Chapter 2

The thing about having a follower or a following, is that it makes you a leader, will ye nill ye. Being a leader makes you think about where you are going, and what you intend to accomplish, because, after all, you have an audience to think about. You might even appear foolish or incompetent, if you don't come up with brilliant goals.

It gives some insight to the grumpy old fighter trying to drive away the eager youngling who insists on calling them 'teacher'. Once the master realizes that the student is too dumb or too blinded by hero worship to notice any failings, that is when the student is accepted. And abused, because there is some resentment at being forced into the leader position- but then, the weight of leadership forces good judgment, always someone watching, judging!

If I was important enough to have the Fabulous Ms. Tiger trailing after me, I had better come up with some important reasons, some worthy goals. If no one else, I would know, and watch me, and judge. I didn't suspect the Fabulous Ms. Tiger would be very critical, as long as I showed cool moves, and cut down on the annoyances. I suspected that it was also important that I not become annoying, or stinky. Ok, first goal, take a bath, and use unscented soap.

Ms. Tiger joined me in the swimming pool, the chlorine by now had lost its odor and effectiveness, but the water was not grungy yet- at least it wasn't before I washed my hair. I did not know that Tigers liked to dive underwater! I thought cats hated water, and acted like drowned rats. Big cats though, well, I don't have a large sample of various large cat breeds, and perhaps Lions would be pussies about water, but at least one tiger I know of enjoyed swimming, I mean really playing in the water.

I tossed a lawn chair down in the deep end, I was pretty sure the home owner wouldn't really mind, and Ms. Tiger dove in, down, and started wrestling with it! It was like a kitten with a paper bag and a ball of yarn, and I wondered just how young this fully grown tigress was. She seemed intelligent, the way she took out zombie mobs, but there was an element of play also, as if putting down zombies was a big game, and she was keeping score for time, style, and number.

It is like that credo of Mary Poppins, (the originator of the phrase!snap!) her philosophy that in every job to be done there is an element of fun. I had to get with the program, and start enjoying the end of the world.

After I got my clothes on, and wasn't slowed down by water in the presence of a playful, immature, genius tiger. Time enough to start having fun a little later. I resolved to tell myself "Whee!" about five times a day, just to remind myself that I was having fun.

when I had my clothes on, Ms. Tiger climbed out of the pool, and shook herself vigorously like a dog, spraying me with water. When I flinched, shutting my eyes against the stinging spray, she lunged wide jawed with snarling fangs at my face, my instinctive recoil landing me in the water. I looked at her in amazement as she settled down on the lawn, grinning and pleased as punch, laughing at me and rolling around on her back, looking at me upside down with a goofy look. Great, a playful, mischievous, immature, genius tiger.