Shakra the Tiger
She was backed up against the corner of the barred cell. Her mind was racing; where was her cub, how did she get this far from the home, and why had the humans turned into ravaging hyenas against the metal bars?
She felt the ground shake beneath her feet; the humans had begun stomping in rhythm and chanting something she could not quiet make out for it was garbled and seemed to sound like a drowning or starving animal.
She took a deep breath through her nose; blood, sweat, urine, and fecal matter all crept up into her sinus cavity and festered there, like a boil trying desperately to break out of its casing and burst. She felt she could bear the smell no more.
She barred an impressive, mighty roar, despite her frailed and captive condition. The humans paused a moment, then hurled a swarm of laughter back at her. She felt powerless; the humans were safely on the other side of a 360 degree cage and she was the one being proded at with a stick to jump.
Suddenly the cage around her dropped. Her surroundings expanded to a series of small red blocks placed neatly in a circle in which she stood at the center. The crowd of angry people, or so she thought turned into a flurry of cheers and whistles. They were cheering for her, not at her.
And without warning, she fat man appeared. He was short and stout. His stature was confident with a side of arrogance; his eyes were cold and greedy. His arms positioned familiarily behind his back. He did not care that he was beating his beautiful creature behind the scenes, or that he consistently trained his new-hires to do the same. He did not care that she was a beautiful and majestic creature of the savannah. He cared about as much as the crowd did about her. She could smell the pugnent stentch of his cologne creeping up her nose followed by the musty scent of his moth-ball-covered clothing. She could not help but bare her teeth at the sight of him.
He addressed the crowd, "And now, the amazing Shakra will obey my every command." With that, his whip flew out from behind his back and thunder filled the room from his hands. Shakra flinched. She knew the sound all too well. Her back ached in rememberance.
Rings decended from the ceiling. "Watch," he demanded from his patrons, "and see how she jumps through these three, silver rings..." the burst into flames, "which are fully engulfed in fire!"
Oohs and aahs filled up the stadium. Shakra internally sighed at the stupidity of it, but shivered at the feeling she was about to experience. She approached hoop one at the enterance to her daring feet.
She sighed again. My boy...my beautiful son. I am sorry I have been reduced to this sorry state.
Tears began to collect in her fur as she performed for the greedy man and his un-loving patrons. The smell of singed fur filled the stadium, but no one took mind; they were getting their fill on entertainment and "joy". What do they care about the smell of the burning animal?
She jumped through the hoops and back again with graceful ease, pieces of fur floating away in embers. She started to feel the crowds anticipation, hers was growing as well. She knew what was coming.
"And now," the circus master screamed, "Shakra will jump from three stories above us into this pool of water!" The crowd cheered even louder. Stairs appeared before Shakra, and with anger building in her heart, she began to climb.
Her anticipation seemed to grow into anger then hated as she made it from halfway to all the length of the steps. Once she reached the top, she seemed to be physically burdened with all the guilt and shame she had been holding onto for so long. She felt heavy and strained; standing had become too hard. She collapsed at the top of the stairs; the crowd gasped. All was silent.
The circus master began shouting first, "You better get up girl." He began to ascend the stairs after her.
What're you doing, she thought, he will come up and beat you like he did the last time.
Shakra felt something in her chest. Her body felt cold while her chest was beating rapidly. Her heart felt as if it would jump out of her chest. Her heart seemed so alive and healthy with this new found rhythm, but she was seeing spots and hearing ringing of chimes and bells. She felt relaxed as the circus master reached her and began beating her with his whip. The crowd began to gasp, then some women began to scream. Out of her now blurred and almost blackened vision she could see men grabbing her master and restraining him. She smiled to herself as the hyenas had come to save her. How ironic. Her eyes slowly went to black, and the hyenas howls and laughs faded into the darkness.
The circus master was arrested for animal cruelty and abuse. His circus was shut down after much investigation into malnutritioned animals, scammed circus patrons, and scammed zoo owners. There was also a large pit of dead animals found in the back of the property being made into compost. The autospy report showed most of those animals died of malnutrition. When Shakra the Tiger was delivered for autopsy, however, she doctors could not find anything leading to malnutrition. It puzzled them as they assumed she had been in just as bad of shape as the rest of them.
One of the docotrs working on her stepped outside for a cigarette. Ironically enough, his neighbor was there getting his cat fixed for his small daughter. He had been at the circus that day, and many other days before. He looked the vet dead in the eye and asked if he was working on Shakra the Tiger. The veteranarian looked a little sad as he confirmed the mans suspicions; Shakra had been a local favorite for years, ever since the circus opened in town. Everyone was sad to see her go.
The man sighed...he looked at the vet, but seemed to look through him as he said, "That tiger died of a broken heart...she was taken from a zoo in New Orleans for this cirucs show. The old goon bought her...seperated her from her young cub. Sir, she didn't die from malnutrition...she died from a broken heart. I saw it with my own eyes...she gave up that day, just completely gave up."
Freedom is priceless to all living creatures. Without it, we will die.