Tiger in Trouble (10 page)

“I will tell her she has a mean, fat son and kick both of them out of park,” he said with a laugh, and we chuckled along with him. I could picture him both saying those words and then doing it.

“Vladimir never let anybody hurt animals as long as I am here.” He’d said those last few words quietly, barely opening his mouth. His voice was soft, but the way he said the words was something completely different. He sounded threatening, menacing, scary once again. I knew I’d never want to get him mad at me.

“Sarah, wake up!”

“Leave me alone,” I mumbled, as I pulled the covers over my head to block both my brother’s voice and the bright sunlight. Sunlight … it was obviously morning, but how early in the morning?

“Come on, Sarah, you have to get up!”

“I don’t have to do anything. What time is it?”

“It’s after eight.”

“In the morning?”

“Of course. Everybody else has been up for close to two hours. Come on right now or you’ll miss everything!”

“The only thing I’m missing is my sleep. Leave me alone now — or else.”

“Fine. No big problem for me,” Nick said. “Vladimir told me to come and get you, and I tried. You already missed the first one being born, and now you’ll miss the second one.”

Being born? I pushed the covers off, sat up and squinted as I tried to open my eyes. The room was brilliantly bright. Samantha and Danny’s beds were empty.

“Where are they?” I asked, pointing at the bunk beds.

“They’re there already, and I’m going back.”

“Hold on!” I yelled.

“You hold on. I’m not going to miss it.”

“Just wait. Something was born?” I asked.

“A little deer. It was amazing! Vladimir said a second one’s on the way. But we have to go now or we’ll miss it!”

“But I’m not dressed and I have to wash up and —”

“Suit yourself. I’m going back right now.”

“Wait!” I called out. “Let me just throw on a sweater and my shoes.”

“Just hurry!”

I jumped out of bed, stumbling over the tangle of sheets and covers still wrapped around my feet, but recovered before I fell face first to the floor.

“Real graceful, Sarah.”

I ignored him, grabbed a sweater from the top drawer of the dresser and pulled it over my pyjama top. The bottoms sort of looked like sweat pants, so I left them on. Slipping my feet into my running shoes, I figured I could tie them up later.

“I’m gone,” Nick said as he disappeared out the door.

I hurried across the cabin, pulling the door closed behind me, leaped off the porch and rushed after Nick, who was trotting away. “Wait up!”

“Hurry up!” he shouted over his shoulder.

I doubled my pace as I passed Boo Boo’s cage. Glancing over, I saw the bear lying on her back. She looked as if she were sound asleep. Even the animals were still sleeping.

“How did you know something was being born?” I asked as I pulled alongside Nick.

“Vladimir woke us up. He thought it would be something we’d want to see.”

“Why wasn’t I woken up?”

“We tried. You just lay there snoring away —”

“I don’t snore!” I protested.

“Yeah, right,” Nick muttered. “You stopped snoring long enough to mumble that we should leave you alone, so we did.”

“I don’t remember any of that.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. It was as if you were talking in your sleep.” Nick paused. “What time did you get to sleep last night?”

Nick knew me better than I liked. “I went to bed the same time as you.”

“That wasn’t what I asked. When did you get to sleep?”

“I’m not sure.” That was at least an honest answer. I had no idea how long I’d been awake in the dark, tossing and turning.

Up ahead I caught sight of Samantha, Danny and Vladimir. They were standing at the fence of the deer pen. It was one of the largest pens and contained the biggest collection of animals. It held dozens of deer as well as caribou and four gigantic buffalo — their thick winter coats hanging off them, making them look as if they were melting in the summer heat. Samantha had her video camera with her and was filming the pen.

“Have we missed it?” Nick questioned.

“No, it hasn’t happened yet,” Samantha answered, staring through the mesh.

“Did you get the first on video?” I asked, hoping I could at least see it that way.

“Most of it.”

“Which deer is having the —” I stopped mid-sentence as I caught sight of a deer, no more than ten metres away, crouching beside some bushes. At her side was a small bundle of wet fur. It was nuzzled up to her — maybe it was even nursing — and she was licking it. It was tiny, no bigger than a large cat.

“How long could this take?” Danny asked.

“Should be now,” Vladimir said.

“Maybe she’s only having one baby,” I suggested.

“Not one. Two. She is having two babies.”

“It was amazing seeing the first one,” Samantha said. “You should have seen it!”

Even when she didn’t mean it, her voice always had that “na-na-na-na” quality to it, as if she was one up on you.

“It was something,” Danny agreed.

“The deer was just standing there, chewing on some grass, and then this little wet bundle of fur dropped out,” Nick said. “I couldn’t believe —”

“Look!” Danny shouted, pointing through the fence.

The baby deer was struggling to its feet. On pencil-thin, spindly legs it tottered and wobbled a few steps.

“It’s only fifteen minutes old, and it took its first steps. That deer’s a genius!” Nick declared.

“All animals have to walk right away, or they’d be killed by wolves or something,” I said.

“But that fast?” Nick questioned. “I’m telling you, it’s an advanced deer.”

“Nope, I’m certain,” I said. “Right, Vladimir?”

He didn’t answer. He was staring at the mother deer. She had rolled onto her side, as if she were resting.

“Baby deer walk really soon, right, Vladimir?” I asked.

“Not good,” he muttered.

“Not good? It shouldn’t be walking?”

“Should be standing.”

“It is standing. It’s walking!” Nick said.

“Not baby. Mummy deer. Should be standing.”

“Maybe she’s just resting,” I suggested. “She must be tired.”

Vladimir shook his head. “Bad. Very bad. Can’t give birth on side. Baby is not coming right. Maybe die.”

“The baby’s going to die?” Samantha exclaimed. “Can’t you do something?”

“I can, but I need help.” Vladimir looked worried.

“We can help!” Nick said.

“Yeah, we can,” Samantha agreed as Danny nodded enthusiastically.

I wasn’t so sure — what did he mean by help?

“Come, follow,” Vladimir said.

He raced around the side of the pen and we hurried after him. Stopping at the entrance, Vladimir pulled out a large set of keys from his pocket. He fumbled with them until he found the right one, then inserted it into the big padlock that secured the chain, holding the gate closed. “Nick, Danny, grab the shovel and rake.”

“What?” Nick asked.

“Shovel, rake,” Vladimir said, pointing at the two tools leaning against the fence. “Grab, take.”

“You want them to clean the cage now?” I asked in amazement.

“Not clean cage. Just do as told,” Vladimir ordered.

Nick picked up both and handed Danny the rake as Vladimir swung open the gate and motioned for us to follow. I hesitated for a split second before I entered, thinking about that first time I entered Buddha’s pen. Of course, this was different. This wasn’t like going in with a tiger. It was going in with animals that a tiger would eat.

Vladimir pulled the gate shut and then took the chain and wrapped it around, finally clicking the lock back into place and sealing us in. I guess he wanted to make sure nothing got out.

“Move slow, quiet like little mouses,” Vladimir said.

That made sense. We didn’t want to spook any of the animals, especially the mother deer or the baby.

“What are the shovel and rake for?” Nick whispered.

“Protection.”

“Protection from what?”

“We try to help deer. But deer does not know that. Buffalo does not care. They can charge or trample.”

I’d forgotten all about the buffalo. I looked anxiously at the far end of the pen where the four big animals were grazing.

“How will a shovel protect us?” I asked.

“Wave in the air and chase animals away.”

“That will scare them?” Nick asked.

“Maybe,” Vladimir said.

“Maybe? You don’t know?” I asked.

“Never try,” he said with a shrug.

That wasn’t the reassurance I was looking for.

As we continued to advance, I noticed how most of the animals were moving around us, squeezing to the fence and then heading for the far end of the pen to put as much space as possible between us and them.

Vladimir motioned for us to spread out. Danny and his rake moved to one side, while Nick and his shovel took up the far side. The animals continued to move by us. They seemed more afraid of us than we were of them. That was good. I wasn’t counting too heavily on my brother and his shovel to protect me from a charging animal.

Up ahead the mother deer continued to lie on her side. The little baby, still standing beside her on his little legs, was nursing. What was going to happen when we got closer? Would she run and leave the baby, or would she charge to protect it from us? Either way wouldn’t be any good. If she ran, we couldn’t help her, and if she charged, we couldn’t even help ourselves.

Vladimir slowed his pace and we did the same, maintaining a line across the narrowing end of the pen. The deer still didn’t move. Didn’t she notice us? Didn’t she care? Or couldn’t she move? That last thought sent a chill up my spine. The deer turned her head and looked at us, but still she didn’t move.

“Nicolai, Danny, stop, turn around. Watch if animals come.”

“And if they do?” Danny asked.

“Wave rake in the air, jump up, jump down, yell words. Act like a crazy person to scare the animals away. Girls, come,” Vladimir said, motioning us to follow.

We did as he said until we were standing right over top of the deer. She looked up at us with those big brown, soft, liquid eyes. She seemed afraid. No, not just afraid — as if she was in pain. Vladimir bent down and ran his hand along the side of the deer.

“What is it?” Samantha asked.

“Baby is coming out wrong. All twisted around, caught up inside. Feet and legs are pointing out different ways. Feet coming out first. Can’t come out first — breech birth.”

“You said we could do something,” Samantha said.

“We will try. Girls, come, hold deer.”

“Hold the deer?” I asked.

“Yes. Must hold deer, talk to deer.”

“How will that help?”

“Will keep her calm while I turn baby around.”

“How do you turn the baby around?” I asked.

“Reach inside and twist.”

Samantha’s surprised expression reflected my shock.

“You’re joking — right?” I said.

“No joke. If I do not turn, then mummy deer die, baby deer die,” he said as he started to roll up the sleeve of his right arm. “Hold deer!”

I dropped to my knees, as did Samantha. Gently I moved aside the little baby deer with my hands. It was as light as a feather and shifted to allow me in. The mother deer’s side moved up and down with each strained breath. It wasn’t regular, but seemed to be coming in starts and stops. I stroked her. She was warm, soft and smooth.

Looking up, I saw Samantha cradling the deer’s head. She was talking, actually whispering something. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but the tone of her voice was gentle and soothing. It even made me feel calmer. Maybe she wasn’t as annoying as I had thought.

“Hold tight,” Vladimir said.

I tried to strengthen my grip. It was hard. My arms didn’t even come close to spanning the width of the deer, and I knew that if she chose to struggle to her feet, I would be hopeless to restrain her.

“It’s going to be okay, girl,” Samantha said, and for an instant I thought she was talking to me. I looked up at Samantha. She was probably just as scared as I was, but she didn’t appear to be. She seemed calm, almost brave. The deer shuddered violently, and I fought the urge to let go and run. Instead I held on tighter.

“As I thought,” Vladimir puffed. “Baby wrong way. I turn.”

I moved so that I was facing away from him. I could only hope he could do it. The deer shook, strained and jerked. Was she trying to get to her feet? I pressed my whole body against her, wrapping my arms around her as far as I could, pressing my face into her side, all of my weight trying to hold her in place. The deer jerked again — Vladimir had to hurry. This couldn’t go on much longer or we wouldn’t be able to —

“Baby okay!” Vladimir screamed.

“She’s okay!” I yelled, letting go of my grip and looking up. Vladimir was holding a small bundle of wet, goopy brown fur. Staring out were two brown eyes — it had its mother’s eyes!

“Here, Sarah, hold baby,” he said, thrusting the creature forward into my arms.

It was a wet, warm ball, and I pulled it close to me. We’d done it. We’d saved the little deer’s life. I felt like laughing, crying, screaming or something.

“Look at all the people,” Samantha said.

“People, what —” I started to say, when I caught sight of a crowd standing outside the fence, watching. There must have been twenty, thirty or more of them. “Where did they come from?” I gasped.

“Park is open. Tourists. Sarah, take baby, Samantha take other baby. We have to go.”

“But won’t the mother get angry if we take away her babies?” I asked.

Vladimir shook his head. “Mother no get anything. Mummy deer is dead.”

I felt all the blood drain from my face. “She’s … she’s …”

“Dead,” Vladimir said softly.

I turned away from him to stare at the deer. Her head, still cradled in Samantha’s arms, was limp. The eyes were open — still brown, but now different, not just unmoving and lifeless, but almost peaceful.

“How did it happen?” I gasped.

“She lost too much blood to live.”

I looked down at the little baby wiggling in my arms. Its fur was slicked back, soaked. Was it blood? My top was stained where the baby deer had pressed against me, and my hands and arms were covered as well.