Fighting For Them ☑️

The Show

The man made sure I was back with my family before heading back. He seemed in a rush but that was fair considering his grand show was starting in a half hour. I watched in satisfaction as he scurried back to his torture tents before I went back to my family.

The minute the show was about to start I ditched my ridiculous cousins and sprinted to the show tent. True to his word the suit man had men watching me discreetly the moment I got within ten feet of the tent. I noticed the scarred man Antonio peaking behind the stage curtain. Smirking I wiggled my fingers at him as I took a seat in the front. He huffed as he turned and stormed off.

My family found me moments later. My cousins squished in next to me with food filling their hands. I shoved my annoying older cousin away from me before settling in again. Nothing was going to distract me from this show. I had cubs counting on me.

It started like a circus. A ring leader stepped out dressed in colorful clothing and a top hat to match. He spoke to the crowd with colorful words with his pitch changing up and down to stimulate the crowd. It worked because the crowd was enchanted and at the edge of their seats waiting for all the wonders that they were promised. I ignored the man until he said what I wanted to hear.

"And now ladies and gentle men to start our show our animal master shall come out with Smokey our white bengal tiger." A larger roar echoed through the tent causing the crowd to gasp. Someone shrieked as a large white tiger pounced out to the center of the stage.

"No worries lady and gentlemen our trainer has everything in control." The ring leader spoke. The scarred man stepped out with a whip in hand. I clenched my fist as he snapped it in the air for show. The crowd applauded.

The tiger stalked around the man growling and eyeing him like he was prey. The scarred man didn't seem worried with his weapon in hand. He snapped the whip again closer to the tiger. It jumped.

"Now ladies and gentlemen watch as Antonio gets this 480 lb. deadly beast to jump through these rings of fire." Two stage hands brought out rings before lighting them. Each smaller then the next.  The tiger took a wide berth from the flames seeming to know what harm they could do. I caught a glimpse of its fur seeing the faint scars from old burns and whippings.

"Salta!" Antonio yelled snapping the whip behind the tiger. It growled again threateningly but stepped closer to the flames. It seemed it was more afraid of the whip then the fire. "Salta!" he yelled again with another crack of the whip. The tiger growled but jumped through the hoop knowing it could only get away from it by following the command. The crowd applauded.

"Salta!" This time the tiger jumped through the hoop with out needing another whip. It landed gracefully on the other side. The stage hands quickly moved two hoops together with some distance apart. I held my breath.

"Salta!" The tiger hesitated. "Salta!" he cracked the whip again. It hesitated to growl before jumping through. Its tail skimmed the fire causing it to whimper in pain. I grasped my seat as everyone cheered.

Th stage crew pulled a smaller hoop then the last in the center of the ring in row with the other two. It seemed too small for the white tiger to fit through. If it was a cub maybe but with its massive size it wouldn't make it. The tiger seemed to understand that too because it turned from the hoops and refused.

"Salta!" the man yelled. The tiger bared its fangs. The crowd near shifted back unconsciously. The man cracked the whip near the tiger again but it refused. It was too smart for that. "Salta!" Antonio yelled again this time the whip hit the tiger but only by a glance. 

Immediately the tiger turned towards the scarred man and growled. Its hackles rose and its teeth were shown. I watched it shift its weight as it readied to pounce. The next hit of the whip and it lunged.

The crowd gasped. Some screamed. My cousin next to me had jumped out of his seat in surprise. And me - I was cheering on the tiger. I didn't want the man seriously hurt but a lesson to not hurt his animals would do him good.

The tiger missed Antonio by a hairs breath. It seemed he had anticipated the attack as I had. But he had judged the distance wrong. The rows of fiery hoops knocked into one another and fell over. Someone had his placed the ropes for the next acts near and they quickly caught fire. It traveled up and onto the tent until people were screaming and running to get out.

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"To know what life is worth you have to risk it once in a while."

             -------------------Jean-Paul Sartre