The See-Through Leopard

by Sibel Hodge

  Asha was already dying to get out. Her head bobbed up and down and she made excited mewing sounds. Her ears flicked, taking in all the sounds of the bush. As soon as I opened my door she jumped down and looked around her, head upturned, opening her mouth to scent the air.

  ‘Look, Asha.’ I walked to the back of the Land Rover and she spotted her dinner. Immediately, she went for it, and I ran around and jumped in the passenger seat. ‘Go,’ I yelled.

  Zach drove off as I twisted in the seat to watch Asha. She stared at us with big, worried amber eyes, like we were leaving her there forever.

  ‘Come on, Asha, chase it!’ I called out the window.

  That was the encouragement she needed and she was off, chasing the kill like she’d never been fed.

  ‘It’s working. She’s chasing it.’ I grinned at Zach, who was busy staring in front of him, trying to avoid too many bumps in the track.

  ‘I’ve got to get this on film next time,’ he breathed with excitement. ‘This is fantastic. If we get her used to chasing her food, she should be able to chase live prey.’

  As I watched her sprint closer to the gazelle, her hunting instinct must’ve taken over and she pounced on top of it, claws dug in for dear life, riding on top of the carcass.

  ‘Stop!’ I told Zach breathlessly. ‘She’s got it.’

  He screeched to a halt.

  Panting away, Asha had the dead animal by the throat in a choke hold. After a few minutes, she lifted her head up and looked at me through the rear window, as if to say, Did I do good?

  ‘That was amazing.’ I threw my arms around Zach’s neck, caught up in the spirit of celebration. ‘She did it. I can’t believe it. She did it. Did you see how she got it round the throat? I think she’s going to be a natural hunter.’

  He pulled back to arm’s length and grinned back. ‘I bet you don’t get a Christmas present like that every day, eh?’

  ‘Thank you,’ I sang happily, turning round again to watch Asha feeding with relish, making low mumbling sounds as she ate.

  ‘Are you coming up to the kitchen for Christmas dinner later?’ Zach asked me. ‘I’ve got a present for you.’

  ‘Where did you get a present from out here? It’s not exactly Oxford Street.’ I smiled, feeling a little excited.

  A present? For me? We were in the middle of the African bush. What on earth could he have got me? And it wasn’t like I’d been thinking about presents, either. I just wanted to forget it was Christmas, but that was pretty hard to do because Richard and Jenna had gone overboard at the lodge, decorating a huge tree and playing Christmas carols for the guests who were staying during the festive period.

  He tapped his nose and raised his eyebrow. ‘You’ll have to come to dinner and you’ll find out.’

  ‘But I can’t go over there. Richard and Jenna must hate me after that article in the paper.’ I’d been keeping an even lower profile than usual since Rebecca’s horrible story broke, and I hadn’t been up to the lodge in the last few weeks, afraid of what they would think of me.

  ‘They don’t hate you. It’s not your fault that Rebecca manipulated what you said. And anyway, Kilingi has a good enough reputation to bounce back. Bookings are up for next year now.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said, my thoughts drifting back to Mum. ‘I don’t feel up to a party.’

  ‘It’s not a party. It’s just a group of friends and co-workers eating lunch. No big deal.’ He shrugged. ‘And the present will be worth it.’ He bumped his shoulder against mine.

  ‘OK,’ I agreed reluctantly.

  ****

  Later that afternoon I showered and changed into a black sundress. If we were going to have Christmas dinner, I thought I may as well try and get dressed in something other than my usual shorts and T-shirt. As I met Dad in the hall emerging from his bedroom, my breath caught in my throat. It didn’t feel right celebrating. For one thing, Mum wasn’t with us, and for another, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Jenna and Richard wouldn’t really want me there. Not that they’d ever been anything less than warm and friendly to me, but how could they not blame me for that article, despite what Zach said?

  But when I saw my sadness reflected on Dad’s face, I realised I had to go for him. He’d been working so hard, and even though he always put on a brave face for me, I knew he was still missing Mum deeply. He should be surrounded by his friends and what was left of his family without having to worry about how I was feeling.

  He took hold of my hand and squeezed it. ‘Ready?’

  I nodded.

  We slipped in the back door of the kitchen and some of the rangers and anti-poaching patrols were already there, enjoying a cold beer. Everyone called out Christmas greetings as Chef prepared steaming pots of vegetables, and the smell of roasting turkey made my stomach rumble.

  Jenna enveloped me in a big hug. ‘Lovely to see you, Jazz.’

  ‘I’m really sorry about that—’ I started, but she cut me off with a wave of her hand.

  ‘Now, don’t you go worrying about that. We know it wasn’t your fault. And anyway,’ she raised an eyebrow, ‘what goes around, comes around. That Rebecca Swanson will get her comeuppance one day.’ She let me go and kissed Dad on the cheek.

  ‘Where’s Bobo?’ I asked.

  ‘She’s having a nap. She’s been pigging out on bananas all day.’ She chuckled.

  ‘Happy Christmas.’ Richard handed Dad a bottle of beer, which he took and chinked the glass against Richard’s half empty one.

  ‘Want a beer?’ Richard said to me.

  ‘I think she’s old enough for a couple.’ Dad winked at me. ‘It is Christmas, after all.’

  ‘Be right back,’ Richard said.

  I wandered away from everyone, over to Chef. ‘It smells lovely. Can I do anything to help?’

  He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges. ‘It’s roast leopard.’ He cackled at the joke he thought was funny.

  I poked him on the arm. ‘Hey, that’s not funny.’

  ‘I thought it was.’ He shrugged with his huge permanent grin plastered all over his face. ‘Can you pass me those bowls? I’m about to serve everything up. Then I have to do it all again later for the guests. I never want to see another sprout in my life!’ He shook his head good-naturedly and drained a pan of sprouts. ‘Maybe the guests will like roast leopard,’ he muttered.

  I gave him a fake glare and helped dish up the vegetables and carry them to the long table as Zach appeared, freshly showered and shaven and dressed in faded jeans and a white shirt that set off his bronzed skin and jet black hair.

  As he glanced at me and smiled, my insides tingled. Maybe it was the effects of the beer.

  We all helped ourselves to food and I sat back, chewing slowly and watching everyone chat in an easy conversation, remembering the time I’d eaten here when we first arrived and had gone running out. So much had happened since then, and even though I still desperately wished Mum was sitting here with us, I was actually starting to feel glad to be in that steamy kitchen, watching them all enjoying being with each other.

  ‘OK, I’ve got a big announcement to make.’ Richard looked round the table. ‘We’ve finally got the go ahead for the rhino release.’

  ‘Really? When?’ Dad looked up, all ears.

  ‘I’m not sure yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as all the details get finalised.’

  ‘What’s this?’ I asked Dad

  Dad rested his knife and fork on his plate. ‘There are some black rhino in a game reserve in South Africa that are being relocated here for a breeding programme. There are only around three and a half thousand black rhino left in the world now. In the sixties there were seventy thousand.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘We’re hoping this programme can help to increase the numbers.’

  ‘Three and a half thousand?’ I balked at the low numbers. The more time I spent here, the more I realised how sad it was what humans were capable of doing to wild animals.

  ‘Thousands of rhinos have been kille
d, and subspecies have been hunted to extinction.’ Richard shook his head. ‘At least one rhino is killed every day in Africa by poachers, and the numbers are increasing every year.’

  ‘The breeding programme is the best Christmas present I could’ve asked for, and I think that calls for a toast, don’t you?’ Dad tapped his spoon against his beer bottle and held it up in the air. ‘To the rhino breeding programme.’

  We all held our bottles in the air.

  After dinner, I helped Jenna and Chef clear the tables and load up the industrial-sized dishwasher. I turned around to find Zach behind me.

  ‘How about I give you your Christmas present now.’ He held out a gift about the size of a book, wrapped up in decorative paper.

  ‘Is it a book?’ I took it. ‘I need a new one. I have to make do with whatever the guests leave behind.’

  His eyes glinted with mischief. ‘Open it and find out.’

  I unwrapped the paper. It was a photograph in a wooden frame of Asha and me that he must’ve taken when I wasn’t looking. I was sitting on a mound of rocks, facing away from the camera, and Asha sat in front of me as I stroked her neck. It was so heartfelt and simple. A million times better than a new pair of shoes or the latest mobile phone that I would’ve wanted in a previous life.

  ‘It’s amazing. I love it. It’s the best present I think I’ve ever had. Thanks so much.’ I smiled.

  He glanced above me and pointed up. ‘You’re standing under the mistletoe.’

  I felt that warm tingling sensation as his eyes settled on my lips, and this time I knew it wasn’t the beer. Was he really thinking of kissing me?

  I stared into his topaz eyes, trying to read his thoughts. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted it so badly.

  ‘When are you going to see Kira next?’ Richard shouted to Zach from the other side of the room.

  Zach turned his head and said, ‘Tomorrow. I need to wish her Happy Christmas.’

  ‘Good.’ Richard nodded. ‘I’ve got some medical supplies to take to Mumbi Reserve. You can drop them off at the same time.’

  When Zach turned back to me my stomach lurched. He had Kira, and I knew the only reason he would ever try to kiss me would be out of pity. That was the last thing I wanted.

  I mumbled something about going to check on Asha, so he wouldn’t see the disappointment etched on my face, and slipped out of the door, leaving them all to their celebrations. I got Asha out of her enclosure and played with her for a while before lying in the hammock, my thoughts filled with pictures of Zach and Kira kissing that I couldn’t get out of my head. Asha lay at my feet, playing with a rubber ball. If it bounced away from her, she’d stalk it, belly skimming the ground, like it might run away. It was amazing how from such an early age she knew to do it instinctively. Then she’d pounce on it and act surprised all over again when it rolled out of her reach and she couldn’t chew on it.

  The ball rolled off down the steps. She got up to follow it and stopped abruptly, her hackles going up and her ears pricked and alert.

  ‘What’s the matter, Asha?’ I rolled out of the hammock and walked towards her, hoping Zach hadn’t come to check on me. What if he’d seen from my face how much I’d wanted to kiss him? How desperate and sad would that be?

  I saw a dark-haired man in a khaki shirt and shorts outside, peering into Asha’s enclosure from different angles.

  I watched him for a while to see what he was doing before I pressed the flat palm of my hand to Asha’s face, which was my sign to get her to stay where she was. I didn’t have my hat nearby to try and shield my face, but at that moment, I didn’t care. He looked pretty suspicious to me. There was no reason for him to be anywhere near her enclosure.

  I walked down the steps. ‘I’m sorry, but the guests aren’t allowed back here.’ I said, hoping he wasn’t another reporter sniffing around.

  He turned to me with a smile that seemed more smarmy than happy. His eyes briefly widened at the sight of me, but he recovered quickly, the smile never dropping from his face. ‘I heard you had a leopard here that you’ve been training.’

  I stared at him. ‘Are you staying at the lodge?’

  ‘Yes.’ He looked around him. ‘My first visit here. Lovely place, this, isn’t it?’

  ‘You’ll have to go back to the lodge, I’m afraid.’ I crossed my arms. ‘We don’t allow guests in this part of the reserve.’

  ‘How is the leopard?’ He raised a questioning eyebrow.

  I didn’t answer.

  ‘I’ve got a client who is crying out for a well-trained leopard for his circus. They’re willing to offer you a very substantial sum of money for it.’

  My cheeks flushed with anger. ‘She will never be sold to a circus, or a zoo,’ I spat. ‘Now please leave.’

  ‘I think you’d better do as she says.’ Zach had appeared behind me, his usually calm voice was edged with anger. ‘We have no animals for sale here.’

  The man gave me another sickly smile. ‘Everything is for sale, if the price is right.’

  ‘I’ll escort you back to the lodge.’ Zach gave him a look that said he’d better follow him.

  I watched them leave and went back to Asha, stroking her in reassurance that everything was OK.

  Zach returned a little later with a thunderous look on his face. ‘I can’t believe the nerve of that guy. He booked into the lodge on the pretence of being a guest, but he was really just some scout for a circus. We’ve told him to leave.’

  I hugged Asha protectively. ‘He probably read that newspaper article and found out about her.’ I mentally kicked myself for the millionth time. ‘It did more harm than good.’ I couldn’t disguise the slight edge to my voice. If Zach hadn’t talked me into doing it, none of the aftermath would’ve happened. But then he’d thought he was doing the right thing. So did I at the time.

  ‘Are you sure he’s going? He gave me the creeps.’

  ‘He’s packing up right now and he’ll be escorted off the reserve.’

  I tried to shake off the uneasy feeling.

  Chapter 16

  I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand and dragged the final long wooden pole to Zach. We’d been helping to build a boma for the two black rhinos who were arriving for the breeding programme, one male called Baruti and one female called Bella. It was all hands on deck to get it finished in time. The result would be two large round structures with four-metre wooden sides so that the animals couldn’t see above, and they would be fortified with electric fencing. The rhino would be stressed by the journey from South Africa, and they needed some time in the boma to get them relaxed and happy with their environment before it was safe to release them out into the wild.

  ‘When are they due?’ Zach asked Dad as he attached the pole to the frame of the gate.

  ‘Hopefully tomorrow afternoon. The plane carrying them is too big to land at the airstrip in Jito so they’ll be flying to Nairobi and travelling down by lorry.’ Dad stood back and surveyed the boma. ‘The vet on site in South Africa has just told me that when they captured Bella they found out she was pregnant, so that’s an unexpected bonus.’ He grinned as Jenna arrived carrying a tray of orange juice and sandwiches.

  ‘God, I’m starving.’ I grabbed a sandwich and tucked in. ‘Thanks, these are yum.’

  ‘Don’t talk with your mouth full.’ Zach elbowed me gently in the ribs and stole my sandwich.

  ‘Hey!’ I swiped a hand at him, but he jumped out of reach, a goofy grin plastered all over his face. ‘Get your own.’

  ‘I don’t need to now, I’ve got yours.’

  ‘Don’t worry, there’s plenty to go around.’ Jenna held the tray out to me.

  We all sat down under the shade of a nearby tree and tucked in until it was time to get back to work. If we didn’t finish the boma before the rhino arrived, we would be really stuck.

  The next day everyone was up early. The cool dawn mist floated in the air as Zach and I took Asha for a walk. Even she seemed to know something w
as going on, and she kept stopping every few metres to sit down, just watching us with a confused look.

  ‘How does she know something’s going on?’ I asked Zach.

  ‘Animals have an intuition that we don’t have anymore. A sixth sense that can’t be explained by science. It’s an inbuilt survival instinct they’ve relied on and finely tuned for thousands of years.’ He paused to take a photo of her as she stood with her ears pricked up, head cocked to one side, listening to the sounds of the savannah. ‘In the tsunami that swept round the coast of the Indian Ocean in 2004, hardly any wild animals were killed. They would’ve known what was happening long before the waves hit through vibrations and sound, and they fled to higher ground.’

  ‘I read about that,’ I said.

  ‘They know and feel things we can’t. You hear of animals travelling long distances over terrain they couldn’t know, just to get back home.’ He shrugged. ‘Maybe we used to have it, too, before we learned how to talk and lost the ability. There’s evidence that some people can still tune into it, but maybe most of us are too busy paying attention to other noise stimuli to notice.’

  We finished our walk and left Asha in the enclosure. There was an excitement and anticipation crackling in the air. If the reserve could successfully breed from these two rhinos, we hoped to increase their numbers and eventually relocate some of their offspring to other protected reserves and try to ensure they didn’t become extinct. It would be a long process, and the weight of the challenge lay firmly on Dad’s shoulders, but I took Bella’s surprise pregnancy as a good sign of things to come.

  ‘We’ve just had a call,’ Dad said to Zach and me with a huge smile. ‘They’ve landed in Nairobi, and everything’s going well so far. Bella and Baruti are sedated in their travelling crates, but by the time that wears off, I anticipate they’ll be severely pissed off.’

  ‘All the staff, except the poaching patrols, will be here when they arrive in case of any problems. The last thing we need is a couple of angry rhino on the loose,’ Zach said.