After lunch, the group relaxed while waiting in line to pet the tiger.
"Annie, do you want to go pet it?" Daniel asked, noticing that Ana looked a bit down.
Ana shook her head in response.
"By the way, Ms. Pitt, how's your ankle? Can you still walk?" a staff member quickly asked, concerned.
Ana stood up and took a few cautious steps.
"If you can't walk, don't force it," Daniel said, his gaze full of concern as he looked at her injured foot.
"I'm fine," Ana nodded.
In fact, Daniel had helped her earlier, so the injury wasn't too severe.
"Well, since Ms. Pitt is okay, let's head out," Nigel said. "Ana, if you feel uncomfortable along the way, let us know, and we'll figure something out."
"Alright. Sorry for the trouble," Ana said with a hint of embarrassment.
"No problem, we're all part of the same team," Nigel replied with a polite smile.
The group began packing up.
…
A few minutes later, the tiger walked ahead, and everyone followed behind.
The tiger strolled along slowly, tossing occasional glances over its shoulder to check if they were following.
"Wow, it's so intelligent," Caitlin said, her gaze filled with awe.
"I wish I could have one," Vivian said, gazing at the tiger with longing.
"We could leave it to Demi, but it's better for us not to be alone with it. We'd probably end up as snacks," Ollie joked.
"I've heard that if raised from a young age, tigers can be like pets in some countries," Wendy added.
"Yeah, but laws here are different. If we kept one, we'd probably end up in jail," Nigel responded.
"Actually, I'd love to have a panda," Maria chimed in.
"Big dreams you have," the group teased her.
The group continued chatting and laughing, enjoying the lighter mood.
The comments filtered in.
"I want a panda too!"
"I can't afford one, though. Those things eat a lot."
"It's just a dream."
Soon, they encountered another tricky stretch of road.
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