A man sitting lazily in a chair sat up straight, taking notice of the adult tiger strolling by. Not five feet away it stopped, and locked eyes with him.
"Nick! can you get that beast to lie down, and let a little kid sit next to it? While a toddler climbs on its back? Preferably without eating anyone! Especially me..." said Brian Sputtzer, the famous director.
"Sure, Boss. Velvet here is just a big kitten. Aren't you, girl?" said the animal trainer, as he knelt down to hug the massive tiger's neck.
"Very funny. But could you please move your love fest a little further away? I don't fancy becoming cat food if she gets hungry." said the director,
The big cat purred, and Nick chuckled. "Let's go get some water." he suggested, leading her towards their trailer.
An hour later:
"Take one. Action!"
The film crew surrounded the massive tigress and the two children, as they picnicked in a beautiful meadow, full of wildflowers. Both children fed her, and the youngest one climbed on her back, giggling when she stood up. He wrapped his tiny hands in her fur, and had a short ride before sliding off, with a squeal of delight.
Four hours later:
"Take twenty one. Action!"
Velvet was fast asleep in the meadow, the three year old boy curled up next to her. He stirred at the director's voice, but didn't open his eyes.
"Wake up, Casey!" exclaimed the girl next to him, as she gave his rib a good hard poke. She was perhaps five, and her eyes were also heavy.
"Leave me alone, Diane." grumbled the younger child, as he pushed her away.
"Cut! We can switch to a different scene. Let's film the distraught mother and the officials searching the park." said Brian Sputtzer.
He knew that he had some incredible footage of the three, and that it would only get better as they bonded. He also knew that sleepy toddlers were time bombs waiting to explode with ear piercing screams.
"A smart man knows when to wrap it up for the day." he thought to himself, smiling.
A small, middle aged woman slowly and nervously approached the trio. She stopped one step away, trembling.
"Here, let me get him." the animal trainer said kindly, as he scooped up the toddler, and handed him to his mother.
"Thank you, Sir. Diane, it's time to go." said the woman, obviously relieved.
"Goodbye, Velvet." said Diane, as she kissed the tiger's huge forehead.
Velvet opened her eyes to slits, and rumbled a loud purr. The vibration on her lips made Diane giggle.
"If you won't be needing us again today, we'll be packing up?" asked Nick, as he gently rubbed Velvet's ears.
"Stick around. I might want to do that sunset scene later. The one with the jump to the top of Carver's Rock." said the director, with authority.
"Yes, Sir." he replied, looking doubtfully at his sleepy friend.
Two months later:
"Take five. Action!"
A little boy cries as his sister pulls him away from a huge motionless tiger, with a dart sticking out of her left shoulder. "Will I ever see her again?" he asks, sniffling.
"Of course, she's going back to the zoo. We can visit any time we want to. But we can't pet her anymore." said the girl, a single tear running down her cheek.
"Cut! That's a wrap!" announced the director, a huge smile on his face.
Nick walked over and gently worked the glue out of Velvet's fur, while she patiently licked her paw. Once the fake dart was removed, he buckled on her collar, and she stood up.
The two children ran over and hugged her tightly. "Bye Velvet, I'm going to miss you." whispered the girl.
"I'm glad she made such good friends." said Nick, smiling.
"Can we see her again?" asked the girl, tears streaming down her face.
"Of course, you can come see her anytime. Just let me know when!" he replied, genuinely touched by their bond to Velvet.
"Mom will never let us. She's afraid of Velvet." said Casey sadly.
"I know, but we can try. And she doesn't have to go near her. Dad could even take us. He'd probably love to meet Velvet." replied Diane hopefully.
Forty minutes later:
"Would you like another piece of cake, young lady?" asked a caterer.
"No thank you, Ma'am. But may I please have a few pieces of roast beef?"
"Would you like some bread with it?" she asked, as she sliced off several large pieces.
"No thank you. This is perfect, thank you." Diane replied with a smile.
She quietly left the main trailer, and made her way by moonlight to the animal trainer's tiny trailer.
"Hey, Velvet. I've got something from the party for you." she said, smiling as the tiger looked up and purred.
She opened the latch, and out came the tiger, sniffing at her pockets.
"Let's go to the meadow where we met, and eat it there." suggested the tiny girl, who wasn't even eye level with the tiger.
She turned around, and walked out. Velvet followed.
Soon they were in the meadow, and Velvet located the familiar spot, and settled in.
Diane curled up next to her. "Isn't this a lot more fun without everyone around telling us what to do?" she asked, as she fed the huge tiger tiny bits of roast beef by hand, giggling each time the rough tongue slid across her hand. When it was all gone, both child and tiger fell asleep, curled up together under the moonlight.
To be continued!
Describe what you see:
I see a tiger on a leash, with what is perhaps a trailer in the background.
Describe what you feel:
I feel like the tiger is extraordinarily well behaved, perhaps trained to star in movies.
Picture source and participation link
That is some interesting story about Velvet. Haha. I'm trying to place a number on the number of time she fell asleep alongside the little lady that adored her so much.
So, there are truly some animals that are trained enough to feature in films. That is interesting and it surely takes a lot of training and nice connection with humans for an animal to reach that level.
Velvet is a star and she is surrounded by people that loves everything about her. Let's see if the mother of the young lady will get to also fall in love with velvet.
I've got to catch up with the second part of this.... Later ✌️
I'm glad you enjoyed it :) Probably the most fascinating case I've ever heard of with a friendship with a wild animal was a huge crocodile who had a man for a best friend.
Yeah. I'd see similar stuff uploaded on YouTube. Haha. That's why I'm already anticipating to see how the other part of this post will be.
Already kept a tab on it.
Interesting, how do you keep a tab on for the next post? I definitely want to return.
Haha... In case you haven't noticed, the next part is already Published. Haha.
As for keeping a tab on it, you can use Ginabot to be notified when the author publishes more posts, but in his case I didn't have to because I got to see the second part while screening on our port. Haha.
Having a good weekend? I really hope so. Enjoy.
The SUN is out and it's been missing for so long so YES I am having a good weekend.
On today's agenda is a long walk with Loki, my pup, and sitting in the garden sipping cool drinks. I intend to restore my energies for the fun week ahead.
I see two young children bonding with a beautiful and strong creature. I see their love for Velvet, which has removed any sense of fear that they might have otherwise felt.
I feel scared for them. Perhaps mirroring the concerns of their mother. Either the mother is very brave or extremely foolish in allowing her children to get to know Velvet. And it is this thought that will bring me back to your next instalment.
The next one is already out ♥️ https://ecency.com/hive-161155/@wrestlingdesires/missing-from-the-set-part
Thank you, @wrestlingdesires. x