Rick’s tirade scared the
parrot into a
nearby tree.
The Tiger King slowly stood up, his lips twitching, revealing his sharp teeth. The rage in his eyes was almost impossible to conceal.
“Get back in your den, you hear me!” Rick continued to yell, clearly used to this.
I shouted at him, “Rick, what are you doing? The tiger can’t understand you!”
“Kate, right? The expert, right? You’re the one who suggested my uncle improve the animals‘ living conditions, right?”
Rick shoved me. “I was supposed to get a thirty–thousand–dollar bonus at the end of the year, and now it’s all being spent on these fucking animals! Improve their conditions, my ass!”
I was both shocked and furious. Shocked
I that a zookeeper like Rick could get a thirty–thousand–dollar bonus, and furious at his vile behavior.
“Ooh, look at that pretty face, all red
and angry,” Rick sneered after his outburst. “Let me tell you something. The director is my uncle. I have a piece of the procurem- ent department. I make more money than you’ll ever see in your life. Why don’t you just come with me?”
He was erratic, switching from rage to lust in an instant, and started to grope me.
I slapped him across the face.
The cigarette flew from his mouth. He
was
enraged.
“You bitch!” he roared, lunging at me.
At the same moment, the tiger cage shook violently. The Tiger
en by that d
out
deafening roar and threw his gaunt body against the iron bars, almost breaking them.
Rick jumped back, instantly sobering up. He stumbled backward, staring at the Tiger King in terror. The tiger bared his fangs and roared, the pressure of the king of beasts radiating from him.
“Damn it!” Rick was scared, but his anger, fueled by the belief that the cage would protect him, took over. He picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at the
cage.
The rock hit the Tiger King on the head. He roared even louder and slammed against the cage with all his might. The bars groaned under the strain.
“Roar, you son of a bitch, roar!“, Rick continued to pick up rocks. He found one the size of a man’s head and was about to throw it.
I was horrified. I shoved him with all my strength.
He turried and smashed the rock against my head. “You’re a bitch too!”
My head exploded in pain. I collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from the wound.
The last thing I saw was the Tiger King, roaring at the sky, his whole body trembling.
