The night sky seemed to conspire with fate. The full moon hung high above the Indonesian jungle, its light falling like silver knives slicing through the foliage. Silence thickened, broken only occasionally by the shrill cries of night birds in the distance. But behind that silence, tension crept in, for a great hunt was underway.
In the darkness, the sound of footsteps broke the silence of the forest. Several men dressed in black made their way through the wilderness with long-barreled weapons. Their breathing was heavy, their sharp gazes filled with the ambition of conquest.
"Be careful, this forest is very dangerous," said one of the men. He grinned, his eyes staring straight ahead as if stalking his prey.
"Relax! I know this forest very well, and you know..." he glanced briefly at his friend.
"The tigers here are the best. They are said to be descendants of the king's guards in Java," he continued.
They were bounty hunters, sent by a wealthy collector who was obsessed with owning the last remaining white tiger skin in Java. The animal was a living legend, closely guarded by the local community as the supernatural incarnation of a highly respected and revered king, who also possessed extraordinary powers and might, making him greatly feared by the colonizers of his time.
But tonight, greed blinded them, causing them to disregard the long-standing taboos and prohibitions.
The man's companion glanced over briefly. "I've known about this for a long time. That's why I agreed to this hunting offer. There are two benefits I can gain. First, getting money from that foolish collector. Second, taking another tiger and selling its skin to a different collector."
The man smiled cynically. "You sly fox!" He said. His eyes stared straight ahead as if watching the animal they were talking about.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the grass accompanied by a tiger's roar. They immediately turned to the west. Under the dim light of the flashlights attached to their heads, they saw a pair of tigers standing majestically.
"There they are! Quick, their tracks are to the west," whispered one of the hunters, pointing at the tigers.
Roar! The roar echoed, loud and shaking the air. A pair of white tigers emerged from behind the bushes, their bodies majestic, their white fur glistening in the moonlight. Their eyes burned, as if radiating the unquenchable anger of their ancestors.
The hunters swallowed hard, some of them looking shaky. But the promise of big money made them hide their fear.
"Now! Shoot!" shouted their leader.
At the same time as the loud voice, a pair of white tigers charged at the hunters ferociously.
Bang!
Bang!
The sound of gunfire echoed. Bullets flew, piercing the bodies of the pair of jungle kings. Thick red blood dripped onto the ground, mixing with the night dew.
"Roarr!" The pair of tigers roared loudly once more, as if screaming and crying. Their eyes stared at the hunters' faces as if saying, "You will receive a more cruel punishment than what you have done to us."
For the last time, the roar of the pair of tigers echoed throughout the forest like a lament. It was as if they were expressing their sadness to their master and also to the nature that they had protected all this time, while begging for permission to take revenge on the hunters.
Slowly, the bodies of the pair of tigers collapsed to the ground. Their eyes gazed at the sky as if entrusting an unspoken message.
As if the sky were answering the final roar of the pair of tigers, in two different places, the cries of babies pierced the night.
In a villa, a few kilometers from the forest, a young woman was struggling with pain. Sweat poured down her face, her trembling hands clutching the white bedsheet with all her might. The cry of a baby boy rang out so loudly, piercing the night air, as if marking his arrival with both courage and warning.
"My child has been born!" exclaimed a handsome man with blue eyes. His breath catches for a moment, then relief washes over his face as he sees that the baby has been born safely.
However, that relief turns to shock when the newborn baby's eyes suddenly open, emitting a bright silver light like the moon piercing the darkness. The warm room instantly feels cold, and shadows seem to dance in the corners of the villa.
The village midwife who assisted with the delivery let out a small cry, then covered her mouth with both hands, afraid that her voice might invite a curse. She stared at the baby with a mixture of amazement and fear.
"Oh God, what's happening?!" whispered the midwife to herself, her eyes fixed on those shining eyes.
The villa fell silent. Only the baby's breathing could be heard, along with their own pounding hearts, as if the night itself was holding its breath, waiting for something big to happen.
Meanwhile, not far from the villa, a noble family that still held the bloodline of the ancient kingdom was also welcoming the birth of a baby.
The baby girl was born healthy. Her cries pierced the ears of everyone present. However, when the tiny body was cleaned, a birthmark appeared on her back. The mark resembled a tiger scratch, faint but clearly visible.
"Impossible!" thought the elder of the noble family.
He was very surprised. His eyes widened as he looked at the birthmark on his granddaughter's back. The middle-aged man was lost in thought, his eyes looking at the baby's face, then he turned to look at the face of his daughter, who was lying exhausted after giving birth.
Then he turned to look at his son-in-law, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed accompanying his wife during the birth.
"What happened in the forest? Why are there tiger claw marks on my grandson's back?" he whispered to himself.
Shortly thereafter, the faint sound of the royal gamelan echoed softly in the night air. The sound was like a whisper from ancient times, penetrating every corner of the room where the baby was born, stirring the souls of everyone present.
The large gong was struck slowly, its sound echoing like the beating of the earth trembling deep within nature, followed by the calm rhythm of the drums. The saron blades vibrated softly, creating a sacred harmony that seemed to lift the veil of another world, calling the spirits of the ancestors to come, watch, and give their blessing to the new life.
The full moon hung in the sky, its light streaming through the bedroom window, sweeping across the floor and illuminating the baby in its mother's arms. The baby's eyes reflect the silver light of the moon, as if holding a secret far greater than its tiny body.
Candle shadows dance on the walls of the room, following the rhythm of the gamelan, creating a soft yet magical dance of light. The air in the room feels tense, sacred, and full of invisible energy.
The noble family elder took a deep breath. His body felt a subtle vibration filling the air, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as if there was an invisible energy swirling around him. Slowly, he walked to the window and pulled back the curtains, his eyes staring at the full moon, as if reading the message hidden in its light.
"It seems that something big has happened in the forest," he whispered to himself, his voice almost lost in the mystical echo that filled the room.
The room felt alive with something invisible, every second rumbling with unseen energy, as if it were about to reveal a great tragedy that was about to happen.