The Tiger's Hound- Part 39b

Sheru barked at the tiger. He wanted him to wake up. But it was no use. The tiger seemed to be in deep slumber. Sheru was frightened to nudge the tiger. He didn't want to be easy prey for the tiger while trying to help him.

Sheru walked towards Prashant. He jumped at him as usual for attention. Why did his master stand still? He bit a part of his cloth when jumping around him didn't work. He was tired. He had been pulling his uniform for long time. Oh! Why doesn't Prasun ever listen to him? 

Prasun thanked himself after he saw what had happened next. As soon as tiger fell into deep sleep, the squad cut the net open and placed the heavy tiger on the wooden plank. Later they checked whether the tiger had some injuries. Shyam Babu lead the medical team during the check up. It seemed as if he knew the tiger from inside and outside.

Prasun didn't stay for long. He was asked to go home. He got the news of the tiger safely sent back to the wild when he had arrived for his next shift. He was happy and hugged Sheru. Sheru understood the news. He jumped with happiness.

But this episode didn't get over very soon. Saving a tiger lead to investigation of  the poachers. The environmentalist like Shyam Babu was trying to find out who were culprits. It was tedious work. The culprits weren't easily found.

However it didn't take suprisingly long to get the poachers. But it was shocking when they found who their kingspin was. It had shook the whole village. News spread like fire. No one in the village wanted to face the bitter truth.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 39

This was ridiculous! He had bought them to help the poor animal. They were trying to kill the animal. He walked towards the man who was pointing his rifle at the tiger. The man was trying to get the aim. He shot on the bark of the tree as Prasun had pushed the man.

The man got angry. " What are you doing? Why did you push me? Have you gone mad?", he scolded him in their native language. " Yes! But not me! You have gone mad. Why are you killing that tiger? He is not a threat.",he said in their native language.

"He is not killing the animal. He is trying to save the tiger. If he doesn't put the Anastasia, he wouldn't be able to help the tiger .", Kimberly said from no where. Shyamlal translated it to him .She had arrived now to analyse the situation. Prasun was still not convinced. He wondered what was Anastasia.

The man tried to aim again this time. He shot the target. The tiger stood for few minutes, feeling the pain for few seconds. He relaxed again. Within half an hour, he felt drowsy. Until he was completely unconscious, no one walked closer to the tiger except Sheru who had been barking at everyone.


Prasun looked at the tiger. The tiger wasn't responding. What did they do? Did they kill the innocent tiger? But Kimberly had said they were putting some Anastasia. What was it? Was it poison to kill the animal?  He felt helpless.

Sheru walked up to his master. He nudged Prasun many times. Why did Prasun stand there? Why was he not helping the tiger? Was the tiger sleeping or dead? He didn't understand what was happening.Why did anyone want to kill a helpless tiger?


(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound-38d

The tiger was whining and growling for help. Once upon a time his eyes had devilish desires. But today those eyes were filled with pain. He wanted to be free and run away to the wild where he would feel safe. He promised lord that he would never venture out. However God bought a human and his pet to add to his miseries.

Prasun got out of his shock. This was purely poacher's trick to trap the tiger. As per what he had learnt from Kimberly, poaching was crime. But it wasn't given in the book that what was supposed to be done during this time. He was confused whether to inform Kimberly and squad about the poaching or walk back home.

Sheru barked tensely. He wanted to help the tiger. He knew how it was to be trapped and lose your freedom. However everyone was not lucky like him. He was scared that tiger may end up being in the zoo like other tigers he had seen. He didn't want this tiger to be in that state too. He wished Prasun could do something.

Prasun remembered about the walkie talkie he had. He sighed and was relieved. He took it out from his right pocket of his pant. Later he switched the walkie and talkie on. He spoke loud and clear, " There is a tiger trapped. It must be poacher. Come soon."  He had also given the direction where he was waiting. He walked close towards the tiger. It growled while raising his paws to protect himself.

Sheru barked incontrollably. Prasun asked him to keep quiet. He watched the tiger. He thought about how he could save the tiger. He knew it was impossible for one man to release the wild tiger. This was a tiger and not some pussy cat he could save. He waited for some time , watching closely for a way he save time for the Kimberly and her men to save the tiger.

The squad had come within few minutes. Prasun showed them the tiger. The squad member took out the rifle and pointed towards the tiger. Prasun was shocked. What was he doing? Why were they shooting the tiger? Who were they? Did he call the wrong guys? Or where they were involved with the poachers? God knew what was happening! He looked at the man who was mercilessly pointing the rifle on the poor animal.


(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 38c

Sheru was acting weird. He was walking inside the woods deeper and deeper. Prasun followed him. He couldn't understand where his dog was going. Did Sheru pick up some scent? Was there a tiger somewhere? Prasun wondered.

If there was a tiger, he had to turn back to village. As per the rule book, the handler and his dog shouldn't approach the tiger on  their own in the jungle. Instead they should only face them when they arrive at their place.

Prasun tried  to drag Sheru back. But Sheru resisted and walked forward. Sheru was rigid about his sense. He knew there was a tiger. He wanted to get hold of it and drive it away. There was no way the tiger could enter the village when Sheru was around. Hence he took the initiative to follow it's sense of smell to spot the tiger.

He was close. The tiger was somewhere close by. Prasun was frightened. He had almost came too close to be eaten by tiger. He wasn't ready to face another one. His heart was beating louder. He wished this nonsense dog just stopped and realised where he was going. This was forest for christsake. Tigers ruled them. Humans were strangers just like the tigers when they arrived the village.


" Oh! Come on! Sheru! Let's go back. There is nothing here.", he scolded Sheru in his local language. He pulled him again through his leash. But Sheru resisted again. He gripped his torch while dragging Sheru. Sheru still continued, ignoring all the efforts of his dog.

Sheru stopped suddenly. He barked at Prasun. Prasun didn't seem to understand until he pointed his torch at something that was rattling on the ground few distance away from where they were standing. It was a tiger. The tiger was caught in a net we call a trap set by poacher. Prasun stood standstill.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 38b

The task of protecting the whole village from a ferocious animal who seems to think he's the king wasn't easy as it seemed before. Before it was food and money that attracted so many like Prasun to take this job.

Now it seemed like he got himself tempted towards the offer. Now he understood the real underlying value of money and food they had offered for this job. You had to sacrifice sleep, life and safety for food and money.

What will be food and money useful when your soul or body is not alive to enjoy the fruits. He wondered the irony of life. He should be happy.  But that happiness was short lived. It had been two weeks since he was placed instead of Ramlal. He was missing home.

Though he had no job, he constantly worried that he hadn't missed any rule of  Tiger's hound's handler. He never wanted to be in spotlight. It was scary when he thought about forgetting even one rule from the rule book. He would read the rule book before he would start his shift.

Anyway the tiger had not ventured into the village side. Sheru opened his mouth, smirking while thinking about the reasons why the tiger had not come. Maybe they didn't have courage to face mighty himself or Maybe they were getting more supply of food in jungle itself.

It was useless drinking coffee. It didn't keep him awake. He would fall asleep for an hour until he would realize that he was on duty. He would pinch himself , slap himself , wash his face every few minutes or go for walks with his dog. As usual he went for walks today also, he was on his walks. But today he felt uneasy like as if he was going to face some unfavorable situation soon

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound - Part 38

Ramlal had ideas... ideas that could break Prasun into pieces. But he had no courage or belief to execute these ideas. His other brilliant ideas had failed to work. So he left it. He convinced himself that being a dog handler was not his thing and it didn't quite suit his image. He was rich man in the society and it wasn't good for his image to be the watchman for the village.

Prasun fitted best. Prasun wasn't rich like Ramlal and this role was perfect for small man like him. Ramlal always felt that tiny roles was perfect for Prasun kind of person. Tiny people like Prasun needed this job to give small push to make oneself known. Ramlal felt it was small charity which is

The useless Prasun had almost proved his worth. When Kimberly had called out his name, he couldn't believe it. He felt that he wouldn't get any opportunity again to prove himself. He thanked Kimberly in mind. She was too sweet to forgive Sheru and him for their mistakes and give them another opportunity to proove themself.

Prasun was excited. So was Sheru. But Sheru had no idea of where they were going. It was first time that Prasun would get to eat full fledged meal offered by the villagers. However it was not only food that excited him, it was also the chance to show his worth to the society that excited him. Wow! His dream was coming true at last.

It still seems like a dream. He pinched himself twice to make him come out of this dream bubble to reality. He thought that if  he opened his eyes , all these beautiful things would disappear. So he blinked many times. But the image in front of him was real.

Kimberly had explained him the rules of being Tiger's hound with help of Shyam Babu. Shyam Babu made him comfortable and advised him to be calm and cautious. Prasun had listened carefully. He didn't want to make the same mistakes like Ramlal. He had bought several packets of tea and milk. He had made sure that he never fell asleep.

Being watchman of the village wasn't easy task. He had lot of responsibilities. He had to make sure the man eater never step his foot on his village. He had to partner with Sheru to protect the village. It wasn't Sheru or his only task.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 37b

The search team looked for the dog everywhere. He wasn't there. Ramlal had prayed that his dog was safe. He didn't worry about the dog safety. He worried about his image. His luck had just started now. He wanted to enjoy the sweetness of his success. But he didn;t know it would end so soon.

Life was strange.Sometimes it is bright, sometimes it is dim. But sometimes the dark night remains for long time until the first light of sun falls on earth. Till then we are never at peace. Prasun was in state where he didn't know whether it was night filled with miseries or daylight.

As soon as he heard the news, he felt pinch of happiness though he felt bad for Ramlal. It was  his adorable dog. However he was suspicious whether Ramlal loved his dog as he always showed off to people how much he adored his dog. Maybe he was just a show off.

After 10 long hours, when everyone dispersed home, Ramlal found his dog waiting at home. Everyone was at peace when they reached home. The little dog was playing chase game with Ramlal's six year old son. No one knew how the dog came home unscratched.

It was rumored that maybe Ramlal was not there on duty. He must have created some story to hide his real story. Whatever it is , he was at loss. He had lost an opportunity due to his laziness. Kimberly had taken Ramlal out of the project. She had decided that replacement of Ramlal's position would be notified next day.

Kimberly announced the results next morning. The replacement had shook Ramlal. He couldn't believe that his stupidity could cost him something big. His pride broke into pieces. He couldn't watch someone like Prasun take his place. Hence he tried to break him.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 37

It had been  a week since Kimberly had put Ramlal on duty. There was no issues sighted until today. There were few sights of tiger passing across the banks opposite the village. But there was no tiger that had come close until today.

It was Sunday night. Ramlal was known for drinking too much during Sundays. He would start during afternoon and continue till the night. He wasn't used to working during weekends. Forget weekends! He wasn't used to work. He had only taken up to show off everyone in village that what great person he was.

Prasun had ignored all the hypes until today. He had almost forgotten that Ramlal's dog was first one to be sent to real scenario. But today was different. Ramlal had lost his dog due to his ignorance. He had forgotten the first rule of Tiger's Hound 's handler. He had to be always vigilant when he was with the dog.


Unfortunately Ramlal was too drunken to notice that his dog was chasing a tiger which had trespassed the village in look out for prey. His dog was successful in chasing the tiger but he hadn't returned. Ramlal only had bleak view of his dog chasing the tiger. He had followed his dog but tripped in between due to his inebriated condition.

Ramlal woke up next morning ,startled how he landed in this situation- lying on the ground in the woods. That's when he realized that he was on duty and his dog was missing. He had searched the dog but he couldn't find. Alas! He walked to Kimberly and blurted out what had happened.

Kimberly was angry as well as anxious about the dog. She had scolded Ramlal for his irresponsible behaviour. She had sent a search team to look out for the dog. She prayed that the dog wasn't hurt or killed. She couldn't afford to lose the dog at this point.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 36

"Oh! Please let's go. Why are you still waiting?", Sheru barked, jumping up and down. Sheru bit Prasun's clothes. Prasun was irritated. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to meet the taunting eyes of the people there. What would have happened if he met Ramlal?

Ramlal would taunt him with his win.He couldn't face him. He restrained Sheru's grip. Sheru didn't listen to him. He had to be there. He didn't want to sit anywhere. He wanted to go and see the other dogs. They were all waiting for him.

" No Sheru! Go away!", he said. But Sheru was adamant. He didn't leave him until Prasun agreed to go in order to stop Sheru from being over obsessive about going there. Sheru excitement had no bounds when he met his friends.

He sniffed them, licked them and touched their fur. He felt so belonged unlike Prasun. Prasun found the cold mocking stares of people around him. Ramlal seemed very happy. He was boasting about how his dog had won and how better he was.


Kimberly had given special training to Ramlal's dog while others had left. Prasun didn't leave. He wanted to work hard on Sheru. He made him do certain tough exercises that would make Sheru little tougher and focused.

He was watching Ramlal. It could have been them if Sheru was little more focused. Kimberly had mentioned the day before that zoo test. They were going to send the winner to forest to see whether they could manage the real situation.  Oh!  The real job started then.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 35

Next day arrived. It was dull morning. Prasun didn't feel like going. He was tired and lazy. Last day trip was too long and he wasn't used to such trips. His body ached due to long journey yesterday. He hadn't sat so long in moving vehicle.

It had been while when he was in moving vehicle.. He was going to get married. His one day wife was in different village that was half day trip from his place. He still remembered. He was very excited to ever notice that his legs were paining due to being stuffed in crowed vehicle.

Unfortunately he had come back home without his bride. He suffered heart break as well as body pain. Today it wasn't so bad. It wasn't as if he had failed. But he didn't want to see Ramlal's taunts and his proud like smile saying that no one ever beat him.

Sheru was least affected. Prasun wasn't surprised about Sheru's carefree attitude. He still couldn't learn from Sheru the art of not being affected by word's view about oneself. Society is used to giving their own opinions and make fun of those who trying being different from others.

If you fail or almost pass, then there are hundreds of people who don't mind making fun of you or mentioning the fact that they are better than you while reminding you that you are good for nothing. But we never think twice that we are good and capable of being the best.

Prasun was one among us who got affected by society's fake opinions. Sometimes it was best to let go. Sometimes it was best to be yourself than follow the rules set. Sheru ran towards him. He jumped excitedly with his wagging tail, sending messages to Prasun that he was ready to go for the training.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 34b

Since the time they had come from zoo, he hadn't utter word or cursed or scolded Sheru. Why? Why was there deep silence. Sheru hated silence. He was used to being scolded or cursed for some reason. He was in dilemma whether to walk in front of Prasun to make him realise he exist.

Sheru sat staring at his master trying to do something. He wagged his tail while his mouth was wide open to breathe. Prasun tried to wipe his mind from the negative thoughts. He knew that happiness was short lived friend. He also knew that all that looked rosy was going to end soon.

However he didn't know it would take so long. He didn't know whether to blame Sheru or his luck. Maybe he should blame both. Sheru was distracted and his luck didn't seem good today. The symptoms of bad luck had all started three days back.

He had prayed lord that everything should run smoothly. But his prayers were unheard for today. Or maybe he was being hard on himself and Sheru. Nothing had ended yet. They weren't even sent back to training again.

Kimberly had told them that he had to make his dog more aggressive. He was too distracted that day. He wasn't friendly but seemed too curious to know the tigers. In a real life situation, Sheru wouldn't get even a minute to understand the tigers. They would eat him alive.

"Oh Sheru! You have no idea of what kind of animal you are going to face. These tigers are merciless predators. Will you still be sniffing around them when they will be ready to bite you?", Prasun said softly to himself. Sheru bent low to cover his face when he saw Prasun looking at him.


(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 34

Sheru had neither barked nor was scared of the tigers. He seemed inquisitive about them. The way they walked or growled softly or sniffed him amazed him. Maybe he had never seen such ferocious creatures in enclosure.

Prasun tried to kick him or stamp him to make bit angry so that he could bark. But this dog didn't seem to be affected by anything. Prasun worried. It was fine that Sheru showed no fear. Unfortunately it wasn't fine that he didn't bark or show any kind of aggressiveness towards the tigers.
 
The minutes passed by. Prasun calmed himself. Maybe Sheru was taking time to get used to these tigers. But how long? How long does it take to bark? Pretty easy task! And this dog was testing his patience a lot. He wished he could snatch the opportunity from Sheru and bark. Unfortunately he wasn't the dog.

Kimberly broke the unending silence," It's okay, Prasun. Bring Sheru back." Ramlal gave a sly smile. Prasun was sure that he had lost. He tried to accept the consequences of their failure. He hated being embarrassed by the taunts from the society.

The society is not fair with the people who fail. "So Ramlal, you are lucky today. Your dog showed immense courage over the tigers. Prasun! Don't worry! It wasn't anybody's fault. Sheru was great too. However he was bit hostile towards tigers. And we will work on that. Ashish Babu, your dog is not far behind. He need to work hard on his skills. Some dogs tend to develop cold feet. It's okay. Guys, one more thing.. This is not a test. So don't take it hard on yourself or on the dogs.", Kimberly said.

Prasun came home with heavy heart. Sheru was delighted to be back home. He was very depressed when he was zoo. He felt peace when he was at home. He hadn't noticed his master until now. Prasun didn't look happy. He was engrossed in his own thoughts.

( To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 33

It was Ramlal's turn. He took his dog towards the tiger. His dog got aggressive and as expected barked at the tiger. Ramlal patted his dog,feeling almost proud of his dog. But the ultimate happiness was yet to arrive. He kept his fingers crossed and prayed all the gods found in every corner of the planet that Sheru fails this time.

Kimberly appreciated Ramlal and his dog.  However he was given feedback that he had to control his dog's aggressiveness. She had advised him that too much aggressiveness was not good. The test was not over. Sheru had to give the final test.

Sheru was next. Prasun was worried a bit. He wanted everything to go smoothly. This was usual thought. He always got it whenever he had to face the situation where Sheru had to give the test. He faced the usual physical symptoms like his stomach felt uneasy inside; his heart beat faster than the seconds and he felt he was going to fall.

But this time, these symptoms were too high. He also felt dizzy. He tried to calm himself. It wasn't like as if Sheru had not passed any test. His mind worried lot, " What if he failed?"  What if he failed! Even if he failed, what more can happen. He would have to go through all the training.

Why? Sheru was best. He wouldn't fail like always. He would win this one too. He has got all that makes a tiger hound... the protector of village. He walked closer to enclosure with Sheru. The tigers growled softly. They were curious like Sheru. They sniffed him to understand what kind of creature he was.

It was like as if they were trying to reach out to him. Sheru understood the messages they were giving through their constant sniffing. They wanted to get back to jungle. The life in this zoo was terrible. Prasun wondered why he hadn't barked. What was Sheru doing? There was something fishy.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 32

" What are you upto, mad dog?", Prasun scolded.  " It's a real tiger! Not a fake one!", he continued. But Sheru ignored. He was inquisitive about these wild ones whose eyes glared with some kind of attitude that they were still the kings though they were imprisoned by humans.

He sniffed them while Prasun scolded him. Prasun's wrath didn't stop him from investigating these creatures. Their yellow with black strips was flashy. Sheru wondered whether they had any of their types with any other pattern of skin other than their yellow with black strips.

Even humans had different kind of skins- yellow,  white, wheatish, chocolate brown and black. But he had never seen an animal having only one kind of skin colour. Sheru stared at their eyes which changed colour from brown to gleaming gold.

Prasun pulled the dog away. He took him to spot where the other two dogs stood with their handlers. Kimberly started giving them instructions while Shyam Babu translated. The dogs watched their masters listening so intently

Ramlal gave a icy stare at Prasun and Sheru. As usual he prayed that they didn't win this time. As per the instruction, the dogs were taken closer to the tiger's enclosure. The dogs were tested for their courage and how they reacted.

First dog was bought closer to the tiger enclosure. He ran away as soon as the tiger growled. He didn't try to bark. He whined and hid behind his master. His master tried to bring the dog closer to the tiger. But he was too afraid to face them.

(To be continued

The Tiger's Hound- Part 31

"Wow ! These animals must be brave!", Sheru wondered. " Brave! How can this be brave? Haven't they ever thought of running away? Maybe they were cowards who have accepted their fate!", he wondered.

He found the zoo a depressing place. He had never known why he had so much of expectations. He stared at these animal's eyes. Some had accepted their fate and tried their best to feel happy. Some had realized that there was no happiness in entertaining the human visitors. Some were trying to accustom to new surrounding.

He imagined the state of these animals. They must be missing their home lot. He imagined about the his home. But his mind only took him back to Prasun's old shack. He couldn't think of any place. That meant - he had no memory of the place he was born or spent his puppy days. His home was and will always be his place where he learnt to live.

It was time.. time to see whether they were capable of being Tiger Hounds. Kimberly had taken them to section where the two tigers had larger area to roam around  though they were fenched by tall iron railings. These railings protected the tigers from the people but for the tigers it was other way round.

All the dogs were bought in front of the tigers. The tigers walked closer to the railings to look at the strange creatures with human. The tigers wondered about how these dogs roamed freely with humans. How could these dogs be so loyal towards these humans while they tie them (dogs ) with leash and treat them as thing.  One of the tigers watched Sheru cautiously.

Sheru could feel the negative vibes coming out from the tigers. They paced to and fro on one end of their enclosure where the humans and their companions had gathered. Ramlal's dog and other dog stayed at their place while Sheru in curiosity walked closer to the enclosure while Prasun held the grip of the leash tighter.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 30

The three dogs were very excited unlike their master. Their masters were tensed. Failures was inevitable and none of them wanted to be at that spot. They only wanted their dogs to do well. Their situation was somewhat similar to presenting their children in talent contest. Their dog's victory was the main factor that their name and fame based on.

They were like the nervous parents who had their hopes instilled in their children. The children a.k.a dogs were not scared like the kids. They didn't know what was stored in the place they  were going to visit.

Sheru walked fast with Prasun trying to grab his leash tighter in order to reduce Sheru's pace. But Sheru's excitement was at highest degree. He hoped into the safari jeep like an excited kid. Prasun had hit Sheru twice to control him. He had even scolded him. But nothing stopped him.

The journey was not very long. It was just two hours from village. The zoo was not too big. It was a normal city zoo. The zoo was maybe 20 acres where the animals stayed in  captive. They were wild held in man made prison. Their freedom snatched away only to make them as toys to entertain the human guests.

As soon as Sheru reached zoo, his curiosity had enhanced. There were many questions that were shooting his mind. Sheru wondered, " What a strange place this was?  He could see only humans everywhere.

Animals were kept in four walls. There was no space to  run around. " Did animals ever get bored? If they didn't, what they do for a pastime? How do they sit in this cage for long time, staring continuously at the humans watching them.

(To be continued)

The Tiger's Hound- Part 29

Everyone cheered. Prasun beamed with pride. He knew there was something special in Sheru that made him different from other dogs. He remembered the time when he meet Sheru for the first time. How smart the dog was? He had outwitted him with those fishes.

He had made sure he had tiptoed towards him and picked up fish. How aggressive he was about his catch! He didn't leave his catch and left Prasun with half piece. Oh those memories! If he hadn't found him, no one would ever known that there was a dog called Sheru.

Ramlal was disappointed. He didn't feel happy that his dog was one of three dogs selected for the visit to the zoo. He  was disappointed that Sheru had made to the top three. This dog surely had lady luck by his side. Every time Ramlal tried to execute his evil plans to fail Sheru, something dreadful would happen.

Sheru was excited as soon as he heard that he was going to meet another species of animals. But he had no idea that he was going to see the tiger in cage where his real courage would be tested. If he failed, then he would have to start all over again.

Prasun was aware of the test. He knew the cost of not doing well. Going through the training all over again would be nightmare for both Prasun and Sheru. Maybe Sheru wouldn't mind it. But for Prasun, it was matter of saving his face from being ridiculed by the villagers for failure.

He had gone through that stage many times. This was not the time. He had worked hard. He had put in lot of effort to come to the top spot. It would hurt him more if Sheru failed this test. A confidence with pinch of insecurity walked side by side.

(To be continued|)