Tiger in Trouble (12 page)

There were a few dirty dishes on the counter, the table had two place settings, already used for breakfast and the sink was half-filled with dirty water. I didn’t see any gloves. Not on the counter nor draped over the tap — that was where my mother always put our rubber gloves. If they weren’t visible on the counter, then maybe they were under the counter.

I dropped to my knees and opened the twin cupboard doors under the sink. There was an amazing assortment of bottles and jars — mostly unopened cleaning products — partially folded plastic grocery bags and a scrubbing brush, but no gloves. I moved aside a big bottle of bleach so I could see the back of the cupboard. There, in the very back, hanging up with clothes-pins, were two pairs of gloves! I reached in to grab them.

“Looking for something?”

I jumped up, smashing my head on the top of the cupboard.

“Oww!” I screamed as I scrambled to my feet, one hand holding the gloves while the other went to the spot on my head where I’d hit. Mr. Armstrong was standing in front of me.

“Looking for something?” he repeated.

“I found them,” I said, holding up the gloves.

“You broke into our house to wash the dishes?”

“I didn’t break in, honestly,” I pleaded. “The door wasn’t locked.”

“Probably wasn’t locked, but certainly not wide open,” he said, gesturing to the gaping door. “Is it common practice where you come from to just walk into somebody’s house?”

“I knocked first.”

“I heard you.”

“You did? But if you heard me knocking then …”

“Why didn’t I answer?” he asked, completing my sentence.

I nodded.

“I was on the Internet conducting some business, and I thought my wife would get it. I didn’t realize she’d already left. She’s out shopping again.”

“I’m really sorry. I wouldn’t have walked in like that, but Vladimir told me to come and —”

“And just walk into our house?” he demanded. For the first time his tone seemed angry.

“No, no, he just said I should come and ask for —”

“I’m surprised he’d have you ask for anything. He doesn’t seem to understand that I own the park and he is just an employee. He walks around here like he’s the owner!”

“He told me to go to the back door, knock, and ask if we could have a glove,” I said, trying to defend Vladimir.

“One of my father’s faults, and believe me he had many, was that he treated these animals and his employees like they were family.” He paused, and a scowl creased his face. “No, that’s wrong. He didn’t treat them like family. He treated them like he should have treated his family, but didn’t.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“I wouldn’t have come in at all unless it was an emergency.”

“A dish-washing emergency?” he asked incredulously.

“No, a deer-feeding emergency. We need the glove to feed the newborn deer.”

“There’s a new deer?”

“Two of them.”

“I wasn’t informed of any new births.”

“It just happened less than an hour ago.”

He nodded. “I still don’t understand what a glove has to do with any of that.”

“It’s to feed them. They suckle off the fingers of the glove.”

“That certainly sounds like another one of Vladimir’s, shall we say, interesting ideas.”

“It’s not Vladimir’s idea,” I said. “It’s your father’s.”

“My father’s?”

“I read it in one of his notebooks. He wrote about feeding newborn deer. So, could I have a glove, or maybe even a pair of them?”

He shook his head and let out a deep sigh. “That would be all right, I imagine.”

“Thanks.” I put the yellow pair down on the counter, holding on to the pink ones. I didn’t know if deer could see in colour, but if they could, these were a closer match to their mother’s teats than the yellow pair. “I better get going. The sooner they eat the better.”

“That would be wise. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to those babies.”

For a split second his comment caught me off guard. Maybe there was more of his father in him than I’d given him credit for.

“Because a live deer is certainly worth much more than a dead one,” he continued. “I wonder how much a petting zoo would pay for a pair of baby deer.”

“But they can’t go anywhere. They’re too young!” I protested.

“They certainly are now. But in a few weeks …” He paused, and a thoughtful look crossed his face. “Maybe I should make a few calls and get on the Internet right now to find out who might be interested and at what price. Close the door on your way out.”

•

“Settle down!” I said loudly as the two babies scrambled and pushed against each other, hungrily suckling on the glove. They’d already drained the contents of two whole bottles and were still going at it with reckless abandon. “Come on, guys, there’s enough room and milk for everybody.”

“I can’t get over how hungry they are,” Nick said.

“If they are not hungry, they will not live,” Vladimir said.

“But why do they have to fight each other?” I asked.

“Fighting for life. Sometimes strong deer live and weak one die.”

“But both of these will live — right?” I asked.

Vladimir reached over and ran his hands over one deer. He then lifted it while its mouth remained locked on the tip of one of the fingers of the glove, then did the same thing to the second baby. “Babies look strong, feed good, should live — both.”

“Could I feed them now?” Danny asked.

“Sure, no problem,” I said as I struggled to my feet.

“No!” Vladimir said, holding up his hands. “Big girl Sarah feed them.”

“That’s okay. I’ve had a turn.”

“Feeding is not for you kids. It is for the deer. They need one mummy to feed them. Big girl Sarah, you are mummy to the deer.”

“Sarah’s their mother?” Nick questioned.

“Yes. Watch. Pull the glove away from the deer.”

“But they’re still so —” I started to protest, but stopped myself.

Gently I pulled the glove, pushing them away with my free hand. They both stood on their back legs, reaching up, trying to get the glove as I pulled it free.

“Now, put the glove on the table where the deer can’t get it,” Vladimir said.

I put it down.

“Now walk to door,” he ordered.

I didn’t understand why, but I did what he said. The little deer bounced against the backs of my legs as I moved. I stopped, and they both rubbed against me, looking up at me with those beautiful brown eyes.

“Go into the other room and then come back,” Vladimir said.

I walked out of the room and the two babies bounced along with me. When I turned around and came back, they were right there by my feet, like two little shadows.

“Congratulations, big girl Sarah, you are mother!”

I jumped slightly up and my eyes popped open as the cold, wet little nose pressed against my face. A second little nose attached to a second set of beautiful brown eyes pressed against me. I wanted to roll over and pull up the covers, but I knew I had to feed the baby deer. A little tongue shot out and licked my face. I guess I should have found it cute — and really it was — but it had become less cute each time it happened. Every hour and a half all through the night I’d fed them, and this was the sixth or seventh time.

There was bright light streaming in through the windows. Obviously it was no longer night. I looked at the clock. Five-thirty-seven. It was way too early to be awake. Across the room I could see Samantha still sound asleep. Although I couldn’t see Danny in the bunk above her or Nick in the bed above me, I knew that neither of them would be awake.

One deer reared up on her hind legs and gave me a head butt in the face.

“Okay, okay, I’m getting up.”

I climbed out of bed. The glove and bottle were on the dresser, ready to be filled with milk. Beside them sat three big thermos bottles. Two were empty, while the third was still half-filled. Vladimir had made a big batch of formula, heated it up and poured it into the thermoses so I could feed the deer throughout the night. When he originally made up the three bottles, I thought there was no way in the world they’d need that much. Then, partway through the night, I was wondering if I’d have enough.

I stumbled out of bed, my feet feeling as heavy as my eyelids. I took the top off the thermos and carefully poured formula into the bottle inside the glove. I filled it to the top and then resealed the thermos. There was still enough for one more meal. Next I screwed the top back on the bottle, locking the milk into the glove.

“Let’s go for a walk, girls,” I said softly, not wanting to wake anybody up.

I walked to the door and they scrambled and bounced and chased after me, hitting each other and my legs. Opening the door, I held the bottle out in front of me so they’d go outside, then closed the door after all three of us were out.

I flopped down on the edge of the stairs. The instant the glove was within reach, the two babies tried to latch onto a finger. Despite the fact that there were two fingers they could suckle, they both fought over the same one. The other, just as good, leaked a little dribble of milk while they continued to ignore it in favour of the one they were both pursuing. The first couple of times they fought like that I thought that maybe one finger was better than the other. Then I saw that it didn’t matter; they fought over both. Whichever the first deer had, the second wanted. Vladimir had explained that this was exactly how it would have been if they were feeding from their mother. He thought that was why the glove was better than simply feeding from two separate bottles. This sort of got them going, acting all greedy, and probably made them eat more.

“That’s your first course. Now you have to get a little exercise before you get the rest,” I said as I pulled the glove away from them.

I got up and walked. The park was completely deserted. I wondered if even Vladimir would be up yet.

The air was cool and fresh, and I breathed deeply. Considering how many times I’d been woken up in the night, I should have felt more tired. Instead I felt almost bouncy — sort of like the fawns. I figured I’d crash later on today, but right now I still felt as if I was on a high.

Silently passing by the cage of the leopards, I noticed that they were both standing at the mesh, staring out at us. Yesterday they’d been hiding, and I’d only caught a glimpse of tail and a flash of eye. I knew they’d be more active at night, but the sun was well up in the sky. The two leopards moved along the fence, following as I walked. Why were they so friendly or interested in me? Wait a second! It wasn’t me they were interested in. They were both staring at the fawns — at my little babies! I wanted to reach down and pick the two of them up, cradle them in my arms and protect them.

“Bad cats!” I scolded. “Very bad cats! Shoo!” I said, gesturing with my hands.

The leopards ignored me.

I looked to the other side. Kushna was sitting up on a rock in the corner of his cage. He was watching the deer, as well.

“Get your own breakfast!” I yelled at him. “Let’s go where you have some friends,” I said to the little deer, and they followed me.

Actually, they would have followed me if I had walked right into the tiger’s pen. I was their mother, and they would trust me to lead them to the right thing. Parenting had both an up and a down side to it.

I walked until we came to the deer pen. There, behind the mesh, were dozens of their relatives. They all seemed too interested in their breakfast, a number of piles of hay, to even notice our arrival. I ducked under the chain and slumped against the fence, sitting on the grass. Immediately the two deer scrambled on top of each other, trying to reach the glove. I lowered it so they could get it, and they immediately jostled for the same finger. One clasped it tightly, and I squeezed a flow of milk out of the second finger at the other’s face. That got the baby’s attention, and it grabbed the second finger and began suckling as well.

Just off to the side was the beginning of a small pen that Vladimir was building to hold the two fawns. He was hoping he’d get enough time to finish it today so they could spend their first night in it. It was to be built so it was right against the mesh of the big pen. He said that way they would be safe from any marauding animals that might come through the park, like coyotes. They would also be safe from being trampled by the other deer or buffalo, yet would be close enough to make them start thinking they were deer.

I turned my attention to the pen. The buffalo were gathered at the far end of the pen, grazing on a patch of grass, while the deer continued to feed off the bales of hay. I don’t know what I expected — the deer to all run over to the mesh and try to hug the missing babies? — but I was disappointed at the lack of reaction. It was as if we weren’t even there. Couldn’t they smell them or something?

There was one thing I noticed that was no longer there — the body of their mother. It was gone. There was nothing in that cage that would have eaten it, so Vladimir must have already removed it. I guess a dead animal wasn’t what visitors came to see.

“Good morning, big girl Sarah and babies.”

I jumped. “Hello, Vladimir.” I was so lost in my thoughts I hadn’t seen him coming. “You’re up pretty early.”

“This is not early. I have been up for hours.”

“But it’s not even six,” I said, glancing at my watch.

“Six is late. I am up at four. It is the best time to check the animals, see if they are healthy. And then I start my chores.”

“You’ve already been working?” I asked in amazement.

“I have already cleaned the deer pen, put in new food, bales of hay …”

“I noticed you removed their mother.”

He nodded. “I had to. It is not good to leave it. The body would start to rot and spread disease to the other animals. It is all taken care of.”

“That’s good. These fawns had me up most of the night.”

“Job of mummy is not an easy job. Many responsibilities.”

“Will they be like that every night?” I asked. I didn’t want to sound selfish, but I did need to sleep.

“The first night is the worst night. They will still need to feed, but I will fix something so they can feed without big girl Sarah getting up always.”