The terrible tree-climbing training was finally over.
For James, the whole experience was something he would probably never forget. Hanging halfway up a twenty-meter tree while trying not to look down was not exactly pleasant.
Still, in the end he managed to climb back down safely. It took effort and more courage than he liked to admit, but he did it.
The next day, Mom started a completely different kind of training.
Swimming.
Cats had very mixed opinions about water. Some species loved it. Tigers, jaguars, jungle cats, and fishing cats were well known for being comfortable in rivers and lakes. They often learned to swim when they were very young.
Others, like domestic cats, lions, cheetahs, and lynx, usually avoided water whenever possible. It wasn't that they couldn't swim — they simply didn't like getting wet.
When the cubs arrived at the riverbank, Mom demonstrated first.
She stepped into the water without hesitation and began swimming across the river with smooth, confident movements.
It was obvious she had done this many times before.
James noticed that she kept her head above the water while the rest of her body stayed submerged. Instead of diving completely underwater, she moved forward with steady strokes.
From a distance it looked a bit like breaststroke, except with four paws.
After showing them the technique, Mom climbed back onto the shore.
Then she looked at the cubs.
"Rrrr."
It was time for them to try.
Zack and Zoe stared at the river nervously and clearly had no intention of jumping in.
Mom didn't waste time arguing.
She simply pushed them both into the water.
Splash.
Zack and Zoe surfaced immediately, looking completely shocked.
James watched the scene and shook his head.
"Yep… definitely our mother."
Before Mom could decide to push him in as well, James jumped into the river on his own.
Swimming wasn't a problem for him. Back when he was human he had learned to swim as a child, and the motion still felt familiar.
Behind him, Zack and Zoe were panicking.
Water splashed everywhere as they kicked and flailed wildly.
But after struggling for a moment, something interesting happened.
Their bodies floated.
With a bit of paddling, they began moving through the water almost naturally.
Both of them looked surprised.
It was as if they suddenly realized they could swim without ever learning.
James also found it interesting.
The ability seemed to come instinctively.
After thinking about it for a moment, he believed it had something to do with the body structure of saber-toothed tigers.
Their large chest and abdominal cavities gave them excellent buoyancy, almost like having a built-in flotation device.
In addition, their paw pads had slightly webbed spaces between the toes, similar to modern tigers.
Together, these features made swimming surprisingly easy.
While floating in the cool river water, James decided to take advantage of the moment and wash himself properly.
To be honest, this was the first real bath he had taken since becoming a tiger.
Normally grooming his fur with his tongue was enough, but actually soaking in the river felt much better.
The water was clear and cold. Small fish darted through the water around him, moving like silver flashes.
Behind him, Zack and Zoe also noticed the fish.
Both cubs immediately tried to grab them.
Their paws splashed into the water again and again, but the fish were far too fast.
They couldn't even touch one.
At that moment Mom, who had climbed back onto the shore, suddenly became very still.
"Rrrr."
The cubs looked toward her.
She stood at the riverbank like a statue, staring into the water.
Zack and Zoe tilted their heads, confused.
James narrowed his eyes.
"Is she… trying to catch fish?"
Mom's gaze became focused.
James followed her line of sight and noticed something on the water's surface.
Her shadow stretched across the river like a dark patch.
Within that shadow, small ripples appeared again and again.
Several of them were swimming beneath the surface.
Suddenly Mom moved.
Her body exploded forward with incredible speed.
She plunged straight into the water.
At the same time her claws shot out and slashed downward.
The huge body hitting the river created a massive splash.
Water sprayed everywhere.
Several small fish were even thrown out of the water by the impact.
From observation to attack, the entire process happened almost instantly.
James watched in admiration.
The power behind the movement was impressive.
Unfortunately…
When Mom climbed out of the water a moment later, her paws were empty.
James blinked.
"…Well ."
That was awkward.
Mom looked completely calm, as if nothing unusual had happened.
After all, even the best hunters failed sometimes. And fish weren't exactly the main food source for saber-toothed tigers anyway.
Still, Mom tried again.
And again.
Each time her body crashed into the water like a depth charge.
Splash.
Splash.
The river barely had a moment of peace.
But every attempt ended the same way.
No fish.
Mom finally stood at the riverbank looking slightly dissatisfied.
James watched for a moment before sighing.
"Alright… I guess it's time to show some human intelligence."
He climbed out of the river and stepped onto the shore.
If brute force didn't work, maybe a little strategy would.
James had grown up in the village in his previous life, and he had learned all kinds of strange little tricks back then.
One of them involved catching fish.
He began looking around the riverbank.
Stones.
Dead branches.
Those would work perfectly.
His plan was simple.
Build a small circular barrier in the river with an opening facing upstream.
Then add a funnel-shaped entrance so fish could swim inside but struggle to escape.
Once the current pushed the fish into the enclosure, they would have a hard time getting out.
James could already imagine the scene.
Mom, Zack, and Zoe staring at him in amazement.
Completely impressed by his brilliant idea.