He tucked the toy lepudd into Med Tiger’s paws and set out.
His first obstacle was how to get all the way to Tiruvannamalai with no Stripes or Auntie Lioness to carry him. He decided to call out for Lord Ganesha as his brudder Arunacub had taught him. “Om om om!” he shouted.
Immediately an elephant drawn cart appeared.
He got on and asked the elephant to take him to a shop that sold vibhuti.
Quite a few other elephants came along for the trip.
The elephant rushed along and Spotty held on tightly.
In the shop, he heard the sound of a train. A train! What cub could resist the sound of adventure!
Lugging his huge sack of vibhuti, he made his way to the station and slipped into a compartment.
Meanwhile, Med Tiger was waking up. He saw the note left by his paw and sprang up. Not stopping for breakfast, he ran to the Lionses’ cave.
“What, Spotty missing? He is not here,” said Mum Lioness in alarm.
All set out in search of Spottykins.
Meanwhile, Spotty’s nose was pressed to the train window. He watched the scenery rush past. It was so exciting!
But after a while, he began to miss his brudders. How far had he come? Where was he now? How on earth was he ever going to get back? He excitement gave way to worry and he curled up in the seat and tried not to cry.
Just then an aged moulvi appeared in the compartment. The moulvi sat down beside him, picked him up, settled him under his wing, and told him not to worry.
At the next station, the moulvi got down carrying Spotty, caught a train going back the way they had come, and got down at Tiru, whispering reassurances into Spotty’s ear.
There at the train station, pacing about on the platparam, having tracked the sweet scent of Spotty to that point and no further, were Med Tiger, Auntie Lioness, and his three big brudders. Spotty took a flying leap and landed on Mum Lioness’s back. “What? What?” said Med Tiger. “I am the one who was MOST worried.” “No, Mum was,” said Arunacub. “Did you not see her biting her claws and praying to Bhagavan?” Med Tiger held out his own bitten claws to prove he had been much more worried than anyone else.
Spotty turned to thank the kind Moulvi for bringing him safely home but the Moulvi had vanished. There was no sign of him beside the train. Spotty jumped back up into the compartment to express his gratitude and invite the Moulvi to visit them, but the compartment was empty except for his bag of vibhuti which he reclaimed.
“A kind Moulvi bwought me back,” he said. All the lions and Med Tiger sniffed the breeze to catch the scent of the moulvi.
“I only smell the dust of Arunachala and that heavenly scent of Bhagavan,” said all the cubses at once.
“Well, that WAS what the Moulvi smelled like … very mistewious,” said Spotty.
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