mountain, Ashley studied the slope before her, searching for the most likely site for a camp.
Half an hour of exploring later, she found a broad-entranced cave that tunneled into the side of the rocky mountain, about halfway up. Ashley examined the dusty ground at the mouth of the cave, smiling when she saw scuff marks that might have been footprints. Pulling out a flashlight, she hesitated only long enough to flick it on before creeping into the cave.
The artificial light quickly revealed the signs of occupation Ashley had hoped to find. Several small boulders were positioned around a modest fire pit in the center of the spacious cave, and a blackened, cast-iron pot sat in the cold ashes. There was no sign of the mysterious woman, and Ashley didn’t know whether she felt disappointed or relieved. She shone the light on a simple sleeping mat, then spotted several wooden crates stacked at the rear of the cave. Investigating, she found cans of fruit, burlap sacks filled with rice, a fully stocked first-aid kit, as well as toiletries and hygiene products. The discovery prompted a full grin.
“Not enough of a ghost that you don’t need to eat, I see.”
The cave narrowed toward the rear but continued on about ten feet and opened up again beyond that. Ashley was just about to continue her explorations when a familiar rumbling growl stopped her, raising gooseflesh on her arms. Her eyes widened in alarm as she felt the dark presence behind her, and she slowly turned around toward the mouth of the cave.
Sure enough, there stood the tiger-lady, watching her with eyes that gleamed with a feral intensity in the dim light. Remembering the torn bodies in the jungle, Ashley wished she’d listened to Grady’s pleas. There was little doubt the claw weapons the woman held had produced the bloody carnage.
“Um…” Ashley held up her empty hands. “I-I didn’t mean to intrude,” she stammered. “I saw the firelight last night, and I just wanted to, um…say thank you. In person. You know, for yesterday, when you saved me from that guy by the river? My name’s Ashley. Ashley Richards.”
The glittering sapphire eyes held her for a long moment, then the growl died away to silence. The painted woman glanced around the cave and, apparently deciding everything was as it should be, strode toward her visitor.
Ashley swallowed, her hands trembling nervously, but the tiger-woman ignored her completely and simply scooped a wooden dipperful of rice from one of the sacks of supplies. She then went back to the fire pit and emptied it into the pot, stirring in water dipped from a cask before she began to build a fire over the dead ashes. From time to time, she glanced at Ashley, but for the most part seemed to ignore her presence.
Ashley stood frozen as she watched the strange woman light the fire using sparks struck by hitting an old knife against a shard of flint. When the light grew sufficient, she shut off her flashlight and slowly moved closer to the crouched figure.
“Listen, I really didn’t mean to just barge in on you like this,” she said in a low voice. The strange woman glanced up, her expression blank. Ashley studied her curiously with narrowed eyes. “I don’t suppose you speak English by any chance?”
No reaction.
“Hindi?”
Nothing.
Ashley sighed. “Great. I guess you’re not going to be much of a conversationalist then, huh?” She ran her fingers through her hair and watched as the woman stirred the rice with the dipper, then added a handful of raw, finely chopped vegetables from a nearby pouch. “Well, I came out here to thank you, but you can’t even understand me, so I guess that’s going to be tough. I should probably just be thankful you haven’t decided to add me to your dinner menu.” Ashley shrugged helplessly. She wanted to sit down and study the woman further, but the silence was getting oppressive. Nervously, she started backing toward the mouth of the cave. “Look, I think I should probably head back to my friends. They’ll get worried if I don’t return by sundown. You know how it is. But it was really nice to meet you, and I really appreciate you scaring that poacher off yesterday.” She paused. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later.” Turning, she took a step away.
“Stay.”
The single word, spoken in a raspy, hoarse whisper, stopped her instantly. Ashley spun back around to find the tiger-woman studying her.
“What did you say?”
There was a long silence as the woman turned her attention back to her cooking. “There’s a storm coming down from the north,” she said in a low, ragged tone. “You’ll never make it back to your friends before it hits. If you like, you can stay here until it passes.”
Stunned, Ashley stared at the crouched figure. “You can talk!”
The woman glanced up again, a hint of humor touching her eyes and a smile twitching her lips. “So can you.”
Ashley moved closer, amazed. “I mean, you speak English. Why didn’t you say something instead of letting me prattle on like an idiot?”
The woman’s smile widened, teeth gleaming in the firelight. “I enjoyed listening to you talk,” she said, coughing to clear her throat when her voice broke. “It’s been a long time since I last spoke.”
Ashley shook her head in wonder, then remembering she’d been invited to stay, quickly claimed the boulder opposite the painted woman. “I’m Ashley,” she said, holding out her hand.
The woman studied her hand for a moment, but made no move to shake it. “I know. I heard you the first time.”
Unperturbed, Ashley grinned and took her hand back. “Do you have a name?”
The woman hesitated, and Ashley had the impression she was taking a moment to remember something. “Leandra,” she said after a long moment. “My name is Leandra Thornton.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Leandra Thornton,” Ashley said politely. Outside, a sudden clap of thunder exploded in the distance. The wind began to pick up, and Ashley recognized that her companion was right. A storm was about to break. “Thanks for letting me stay here. I’d hate to be walking back in that.”
“You hungry?” Leandra held up the still simmering rice. “It’s not much, but it’s quite edible. There’s enough for both of us.”
“Yeah, that’d be great.” Ashley then realized something familiar about Leandra’s accent. “You’re an American, aren’t you?”
“I suppose I was, before I came here.” Leandra hesitated, then added, “I moved around a lot.”
“I see.” While the striped woman stirred their meal, Ashley found herself contemplating her situation. Here she was, in the wilds of India, sitting in a cave opposite a woman painted up as a tiger, who was cooking them lunch. The scenario was so bizarre it felt surreal. Still, Ashley wasn’t going to complain. She let herself study her companion more openly.
Leandra was long and lean, but her body rippled with powerful muscles beneath the paint. Ashley guessed she was at least six feet tall, positively dwarfing her own five-foot-four stature. Her motions were graceful and elegant, yet Ashley detected a slight stiffness in the way she used her right arm. She had high cheekbones that made her vivid blue eyes stand out all the more, and angular features reminiscent of those found on ancient Greek sculptures. Her hair, which looked as though it hadn’t been introduced to a brush in a long while, framed her face in a wild mass of braids and tangles. Her feet were bare, and she smelled pleasantly of musk and earth. In all, Ashley thought the strange woman was probably quite beautiful under all the paint and hair.
She glanced to the side and saw the two sets of handheld claws and reminded herself that this woman was a killer. Each set consisted of four hooked talons, made from what looked like bone lashed to a wooden grip. Simple tools, Ashley thought, but obviously capable of extremely lethal acts of violence.
“Something wrong?”
“What?” Ashley looked up to find Leandra regarding her curiously. “No, nothing’s wrong. I was just…” She gestured to the claws. “I mean…” She studied the woman with what she hoped was a non-judgmental expression. “We found the bodies in the jungle. You killed those men, didn’t you?”
Leandra reached for the claws and held them up to the firelight. “They came to hunt the tigers,” she said. “I hunted them.”
“You murdered them,” Ashley corrected.
Leandra’s eyes hardened. “They were scum,” she hissed. A growl rumbled in the back of her throat, and her lip curled into a snarl. “They deserved what they got.”
“Deserved to be slashed to pieces?”
“Yes.” Leandra settled down, and the growl vanished. “Have you ever seen what poachers do to the animals they kill?”
Ashley shook her head.
“They butcher them completely. Not a single part of a tiger is wasted. The bones are ground up and used in medicines that claim to cure muscle pain and arthritis. The tails are made into soaps to cure skin diseases. The flesh is cooked and made into Tiger Soup, the brain into a cure for acne. Even the whiskers are made into charms for courage and protection. Those men hunt tigers without a care for the fact that they’re almost wiped out. All they care about is their own greed.”
Ashley swallowed, made nervous by the intensity of Leandra’s description. “So you pass judgment and execute them?”
“Yes.” Leandra scowled, anger gleaming in the depths of her eyes like fiery coals. “They deserve to die. I know. I used to be one of them.”
“Oh.” Ashley blinked in surprise. “You were a poacher?”
Leandra looked away, her expression impossible to read. “A long time ago, in another life…yes.”
Ashley considered the dark-haired woman carefully. “And now you’re…what?”
A slight shrug. “Something else. Something better, I hope.”
“Seems like quite a dramatic change,” Ashley commented, her eyes roaming meaningfully over the painted skin. “What was the reason?”
Leandra’s smile was wistful. She stretched her right arm stiffly and spoke in a hoarse whisper. “Let’s just say someone sat me down and gave me a stern talking to.”
An awkward silence reigned for long minutes, and Ashley barely repressed the urge to fidget. “How long have you been out here?”
“Not sure. What year is it?”
“You mean you don’t know?”
Blue eyes scanned the Spartan cave. “No calendar. Out here, there’s only day and night, not month and year.”
Ashley considered that, then said, “It’s April 14, 1998.”
Leandra seemed to take a long moment to absorb her words, dark brows drawing low over her eyes as she reflected on the news. “In that case, I’ve been out here nearly four years.” She shook her head, adding almost to herself, “It feels like so much longer.”
“Four years?” Ashley stared at her in wonder. “All alone in the jungle for four years?”
“Not alone. The tigers keep me company.”
There was silence, except for the sounds of the storm that had settled in outside, until Leandra decided the rice was properly cooked. “I don’t have any bowls or spoons,” she apologized, dishing the meal out onto two huge palm-type leaves and handing one to Ashley.
“That’s okay. I’m sure I’ll manage.” Hungry enough not to care, Ashley used her fingers to shovel the rice and vegetable mix into her mouth. After a moment, her eyes widened in surprised pleasure. “This is pretty darned good.”
Leandra shrugged. “Hunting’s been poor the last few days. These are my emergency staples.”
As she ate, Ashley noticed the clear blue eyes would frequently dart up to study her, then quickly look away. Leandra seemed every bit as curious about her as she was about Leandra. She couldn’t help but find the tall woman’s nervous, shy interest a little bemusing. She was also surprised to hear the low, rumbling sound of a feline purr coming from her companion as she enjoyed her meal, and she smiled. “I guess you don’t get many visitors out here, huh?”
Leandra shook her head, eating her meal slowly and carefully. “None that are welcome.”
“And I guess, from all the stories of poachers being killed in other parts of the country, you must travel around some, right?”
“Wherever they go, I go.” Silence for a moment. “I like it here,” Leandra continued quietly in her deep, raspy voice. “Sometimes, I camp near the Himalayas. It gets cold up there.”
Ashley gestured to the wooden crates. “Where do you get the supplies?”
“Sometimes from the poachers. Sometimes from the villages. I take what I need.”
Ashley gave the carefully painted body a meaningful once over. “Why do you paint yourself like that?”
The way Leandra’s eyes instantly avoided Ashley’s indicated her discomfort with the subject. “It helps me to hunt…to blend in, like camouflage. Out here, being human is a disadvantage, so I learned to live the way they live.”
“They?”
“The tigers.” Leandra pointed at Ashley’s camera. “You’re a photographer?”
Ashley recognized that Leandra was changing the topic of conversation, and chose not to press her interest further. For now. “One of the best,” she said proudly.
“Here to photograph the tigers?”
“Yep, among other things.”
Leandra grinned fractionally. “I could smell the plastic sheeting from your hide at fifty paces. A tiger could smell it from a hundred.” She gave Ashley a knowing look. “I think you’re after the same thing those poachers were hoping to find.”
“The white tiger?”
Leandra nodded.
“Well, sure, I heard rumors about one…and I can’t deny it’d be a dream come true to see a white tiger in the wild. But I only want to take pictures of it. The poachers want to kill it. There’s a big difference.”
“Is there?” Leandra chewed thoughtfully, her expression difficult to read. “Sometimes people come here hoping to find a particular thing, but find something much different than what they expected.” She smiled coldly. “Those three men came to hunt a white tiger. They weren’t prepared for what they found instead.”
Something about the strange look in Leandra’s eyes clicked in Ashley’s mind, which raised and then confirmed her suspicions. She stared at the woman. “
There isn’t any white tiger, is there?”
Leandra’s expression didn’t change. “Out here,” she said quietly, “things get mixed up so easily. The jungle is all shadows and light, constantly in motion. It doesn’t take much for your eyes to play tricks on you. Sometimes in the jungle, what you see isn’t what you see at all.”
“It was you all along, wasn’t it? Some idiot tourist or something got a quick look at you, and thought you were a white tiger.”
“Maybe.”
“That’s just great. You know, I’m supposed to have already finished this assignment and been back on a plane for home. I only delayed it because I wanted a shot of that damn cat.” She snorted ruefully as she finished the last of her rice. She and Grady had tickets to fly out in a fortnight, and they couldn’t change them. Still, ever willing to look at the positive side of life, Ashley decided not to let the delay bother her. “I guess I should make the best use of my time, though, as long as I’m stuck here.”
Leandra licked her fingers as she studied her companion. “So you’re disappointed?” she asked. “About not finding what you came for?”
“Well, yeah. Like I said, it’s a once in a lifetime thing, you know? But I’m glad I tried. And on the bright side, I got to meet you.” She grinned. “It’s not every day I run across a unique individual like you. So, I guess the trip out here was worth the hassle I’m going to get when I return to work.”
After licking the last hint of flavor from her palm leaf, Leandra stood and wandered over to the cave mouth. Outside, the rain began to ease. The thunder moved into the distance, as the storm slowly passed over them.
Fascinated, Ashley watched the strange woman. Her feet seemed to flow over the ground rather than touch it. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
She gestured to the ground, which was almost barren of footprints. “You don’t make any noise when you walk, and you don’t leave footprints. How?”
Leandra’s smile was mysterious. “When you spend enough time in the jungle, you learn to hide your movements. It’s simple, really, once you get the hang of it. See?” She demonstrated how she placed her feet when she walked, the weight evenly distributed, then rolling with the heel as she lifted up. Ashley shook her head in amazement.
