Illyana's eyes widened once again at Aurel's mention of the tiger. She was especially fond of all animals, given their simple and elegant natures. They did not give her the same feelings or visions as humans did, so she was more comfortable interacting with them. Mostly, their emotions were positive ones, and when they were negative it was because of simple things like pain and hunger, rather than rage or jealousy. She liked how...easy they were to get along with.

Because of this fascination, she was instantly jealous herself of Aurel's proximity to such an amazing and powerful creature as a tiger. She had only ever seen them in books, and usually those were drawings. She had seen a tiger's stuffed head in an antique store once, but had tried not to look at it. It made her sad.

But now she felt only wonder. [color=598527]"You've [i]seen[/i] a tiger before...like actually seen one in person?"[/color] For now, she hadn't even registered Aurel's offer, being so focused on his first statement. Though she had felt a wave of something like approval from the viper, now Bengal, as he curled and twisted his way up her arm and onto her shoulder.