Shark and his new friend Wolf had made a quick, unexpected connection that felt similar to the one he had shared with Dog Z Boy. It normally took Shark some time to warm to other animals, and he thought it was strange that a kinship with Wolf would form so fast, but these were stressful times filled with uncommon circumstances, and primitive instincts would have to be trusted. They were both in trouble and needed each other’s help. Shark felt good that Wolf was nearby.
As he approached the entrance to the big tent, Shark was shocked when he looked up and noticed a twenty-foot-tall circus bill, a huge advertisement with a giant cartoon-like depiction of him. The caricature distorted the size of his head and showed him with a mean-looking smile. The colorful poster had a caption that read:
Come One, Come All, To See
The Only Great White Shark In Captivity.
Shark looked over and noticed Wolf looking up at the billboard and smirking.
“Don’t say it,” Shark said.
“Someone’s famous,” Wolf said as he let out a light, friendly laugh. “I like the giant head, it’s realistic.”
Shark knew Wolf was just kidding, but had it been anyone else he might have been upset. He knew he would have said something similar to Wolf had things been reversed.
Shark and Wolf continued their forced march into the big top, where they were led to a small room. As they stepped inside, Shark noticed three animals already there, each burdened by heavy chains. There was a lion, a bull, and a small, juvenile zebra.
They all stood, listening to the sounds coming from the arena. Every so often something would happen to make the entire crowd roar and stomp their feet on the wooden stands.
“Anyone have any idea what they’re expecting us to do?” Wolf asked the group. “I never thought of myself as much of a performer.”
Shark looked around the room at the other animals. Except for the zebra, they were all top predators. He summed up the situation in his head, and the conclusion he came to was not good. He thought it best to keep silent for the moment.
“They’re going to make us fight one another,” the lion said in a deep resonating voice. “We will have to fight until at least one of us dies. That’s what the crowd is cheering for. They want blood, and we are the entertainment that is supposed to deliver it for them.”
The zebra had a concerned look on his face. “If that’s true, it puts me at a completely unfair disadvantage. I’ll have to lodge a protest. How am I supposed to fight animals like you? Give me an open field and I might be able to outrun you, my stripes might confuse you, but that only works when I’m running with a herd. In a closed area, I’ll be defenseless.”
“I think that’s their plan,” the bull said, looking down at the zebra. “Put a defenseless animal in with top predators so the crowd is appeased when they kill him and not each other.”
“So it’s fixed,” the zebra said. “I knew it. I just told myself, Stripes, the fix is in.”
“Unfortunately for you, Stripes, it is,” said Shark. He looked at Stripes, then at each of the other animals. “Shaw pays a lot of money for top predators. I’m pretty sure that he would not want to ruin his investment by having us kill off one another, so he decided to make it easy and plant an animal in the show that he deems expendable and an easy kill.”
“Expendable!” Stripes protested. “Let me tell you something. I—”
Shark cut him off. “Zip it, Stripes. I hear you. I’m not the one saying you are expendable. I believe we all have something to offer and deserve the chance to live out our lives. It’s the humans out there that are calling the shots now. They’re the ones that have placed you in here with us. They’re the ones who have decided it’s time for you to die.”
Stripes seemed flustered and began to babble. “Anyone else have any other ideas about what’s happening here? I’m not sure I like this scenario.” Stripes looked up at Shark, then over at the other animals who all towered over him. “Anyone? Any other ideas? I just want you to know, I’m open to considering options. Maybe I’m supposed to be the referee.”
“Be quiet, Stripes. I’m trying to think,” Shark said as he pulled part of the curtain back and looked at the floor of the open arena. He turned and looked at the other animals. “The only thing we can do is decide as a group not to fight. That plan only works if we are all in total agreement.”
Wolf and the bull looked at each other, then at Shark. They both gave a positive nod. Shark looked at the lion, who was standing in the corner looking down at the ground. He slowly lifted his head and looked at Shark and gave a quick nod.
Shark moved to the center of the room. “It’s agreed, then. We refuse to fight. Whatever they do to try to make us kill one another, we just refuse.”
Wolf walked toward Shark and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Sounds like things can get pretty rough out there, but I’m with you, Shark.”
“I’m in,” the bull said as he lowered and raised his large horns in a sign of solidarity.
Shark looked at the lion, waiting for his verbal confirmation of the plan. After a moment, the lion spoke. “If you all think that’s the best plan, then I guess I’m in.”
Stripes looked up into their faces. “This idea has my vote,” he responded quickly. “No fighting or killing works for me.”
Shark looked down at Stripes, finding him a little annoying but at the same time a little amusing.
Wolf tried to hold back a small chuckle. “I bet the plan works for you, Stripes, I bet it does.” He patted Stripes on the head as smiles cracked on everyone’s faces.
Shark, the bull, and the lion followed Wolf’s lead and patted Stripes on the head, each giving a smile and small laugh. It was the first time in a long time, Shark suspected, that any of them had laughed, and it felt good—at least until the curtain was pulled back and the grim reality of the situation returned.
A guard stood at the entrance to the room. “Let’s move,” he ordered.
They were forced to walk single file into the main pit of the large arena. Shark listened as the standing-room-only crowd burst into loud applause and screams at the sight of him. It was obvious he was the main attraction. The people in the stands made chopping motions with their outstretched arms, mimicking his jaws and bite.
He watched as guards forced Stripes into the center of the arena and chained him to a short metal spike. They took Shark and the others and placed them in individual cages along the perimeter of the pit, and guards removed their restraints. It was the first time Shark had been without chains in weeks. The lightness of his arms and legs felt good. He rubbed his wrists where the chains had caused calluses.
The lights of the big top went dark, and a spotlight lit a small platform. A man dressed in a top hat and multicolored tuxedo stood there with a microphone. His voice boomed through the fabric building. “Welcome, welcome, welcome, to the main event of the evening. We appreciate your patronage of our show and have one last treat before you go. Come one, come all, to see the only great white shark in captivity.”
Shark listened as the crowd again erupted in applause and screams. They started stomping on the wooden bleachers, making the entire structure and the ground shake.
The main spotlight went dark, and in an instant another appeared on Stripes. The area just outside the light was pitch black, which made it hard for Shark to see the crowd and the other cages.
Shark noticed an eerie silence envelop the darkness as everyone waited in anticipation for something to happen. Then, as if on cue, it did. The silence was shattered by the loud sound of a large steel cage door opening. Its mechanical squeal echoed through the tent.
Shark knew immediately that the opened door was not his but could not tell which of the other cages the sound came from. He looked out and could see Stripes, still chained to the spike, a look of nervousness on his face. His small, wobbly legs began to shake.
Shark noticed something moving in the shadows, then heard a deep, resonating, low growl. He watched as the outl
ine of the large body passed in front of his cage. It was the lion. He was out of his cage and free of his chains.
Shaw watched the action in the big tent from his perch high atop the bleachers. Old Jack, dressed in his fedora hat and suit, stood by his side.
“So, you’re confident that this plan of yours will work?” Shaw asked.
Old Jack looked up at him. “Our big fish down there has a thing for the weak. He’s always trying to protect them. He has this pride that would never allow him to kill the zebra unprovoked. And it’s the same pride that will make him defend and protect the zebra even if it means his own death. Don’t worry, Mr. Shaw, your crowd will get their money’s worth.”
Shaw looked at Old Jack. “I hope, for your sake, Old Jack, that’s true. Five hundred thousand dollars is a lot to pay for an attraction. I’m sure you would not want to disappoint me.”
Shark could hear a guard yelling at the lion. “Move into the light, you dumb cat, the crowd can’t see you.”
Then a second guard spoke. “Let’s go, stupid, you’re here to put on a show.”
The lion roared and swiped his long, sharp claws at the men, missing them. The crowd cheered at the sound.
Another guard reasoned with the lion. “The audience paid good money for a show and expects to see something. So get out there and do what you’ve been paid to do.”
Shark’s ears perked up as he heard the words, “paid to do.” He began to feel nervous for Stripes as he realized that the lion was not an animal captive but rather some sort of paid mercenary, performing in the show for money.
Shark could again see the outline of the lion’s body as he passed in front of his cage.
“Looks like all deals are off there, Shark,” the lion said in a low, deep tone. He swung his large head and moved his body toward Stripes.
Shark could hear the crowd cheer as the lion appeared in the shadows at the edge of the spotlight. They again started to stomp on the wooden steps of the bleachers as the lion moved into the light and slowly circled little, defenseless Stripes.
Shark could see the lion clearly and tightened his grip around the bars of his cage. “You made a pact, lion!” he yelled.
The lion looked back at Shark and roared. “I’ve made a lot of promises in my life, Shark, why should I keep the one with you? The zebra is my natural prey, and it’s my right to attack and kill him.”
Shark felt angry. “Not when they have him tied to a post, it’s not. You’re not a predator; you’re nothing more than a lowly scavenger, picking at the remains of a kill you could never bring down yourself.”
The lion charged Shark’s cage with a loud roar, skidding on the dirt and stopping just before the bars, his horrible breath misting Shark’s face. “Who are you calling a scavenger?” he said. “They don’t call me king of the jungle for nothing! Bide your words, Shark, or I’ll add sushi to my diet.”
Stripes began to shake furiously as he listened to the verbal exchange. He watched as the lion turned from Shark’s cage and looked directly at him. He watched as the lion’s body crouched low and began its slow methodical approach directly toward him. Stripes sat down next to the cold metal spike and crawled into a fetal position. He tucked his head into his stomach, waiting for the lion’s bite. He only hoped it would be quick and painless.
Just then, Stripes heard three more simultaneous mechanical screeches that shattered the silence. The doors of the other cages had sprung open. Stripes looked up at the face of the lion, which had a look of pure shock. That’s right, Stripes thought, now you’re in trouble, you coward, now it’s three against one.
Stripes watched as the lion tried to adjust his eyes to the dim light. Just as he did, Shark lunged at him from the darkness. Shark’s large jaws opened and his sharp, serrated teeth took hold of the lion’s neck. The lion roared and clawed at his attacker, his thick fur and muscles making it hard for Shark’s bite to penetrate. The two fell to the floor and rolled in the dirt. Stripes listened as the crowd went wild.
Old Jack looked up at Shaw. “I told you, just as planned. Let the show begin.”
Old Jack looked at Wolf, who was standing off to the side, looking like he was waiting for an opportunity to jump in and help Shark. Old Jack knew that if Shark went down, Wolf would be helpless against the lion; it was just the natural order of things. It was better to take the lion down as a team.
Old Jack looked at the bull, which was also standing ready. Old Jack’s experience told him that the bull might be a bit more reluctant than Wolf to offer assistance—if the lion got behind the bull, the bull’s life would end quickly.
Old Jack smiled as the crowd cheered and stomped as the fight they paid to see started to unfold. Shark was in a battle with the lion, and one of them would die.
The lion flipped Shark onto his back and dug his long claws into his chest. Shark held back the lion’s immense body with his powerful arms. Bits of flesh and fur flew through the air as each took swipes at the other. The two locked arms; it was pure power versus pure power. Beautiful, Old Jack thought.
As they lay there with the battle at a standstill, Old Jack noticed that Shark was able to keep his grip as he slowly moved his head down toward the lion’s right paw. Then it happened. Shark’s mouth opened, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his large powerful jaws moved forward. In one quick bite, Shark removed the lion’s paw. “Awesome!” Old Jack screamed as the lion roared in agony. The lion’s injured body fell back onto the dirt. He cowered as Shark stood over him.
The crowd stomped and chanted, “Kill! Kill! Kill!”
As the lights of the arena came to their full brightness, Shark could see Shaw standing just outside the pit. Shaw raised his right arm into the sky and the crowd again went wild. It was a signal for Shark to finish the kill. Shaw yelled, “Finish him, Shark!”
Shark looked at the lion, who was reeling in pain on the floor. He looked back at Shaw. “I will not finish him, but give me the opportunity, and I will gladly finish you.”
“I give the orders around here,” Shaw said in a highly agitated state. “The choice is simple. Kill him or I will kill you.” Shaw had a large pole with an electrified tip, and he quickly jabbed it into Shark’s stomach. Shark felt the pain immediately as the jolt of electricity surged through his body.
He fell to the floor, his defenses down, but through the pain he screamed. “No! I will not kill him!”
Shark looked at the lion. He watched as the big cat readied itself for a cowardly attack. It was about to pounce on him even though his defenses were down, even though he had just spared its life. The lion attacked and tried to sink its teeth into Shark’s large neck.
Shark saw Wolf coming and felt the extra weight as Wolf jumped on the lion’s back. Shark could see Wolf’s sharp, extended claws dig into the lion’s fur and flesh. But with one quick flip backwards, the lion overwhelmed Wolf and tossed his body aside. The lion let out another gigantic roar as he again tried to bite through Shark’s thick skin.
Shark was holding him back and could hear the crowd stomping and cheering louder than ever.
Out of nowhere, Shark saw the bull charging. The bull impaled the lion on his huge horns, lifted him into the air and dropped his body to the ground.
The crowd screamed, stomped, and cheered one last time before slowly growing silent at the sight of the lion taking his last breath, his eyes going lifeless.
Shaw entered the pit and stepped over the lion’s body. He retrieved a long sword from his belt and plunged it into the bull’s chest; he twisted the sword slowly, then removed it. The bull fell to his knees. Shaw swung the sword and cut off the bull’s head.
Shark listened as the crowd changed its demeanor and booed Shaw. They began to toss garbage into the pit.
Shaw looked down at him. “You will pay dearly for disobeying my orders and disgracing my show.” Shark looked up as Shaw raised the sword into the air and lowered it into its sheath.
CHAPTER 11
The Quacking Du
ck
The steel door of the rail car closed with a loud bang. Shark found himself chained to the far wall in almost complete darkness. The barred window on the other side of the car was now his only connection to the outside world; it provided a small view of the South American sky. He sat with his hands resting on his raised knees and watched as billowy white clouds absorbed the orange and red colors of sunset.
With a jolt, the train started a slow crawl down the tracks, and as day turned to night, Shark’s thoughts again went back to the time he and Dog Z Boy first met Vixen. As his eyes closed and sweet memories filled his mind, a slight smile formed on his face. He felt it expose a small patch of his bright white, triangular teeth.
Shark glanced over at his friend Dog Z Boy as they headed south on the Florida turnpike out of Fort Lauderdale on two rented choppers. They cruised side by side in the slow lane, enjoying the ride as the warm tropical air brushed against their faces. They each wore dark sunglasses to block the glare of the hot tropical sun that was directly above in the early afternoon sky.
Shark admired the skyline as they passed the glistening glass walls of Miami skyscrapers and the multicolored tropical homes of the quaint old streets of Coral Gables. They were on vacation and taking it slow; making sure they took it all in was the only real plan of the day. They continued south and passed through Homestead and Florida City and stopped for a brief moment to listen to the roar of engines from the local NASCAR track. As they continued, the road narrowed from four lanes to two as it merged into U.S. 1 South.
Shark felt like civilization seemed to disappear as he found himself surrounded by the tall marshlands that made up the lower part of the Florida everglades. Every now and then, the thick vegetation would open up and provide a glimpse of the shimmering waters of Florida Bay. This is one beautiful part of this country, Shark thought.
Shark & The Wolf: Predators and Prey Page 10
