>"We should be fine though, it should be after ten right now, so very few people will be out and about. Let's continue on as we have been."
>Let's brace for her to resume the pace.
>"Understood."
>With you sufficiently braced, Tora-Kiku takes off again, traveling south down the street then turning west and running down a small street. The lanes here are more narrow than on the main streets, the colored lines on the road fairly dull. The roads themselves show obvious signs of age, and Kiku has to bank a time or two as she runs to avoid potholes. None that would do any notable harm to a car, but enough for a land based animal to avoid.
>She travels more south than west, and though you try to take notes of the scenery around you, the tiger is moving slightly faster now than she was before, and you find yourself needing to focus to maintain your grip. It's not uncomfortable, but you silently hope she slows a bit before the end of the journey.
>Despite the need for concentration, you have to note the sensation of this ride. There's something somehow special about running along on the bare back of a powerful beast. You know that the tiger is really Kiku, which gives you a sense of security. You have no doubt she is taking care not to go too fast, and to avoid any obstacle or sudden stop that might throw you from her back. But you also can sense the tremendous power held within her body. You feel as though the world would be naught but a blur, were she to take off at full speed. It is a shame, you think, that she is running through a jungle of concrete, instead of the natural world. She obviously feels at home in this city, but somehow, in this form, she doesn't quite seem like she belongs here. The city limits the tiger, cages her.
>After what seems like only a few minutes, in a small wooded trail next to an empty playground, Kiku pauses again, and sniffs the air. You are slightly grateful for this halt, but more disappointed. "Grant me a moment. I must gain my bearings."
