(POV: Ethan)
---
The conversation started because we were still talking about Leo's ridiculous tendency to handle things way too calmly.
After all, just in the previous conversation, we had found out that the guy had casually gone missing for two days once because he ended up in a town he didn't even plan to visit. And instead of calling anyone or figuring out transport back immediately, he just stayed there, explored a little, and returned when it was convenient.
Ava was still ranting about that.
"I still can't get over it! Who just accidentally ends up in a random town and treats it like a spontaneous vacation?!"
Leo, as always, was completely unbothered. "I wasn't in any danger."
Sophia groaned. "That's not the point."
I leaned back in my seat. "You just have a habit of ending up in wild situations, don't you?"
Leo blinked. "Not really."
Ava scoffed. "Oh yeah? Anyways speaking of wild experiences yesterday I saw one of those survival shows."
Sophia chimed in. "Right one of those in which half the people in those reality shows had no idea what they were doing—eating the wrong plants, getting lost five minutes in, panicking over every little thing. "
Leo blinked again, then nodded. "Ah. Right. That. You should just have basic knowledge about what to do in those situations, and you can survive."
Silence.
Sophia narrowed her eyes. "What?"
Leo sighed. "I mean it's basic to first find or create a shelter then look for safe food if you don't have any at hand."
Ava and Sophia both nodded furiously.
I, already feeling that I shouldn't dig deeper, asked. "Leo why does it feel like you are speaking from experience?"
Leo blinked."...Because I am?"
"Wait WHAT?!?"
Ava nearly flipped her chair. "Leo. ELABORATE."
Leo set his cup down. "Alright. So, I was on a hiking trip, went deeper than I planned, and it got too late to head back. Had to spend the night there."
Ava clapped her hands together dramatically. "See? Wild situations. Again. And this time Literally WILD."
I leaned forward, intrigued. "Hold on. You didn't try to go back?"
Leo shook his head. "It was too risky. The terrain wasn't great, and I didn't want to get lost in the dark. Figured it was safer to stay put."
Sophia groaned. "Of course you would think logically about it."
Ava shook her head. "This is insane. You say you miscalculated the time, but what kind of miscalculation lands you so deep in the forest that you can't leave before nightfall?"
Leo looked slightly sheepish. "I may have underestimated the distance a little."
"A little?!" Sophia screeched.
I exhaled. "Dude, how far did you go?"
Leo hesitated.
Sophia narrowed her eyes. "Leo."
He sighed. "...About 20 kilometers in."
Silence.
Ava's eye twitched. "TWENTY KILOMETERS?"
Sophia slammed her hands on the table. "You mean to tell me you hiked TWENTY kilometers into the forest and didn't think, 'Hmm, maybe I should turn back' until it was too late?!"
Leo crossed his arms. "I was enjoying the scenery."
Ava looked like she was about to explode. "Scenery?"
I groaned, rubbing my temples. "Leo. That's not a 'miscalculation.' That's a full-on expedition."
Leo shrugged. "I made it back fine, didn't I?"
Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose. "AGAIN,That's not the point."
I sighed. "But where did you even sleep?"
Leo shrugged. "I found a nice spot, set up a basic shelter with my tarp, and settled in."
Ava was already shaking her head. "Unbelievable."
I crossed my arms. "You didn't get nervous at all?"
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Why would I?"
Sophia let out an exasperated sigh. "Because it's a forest at night?! There are wild animals, you know!"
Leo hummed. "Yeah. I noticed."
Ava stilled. "...You noticed?"
Sophia's eye twitched. "Leo. What did you notice?"
Leo hesitated, as if debating whether to tell us.
Ava smacked the table. "Spill."
Leo sighed. "I saw some tiger cubs."
Silence.
I stared at him. "I—what?"
Sophia's face paled. "Leo."
Ava choked. "CUBS?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah. They were small, still young. Probably just exploring."
Ava was already in full panic mode. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God—"
Sophia buried her face in her hands. "Leo. Do you understand what that means?"
Leo tilted his head. "...That their mother was nearby?"
Ava looked like she was about to faint. "YES."
I exhaled. "Hold on, go back. How did this even happen?"
Leo leaned back slightly. "I was sitting near my small fire, eating some food. I guess they smelled it and got curious."
Sophia peered at him. "And you let them come close?"
Leo sighed. "What was I supposed to do? Chase them away? That would've been a terrible idea."
Ava threw her hands up. "Okay, so what happened?"
Leo looked at the ceiling for a moment, as if recalling. "They played around a bit. Poked at my bag. One of them batted at my sleeve. Seemed curious."
Sophia looked physically unwell. "And then?"
Leo shrugged. "I kept eating."
Ava let out a strangled noise. "And?"
Leo sighed. "One of them took a bite from my food."
Silence.
Ava screeched. "YOU FED A TIGER CUB?"
Leo shook his head. "I didn't feed them. They took it themselves."
Sophia was now just staring blankly at the table. "I need to lie down."
I pressed my fingers to my temples. "Okay, so you're telling me, a bunch of wild tiger cubs just strolled up to you, played around, and stole your food?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah. Then they ran off with it."
Ava clenched her fists. "And where, pray tell, did they run off to?"
Leo was silent for a beat.
Sophia narrowed her eyes. "Leo."
Leo sighed again. "To their mother."
The table fell into chaos.
Ava grabbed my arm. "HE WAS BEING WATCHED BY A MOTHER TIGER."
Sophia looked ready to throw something. "LEO, THAT'S SO MUCH WORSE."
I just stared at him. "You're alive, right? I'm not hallucinating?"
Leo gave me a flat look. "Obviously."
Ava practically yanked at her hair. "How are you so calm about this?!"
Leo leaned forward slightly. "Because panicking would've gotten me killed?"
Sophia made an incoherent noise of frustration. "You absolute lunatic."
Leo shrugged. "The mother didn't seem aggressive. She just watched."
Ava buried her face in her hands. "Oh my God. I hate this. I hate you."
Leo took another sip of his coffee. "Understandable."
I sighed. "Okay, so what happened after that?"
Leo rested his chin on his hand. "The cubs went back, and I stayed completely still. The mother didn't approach. She just looked at me for a while, then left with them."
Sophia threw her arms up. "And you stayed there?"
Leo nodded. "I wasn't going to move until I was sure she was gone."
Ava groaned. "This is insane."
Sophia rubbed her temples. "Leo, you are not a normal person."
Leo just blinked. "I never claimed to be."
Ava flopped back against her chair. "I swear, you're either going to live forever or die in the stupidest way possible."
Leo tilted his head. "Preferably the first one."
I exhaled. "You are ridiculous."
Leo just smirked slightly. "You're the ones who keep asking."
Sophia groaned. "Because you keep saying insane things so casually!"
Ava muttered something under her breath about 'inhuman survival instincts' and 'this is why we don't trust him to have normal experiences.'
I just shook my head.
Every time we talked, we learned something new about Leo.
And somehow, it just kept getting worse.
___
End of Chapter 14.