Inside an inn, a Tiger sat alone at a shadowy corner. Duddakub was his name – meaning “plump golden one” in his tongue. His eyes lit gold by a waxed candle front of him. He pulled out his paw, holding a magical healing charm. He had hoped to carry this charm home in Sylvania so it may heal his sick daughter Peach. The village doctor told him that she had a year to live and only a miracle could take her illness away. At first, Duddakub thought it would be simpler for Peach to take herbal medicine, yet her health worsened. Desperate, using his knowledge of potion brewing, Duddakub tried to create an elixir. However, time was unkind; it forced him to travel to nearby Eurasia in search of a cure, leaving Peach in the care of a Goose neighbor and the doctor. He finally did, trading an Aurum cup for a rare magical healing charm with a Hare merchant in Caninell (the town). However, it was an illegal, perilous barter. Magic and Tigers no longer exist in Eurasia. Years ago, Tigers died, labeled as bad magic. Rumor has it that the previous Emperor lost favor with them after one humiliated him in Court. In the end, his successor issued an edict to expel them eternally as mercy as well as banning anything magic. Because of these events, Duddakub since had been careful.
As he gave thought of his daughter, Duddakub’s eyes caught sight of unfriendly Animals across the room. With that suspicion, the Tiger swiftly walked out the door and into the ice-cold rain. His hooded cloak was pounded with soft raindrops – TAP, TAP, TAP. Wearing his hood, Duddakub made his way to the town’s gates; He avoided eye contact most of the time walking. His long tail curved up underneath the cloak. His sandals sloshed on the endless mud.
Be strong, Little Peach, he thought. Of all the towns, a small, secret shop in Caninell had this amulet; I am coming!
He walked forward until a voice made him halt.
An Imperial Guard came to him. Duddakub felt annoyed; he did not desire talk.
“Halt yourself there,” the voice demanded. The Tiger did.
A scent attracted his nose; it was a Dog, wearing chainmail and a conical helmet with a Lion-Crown, E embroidered, blue tunic.
“Sir,” the Dog said, “Do you know where a possible Wizard might be in town? A Goat witness claimed one enchanted the Gatekeepers to obey him yesterday.”
Duddakub replied no word to that question.
“Do you think I’m dumb? Answer in the name of Emperor Leo X!”
The Tiger finally gave his answer. “For a Dog, you should be intelligent and I obey no Imperial Lion.”
The Guard laughed uneasily. He asked the same question. “Did you see a Wizard in town?”
Lacking any firm leads and impatient, the Dog yanked off the hood, exposing the Tiger’s head. On Duddakub’s face was a scar, with his left ear sliced off. Raindrops pounded on his head; his unique striped fur became wet as a result.
“A Tiger?!” he whimpered in horror. The Dog pointed his sword at Duddakub. “Surrender now, Orange-black Big Cat!” His paws shook; he was scared of him.
“My daughter is very sick, and I must give her the healing charm so she can recover,” the Tiger explained bluntly.
“I don’t care if she dies! It’s tragic-sick to see her Pa in prison. Surrender, orange pelt!”
Intolerant of those words, Duddakub touched the hilt of his light sword. “No wonder why,” he muttered. Although he subdued his anger almost immediately, the Dog feared his move. An impressive sword-fight followed, with the two locking swords. CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG! During the duel, the Dog clumsily broke a fat, five-foot vase. In order to end the fight quickly, Duddakub blew his breath at the Imperial Guard. The Dog was repulsed.
“In the name of Guardian Francis and Mother Nature!” he gasped. “You need to chew a peppermint leaf for that bad odor!”
Moments later, he felt strangely tired as if he needed a nap. The Dog yawned and collapsed with a thud! Duddakub peeked to see if his ability worked; “ZZZZ,” the Dog snored. “ZZZZ.” The Imperial Guard slumbered soundly. Relieved, Duddakub sighed, gazed up and noticed a baffled crowd forming. His ear erected straightly for a moment; he heard distant noises and in haste, fled towards the gates.
Along the way, he unfortunately ran into a patrol of six Imperial Guards – each of a different Animal.
“Tiger-bite!” Duddakub cursed. He halted his steps.
“Surrender, you Meat-Eater!” one of them demanded. Obviously, they were scared of what he might do to them; they did not approach him. Instead, they formed an awkward, weak circle.
“I am sincerely sorry,” he concluded. Regrettably, the Tiger felt it was the only way to break free.
Surrounded by them with swords, Duddakub resorted to a trick. He drew out his sword and sliced the air, creating a gust against them – swoosh! In chaos, the Guards scattered, not knowing what to do with a Tiger Magician. Afterwards, he went on. He ran into the Forest of Verden, lush of green and pine.
Duddakub eventually found a mill and hid in it to evade capture. He unexpectedly scared the Black Bear working there. She wore a simple dress, powdered in flour. To the Tiger’s surprise, the Bear did not betray him; a short time later, she lied to the Guards at her own risk. They were searching for him. The Tiger concealed himself as the exchange happened. Eventually, the miller introduced herself as Mildred.
“I once had a Tiger as a friend,” she explained to Duddakub. “What happened to him in the end was horrible. They skinned him, thinking he was some kind of magic folk.”
This reminded Duddakub of his elder sister and brother at the time of the “Great Hunt.” They died during the brutal purge. It was a terrible time, a long time ago. It still haunted him.
“We were not the only kind hunted,” Duddakub added sadly; his eyes sunk to the floor. “Many assumed Tigers did magic – but they ignored the others as well.”
After the rain pacified into a moist, gray mist, the Tiger waited longer in the mill. To starve off time, he thought of Peach, his precious cub.
I am coming, Little Peach, he thought silently. He held up the healing charm. It shone ruby and yellow. It was obviously small-sized, but the Hare merchant told him not to estimate its power. There was still hope for Peach.
As darkness crept in quietly, Duddakub asked the Bear if she could help him escape to Sylvania for his daughter’s sake. She agreed.
When the full moon emerged, Mildred hitched to a wagon a ten-foot tall diatryma – an ugly feathered, toothed, flightless bird capable of great speed. She called to Duddakub quietly. Soon, the Tiger was on his way home.
In time, Duddakub arrived in Sylvania. He thanked Mildred at a point; he slowly made his way to the stone house where they lived. He took the dangerous paths where few would dare trod. Duddakub could feel that time was winning. He finally arrived home on a late night, nervous for his cub’s life. There, in the bedroom, Duddakub saw the two caretakers. Presently, Peach was so ill, she could not open her eyes. The doctor and the Goose were overwhelmed with worry.
“She might not make it in the morning,” they said. The father grew more desperate. He quickly bestowed the charm upon his daughter. Thus, she recovered at a rapid rate. More cheerfully, they witnessed Peach open her eyes, greeting everyone in the room.
“Papa?!” the cub said loudly, staring at her father. Duddakub cried. This was a blissful sign of healing for them.
Unexpectedly, it did not last; the healing charm worked for a month, as her father discovered. The timing of the relapse was bitter.
Heartbroken as he watched his daughter in bed suffer poor health again, Duddakub wept in tears. Peach saw him like this and grabbed his paws with her tiny ones. She did not like him sad and crying.
“Don’t worry Papa,” she said in a raspy voice. “Because I’m sick doesn’t mean it’s the end. You once told me you were lonely before marrying Mama. You did awesome stuff, fighting injustice with your sword and all. You were a traveling sword-master. You wanted less suffering for the weak and helpless –” Peach coughed, then with strength she continued. “A– and you tried, Papa. Don’t cry. What’s better than medicine or magic is you, Papa. I don’t want you to be angry and alone again!”
In the past, Duddakub remembered quietly, he did not have anybody after his mother died of an injury; at some point, he briefly served as a mercenary under a doomed warlord against the Empire. Eventually, he became defeatist, yet he did help many Animals on his adventures. The Tiger later married and had Peach after the first cub died. Tragedy followed his wife and he raised their daughter alone. Occasionally, he worked as a trader and a magician to earn money, which required time away from home. Duddakub tried to return home as soon as he could, but Peach understood his labors. She knew he would come home.
Duddakub looked at his young cub. His daughter’s iron-like will filled his heart with hope like water. He hugged her gently as she did too. He shed one final tear.
Once composed in cheery spirit, Duddakub told Peach, “You are a strong Tiger cub; I will always love you forever.” He patted her head affectionately. Both father and daughter smiled. Outside, white snowflakes descended gently one by one as winter had just begun.