Tiger and bird

Bright circles of light from the black shells temporarily blinded him but the tiger had gotten used to it over all that time. The silly bird had adapted so well at the many singing gatherings of Rumi that no longer grumbled at the noise and sometimes even sang along from his head. Meanwhile, he lay calmly on the roof, watching Rumi and her pack finish their performance. People sure love to hold strange dances and sing loud songs, gathering so many screeching human kin. “Thank you all! We love you!” The tiger lazily got up to teleport behind the stage on time. The ritual songs ended. As Rumi returned from the platform, she habitually scratched him behind the ear, and Zoe and Mira petted his back, chirping, “Derpy, Derpy!”  Sassy received a portion of seeds and happily nibbled up above. Everything was as usual, even after three long years. Now there would be a meeting with the chosen ones. Usually with very loud human kin.  The tiger never quite understood the principle behind this honor but guessed that most likely the loudest and most colorful were chosen. Maybe it was a way to preserve some important ritual order — he wasn’t sure, since Rumi was the leader on this matter; he and the bird didn’t get involved. But this time something was different. The tiger smelled that familiar scent the moment they got close to the territory of the kin meeting. The scent was weaker, mixed with something fresh and clean. Without the bitter aftertaste. The tiger ignored the bird’s displeased clucking, Rumi’s call, and the frightened squeals of the crowd as he dashed forward and suddenly stopped near a human child. It was the master! Definitely him! But why was he so… small? The tiger sniffed him and immediately rubbed against his hands. The little master laughed in response and petted the tiger’s head. The woman holding him was saying something to Rumi, but the tiger didn’t care. He purred like a cub, licking the laughing face of the long-awaited leader of the pack. Small or not, he had returned! The silly bird was there in an instant too, though she kept turning her head suspiciously from side to side. But in the end, she understood everything as well, placing her tiny hat on the little master’s head. "Mom, mom! I saw this tiger, the bird, and the girl in my dream!" said the little master, tugging at the woman's hand. "Remember? I told you?" The tiger turned to Rumi. She stood there as if struck by lightning, staring at the boy’s face in disbelief. So she understood too. "I remember, Jinu, sweetheart," his mother replied, gently stroking the child’s head. Then she politely addressed Rumi, "I’m sorry, he has a very vivid imagination. And when he saw your group and those adorable mascots on TV, he immediately asked me to bring him to the concert." The tiger listened, though he didn’t understand everything. "That’s wonderful!" Rumi knelt down to Jinu with a very gentle expression on her face. "We’re always happy to talk with our little fans too. Your name is Jinu, right?" "Yes!" little Jinu beamed. "And you're Rumi, right? I see you in my dreams sometimes!" "I hope the dreams are good ones?" "Not always, but we beat all the bad people," Jinu giggled. "And you sing so beautifully! The tiger and the bird are always with us too." The tiger gave a solemn nod, perfectly in sync with the bird. The little master remembered everything just right. Rumi quickly wiped her eyes and asked with a certain gravity, "Tell me, Jinu, what do you want to be when you grow up?" "A hero who brings good to the world and protects everyone," Jinu answered solemnly. "Definitely my dad, mom, and little sister. And… I like singing too," he added, suddenly a bit shyly. Rumi smiled. Gently, she removed from her hair a sparkling pin with a mugunghwa flower—something dear to her heart — and placed it in Jinu’s small palm. "For luck," she said softly, "so that everything you dream of will come true, and no evil force would ever dare to harm you." Jinu squealed with joy, though his mother seemed to be trying to politely refuse the hairpin. The tiger stopped listening — he knew Rumi would sort everything out, making sure their whole pack could see the little master often and for a long time. After all, they had so much to catch up on, and the master urgently needed to be taught how to play hide-and-seek and tag! But oh, how sweet that feeling was — the realization that the little master had finally received what he had always hopelessly dreamed of. The tiger had no doubt: this time, he, the bird, and Rumi would stay by his side. Because that’s what a real pack does — They always stay together.