The Fountain of The Land 

It's an unsurprisingly tropical-winter's day in the middle of January. The Sun bears down without mercy, not a cloud to blunt its fire, no reason given for such relentless heat. Enthroned at the zenith, it reigns as the divine ember that breathes life into the whole of the planet.

Below is a prestigious region that stretches vastly across the horizon to no foreseeable end. To its inhabitants, its the only place on this planet that exists. Whatever happens here is all that matters. 

A place simply known as The Land. 

The golden grass stands as a symbol of its own preciousness, its humility pleads with the atmosphere for a few merciful drops of rain. Until that gracious shower of relief arrives, the day stretches inevitably into another.

Across the plains near Noble Park, a vulture perches atop a decaying carcass. She lifts and stretches her head high in a moment of gratitude. The circle of life has once again provided her with another meal.

A faint sound of a gong rings off in the distance. A familiar sound that signals the end of another long and grueling day for the local tiger cubs at the dojo. 

The vulture's keen eyes scan habitually across the horizon. With a full stomach, she catches a glimpse of the emerging cubs, fluttering her wings in admiration before taking flight—a silent gesture of respect for these future warriors.

The Streak Dojo of Safety is the most prestigious school for young tigers. It's here where they train in the martial arts needed to ward off would-be dictators and protect their community from any imminent danger. They also study the philosophies behind that training, all in preparation to one day lead families of their own.

Until then, the restless students burst through the doors like an assembly line of eager little fire ants. Some can't wait to go straight home or stay after for extracurriculars. Some ordered to stay for after-dojo detention, or even worse ordered to come in for Saturday detention.

Rufus, his best friend Jasu, and a few others, Kita and Leo, always make their way to Noble Park to frolic the rest of the daylight away.  

Near the park is a prominent and ageless body of water called Fountain Lake. Throughout the droughts it miraculously never evaporated towards the heavens. Somehow doing the opposite, it replenishes itself. Its essence is a profound mystery. 

On the other hand, however, it is widely known as a historic danger to the tiger community. Old stories, passed down from generation to generation, warned of the lake's treacherous undertows and unforgiving depths. This rendered tigers defenseless to its nature. Parents from every village exclaim for cubs to stay away.

"The Fountain is never too full and could always use a foolish tiger!"

It was their way to dispel the meddling urges that might creep into their curious little minds. To bathe or refill their water supply, tigers go to Siah River, a winding resource that streamlines endlessly across the Earth. It's believed to be a gift from the Gods. 

Although forbidden by the tiger community, Fountain Lake was actually a very beautiful, peaceful and inviting place. It was unlike any other place in The Land. It provides for the various birds, wildebeest, zebra, fish, vegetation, etc. that live in and around such a sanctified ecosystem. It radiates during the day and shimmers like a wavy sheet of amethyst in the night.

Tigers are considered apex warriors, revering both the good and evil spirits of nature. As stealthy survivors and respecters of the natural world, that reverence has taught them to be more safe than sorry.

The Youthfulness of Tigerdom

Noble Park rested beneath the open sky of the flatlands, where the wide, unobstructed landscape offered a quiet measure of safety. It allows the streak of cubs to keep a vigilant eye on the sky's shifting moods. Even from the far horizon, the first cackle of hyenas that stirred off in the distance could be seen.

It is here where their imaginations roam freely. They'd transform the park into their own movie scene, becoming the fiercest of hunters, stalking their imaginary prey with expert precision.

It was an opportune moment for the nearby meerkats to shut their ears against the clamor and dig deeper tunnels, as they do when expanding burrows stocked with non-imaginary scorpion, lizard and small mammal prey.

Together, in their own way, kept each other on point. Rufus, the unspoken leader of the pack, would come up with challenging scenarios. Kita, the most trusted, was the voice of reason. Jasu, was the jester that couldn't keep his mouth shut...and Leo was Leo. 

"Yo, Rufus, bet your lame ass can't do this?!", Leo asserts.

Rufus rolls his eyes knowing exactly what is about to happen. 

Leo has a habit of competing with Rufus about everything. Despite being friends practically since birth, there was always a thing. And even the smallest thing became a thing. 

And for nothing other than that reason alone, Leo darts off at full speed down the grassy field. Leaping about 10 feet towards a nearby acacia, he clamps onto it, smirks back at Rufus, and propels himself into a backwards flip. He lands aground looking perfectly pleased with himself. 

"...And what was that for?" Rufus asks, slightly annoyed. 

Leo shrugs. "Just felt like it. It was in me, not on me. Never mind all that, whatdoyagot?" 

Rufus knew Leo likely practiced that move for hours on his own, waiting for the perfect time to one-up him. Today was the "big day", apparently. Rufus couldn't help but admire his drive and determination. Still doing his best not to take Leo's things too seriously, he learned to embrace it.

“Well played. You probably got me on this one...finally."

Leo pumps his fist in exclamation. "Yep, I thought so too!" 

"I might need some time to figure out the steps. Is that cool?”

"Sure. I didn't need to practice. Feel free to take all the time you need though, bro."

Seconds later, Rufus too darts off, racing down the grassy field. With his feet barely touching the ground, he proceeds to duplicate the same exact sequence. 

However, instead of ending after one backwards flip, he spun back up the acacia two more times to complete three flips in a row before settling aground.

Kita laughs hysterically. 

Jasu slaps his own face with his paw. “I don’t know why you even try, Leo!” Lightheartedly embarrassed for Leo.

“Whatever! I dunno what you guys are laughing at. Especially you Ja! You can’t do half of what we just did!”

"So what, its not my job to do what you guys do!"

Leo did have a point though. Jasu was probably the most uncoordinated tiger cub at the dojo. It never made sense to any of the others. Both of his parents were exceptional athletes. Trying to execute some of the most basic moves would send Jasu stumbling into a puddle of embarrassment.

However, he, like everyone else, belongs to their own journey of discovery. Most of his fellow students understood that, but it didn't stop them from teasing him anyway. 

One day, out of frustration, it caused him to crash out and rush to the shorelines of Fountain Lake on his own. As he approached the water, he saw his reflection for the first time. Looking closer, he noticed an odd pattern in his tiger stripes...Or was the Fountain playing tricks on him?

A tiger's stripes carry very meaningful passages within feline culture. He never told about this birthmark underneath his chin until that day. He sighed deeply and walked away. This was yet another thing that made him feel inadequate...

"I bet he can’t do that into the Fountain!” 

"Of course, he can!" Jasu campaigns. 

"And he would have already if it wasn't for those stupid age old stories our parents keep telling us about."

"Right, Rufus?!"

Before Rufus could fix his lips to defend his ego, a beam of light descends, conveniently coming to his moral rescue. The four stare off into a trance of sorts. 

The sun is starting to descend to share the wealth of the sky with the moon. These "dinner bells" appear in many forms to remind them when it's time to get home to safety.

Kita is the first to break the abrupt silence. With her assertive voice, she redirects the group. 

"Hey guys, this is something we should talk about, but it needs to be done at another time. The night prowlers will be on the move soon."

Everyone's body language concurs. 

Kita gives them each a hug as they disperse. "...See you guys bright and early tomorrow!”

Jasu lives across the courtyard from Rufus. They usually walk home together. They all walk in the same direction until Leo and Kita head off together towards their village area.

While they pass the time chasing the iridescent fireflies aimlessly dancing between them, Jasu professes, “Leo is always being Leo, right? You can dive into the Fountain if you REALLY wanted to, right Ruf?”

With a sly hint in his eye, Rufus exhaled and gave him a mute look that pretty much said: "Why would you even ask such a question?"

“Haha, I know, I know you can. I don't even know why I asked...Remember when you caught that vulture egg in mid-air when it fell from its nest? That was one of the coolest things ever. It literally hatched in your hands! Rufus the midwife tiger! Hahaha!” 

They both erupt in laughter.

Such situations made it hard for Rufus to be what he thought was a "disappointment" to his friends, especially Jasu, who looked up to and relied on him the most. Whatever provided a sense of hope for the future of his community, he felt burdened with.

The thought of conquering the Fountain made him feel strong like his father, a hero he truly never got to meet. Left only with fascinating stories. Similar to the ones told about the Fountain itself.

"Yes, I do remember. That was pretty crazy, and serendipitous. Thanks, Jasu." Rufus continues to laugh, then stops abruptly to remind Jasu.

"...We just can't tell our parents anything about this Fountain Lake business, okay? They'd freak the heck out and our Noble Park days will be over."

"Of course not! Why would I do something like that?!"

After reaching the courtyard that separates their village quarters, they part ways.

"Alright, good night, Ja!" See you here in the courtyard in the morning, right?"

"Nope, I have basic reinforcement training early to work on my leaping form and cover distance."

"Oh okay, good luck. Keep working at it. It's not as hard as it seems. I'm always here to help."

"Thanks, Ruf, but I don't need your help. If I'm going to be anything, I gotta do it on my own."

Rufus smirks, "Well, pardon me, Bossman, Tiger King of The Land!" 

They again erupt in laughter.