From Simian Eyes *Being edited*

The Performer

The dark haired woman frightened Keena terribly. She had the same hair as Shay McFarlane-all those years ago- but the resemblance stopped there. Her eyes were cold and harsh, unlike Shay's warmth and sweetness. And even when she was not there, Keena could not help but be intimidated. She owned a big blue tent which was mostly full of people, from many ages. When it was not standing, it would be loaded onto a lorry alongside herself and the many other animals. Keena had heard many refer to this tent, this whole environment as a circus. She did not know much more after that, but she heard that word the most when people talked about the business. She did not know what it was, but all she did know was it was not going to be any better than when she was an "actor". Why would it be?

Keena was the only one of her kind in this place. Despite this she was giving a tiny cage, no bigger than herself. During travel she was put next to the lions. The big male was eying her with his hungry eyes and would occasionally snarl, scaring her. Keena, who was not able to get away, just had to tolerate it. Keena scratched her face and started shaking the bars boredly, creating a loud rattling sound. There was very little for her to and this seemed to be her only form of entertainment. But the sound did not go unnoticed.

"Quiet, monkey!" an angry sounding man with a black moustache snapped at her and -without warning- jabbed her harshly with a pointed stick. Keena screamed at the pain under her ribs and rattles the bars harder, only to be prodded again, but more forcefully. Keena flailed her arms angrily and tried to back away from him but was prevented by the tiny space. The man eventually left her sight and Keena sat on her haunches, staring out at the world from her confinement. She was bored, all she could do was pace in a tight circle for hours.

Suddenly, the truck roared and Keena was thrown into the side of the cage as the monstrosity bellowed smoke and started to move from the field. The scream of the engine filled her mind of horrific memories from long ago. She could hear other animals being thrown around in their confinement, making her worry that the lorry was going to tip over. She grabbed the bars and put her forehead against them as she looked out at the town. She watched the world as it went by as the lorry trundled its way through the streets of the town. She could see people pointing at her as she passed them, but she could not bring herself to respond. She was so bored... there was nothing to do, whatsoever. All she could do was watch as they slowly went through the town.

Eventually the town blurred away as so did the country side. The sky went with it as the sun was down and the stars had emerged. Keena was still in her cage. There was no straw, the wind whipped her fur and the motion of the truck made her feel unwell. She couldn't sleep. Those feelings along with the lion's hungry gaze prevented her. All she could do was watch the land go by, looking up at the sky. She could not stop thinking about Milly, it was the only thing she could think of. She wished she was here with her. The thought of having to endure this alone was torture. With a sigh, she turned to the back of her cage and curled up into a ball, wrapping her arms around herself. It was not going to get better. She knew it was not... there was no point in hoping...

Two sleep deprived days later, it seemed that they arrived at their destination. It was a cold day, but the wind was calm. Keena shuddered and ruffled her fur in an attempt to stay warm. There were many around her, and they were pulling the animals out of their cages. A man suddenly opened the cage door and grabbed her roughly by the neck, so hard that she could not breathe. With a strangled gasp, Keena tried to pull away but she could not escape because of the small space. She could feel a chain suddenly wrap around her neck and she was pulled out into the cold. Keena grunted and grinned worryingly but did what he said. She was then handed over to another man, who then led her away into a barn. As she walked, Keena took in everything. It was dark, and it smelled terrible. She could hear many other kind of animals around. They seemed to be trapped within the stalls of this barn.

After they passed a few stalls, the man opened the door to one. As he took off her chain, Keena walked in reluctantly. It was larger than the cage on the back of the truck, but not by much. From what she could tell, it was only about the size of one of the small rooms in John Quartz's house. But there was fresh bedding and water, that was a nice change. The man dug into his pocket and pulled out a large orange to hand to her.