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RRR - Honey Gold Eyes and Tiger Cubs

Hey guys, long time, no write. Real life has been really busy and I’ve just not been feeling that spark from before. I am not sure how many more stories I will manage to write for the fandom, or how many people are even reading my stories, but I did want to contribute to the Tales of the Tiger 2023 (@talesofthetigerrr) event.

It’s really rough, and I am definitely out of practice, but I think it turned out ok in the end. Let me know what you think!

///

Bheem puffed up his chest, chubby fist tightening around his small wooden stick. He adjusted the small sling bag his Amma had given him that morning. He gazed around the tall trees, craning his neck as far back as he could to see if something looked familiar. His Nana was going to be mad Bheem had wandered away. Again.

But there had been a really pretty baby squirrel. He'd just wanted to see it closer. He didn't realize he had wandered from the group until he lost sight of the animal. And now he couldn't find them. Oh, they were going to be very angry.

Bheem bit his bottom lip, hard. He was eight years old! He could find his way back! He was one of the best trackers. Peddanna had said so to his Nana. Bheem had heard him, even though he was actually supposed to be asleep. Peddanna said he could even become the Protector one day. Protector! Him!

Bheem had had to curl into a ball to keep from shouting from joy! Everyone knew the Protector was the strongest and bravest and cleverest and coolest person in the tribe! Everyone. So, if Bheem was going to become a Protector, he was not going to be scared. Or cry. And when he made his way back to the village all by himself, Amma would make him a big plate of laddu all for him.

He tried to retrace his steps. He had come from the direction opposite of the sun, so if he walked toward the sun, then maybe he could find his friends. He walked forward, eyes darting between the trees to see if he could catch sight of anybody. He focused so hard on what was ahead, he forgot to also pay attention to his feet.

Accidentally stepping onto a slippery patch of mud, Bheem flailed as he fell roughly to the ground, hissing as rocks scratched his arms. He pushed himself up, falling back on his butt. He bit the inside of his cheek harder as he ran a hand over his red arm, whimpering when it made pain shoot up his arms. Moving slowly, he brushed away the tiny rock and leaves still stuck to his arms and knees.

He took in a few deep breaths, wiping away furiously at the tears in the corners of his eyes. He was not going to cry!

He reached to grab his stick, slowly rising to all fours, and then stood up. He checked that nothing had fallen out of his bag. He took a few more steps, this time, eyes firmly on the ground in front of him till he reached a more well worn dirt path. A road! If the ground was so clear that means other people must come this way often! If he just followed it, he was going to go home!

Pleased at himself, Bheem started to walk down the path.

But.

Wait.

Bheem froze midstep.

Which way was home? What if he was going further into the forest?

Nana always said it was dangerous to be alone in the forest at night, especially if you didn't know that forest.

Bheem definitely did not know this part of the forest.

Bheem bit his lip as he swiveled his head both directions, trying to find a clue for which way led home. As he stood there trying to decide which way to go, he heard a weak whimper.

Someone else was nearly!

Could they be lost too? Bheem perked up. If he could find the other person, then surely between the two of them they could find their way home. Amma always said two heads were better than one.

"Hello?" Bheem called out.

No reply.

Maybe they hadn't heard him.

"Hello?" Bheem shouted, cupping both hands to make himself sound louder.

A couple of birds that had been resting on a nearby tree took off, but there was no response. Bheem didn’t think he should call out again. What if he woke up a bear? Bheem had seen a bear the hunters had killed. A bear would probably step on Bheem and not realize it.

Bheem chewed on his lip. What if the other person was also hurt? Bheem was not very big, he didn't think he could help them much. But maybe they knew the way home! And he could go home and bring help!

Amma always told him that he should try to help people as much as he could though.

Decision made, Bheem squeezed his eyes shut and listened as hard as he could.

There! He'd heard the whimper again. It was coming from beyond that tree!

Bheem darted in that direction, keeping his gait light as he moved through the forest. As he moved closer to the sound, it became louder, and it turned from a whimper to a steady cry.

One more turn, then straight ahead…

Bheem froze.

It wasn't a person.

There was a clearing, about as big as his home.

And on the opposite side of the clearing from Bheem was a tiger.

It was the first time he had seen a real life tiger so close. Its eyes were golden like honey. They sent a shiver down Bheem's back. It looked just like the statue of the tiger Bheem had seen in the temple of Durgamma Devi.

Bheem's grip on his stick turned white knuckled. He really did not want to get eaten. Amma would be angry with him too.

The tiger was looking at him, golden eyes seeming to stare right through Bheem. The tiger growled lowly. Bheem took a step back, trying to calm his racing heart. If he ran, the tiger would definitely chase him. And eat him.

He took another slow step back. The tiger took a step forward.

Tried to.

It jerked back, crying out as it batted at its leg.

Bheem craned his head, gasping when he saw its leg had been caught in one of the hunter traps. It was bleeding a lot.

Bheem looked at the tiger again. It wasn't very big. It was bigger than Bheem, but less than half as big as the tiger his Nana and the other hunters had brought to the village a while back. Maybe this was a tiger cub?

The tiger whimpered again as it turned back to its own leg, losing interest in Bheem.

Amma had told him he should always help everyone, including the animals of the forest, as they were his brothers and sister too.

This tiger was hurt.

And it was a kid, like Bheem.

Bheem should help the tiger.

Tightening his grip on his stick, Bheem reminded himself. If he was going to be the Protector, he couldn’t be scared of helping! He was not going to be scared of a tiger! He was going to save it!

"My name is Bheem!" He said cautiously. One needed to introduce themselves to strangers. The tiger stared at him.

He approached the tiger slowly, one step at a time. The tiger growled at him, baring its sharp teeth. Bheem swallowed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Tigers could smell really good right? It could probably smell how nervous Bheem was. Bheem took deep breaths to try and calm his racing heart.

He stopped a few feet from the tiger, shifting his stick in front of him.

The tiger snarled.

Bheem avoided looking at its eyes, instead focusing on the leg, and gently reached out to poke it with the stick.

The tiger growled loudly, and batted away the stick.

"Hey! I'm just trying to help!" Bheem said as the stick fell from his grasp.

The tiger just looked back at him. This close, Bheem was more confident the tiger was just a cub. It was only a little bigger than Bheem if he laid down.

"Where is your Amma?" Bheem asked, looking around. Hadn't Peddanna said tiger cubs were always with their mother until they were able to hunt on their own? This cub didn't look big enough to hunt by itself.

"I don't know if you have a name, so I am going to call you Durgamma." He stated.

The tiger kept looking back at him.

Steeling himself, Bheem lowered himself onto all found, and crawled a little closer to Durgamma. The tiger's shoulders bunched but it didn't make a sound.

"I want to help. I promise I won't hurt you. I need to see your leg." Bheem said as he spread his arms to show he was empty-handed.

Durgamma was still looking warily at him but she hadn't tried to claw his face off. That was good.

Bheem crawled closer, till he was behind Durgamma, close enough to touch. Maintaining eye contact, he reached one hand out to rest on Durgamma's leg.

"Oh." The fur was really soft. Like of the newborn kittens Amma had shown him before. Bheem lost himself in just running him fingers through the fur, the heat of the body underneath hot and warm. When his fingers slid a little lower, Durgamma growled.

Bheem grabbed his hand back. "Sorry!"

Durgamma tossed her head back...almost as if she was rolling its eyes.

Bheem blinked and then ducked his head to look at the trap. There should be a pin to open the trap....there it was. Underneath Durgamma.

Hm.

Bheem rose, meeting the tiger's eyes. "I can help you, but you need to get up. You're too heavy."

Durgamma just stared.

Sighing, Bheem pressed both hands against Durgamma's trunk and shoved.

He yelped when Durgamma batted at him, sharp claws scratching him. "Hey!"

He rubbed at the scratch, hissing when it made the area that much redder. He glared the tiger, who glared back at him.

"You are the one trapped. Do you want to get out or no?"

Durgamma flicked her tail.

Bheem harrumphed and tried to shove her again. Again he narrowly avoided getting his face clawed off.

Durgamma growled at him, baring her teeth. Bheem growled back, baring his teeth.

"I am going to do this one more time, and if you push me away I am going to go. And then you will have to wait for your Amma. Who may not be able to help you." Bheem said firmly.

They glared at each other for another moment before Durgamma turned her face away. Bheem gasped when he saw scratches to the side of the tiger’s head, like...like something had tried to claw Durgamma's head.

Bheem shook his head. Leg first. Gathering all his strength, he leaned all his weight against Durgamma, closing his eyes and pushing. The tiger snarled but didn't try to hurt Bheem. Bheem peered down, crowing quietly when he realized he had guessed right to Durgamma being a girl.

Bheem smiled, petting Durgamma's side before he went back to the trap and reached down to pull the pin. His hand was chubby, and his finger couldn't grasp it properly, but he had come so far, and he had promised Durgamma he would help her.

Finally, his fingers snagged the pin, and he yanked as hard as he could. Durgamma roared as the trap opened, freeing her leg. Bheem scrambled back as Durgamma curled into itself, licking at the wound. Bheem wrinkled his nose.

He reached into his bag, and pulled out the water carafe.

Durgamma turned her head when he came closer but didn't do anything else when Bheem sat by her side.

"Peddanna says when we get hurt, we need to wash it with water. It will hurt a little, but you will feel better." Bheem explained.

Durgamma blinked slowly.

Bheem opened the carafe and tilted it over Durgamma's leg. The tiger hissed, batting at Bheem, but Bheem kept going until the carafe was empty. He pulled out the towel Amma had also packed.

He grabbed the injured leg, glaring at Durgamma's warning growl. "Do you want to get better or no?"

Durgamma was watching him closely as he clumsily threaded the towel underneath the leg before bringing the ends up to tie it as tight as he could. The tiger huffed but lifted her leg back from Bheem. She pressed her foot lightly on the ground, and seemed to blink in surprise.

Bheem grinned back, as wide as he could. "I've been practicing with Amma! How is it now?"

Durgamma rolled back, and Bheem stood up to give her more space.

It took a few tries, but with Bheem holding onto her sides, Durgamma managed to stand up.

Bheem was still smiling widely, so proud of himself.

Durgamma stared at him before pouncing.

The joy immediately flipped to fear as he thought Durgamma had decided she actually wanted to eat him.

Except.

Durgamma licked him.

Her tongue was rough and it tickled, making Bheem giggle and squirm.

Durgamma then nuzzled her head against Bheem's chest, exhaling a breath against Bheem's face before she got back up.

Bheem rose up to prop himself by his elbows. Suddenly he heard someone shouting his name.

"Here! I'm here!" He called back.

Durgamma turned to leave.

“Wait!”

The tiger paused, looking at him over her shoulder.

“Will I see you again?”

Durgamma tilted her head, blinked at him before turning away and walking back into the forest.

Bheem got up from where he was and walked to the edge of the clearing through which Durgamma had disappeared. Within a couple minutes Nana and another one of the hunters, Akhil babai, burst into the clearing. They went pale at the sight of him.

Nana scooped him up in his arms, holding him so tight Bheem felt it hard to breathe. "Nana..." he choked out.

His Nana let him go far enough to seat him on his hip, running a hand over Bheem. "Bheema, chinna, are you hurt? Where is this blood from?"

Bheem blinked up at him before looking down. He noticed his hands and belly were all red and itchy from the blood.

"It's Durgamma's."

"Dur-Durgamma? Who is that?" His father asked, surprised.

"Anna, look, something was caught in the trap here!" Akhil babai called out from the other side of the clearing.

"Durgamma was trapped!" Bheem clarified.

"Bheem, did, did you free that animal?" Nana asked slowly.

Bheem nodded his head fiercely. "Yes! It was hurting her!"

"What animal was it Bheem?" Akhil babai asked.

"She's a she! Not an it!" Bheem responded, offended on Durgamma's behalf.

"Who is she, chinna?" Nana asked, stemming the argument.

"The tiger!" Bheem replied, voice giddy.

His eyebrows scrunched when his father seemed to pale again. "Nana?"

"You...freed a tiger, Bheema?"

Bheem nodded his head again. "Yes! She was trapped, and her leg was bleeding, and she was crying Nana. Amma said we have to help every person and creature right? She was hurt! So I helped her!"

His Nana seemed to be stunned for words, instead just hugging him tightly again. Bheem was confused but wrapped his arms around his Nana's neck.

The trek back to the village was faster with Nana and Akhil showing him the way, and his Nana told him he had done well to find him way back to the path all by himself. He promised he would show Bheem how to find his way home if he got lost again.

When they got home, Bheem narrated his adventure to his Amma with a big smile, and then laughed joyfully when he got his reward of a plate of laddus all for himself.

The other kids were all in awe of his adventure, and the adults had even gone back to try and find Durgamma, but couldn’t find her, even if they did find evidence she had been there.

As Bheem grew up, and kept venturing into the forest, he grew more and more certain of his footing. Of every tree and turn and creek and rock.

He explored and trekked and hunted. He ran. Ran through the trees and between bushes.

And if, in between those sprints, he could make out a streak of orange between the trees, or honey gold eyes looking at him from the other side of the river, he kept that to himself.

Durgamma was his friend. And he had promised her he wouldn’t let her get hurt. It seemed like she had made the same promise regarding him.

///

Bonus:

Ram yawned again as he scratched his belly, going towards the entrance of their hut. It had been a long few weeks, and last night had been the first proper night of rest he had had in a long time.

The sleep deprivation was also what made him freeze at the threshold, unsure if he was hallucinating, or about to become lunch.

Packing as much urgency and tightly held panic as he could, he called out to his partner. "Bheem!"

"You go ahead Rama! I need to finish this poultice and then I'll join you!"

"Bheem!" Ram ground out again.

There, standing a mere 15 feet from the entrance of their hut was a tiger. Easily as big as any of the creatures from that night at the Buxton mansion, and this one had two very easy prey. This was not going to be a pleasant death.

"What is it with you?" Bheem asked, as he tried to shoulder past Ram, only to pause as he took in the sight past Ram's shoulder.

And then.

"Durgamma!"

WHAT.

"You-you know that tiger?" Ram choked out in disbelief.

Bheem rolled his eyes as he hip checked Ram away and approached the beast.

"Bheem!" Ram whispered urgently, heart racing as Bheem went closer and closer. Ten feet. Five feet. Three, two, one.

Ram opened his eyes when sounds of Bheem being ripped apart didn’t happen. His jaw fell to the floor.

The tiger had one paw on Bheem's shoulder where he was kneeling before it - her? - and was nuzzling her head against Bheem's shoulder. Bheem for his part had wound both arms around the tiger's head and was hugging it.

What. The. Hell?

"Bheem?" Ram asked, still not daring to raise his voice above a whisper. The tiger opened its eyes to look at him. Ram swallowed.

Bheem sank back to sit on the ground, the tiger still right next to him. "Ram, come meet her!"

"I-I'm good here..." Ram muttered.

Bheem's eyebrows scrunched but he shrugged and turned back to the animal.

"Durgamma! So good to see you. And look at you, finally put on some weight again. Been hunting well?"

Durga-the ti-for God's sake, Durgamma bumped her head against Bheem's chest before turning away from him. "Durgamma?" Bheem asked.

The tiger went to the bushes and grabbed something before turning back to them. The two men's eyes widened. Hanging from the tiger's mouth was a tiny cub, barely bigger than Bheem's hand. He grunted softly as the tiger dumped the cub into Bheem's waiting arms. Without waiting for another word, she went back and retrieved two more cubs, depositing them with Bheem too.

Bheem blinked at his now full lap occupied by tiger cubs. "Do...you need me to babysit?"

Durgamma huffed at him, bobbing her large head once, as if she could understand him. And then disappeared into the forest.

After a few minutes silence where Bheem was just staring at the tiger cubs who were staring back at him, Ram was the one to speak.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Ram!" Bheem scolded. "Language! There are children present."

Ram felt his eye twitch.

Bheem stood up with all three cubs pressed tightly to his chest, somehow managing to keep them in his arms despite their wriggling. "Please help me by asking Loki akka for more milk. And Lacchu for any leftover meat? These cubs are probably hungry."

Ram went. Because what other choice did he have?

This is what he got for falling for a child of the forest. He wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

(He did put in a prayer that he would get through this "babysitting" with all limbs attached and un-mauled.)

(Bheem laughed at him when he heard about his prayer. As if Durgamma would ever raise such ill-mannered children. Just because she was grumpy didn’t mean she was rude.)

(Durgamma for her part just thought the two-legger was going to keep her cubs from falling into a ditch. Or at least retrieving them if they managed to fall anyways.)

///

@rambheem-is-real @budugu @bromance-minus-the-b @hissterical-nyaan @obsessedtoafault @hufhkbgg @yehsahihai @rorapostsbl @fangirl-from-discord @fadedscarlets @alikokinav @chaotic-moonlight @rambheemisgoated @rambheemlove @jaganmaya @burningsheepcrown @kaagazkefool @lovingperfectionwonderland @rosayounan @iam-siriuslysher-lokid @thewinchestergirl1208 @dumdaradumdaradum @ronaldofandom @jjwolfesworld @jrntrtitties @kashpaymentsonly @jeonmahi1864 @stanleykubricks @m3gs1mps4a @tulodiscord @teddybat24 @sally-for-sally @ssabriel @jadebomani @stuckyandlarrystuff @veteran-fanperson @ohfuckoffpls @bheemaxrama @chaidrivenwhore @gifseafins @umbrulla

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