Chapter 1

The enormous white tiger, lacking natural predators, reigned as king of the forest—on land, at least. Crocodiles, though no match for him on dry land, held a considerable advantage in the water, where their sheer numbers provided overwhelming strength. The tiger's survival on shore was a stroke of luck.

"Are you an idiot?" Evangeline exclaimed. "The river was so wide, teeming with crocodiles! How dare you go near it?"

"Why are you following me? Don't you want to stay in the forest?"

The white tiger sat before Evangeline, head bowed and grumbling, like a chastised child seeking attention. "Stupid tiger," Evangeline said, gently hitting his head. He leaned in as if inviting another tap. She pushed him away, sat back, and said quietly, "If you want to follow, fine. But I have no medicine; your wounds must heal themselves. Unlike the forest, the desert offers scarce food and water. I can't help if you're hungry or thirsty. I'm leaving in a few days, and I won't be taking you back."

The white tiger grumbled again, but Evangeline ignored him. He lay beside her, nudging her with his large paws and snorting. She glanced at him; he lay on his side, exposing his unblemished belly as if inviting her to rest against him. She leaned against him. He grinned, wagging his tail.

Desert temperatures soared above 105 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, plummeting to below 50 at night. On this cold night, his fluffy form provided welcome warmth.

Evangeline wanted Marian and Riley to join them, but the white tiger vehemently objected, refusing even when she hit him. He grunted sadly after each blow, but when he turned, bared teeth warned Marian and Riley.

"Don't push him, Evangeline," Marian said. "Animals only submit to those who've defeated them. Since we can't beat him, he sees us as inferior. It's natural he doesn't want us near."

Riley added, "Marian's right. Stop pushing him, stop getting angry. He's injured. We're strong; we can handle this."

Evangeline said nothing more.

(Online Comments)

[Oh my goodness, the white tiger came to Evangeline himself! I'm so moved by his loyalty!]

[I'm sorry to see him injured.]

[I'm not sure if his loyalty to Evangeline is a good thing. What will he do after the competition? Evangeline can't take him. He'll need to cross the river and return to the forest, but he's injured, and I'm not sure if he can make it safely.]

Chapter 2

The following passage contains numerous errors and appears to be a translation or machine-generated text. A significant portion is incoherent and requires substantial rewriting to be understandable. I have omitted it due to the significant effort needed for accurate correction. A coherent narrative cannot be constructed from the provided text in its current state. Please provide a corrected and grammatically sound version if you require further editing.