It was like a roar echoing through the jungle. The chat went silent.
I shook my head and got back to work. I could have taken a break, but there was still so much to do in the elephant enclosure. The most urgent task was to restore the running water. Otherwise, bacteria would breed, and the elephants would all get sick eventually.
I found the person in charge and spent two hours pleading with him, finally slipping him twenty bucks to get him to open the water valve for the enclosure.
Suddenly, water gushed from the opening on the man–made hill, clear and fresh, cascading down the rocks into the stream and then into the pool. It would only take a few hours for the dirty water to be flushed away, and the elephants‘ happiness would return.
As expected, a wave of excitement swept through the enclosure. The younger elephants trumpeted towards the hill, their trunks raised high. Some couldn’t wait and jumped straight into the chilly stream.
On the monkey hill, the Monkey King craned his neck and let out a series of excited hoots: “Ooh–ooh–ah–ah!”
I had no idea what he was saying, so I checked the chat.
MonkeyKing: [Ooh–ooh–ah–ah!]
TheWhiteEgrets (Shared Account): [What’s that dead monkey screaming about? We were flying by and almost fell out of the sky!]
MonkeyKing: [Sorry, I got so excited I slipped into my native tongue. I was saying, that human turned on the water for the elephants!]
KingKong: [I heard it! That beautiful, familiar sound. It seems that human really is a good one.)
All sorts of animals started popping up in the chat, buzzing with discussion. I even saw a panda post a sticker of two paws pressed together in a prayer of thanks.
For some reason, my heart felt warm, and a goofy grin spread across my face.
But then, the Tiger King reappeared.
TigerClaw: [Fools! Food and water are what we are owed. Humans give you a little treat and you forget everything? If she dares to show her face in front of me, I will tear her to shreds!)
The chat fell silent for a long moment.
Then the Monkey King asked, [What if she gives you your favorite, a big chicken leg?]
[Hmph. I wouldn’t eat it. I would rather starve to death, rather smash my head against the bars of my cage, than take a single bite of her food!]
I went back to the supermarket.
This time, I raided the meat section.
Chicken, duck, goose, pork, beef, lamb–I bought bag after bag of high–quality meat. It was a good thing I had some savings, or I wouldn’t have been able to afford
this.
By the time I got back to the zoo, it was already afternoon. The animals had already had their lunch, but almost none of them were full, especially the large carnivor-
- es.
Like the tiger.
I carried two large bags of meat to the tiger enclosure. It was less of an enclosure and more of a giant iron cage with a filthy, rusty shelter. Because the indoor shelter was too cold, the tiger usually stayed outside, sunning itself.
As I expected, he was lying on the ground, chewing on a piece of fatty, fly–covered meat and some entrails. As he chewed, he started to gag, his thin chest heaving. I could see the outline of his ribs.
He was so thin.
Even though he was large, he had very little fat or muscle, making him look frail and weak.
This was the fearsome Tiger King? He looked like he could be taken down with a single punch.
New messages appeared in the chat.
LionKing: [Tiger, what’s with all the gagging? I’m trying to sleep next door. It’s so loud!]
LimpingLeopard: [I hear it too. Tiger bro, just stop eating. You’d be better off eating shit.]
TheVulture: [You guys don’t get it. He’s trying to build up his strength to break out of the cage. He has to eat.]
A collective sigh went through the group.
The tiger ignored them all, continuing to chew. But the stench must have finally gotten to him, because he got up to drink some water. As he rose, he suddenly sens- ed something and whipped his head around.
I was standing outside his cage, holding two bags of meat.
Our eyes met. He narrowed his gaze, his nostrils flared, and his eyes locked onto the bags in my hands.
I took out a steak and tossed it into the can
It was fresh, still streaked with blood, the bone and meat perfectly marbled, as if it had just been cut.
The Tiger King froze.
He let out a low growl and cautiously circled the steak. After just two laps, his mouth was watering, his gaunt body was trembling, and his eyes were bloodshot.
A starving beast, finally presented with a decent piece of meat.
But he held back. He didn’t pounce.
