Kyra was a mess. Watery, red eyes sat on her tear-sodden face. All the words came tumbling out of her mouth in one jumbled sentence. Anika tried all that she could to comfort Kyra, while struggling to translate the slurred words pouring out her sister's mouth, occasionally broken up with a few sobs here and there. The things that Kyra was saying didn't startle her. She had heard it all before. So had her whole family. It was like a moment replayed almost a year later, except lost in the bush and Kyra in... a different form. What surprised Anika was why Kyra was saying the words at this point in time. Why bring back worries from school while being reunited with a long-lost sister?

The flow of words finally stopped and Kyra raised a large paw to rub the years out of her eyes. Anika, still confused and worried, tried to open her mouth to ask the question burning inside her. Well, the many questions, but firstly, why Kyra was upset about school now. However, all that seemed to come out was, "Let's get out of here, I'm cold.

Kyra didn't object. With a slight incline of her head which probably meant agreement, Anika placed a hand on Kyra's back and trudged forwards, hoping it would lead her to the cave entrance. Kyra suddenly stopped. "Why don't you hop on? You should be tired." Anika looked at her sister in surprise. The idea hadn't come to mind before. Though she wanted to object, Kyra insisted and finally she heaved herself onto Kyra's back.

The swaying motion of Kyra plodding along was enough to make Anika feel drowsy. The repetitive plod, plod of her feet made her eyes droop. Without realizing, Anika dropped off to sleep. The moments before sleep came portrayed a memory. A memory in which the same person had carried her to safety out of the same cave. However, that person had been an enemy.

Dreams came to Anika. Dreams that cannot possibly be explained. Dreams that scared and frightened Anika. The confusion hurt her brain and made her feel hot and sweaty. Anika tossed and turned until she rolled off the back of Kyra.

Anika woke with a jump. She was on the ground with a pair of gleaming, yellow eyes staring worredly at her. A smile spread on her face and rubbing the back of her head, stuggled to stand up again. "Why don't we rest here. We can come up with a plan in the morning." purred Kyra. Anika nodded eagerly and at once bent down to find some soft foliage to sleep on. Kyra lumbered off a little way into the distance. Finding some heather nearby, Anika spread it out and patted it down on the ground. A chilly breeze nipped at her skin and she hugged her arms around herself. How she wished for a fire! She tilted her head upwards and looked at the stars. They were arranged in clusters and shone all over the dull, black sky.They had comforted her numerous times throughout her journey. She just wished they could now.

"Kyra? Where are you?" Anika called with her hands cupped around her mouth. She was sure that at least half an hour had passed since Kyra left. There was a long pause. "Oh no, not again!" Anika stood up in an instant and called again. "Kyra?! Please answer if you can hear me!" There was still silence all around. A few desperate minutes passed and Anika resolved to curling up in a ball and shivering. She couldn't have lost Kyra again! Not just after finding her!

Presently, Anika rolled on to her back and looked at the stars again. They blurred as tears filled her eyes. She wanted to scream. Why did everything have to go so wrong? "Why does everything happen to me?!" She yelled in fury. "It's like the whole world has turned against me!" "Oh c'mon, it's not that bad!" echoed a familiar voice. Anika let out a shaky sigh of relief. "Why were you gone so long? I thought I had lost you again!" She scolded. Kyra chuckled. "Well, we're not sleeping out in the open like this." And with that, Kyra let two large logs tumble from her broad back onto the ground. "You'll have to help me, 'cuz I don't really have any arms, but I thought you'd want some protection from this freezing wind."

Anika sat down wearily. Two branches had been propped up against one another and Anka spread a few animal skins over it. The result was a large tent, well, large enough to comfortably fit a tiger and a teenaged girl. A roaring fire was crackling outside and a wild boar was roasting just above it. The smell of cooking meat filled the air and Anika's mouth watered at the thought of good food. Kyra was stretched out beside her, apparantly star-gazing. "I wish meat could cook faster." Whined Anika. "All in good time." came the reply. Anika groaned. It was torure watching the wild boar slowly roast in the fire. Anika tried to distract herself by shapening her pockeet knife.Turning her huge head, Kyra asked, "Where did you get that from?" Anika shrugged. "It just appeared in my bag one day. I guess we don't have answers for everything." Kyra looked Anika straight in the eye. "But that's impossible!" She said. "Yeah, well, that's rich, coming from a girl who's been transformed into a talking tiger!" They both cracked up in fits of laughter.

"Well, I think dinner's ready." Jumping to her feet, Anika pocketed her knife and dashed toards the fire. Anika sliced the meat with her knife and heaped it onto two large leaves. In a second, the meat was gone and Anika went back for seconds. It was the best feeling Anika could remember. Finally, she had a full stomach, some warmth, a safe place to sleep and her sister by her side. "Now all I need is a hot shower." She proclaimed out loud and clambered into the tent for some sleep.