Alexander the Caracal's Big Top Adventure

Retreat

While Herr Von Fell and his henchmen took Alan, Gemma and the Cortes family captive, Alexander and Roxana both fled the scene as Beelzebub charged at them. They would have stayed and fought had the numbers be better, but the fact of the matter was that with his crossbow, Herr von Fell was as much a threat as his albino chimpanzee and the added presence of Hermann made things even worse. True, as caracals they could kill roosting eagles, but Hermann was not alone.

"Beelzebub!" Herr von Fell called, angrily shaking a fist. "Get back here, you damn troglodyte!"

Alas, Beelzebub would not listen. He merely continued to chase after the two caracals, seeking to kill Alexander for that scratch he had given him back at Quebec Castle when the Northern caracal had been wounded.

Fleeing the scene, the two caracals made their way through the circus ground, running beneath cages and carts and ever that Monkey-Man was behind them. Upon reaching one cage, Beelzebub stopped completely, even backing away in fear and looking back and forth. Emerging from beneath the cage, Alexander looked up to see a great cat, greater than the late Heinrich.

It had a faint reddish-brown striped pattern upon a dark brown background with pale underparts. At eleven feet and eight inches in length, it must have been the largest cat in all the world. But who was it? What was it?

That was an answer that Roxana knew. It was a liger named Otto, whom Herr von Fell claimed to be the offspring of Heinrich and the golden tigress Mathilde. Heinrich, Mathilde and Otto had all been a part of the Herr von Fell Circus' menagerie when Roxana had been acquired by the Exiled Herr, so it was very possible that it was true, but who could say if it was not? Otto's fur was the same colour as Heinrich's had been and his stripes, though paler, were likewise the same colour as Mathilde's. There was very little room to doubt the liger's parentage.

There was not a single creature in the entirety of the Herr von Fell Circus' menagerie that did not abominate Herr von Fell or Beelzebub. The former may have been the Devil, or close to it, but the latter was a three-foot three tall brute who took the greatest joys in tormenting other animals. Given the chance, the Albino Chimpanzee would hurl rocks at the caged ones and grunt in amusement as they threw themselves at their bars, trying to reach him.

But this time was different. This time Beelzebub would actually have to get into reaching distance of Otto's paw if he were to get Alexander and Roxana. From where he stood, Alexander could see the fear in his adversary's red orbs and marked well the hesitance in his body language, beginning to approach only to completely take a step back, all the time taking him closer to another cage.

Alexander watched as once again Beelzebub took another step back, only for a black leopard to come charging forward, snarling and attempted to slash the Monkey-Man. Completely shocked, Beelzebub fled the scene, no doubt going in search of his master Herr von Fell.

Upon seeing the black leopard, Roxana arched her back, flattened her ears against her skull, narrowed her eyes and hissed. Alexander may not have seen a reason to do such a thing, only knowing that the leopard was an enemy of his kind, but Roxana knew the black leopard well. He was Muzaffar, a man-eater whom Herr von Fell had caught, much like the late Heinrich. To so much as to get into reaching distance of Muzaffar was to invite death, for the panther would try to maul anyone who got close enough to his cage. The only one who did not fear him was Herr von Fell, who always took great delight in cowing the man-eater.

Still, even if Muzaffar was their enemy, he was also their saviour this day.