A huge sigh of relief leaves my mouth before I can stop it, and he chuckles again. “Come on, let’s see what else we’re working with.”
We walk back to the barn in comfortable silence, and when we get back there, the male tiger is becoming aggressive, leaping at the cage and snarling as we enter. The wire rattles, and it pops away from the frame enough to spark the smallest bit of worry.
When his front paws hit the mesh, it becomes obvious that someone tried to declaw him too, and it was recent. His paws are a bloody mess, and nausea hits my stomach because I know how much pain he must be in.
“I’m not sad that Jim got eviscerated,” I say to Doc quietly, and he murmurs his agreement.
“I think the best thing for him will be to be euthanized,” he tells me. “Those paws are a mess, and you know declawing can cause long-term pain.”
“I know, which is why I need you to look at the jag. It’s been declawed, but it seems to be walking fine, so I’m assuming it was done when it was small—by someone who knew what they were doing.”
“Ok, let’s deal with this guy first. I’ll check with the ACOs, but I doubt they’ll have any arguments. His pain must be excruciating. We’ll sedate him like we did Shinto, then I’ll administer the drug to euthanize him. AC said they’ll dispose of Shinto’s remains after they check for rabies, so I’m sure they’ll help us out with him too.” Doc leaves me to get what he needs, so I lean against the opposite cage and watch the poor tiger pace back and forth.
Because of someone's greed, both of these magnificent creatures suffered needlessly. My sadness quickly becomes anger, though, and I want to punch the bitch in the nose. It makes me more determined to work with big cats and help educate people that they really aren't pets. If I can’t get an internship, maybe I’ll work on lobbying Congress to bring about stricter exotic animal laws. Try to get it made illegal in all states to own exotic animals as pets without a license. With Dad’s name behind me, I’m bound to get some notice.
Doc returns, and we take care of the poor male tiger. His passing is peaceful, and he’s finally no longer feeling any pain. Animal Control rolls him into a sling, taking his body to join Shinto.
“Okay, let’s have a look at the jag.” He sighs and moves over to her cage.
Sure enough, hanging on a hook is a collar and leash. Just as I’m about to open the cage and step in, Thomas enters the barn.
“Harlow, what the fuck are you doing?” He hurries over and grabs my arm, but Doc waves him off, showing him the tranq gun in his hand, which is filled with a fast-acting sedative.
“It’s fine. We’re pretty sure that this one is tame, and she has no claws. I can shoot her if she does anything aggressive, but I don't think she will. I’m surprised she’s so calm, what with everything that’s happened. She should be as agitated as he was, but she really doesn't seem to have any of the natural instincts that big cats have. Maybe we should bring the cage over so we don’t have her uncontained for as long.”
I can see in Thomas’ eyes he really doesn't want me to do this, but treating animals is always a risk, even the domestic ones. Maybe it’ll be good for him to see this. He’s an expert at what he does, but I am too.
He reluctantly lets go of my hand, and I enter the cage. Nyx comes padding out of the shadowed corner, a chuffing sound rumbling in her chest, and butts her big head into my leg before trailing her body against it, then dropping to the ground and rolling onto her back for a tummy rub. “Oh my goodness, aren't you just the sweetest thing?” I whisper to her as I crouch down and give her what she wants, breathing a sigh of relief. At least the woman wasn’t lying about her disposition. I give her a quick rub before strapping the collar around her neck and getting back to my feet.
“Harlow, the police and paramedics have left, so has the truck with the remains. The only one left here is the one with the cage. We’re going to load Nyx in, then drive her to your place, so she can stay there overnight while I make arrangements. Animal Control will come back for them, but they won’t be yours to deal with.” He points to the snakes, and I’m grateful to not have to deal with them. They really give me the heebie-jeebies.
“Okay. Come on, Nyx.” I start walking, and she jumps to her feet and follows after me, perfectly docile. Thomas starts to take a step back, but I hold my hand up. “Hold out your hand so she can sniff you,” I tell him. She does exactly what she did to me, headbutting his hand, giving it a lick, then rubbing her body against his legs. His eyes widen in amazement, and I can’t stop my smile. “It’s pretty special, isn't it?” Given the way he’s too busy petting her to respond, I’m thinking I might have two cat daddies on my hands.
“Come on, you two,” Doc calls from the entrance. “Let’s get moving.”
When we leave the barn, he closes the door behind us and snaps a padlock on it. We make quick work of loading Nyx into the cage. She goes in happily and lays down, watching as I close the gate and shut the tailgate.
“Alright, we’ll meet you at your place,” Doc says, climbing back into his car as Declan loads the cage of tiger cubs into our SUV. How did I know he wouldn't be letting them out of his sight? Sure enough, he climbs into the back and passes Thomas the keys.
He reaches over and gives me a squeeze on the shoulder after I climb into the passenger side. “I’m sorry about the parents,” he says quietly, and I shrug.
“Me too. Come on, let’s get these ones home. I’m going to have to do some research on what three-week-old tiger cubs need. Do you think we can find a butcher that will deliver? Nyx is going to need some fresh meat. She’s underweight as well.” Declan pulls out his phone and starts to search while I contemplate what will happen to them all when we return to the West Coast tomorrow. Hopefully, Doc Davies can find somewhere for them to go, though I know it will be hard to say goodbye.
ChapterNine
Harlow
When we get back to Chuck and Melinda’s, a crowd comes pouring out of the house. We’re the first ones to arrive, so I jump out and hurry into the barn to ready the cage for Nyx, leaving Declan to deal with his cubs. Poor Princess and her kittens, lucky they’re not here to be jealous.
“Whoa, look at the baby danger zebras!” Oliver’s voice carries to where I am, and I snort. Trust him to lighten the situation. I grab a broom and open the cage, giving it a sweep out, then I hurry to grab a bale of hay. As I’m carrying it to the cage, a hand on my shoulder stops me before Kai takes it.
“I got this.” Happy to have the help, I grab another for myself. We set about spreading it out on the concrete floor of the cage. Then I scrub out the water bowl and fill it with clean water, flipping it to autofill for when it gets too low. By the time we’re done, everyone else has joined us. Thankfully, it seems Declan and Thomas have brought them all up to speed.
Jacinta grabs me and gives me a hard hug. “I’m sorry about the parents.”
Before I can answer, I hear the Animal Control truck arrive.
“Who’s that?” Chuck starts toward the door, and I shoot a look at Thomas and Declan. They’re way too smug, so I guess they didn't tell everyone about Nyx.
