16.

Someone once said that the most frightening thing in the world is the ignorance of the masses. Ignorance breeds fear. We fear those things we don't understand. If we don't put a lid on that fear and keep that fear in check, that fear in turn will breed hatred because we hate those things that frighten us. And if we don't keep that hatred in check, that hatred in turn will breed destruction.

We want to destroy those things that we hate. Why? Because they frighten us. But guess what? They may have been harmless and we were just ignorant.

In the middle of a small village, a young woman was tied up to a pole, surrounded by a group of people.

"Where are you hiding it you bitch?"

"I say we leave her like this and wait for the tiger."

"Do not. God knows what they might be planning. We should remove this root of evil as soon as possible."

While the villagers were arguing, the girl stood still. On her dazed face, there were no regrets or tears. If time could turn back, she would still save the little tiger, even if it meant repeating the current scenario.

The little tiger wasn't just an animal but a family member to her. After she lost her parents and sister to a plague, her master adopted her. From then on, she started learning the way of medicine. It was three years ago that she met the little tiger. The moment she saw him, the hole in her heart seemed to be filled. Both of them were unfortunate, discarded by fate. Both lost their parents at a young age. Both found comfort in each other's company. Two years ago, after losing her master, it was the little tiger that kept her company.

So, to ask her to give up on the little tiger was tantamount to asking her to give up on the lives of her parents and sister. This was never going to work.

"Burn her. Burn her so her screams echo throughout the forest."

"Yes, burn her. This will bring out the tiger."

Soon, a unanimous decision was made. Without wasting another second, the villagers piled the woods under her feet before lighting it up.

The village soon plunged into eerie silence. Other than the crackling sound of the woods and heavy breathing, there wasn't any other sound. Contrary to their expectations, the young woman didn't shout or even scream. She just stood still, at the moment, she didn't feel the heat of the fire or the pain.

Looking at the distance, two teardrops fell from her eyes. She knew the little tiger was going to be all alone now. Though there was a sigh of relief along with some worries. Relief, because the little tiger was now capable of living on its own. Worried, because she was afraid of what the tiger might do or what the villagers might do to the tiger.

"Take care, Little Bai."

With these soft words, she closed her eyes.

A young and promising youth who wanted nothing more than to watch the world become a better place, who wanted to help all living things irrespective of race, was burned to death by her people. The irony in this event was considered historical. Even after many years, many scholars would write their conclusions and stories. But that is a tale for another time.

....

After running for a long time into the woods, the tiger stopped for a moment before looking back. The figures that were chasing him, were nowhere to be seen. The tiger which had the wisdom of a twelve-year-old kid didn't feel he had done something wrong. They killed his mother, so he killed them. To him, it was only fair to do the same thing that they did to his mother.

Rushing to the nearest cliff, he looked at the bottom of the valley where the village was. On this night, the bright light from the fire was illuminating the entire valley.

"Grr."

Sneering at the foolish people who were trying to find him with this light, the tiger laughed for a moment before sitting down and sleeping on the cliff. He still needs to meet her tomorrow.

...

On the second day, after hunting for prey during the day, he stealthily made his way towards his stay. The sun that was slowly disappearing into the horizon made a perfect cover for him.

Reaching near, the bodies that were on the ground were now gone. Looking around from the bushes, there were no people in sight.

Before he could take a step forward, a gush of wind blew on his face. The moment he smelled the air, his figure that was about to rush out of the bush instantly retreated.

In the air, he could smell the scent of more than thirty people. Even though he couldn't see them, their scent was constantly lingering.

Slowly making his way back to the forest, he decided to go visit the village when it was safe. His life then became one of hunting and eating every day. Sometimes, he thought about sneaking into the village to find her, but every time this thought came, he was held by the warning that she gave him countless times during his childhood.

A week passed in the blink of an eye. Finally, he couldn't control his instincts to go and meet her. Returning to the place he had lived before, he stood still in the grass for a long time. After making sure there weren't any more humans around, he rushed forward.

Nearing the place, he could smell the scent that was coming from ahead.

"Woo."

With a low howl full of excitement, it rushed as fast as it could.

"Grr."

The moment he reached the place, a charred body lay on the ground motionless. He couldn't identify the figure for a long time; the appearance was nothing like he remembered. Yet, the familiar scent of the person was coming from this body.

For him, an animal with the wisdom of a twelve-year-old child, it wasn't difficult to guess what happened. In an instant, he seemed to see the figure of his mother, who was killed the same way and then thrown away.

"GRRRR."

Preventing himself from roaring, he slowly walked in the direction of the village.

There is a saying that children are like piles of mud. You can always shape them as you like. If you teach them virtue, and kindness from a young age, they will grow up to be loving and kind people. If you teach them theft and murder, they will grow up to be criminals. For the tiger who had the wisdom of a child, who was filled with anger and rage, the only thing on his mind was to kill everyone in the village. And right now no one could calm him down.

Inside the village, the figure of a white tiger was slowly moving. The pitch-black darkness was an excellent cover for him.

Walking towards the first house, he slowly moved his claws before unlocking the wooden latch that was holding the door closed.

After the door opened, the first thing that came into his sight was the figure of two people sleeping soundly.

Without making any noise, he slowly walked towards the first person before opening his mouth and aiming for the neck. As a hunter of the jungle, it knew the trick for a successful hunt was to kill in a single move without making much noise.

"Krch."

With a crunch, the neck of the person in front of him broke in an instant. The person opened his eyes in immense pain and wanted to shout, but the overwhelming force at his neck prevented him from making any noise. In his desperation, he could only see the figure of the tiger before darkness overtook his vision.

After making his first kill, the tiger looked at the second person and did the same. Walking out of the house, he looked around before making his way towards the next house.

Tonight was destined to be a night of great terror.

By the time it was morning, there was a white tiger that was standing in the centre of the village. Compared to his white fur all over his body, his mouth and neck were dyed red with blood. One could still see blood dripping from his mouth.

"ROARRR."

After a loud roar, the tiger slowly made its way back. Back to the place where she was.

It was only after he was gone for an hour, that the figures of some people walked out of the house carefully. These were the children who were safe because of sleeping in the attic.

"Mother...."

"Sister.."

"Uuuwwwuu."

Suddenly the village was filled with their miserable cries.

.....

Time passed, and the tales of the tiger spread like wildfire. Many were gnashing their teeth at the brutality of the tiger; many were amazed by its wisdom; while many were lamenting the fate it befell him.

For the storytellers, there was nothing better than this. Soon different versions of the stories came out. Some were about the revenge of the tiger; some were about how it's the reincarnation of some expert. In the end, all the stories boiled down to one single conclusion; the forbidden love between the tiger and the human girl.

These stories were especially popular among young women. There were even some young ladies from noble families who started keeping a white tiger as their cub. Soon, owning a white tiger became the status symbol of many families.

Needless to say, there were even many brave warriors who decided to bring this tiger to justice. But the result of their expedition always resulted in failure. Not to mention the tiger; they couldn't even see its hair.

However, in some tales, someone saw the tiger bringing the purple flowers to the place he and the girl used to live. It was said that the purple flowers, which only bloom once a year for a day, were the favourites of the young girl.

With the passing years, if someone was lucky, they could catch a glimpse of the tiger visiting the place.

After a few years, the tiger in those stories was currently sitting at the place where he first met the girl. His fur has now lost its previous lustre. Compared to the majestic figure of the past, he was weak and frail. Even though he had grown old, his eyes shined brightly. If there was someone who looked at him at this moment, they would be surprised to find a humane expression in them.

The tiger knew it was nearing its last breath, yet he stood there silently. He seemed to forget something important. Something that was once dear to him. In the nighttime, his weak figure seemed exceptionally frail.

Looking at the starry sky, his breathing began to slow down, yet with each passing breath, the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter. At the moment he took his last breath, his eyes suddenly became clear. It knew why it had always felt confused since its birth. It was because he had forgotten his name. He had forgotten who he was. And it was at this very last moment, the very first humane words that came out of its mouth.

"My name is Yang Ze."