Zakarli sat down and took Garlande's hand, saying: "Little brother, I can see that you guys aren't professional hunters, nor are you specifically in the fur business. Killing the tiger was just a coincidence, right?"

Garlande nodded.

"But let me tell you," Zakarli continued, "I'm a professional hunter. I came specifically for this big tiger. And look at my little sister over there, she's so petulant and headstrong. We have so many boxes of beautiful clothes at home, but she's never satisfied. She just keeps demanding a tiger fur coat, saying she won't get married without one."

This made Garlande laugh. Behind Zakarli, his sister was both embarrassed and angry, stomping her feet incessantly.

"Look at me," said Zakarli. "Could you bear to leave her at home bullying me like this? If she doesn't go, how will I get by as her brother?"

Saji was also giggling behind her. The girl slapped the back of his head. "Don't laugh!"

"So here's the thing," Zakarli went on. "I said all that just to ask - could we have the tiger skin? Give us your half of the skin, and I'll pay you for it when we get back to my home. What do you say?"

"Is that alright?" Garlande glanced back at Saji. "Do you want the tiger skin? We can pay for their half too if you want it. Your dad certainly has the money."

Zakarli waved his hands quickly. "Don't joke around with the kid. We really need the skin."

"Then we can't use the tiger skin as a gift when we meet her," said Saji, patting his belly happily. "We'll just bring some dried fish instead!"

"Sure, that's fine," Garlande readily agreed.

"Oh, you need a gift for meeting someone?" asked Zakarli. "We have all kinds of treasures in our tribe. Who are you going to meet? A man or woman? How old are they?"

"Um..." Garlande thought for a moment. "She's a young woman, not sure exactly how old. We've never actually met, just heard of her existence.

"Oh?" Zakarli raised his eyebrows slyly. "Your betrothed?"

"Yes," Garlande replied simply.

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Zakarli exchanged knowing glances with his sister, though Garlande couldn't grasp their meaning.

"Is your princess pretty?" asked Saji with a foolish grin.

"Our princess..." Zakarli glanced at his sister as he considered his words. "She's alright I guess. A bit dark-skinned, but quite good-looking. Just has a bad personality, too fierce."

"I see," said Garlande evenly, though he was puzzled by their dramatic reactions.

"Well, that makes things easy!" Zakarli clapped his hands. "I'll take you to meet the princess!"

"Yay, yay!" cheered Saji, clapping enthusiastically.

Zakarli exchanged smiles with his sister again. Some secret signal seemed to pass between them.

"Is it required for women of your tribe to veil their faces like that?" Garlande asked, as politely as he could. Surely she would stop staring at me now, he thought... But the girl shyly glanced back as soon as he looked away.

It took all of Zakarli's strength to finish skinning the tiger. Looking up at the sun, they saw it was already lowering in the sky. Starving, they cut off a tiger leg to roast over the fire. Remembering the rest of the tiger still held valuable parts, they dug a pit to bury it in.

"When you head home in a few days, dig it back up to take with you," Zakarli generously offered the non-skin parts to the brothers.

After hefting the heavy skin out of the brambles, they reached the main road again as daylight faded. This seemed to be the same road where they'd parted with Gwenck. Glancing back at the dark, tangled thorns, Garlande wondered if the tigress was alright.

After walking a long way, Saji spotted two horses and a figure in the distance. Hunched over, the man sat beside the horses.

"Hey ugly troll, we're back!" shouted Saji, hopping and skipping ahead. The hideous troll he'd complained of earlier now looked like a dear friend.

"Oh, my little master has returned!" cried Gwenck, running to meet them with snot and tears on his face. "You're alright!"

"We're fine, as you can see," said Garlande as he and Zakarli staggered up, straining under the weight of the tiger skin. Both were completely exhausted.

"I'm sooo hungry! I could eat three days worth of meals!" Saji rubbed his belly. "Gwenck, bring out all the good food you've got!"

"Right away!" Gwenck hurried to unpack the supplies from his horse and start a cooking fire.

"I don't want to go anywhere else today," groaned Zakarli, letting the skin drop as he sprawled on the ground. "Let's just camp here tonight..." With the sun down, the "day" was over.

Gwenck rolled out blankets for Saji and the girl, the only ones he had. Next he roasted the tiger leg Saji had brought until it was sizzling and fragrant. They all sat around the fire, chatting and laughing.

Saji described how they'd gone through the cave and ended up behind Gwenck. He was still the most energetic, having walked the least that day. Zakarli cradled his treasured tiger skin, humming a little tune. Garlande was about to close his eyes for a rest when he felt a chill on his back - the girl Azan staring balefully at him from the side.

"Zakarli..." Garlande hesitated, unsure how to broach the topic. "Are the women of your tribe required to veil their faces like that?"

But Zakarli just yelled at his sister, "Hey, haven't you pretended enough? You're just afraid of people seeing your dark skin, right?"