'What do you see, Grisha?'
My fingers trembled, but not from the cold. Not from the whipping winds whistling through the courtyard. I would've been ashamed that my fear drove me so far as to shudder so visibly, had my father not praised me, just moments before, regarding my body's acute reaction to danger.
'A predator.' My lips were numb, so the words came out struggled.
'Look closer, Grisha.'
Across the courtyard, a snow tiger laid, hunched and settled, in the snow, trying to blend while maintaining tension in the muscles of his hind legs. His ears were perked and alert, his bright blue eyes flicking between my father and I, though with no real sense of urgency. Still, that did not mean that a split-second decision could not be made. A single breath and my safety would be compromised. And even though my father was armed, I was not.
'An ice tiger, tata*.' I didn't know what else he wanted.
'Do you see fear in him?'
'No.'
