He kept his word. Not long after Ming Tao left with the lion cub, he came back. Mira felt a wave of happiness surge through her at the sight of the mighty cheetah.
"Stay on me and don't let go." Ming Tao said. His voice was icy and firm but Mira did not mind. What mattered was that he came. She let a hand off the rock and clung onto him. Ming Tao meowed, like a cat would if someone grabbed its tail.
Mira almost laughed. "Sorry." She said.
"Get on."
Right. He did not like her yet.
She took her second arm off the rock and wrapped it around his chest before resting on his back. Ming Tao swam forward. It felt weird being on top of him when he was moving in the water, especially because of the baby bump but one thing Mira noticed was Ming Tao was not being rough with her. He was being careful and strangely gentle. In this river that seemed like it would swallow the two of them alive with the waves, Ming Tao funnily was the only calm part of it.
