Tera of the tigers

Tera of the tigers
Chapter one: Born to be wild

Tera looked at the white tigers while holding on to her mother’s hand, they fascinated her and with a child’s innocence they did not frighten her at all.
Quite the reverse she wanted to climb into the cage and take a nap by one of the large furry creatures, she longed to brush her hand through the thick mat of orange hair.
So while her mother absentmindedly let go of her daughters hand and engaged in conversation with her female companion Tera took the matter in her own hands, looking around she made sure there were no one looking and she started to climb the fence.
Climbing the fence was not hard but jumping the long distance down into the cage would be harder but looking longingly at the tigers she saw one of the rise and look up at her with expectant eyes.
“Will you catch me?” The little girl asked and to her joy the tiger nodded and she jumped just as her mother turned at the sound of her voice and shrieked in horror.
Tera landed on the tiger’s furry back and she petted him and climbed of thanking him for catching her. She looked up as her mother shouted down at her to stay still but Tera was of a different mind as the tiger nuzzled her neck and prodded her towards were his females rested leisurely. Tera followed him and remember the sign saying he was named Vix.
“Can I rest beside you? I have a teddy bear with the same colors but Teddy does not have such soft fur…” Vix lay down and just as she’d wished she was finally able to rest while petting the enormous creature and was oblivious to the calamity surging above her as guard were called for and people holding cameras started to snap pictures.
This rouse made the tigers uneasy and they started to rise and snarl threateningly but contrary to the increasing audience belief the tigers closed in on the little girl protectively and as guards finally came Tera was sound asleep half draped over Vix.
The guards threw large stakes of meat into their feeding cages and one by one the females were all caught and as the men closed in on Vix with a sedation gun the male rose growling threateningly. As he rose Tera awoke and started to cry as her warm bed seemingly disappeared from right under her, at her cries the tiger turned back and even though he was shot repeatedly with sedation he made his way to her and as she hugged him he licked away her tears.
Seconds after he slumped down heavily asleep and one of the men pried her away from the tiger and once out of the cage returned her to her crying mother’s embrace.

***
20 years later…

Tera sat down at her usual bench by the tiger cage and opened up her thick history book and continued her latest research on the Siberian tiger also known as the Amur, North China, Manchurian, Ussuri, or Korean Tiger.
She was studying endangered species and was currently one year from completing her education and majoring in biology and physics, her parents had wanted her to become a doctor and Tera was all for humoring their wish and compromised by becoming an what she expressed “animal doctor” instead of veterinarian.
Her father had been a doctor and a scientist and naturally Tera had been born with the same curiosity and will to explore. After her parent’s deaths she’d developed a habit of writing down lists of names, dates and paces she wanted to go, see and explore and because of her burning love for animals especially tigers she’d sponsored her last project to a research in Siberia.
This was not only a trip for her own leisure but partly because she wanted a break from the bustling stress of Lyon and all of her relationship failures. As her friend Lynette often said jokingly if a man wasn’t part tiger or 85% interested in them, the relationship was bound to fail.
The comment had not been undeserving, being 24 and still never had have a real relationship over the period of three weeks was a tad depressing but at the same time she made her own priorities and lived by them truthfully and if the men she dated couldn’t handle that then it was their problem not hers.
After scribbling down the last name of known tiger territory around the Baikal Lake she closed her book and notepad pushing them into her bag and taking up her work id she pressed it against the door handle and after the beep she entered.
She’d taking the to working at the zoo not because she needed money and not because it would look good on her future resume but because ever since she’d fallen into the tigers’ den she’d felt drawn to the large felines.
She said hello to a co-worker and donning her uniform she went the underground way to feed the tigers, even if she didn’t need to she always made it a point to visit Vix and she felt oddly enough that he was like a substitute father. He always had a calming affect on her and knowing she would leave for Siberia the next week she felt obligated to say goodbye as she would be gone for four months.
After feeding the females she entered Vix’s box and leaned against one side of the wall as he ate. Vix was highly aggressive and ferocious male and would pointedly attack anyone coming too close when he ate but in her case he seemed instantly to understand when she told him that she didn’t eat raw stakes and allowed her presence.
“I wish you could go with me on my trip, I think I will need a translator if I bump into wild tigers and you seem to understand my every word” After he finished his meat he turned to her and lay down beside her resting his large head on her knees, knowing what he wanted she started to pat him absentmindedly “If only my boyfriends could be as understanding and attentive as you are I wouldn’t be in this mess” She sighed just as the big tiger started to purr silently.

The following week she pulled her baggage to a stop and hugged her best friend who’d insisted on following her to the airport.
“Call me when you arrive so I don’t have to worry that you’ve been eaten by an ice bear or something” Lynette said jokingly and Tera smiled at her friend’s view of Siberia.
“I will call first thing” She said her goodbyes and checked in.