Part 138: Side Story: A Cub with No Name

Music: My Quiet Forest Home



One last side story to tackle in Duskbarrow!



Oh, it's sweet and adorable now. But what about when it grows up? Tigers are meat-eaters, aren't they? And ferocious, too, I'm led to believe. Oh, what to do, I ask myself...

So this mother is worried about a baby tiger her son has found and wants to keep.



Hehe! Isn't he the cutest?



The boy, of course, has no interest in letting the cub go.





The messed up part about this side story is that this cub with no name never gets a name in either result.

Yeah, I said "either" because this is another one with two ways to resolve.

-----

METHOD ONE



First, we have to head back to S'warkii.



But alas, these days I have neither the time nor coin for such pursuits...





He has some useful information on how to train a tiger, which we can share with the mother.





Well, I suppose we could manage that.



With all my heart! Every day an' every e'en--I promise!







...Except, it is too large a task for one child to undertake. If we are to keep him, everyone in the family must do their part. Being responsible for another life is no small matter.





The Beastly Scarf is an accessory that recovers HP each turn. It's alright, but kinda overshadowed by other accessories.







So the family ends feeling somewhat-confident enough that they can train and raise the tiger cub right.

Let's hope it works out that way.

-----

METHOD TWO



The other option to finish this side story involves traveling to Bolderfall.



Egads, how I miss that striped scamp.



This man seems to know a thing or two about tigers.





Let's see if he has any advice to give from personal experience!



M'lady, beggin' your pardon, but I'd like to make a proposition. I once had a tiger of my own. Was like family to me, he was. Until the day he died. Old age took him from me--that an' the harsh winter.



Gods strike me down if he isn't the spittin' image of my old friend...



...Your friend, you say...





What's this, little one? You tryin' to cheer me up now?



...



With all my heart! I'd protect him with me own life.





I warrant you'd be better at carin' for a tiger than me.
G-gods bless you, lad, gods bless you!







This time, the tiger cub goes with the beastmaster. Also the beastly scarf makes more sense as a reward from this path, even though I doubt the beastmaster would've given his old comrade to us...



Children need lessons like this, if they are to grow up well and good.

In the end, this is probably the better option. They probably could take care of that tiger cub well, but being able to let go of things you care about is an important part of life, and all the better a child learns this now.



The kid's growing up so fast.



Truth is, I can't say if he's really my old mate come back to life... But either way, I made a promise to that lad, an' I intend to keep it.



Meanwhile, the tiger cub will have someone experienced to raise it right, and the beastmaster will have a new companion at last. Good ending all around.



We still have many more endings to get, though. Next time, we finish out Alfyn's story as he wanders his way to Orewell.