Guardian of the Sands

Total Destruction.

"Alistair! Alistair, it's time to come inside!" Nala put her hands on her hips, peering into the dunes at the back of their house, trying to see through the growing dusk and blowing sand.

"Mom!"

She spun around at the frightened shout. "Jai? Jai, where are you?" She spotted her youngest son's skinny form struggling up one of the dunes. His black hair was a mess, and his clothes were rumpled and tore in several places.

"Mom!"

She ran forward and swept him up in her arms, quickly checking him over for any injuries. Besides a few cuts and bruises, he seemed fine, although his eyes were wide with fear. "Jai, what happened? Where's your brother?"

He gestured the way he had come. "We were playing around the old ruins...we didn't know a tiger lived there!"

Nala's blood ran cold, and fear stopped the breath in her throat. "Wh-what?"

Jai was crying now. "Ali told me to run...he distracted the tiger so I could get away."

She grabbed Jai's shoulders and held them tightly. "Listen to me, run and find your father, tell him what happened. Go!"

Jai nodded and dashed off, running as fast as his legs would carry him.

Nala took a deep breath, grabbed the long knife Novah had given her, and started running to the old ruins, praying to the gods she wasn't too late.

As she neared the ruins, she slowed, eyes scanning the ancient sandstone pillars lying in pieces among the dunes, then the main structure came into view. Half the floor was covered in sand, only pieces of three walls remained, and of course more collapsed pillars.

She knew that Alistair would most likely be in the lower levels, but was hesitant in venturing into the dark corridor leading to the mostly buried second level. But her son's life was in danger, and there was nothing she wasn't willing to do to protect him. So with a deep breath, she stepped down the cool stone steps, and through the short hallway to the second level.

The ceiling had mostly collapsed, allowing the setting sun rays to shine into the gloom, brightening it slightly. She paused in the doorway, knife ready, eyes vigilant. Then she saw it, and froze, knife slowly lowering.

The tiger was standing in the center of the room, crouched low, fur along it's back sticking up as it growled, tail flicking back and forth dangerously. It was a young tiger, barely into it's adulthood. So it stood, watching, waiting.

Alistair was crouching a few yards away, perfectly calm as he stared back at the tiger. He slowly rose to his feet, eyes still locked with the tiger's.

Nala wanted to call to him, run and help him in some way, but she was frozen to the spot, fascinated and terrified.

Alistair ever so slowly lifted his hands, palms facing the tiger, and began to inch forward.

At first the tiger lowered even further to the ground, back arched as it's growls grew more savage. But then, it stopped growling, straightened up, and stood statue still as Alistair continued to approach.

He stopped when he was merely a foot away from the wild creature. Reaching his hand out, he gently laid it on the tiger's head.

The tiger bowed it's head in response, and closed it's eyes.

Alistair then began to look over the creature, his fingertips running along the ribs and back and hips, feeling the bone just barely covered by skin. The fur that should've been thick and soft was thin and matted. "You're just scared and sick...aren't you?" He said gently.