The Tales of Winter the Tiger: Ch. 5

It's been about two to three days since they left Christmas Island and Winter, Geo and Sora finally arrive in Chun-nan. It was high afternoon when they arrive at the docks and got off the ship.

As soon as they set foot on the dock, the three guys saw a lot of humans.

"Whoa... This is the first time I ever seen humans up close." Geo quietly said, watching the humans helping few of the passengers and fixing the boats and ships.

Winter just replied by nodding, looking amaze.

Sora then spoke to them, "Winter, Geo... Welcome to one of the homes of the humans, Chun-nan!"

The tiger and cheetah quietly gasps with awed at the area they're in, seeing so many colors with red, artifacts with long dragons on them, unique buildings, houses built in lakes and so many humans walking around.

Winter looked astound. "Wow... This place feels so..." He took a deep breath and slowly exhales "...amazing, relaxing and beautiful."

Geo nodded, agreeing with Winter. "Yeah. I wouldn't mind living here."

Sora chuckles at his friends' reaction. "I guess I can't blame you two to act like this. This place is really amazing and full with mysteries of the past. Word is that the humans here worship dragons as their gods or something."

"Dragons?" Winter muttered, looking astonished. "You mean those flying reptiles?"

Sora nodded at Winter.

"Hmm..." Geo hummed, thinking. "I think I'd heard about them. They are known to be very powerful with the power of each elements and are very mysterious. However, they had hid themselves from us all for many years."

Winter turns to Geo and asks, "How come?"

Geo just shrugs, "I don't know... I think it was because for what has happened many years ago."

Sora spoke, "Anyway, let's go and see if we can find this tiger lady. She should be around here, somewhere."

"Let's just hope she didn't leave this location." Winter said and walks ahead towards the village with Geo and Sora on each of his sides; left and right.

About 10 minutes later in the village, they were walking through the village, seeing and smelling different things, mainly food.

Geo sniffs in the air, smelling the some food as his hunger crept in. "Mmm~! I have never smell such delicious food!" He smiled.

"Me neither." Sora responded, staring at some meat buns.

Winter kinda chuckles at them. "I guess we could take a rest stop and get us something to eat."

Suddenly, they heard shouting and yelling as two young men quickly was running out of a meat bun shop in a hurry as a slightly shorter young woman was chasing them, trying to stop the men.

"Stop! Get back here and pay your bills!" The woman shouted with anger.

The two men runs pass Winter, Sora and Geo and runs into an alley.

The woman follows after the men, but then stops when she couldn't see them anymore and saw two pathways. The woman snarls with fury, tapping her left foot two times.

"Those lousy, good for nothing creeps!" She growled. "That's the second they've done that!"

She then heard Sora's voice behind her. "Excuse me?" She looks back to see Sora, Winter and Geo standing about two feet behind her.

She'd turn around to face them, looking kinda annoyed. "Well, what do you want?"

"We just want to know what just happened." Sora answered.

"What happened you ask?!" The woman said then exclaims, "Those gluttons just brought a dozen of my meat buns and runs off before they could pay for the bills they'd own me!"

Winter looks at Geo and Sora. The guys nodded to each other and Winter said the woman, "How about we catch those crooks for ya?"

"You guys catch them? There's no way you three could that..." The woman grumbled. "They always manage to slip away before anyone could ever catch them."

"Come on. Let us help you out." Geo spoke.

The woman hums a bit then said to them, "Fine... If you three can catch them, I'll give you boys some meat bun for free."

"For free?!" Geo slightly exclaimed, feeling a bit happy.

Sora smirks with confidences, "Leave them to us, miss... um..."

"The name is Lin." The woman told them her name.

Winter smiles at Lin. "Well then Lin, let us handle those crooks for ya. Geo, you and Sora handle the first guy. I'll go after the other one."

"Right!" Both Sora and Geo responded and runs off as Winter runs off as well.

About 4 minutes later, the first guy; Wing, was running through the left side of the village, panting a bit.

"I-I should've cut back on those... m-meat buns!" Wing panted as he kept on running.

((A/N: Cue in Chun-nan - Dragon Road Day))

He then heard Sora's voice high up. "Then you should stop going to places you can't pay for!"

Wing looked baffle as he glances up to his right and saw Sora running on top of the roofs of the houses, really fast.

Wing exclaims out loud and tries to pick up the speed as he wonder what Sora is. "What is that?! Some sort of spiky mouse or something?!"

Sora swiftly leaps off the roof and lands in front of Wing to block his path. "Hey! I'm not a a mouse... I'm a hedgehog!" He looked insulted.

Wing quickly stops, grunted as he took a step back and was about run off. However, a rocky boulder burst out from the ground behind Wing, blocking his escape route.

"Huh?! Wh-where?!" Wing stuttered with confusions as he stares at the boulder.

"Going somewhere?"

Wing looks up to the left to see Geo on the roof, glaring down at Wing.

"I think you should give up and come back with us..." Geo spoke as he cracks his knuckles. "...or else."

Wing gulps with fright as his knees shake, feeling afraid of what they'll do to him as dark clouds slowly rolls in...

With Winter, he was on the right side of the village, running and leaping building to building as he searches for the other guy. The tiger landed on a much taller building and looks over the village.

"Now... where is that other human?" Winter muttered as he scans around. He then spots the other human running across the bridge. "Ah-ha! There he is!"

Winter leaps off the building then lands a rail, grinding down the rail with ease. "Better hurry and catch him before it rains!"

He had notices how the sky was getting cloudy, showing a chance of rain.

Winter jumps off the rail when he got closer to the ground, lands on the ground and runs off very fast to catch up to the other crook.

The other crook; Quon, just made across the bridge and slows down a bit. He lean against a house to catch his breath for a minute. "Whew... I thought the lady was gonna throw that plate at us."

Quon looks around to see if anyone was following him. He then suddenly spots Winter running straight at him.

"What the?! What's that doing here?!" Quon exclaimed and quickly runs off to escape from Winter.

"Hold it right there!" Winter shouted as he quickly moves his right hand. "Ice Spheres!" He'd threw an icy ball at Quon and it impacts against ground, freezing the pathway right under Quon.

Quon suddenly lost his balances, shouting and waving his arms as he slides across the slippy icy ground towards the vases.

"Oh no!" Quon shouted as he crashes into the vases, breaking two of them. He'd slowly sat up on his butt, groaning pain with a piece of the vase on his head.

Winter skid to a stop in front of Quon. "Okay, pal... Are you gonna give up and come quietly?" He looks at Quon, frowning with his arms cross in front.

Quon glares at Winter, growling, "And get punish by her? No way!" He quickly got up and starts to runaway.

"Hey! Get back!" Winter shouted, growling. He was about to use his icy move to freeze until...

"Flaming Spheres!"

Five fiery balls hits the side of Quon, burning his left lower side.

Quon screams out loud in pain and crashes on his right side as the flames grew bigger.

Winter gasps with concerns and rushes over to help Quon. However, luckily, the rain started to pour down and extinguish the flames before it could do anymore damages.

Quon was knock out from the flames, laying still on his side.

Winter stops to Quon and bends down to check for injuries. "...Man... This guy manage to escape serious burns just in time when it rains. But... where did that--"

He was interrupted by a female voice. "It came from me."

Winter heard it from his left then growls with anger, "Are you crazy? You could've--" Once he looks to see who use the fire attack, he stop himself from talking as he was lose of words.

He saw the most beautiful tigress. She had slightly long hair, wears red bracelets on her wrists and ankles. She was wearing red-orange tigress in a red sleeves shirt, short jeans and wears red heels.

Winter, despite of the rain, felt his cheeks warm up and he stares at her with awed. "Who... Who are you?" He whispered in awed.

The tigress smiles at Winter. "I am Calor the Tiger, the Queen of Flames." She introduced herself. "And you are?"

Winter snaps out his thoughts, shook his head. "Huh? I-I'm... I'm Winter, Winter the Tiger."

"Winter? Ah, yes. Now I've remember you. You're the son of Lord Forest, right?" Calor said.

"Yes." Winter replied, looking uncertain.

Calor kinda smiles with interests, "What's the son of Lord Forest doing here?"

Winter clears his throat as he stood up, facing Calor. "Did you know about the Black Mambas?"

"Of course." Calor responded.

"Well..." Winter explained what's happening to their village now.

After explaining, Calor looking like she was thinking. She hums a bit and said, "I see... so these snakes are really trying to get to our village while you're out here looking for allies to help you, right?"

Winter nodded. "Yeah... So far, a cheetah named Geo and a hedgehog name Sora are here with me. And we're here to find you. So, will you help us?"

Calor chuckles, "Do you have to ask? Of course I'll help to protect our village. But we'll need more than just two tigers, one hedgehog and one cheetah."

"I know. That's why we're traveling, to gather more allies." Winter told her.

Calor nodded. "Very well." She went closer to Winter, only about five inches away from his face. "...Let's bring this guy to back to the meat bun shop and talk over there." She whispered with passion in her voice.

Winter had his eyes wide open, blushing with red. He glances away from Calor, clearing his throat once more. "Y-Yeah... let's go."

Calor moves away from him, giggling at his reaction.

Moments later at the meat bun shop, Geo and Sora was waiting for Winter to come back with Wing knockout cold like he'd fainted with a frighten look on his face.

Sora has his arms behind his head, talking to Geo, "Was that really necessary, Geo? Scaring the poor guy to death?"

"How am I suppose to know he gets scare easily?" Geo muttered, crossing his arms in front.

Sora couldn't help, but smirks. "Still was kinda funny to see that guy's reaction."

Geo sighs at Sora then see something coming to the right pathway. He saw Winter carrying Quon on his back with Calor by his side through the rain.

"Hey! It's Winter!" Geo exclaimed, looking at the tigers.

Sora looks, noticing Calor. "But who's the girl tiger?"

"It's a guess, but... I think that's the tigress we're looking for." Geo theorized.

Winter and Calor stops near them and Winter sets the out cold Quon down on the ground next Wing. "Sorry I'm late." Winter spoke to Sora

"What took ya so long?" Sora said with annoyances, tapping his right foot.

Calor spoke out for Winter, "It's my fault he's late. I'd sort of interfere and help him catch the crook for him with my flames."

"You caught this guy? With your flames?" Geo asked Calor. "Then you must be the tiger with fire powers, right?"

"She is." Winter spoke. "This is Calor and she agrees to help us out as well."

"Cool! Welcome aboard, Calor." Sora smiled.

"It's nice to meet ya." Geo said, sticking his hand to Calor.

Calor grabs his hand, shaking it. "The pleasure is all mine." She let's go of Geo's hand and spoke to Winter, "Now then... shall we discuss inside?"

Winter blush a bit. "Yeah, sure..."

"Good! I'll go and see Lin." Calor said and went inside the shop.

Sora and Geo stares off at Calor then looks at Winter, who's still blushing. Sora smirks, "...Looks like someone has the 'hots' for a flaming tiger." He blurted out.

Winter snaps out of his trance and glances at Sora. "What did you say?"

Sora leans to Winter, snickering, "You know what I said... You like Calor, don't cha?"

Winter blushes again, trying to deny, "You're nuts!" He looks away.

Sora burst out laughing, "You do like her!"

Winter exclaims at Sora, "Sh-shut up!"

Geo sighs at them, "Somehow... I can see this is going to be a pattern..."