Richard Parker growled as he wrapped his tail around his body, keeping himself warm. It had been twenty-four hours since he had seen Pi, and with every ticking second, it was getting harder for him to adjust to being without the boy. Richard Parker had lived a life of solitude until he met the child, and though he originally had wanted to take him as a meal, he had learned companionship and trust, something he had never experienced before.
The boy had become his entire world, and he had decided without looking back to enter the Mexican jungle, saying goodbye to the boy once and for all. He knew the other humans would help him now, and Richard would no longer be needed. He had already fulfilled his role in getting the boy there. He hadn’t been able to help himself as he peered through the foliage, checking to see if Pi was okay, though the boy had never noticed him watching.
Now, Richard Parker would have to learn how to be a beast for the first time, hunting the jungle and claiming it as his own. He growled as his paws stepped silently through the jungle, looking for his first meal since saying goodbye. He could smell the spider monkeys, who had just clambered up the trees in his presence.
Like always, there seemed to be a baby left behind, unaware that a tiger was nearby. Richard Parker stalked it like an expert, each paw placed so that no sound echoed through the forest. He could hear sounds of warning above him, but the small baby paid them no mind as it stuffed another piece of fruit in its mouth. Richard was already salivating from his next delicious meal.
As he was about to pounce, he froze as the baby turned around to look at him, its round eyes staring directly into Richard’s own dilated pupils. He couldn’t help but be reminded of Pi, of when he saw him for the first time, thinking of him as prey but quickly developing a friendship. Their eyes were the same brown, and seemed to be filled with the same set of emotions.
Unfortunately, the tiger had paused for too long, and a long tail above scooped the baby up, so quickly the tiger barely noticed it happening. He growled once more, and fell to the ground, completely exhausted.
The tiger wondered if it was really best that he left Pi on his own. He realized that it might not have been the boy who needed him all along and that the boy had changed his life as well, more than he had ever realized. He stood up, gathering energy again as he decided his next path. He will go looking for the boy, and ask him to embark on another adventure.
Richard Parker began moving back to where he had left Pi, determined that he had made the worst decision by leaving him. He was pleased, knowing he would never have to be alone again. Pi had saved him.