14 – Taro, the Cunning Tiger
Taro, the Cunning Tiger
Branches cracked, a movement in the shadow. Eyes sparkled in the twilight. Then a new figure stepped into the light – large, with graceful movements and a knowing look. The dark stripes on his fur looked like artful lines, as if he had painted himself through the forest.
The tiger eyed them with a mixture of amusement and seriousness. Then he spoke in a calm voice: “Smart that you recognize the danger. But too late – you are already on your way.”
Milo felt his heart beat faster. “Who are you?”
“Taro,” said the tiger. “And I know what you’re looking for.”
Jasper took a step forward, his tail tip twitching. “Then tell us! Who made the first brush stroke?”
Taro tilted his head slightly, as if considering their determination as a riddle. “You believe that a single answer will get you further? Maybe. Maybe not.”
Sienna, who had only been observing so far, stepped closer. Her eyes narrowed. “You speak in riddles. Do you know it or not?”
Taro smiled faintly. “I know where you will find the next clue.”
Leo, the wise lion, nodded slowly. “Then lead us there.”
Taro seemed to be testing their determination before he turned silently. “Follow me. But be warned – if you go further, there may be no way back.”
The forest grew darker the further they followed him. The colors began to blur, as if they were not yet completely painted. Jasper rubbed his eyes. “This is… different. Somehow unfinished.”
“Because you are approaching a place where the painted ends,” Taro explained.
“There, where the lines still flow and the patterns aren’t set.”
Luna stopped abruptly. “You mean… there, where everything begins?”
Taro nodded. “Maybe. But maybe also where you have to leave the forest behind.”
A soft breeze rustled the leaves, and suddenly there was a movement in the shadow. Zuri, the philosophical tiger, stepped silently out of the darkness, his gaze deep and inscrutable. He settled on a stone as if he had been there for a long time and spoke in a calm voice:
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
Jasper jumped up excitedly. “Finally, Zuri! You always show up when things get interesting!”
Leo looked at him thoughtfully. “That’s a poem by Robert Frost. I know it…”
Zuri nodded. “Every choice. Every step. The question is not which path you take – but whether you are ready to walk it.”
A shiver ran down Milo’s back. And yet he couldn’t help it – he had to know.
Sometimes it’s wise to ask questions.
But it’s braver to keep walking – even without clear answers.
The real decision isn’t: “What’s the right path?”
It’s: “Are you willing to walk it – even if it changes you?”
Have you ever found yourself on a path that transformed everything?
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Taro, the Cunning Tiger
Oil/Mixed Media on canvas, 30 x 40 cm_
Price for the original available upon request – click here
Mugs and posters available until mid-October 2025 – for those who know the journey is what matters.
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