Ming Yue And Tai Yang

• Lydia Soo, Grade 8, Christian Community High School
• Short Story
• 2009

Finalist in the 'Xtreme Read 2009' competition

The moon rose as a pale disc against the velvet black of the sky. It illuminated the night, casting shadows against the forest floor. In the midst of the forest, a shallow pool of water had gathered and created a flat lake. Blades of penetrating moonlight reflected off the water and caused it to sparkle as ripples travelled gracefully over the surface. Ming Yue sat by the edge of the lake, the world a blur around her as she watched the numerous stars dot the sky like shimmering diamonds. The starlight brightened the forest even more, breaking through the thick undergrowth and creating mottled patterns of light and shadow on the ground. Beams of light illuminated her pale face and cast a faint highlight on her ebony hair. A deep growl rumbled from within the dense jungle. Ming Yue turned to catch a flash of orange-brown streak through the trees.
“Tai Yang,” she called, “What brings you here?” The immense tiger padded towards her, nuzzling her cheek with his muzzle. He lay beside her, resting his head in her lap. She stroked the bands of ebony on his forehead and he purred contently. Tai Yang’s wiry whiskers brushed her legs and his ears twitched against her breast. Ming Yue smiled, scratching him below the chin and tilting her head to look back up at the sky. The tiger looked up at her with his glassy, green orbs, forever curious. What’s wrong? They seemed to say.
“Nothing.” She answered, knowing the tiger would not verbally respond. A cool breeze encircled the air, ruffling Tai Yang’s fur and blowing Ming Yue’s glossy bangs into her eyes. She brushed them away with one hand, the other remaining on Tai Yang’s neck and running down his back. Her dark eyes examined his body. Black stripes covered the majority of his orange-brown fur, and in some spots there were small patches of white. Tai Yang’s jaw flexed open as he yawned, his pink-grey tongue flicking out before his mouth closed again. Ming Yue caught a glimpse at his extremely sharp canine teeth.
“Have you eaten?” She asked, and although Tai Yang could not speak, he always had a way of responding. He flicked his tail upward and brought it down again, blinking twice and rubbing his head against her chest. Ming Yue’s lips upturned and she was grinning at the smart tiger, praising him and rubbing his belly. A looming cloud rolled past the moon, obscuring the moonlight. Her eyes turned back to the sky as she waited with Tai Yang for the cloud to pass, and the ethereal moonlight to return. And when it did, Ming Yue slept with Tai Yang by her side, until the spirits returned Ming Yue to her ancestors, back to the skies above.