Wild Girl {HIATUS}

Different

~Blossom~

I never have understood why I was labeled as "different." Maybe it was because I had only one friend. Or maybe it was because I don't remember from when I was five to when I was eighteen. Whatever the reason, I'm different. My best friend is also considered "different."

Hi. I'm Blossom Will. I'm the owner of Flora and Fauna Wildlife Sanctuary. And this is my story.

Ring! The phone blared loudly. Who would be calling Flora and Fauna Wildlife Sanctuary at ten o'clock? I wondered.

"I'll get it!" I yelled to my best friend, Florence Evans. I walked over to the phone and looked at the caller ID. The Seattle Police Department. We don't often get calls from them, unless something has happened in the neighborhood and they want to inform the residents. I picked up the phone. "Flora and Fauna Wildlife Sanctuary how can I help you?"

"This is your friend Officer Micheal Smith of the Seattle Police Department. I'm calling to ask for your aid in intercepting a young tiger from the smugglers bringing her to Seattle."

"Me and Florence will be right there. Where are you?"

"We're at a local dollar store, quite close to you actually!"

"We're on our way!"

I put down the phone. "FLORENCE!!!!!!!! Get ready! We just had an urgent call from the police! They need our help retrieving a young tiger from smugglers!" I shouted. I am not a heavy sleeper, so I was ready. I'm the one that's stays up to take the night calls. Especially urgent night calls. Me and Florence are both veterinarians who specialize in wild animals. According to Florence, both she and I have rescue experience from high school. I can't remember.

"Blossom! Come on!" Florence yelled, bringing me back to the present as I quickly snatched my grasper, vet bag and a large carrying kennel and ran to the car.

"Hurry!" Florence urged as I shoved my items into the backseat and climbed into the front of our jeep.

Vroom! The engine roared to life as we sped down the street, to the Dollar Tree located a half a mile away from us.

When we arrived there, we were greeted by Officer Smith, who lead us around to the back of the store, and behind a dumpster, where we were greeted again by three more police officers.

"You got here just in time." A police officer who introduced himself to me as Officer Cobb whispered, pointing out into the parking lot where two men were walking to the center of the parking lot, holding a cage with a towel over it.

"That cage is too small to be an adult tiger." I blurted. Florence looked at me curiously. I had never seen a tiger in real life as far as we knew. We both had missing memories, but I was missing more of my life. For Florence, she was only missing two years of her life. I don't know how I knew it wasn't an adult.

"Blossom. I think you remembered a small detail that could help with your memories." Officer Smith said to me, smiling. The area of Seattle I live in with Florence in is a small community where everyone knows everyone.

"Shhhh." Florence shushed us and pointed to the men. In the short time I had looked away, two more men joined the ones with the tiger. Two officers moved to the other side of the parking lot as we waited for one of the officers, Officer McCormac to give us the signal: him giving us a thumbs up. As I watched fascinated, Florence nudged me. "It's time." She said, pointing at Officer McCormac.

"On three, girls, jump out from behind the dumpster and get the tiger while we distract the men! One, two, THREE!!!" Florence lept out and I quickly followed, my instincts kicking in. I raced across the parking lot with Florence at my heels, grasper in hand. Once we reached the cage I turned to Florence and lifted up to towel. "This is much worse then we expected Officer Smith! Come here and see for yourself!" I shouted to him. He rushed over, looking concerned. Both he and Florence and I peered in.

It was a tiger cub.

The cub peered back at us unafraid, and pawed at the bar, looking for food. "It's imprinted on humans. It's not a wild animal anymore." I informed the officers, as I walked over to the now arrested smugglers. "Do you know what you've done?!?! It's not wild anymore. This cub can never go back to the wild where it belongs!" I scolded.

"Blossom. I have a request to make of you." Officer Smith said, placing a gentle and caring hand on my shoulder. "Since this cub is now no longer wild, and you specialize in wildlife, we were wondering if you could take it." I nodded numbly in reply. "Of course I'll take the cub. Come on Florence. We gotta get this little one home."

Once we got home, I began fixing up the wildcat enclosure.

"I will take care of everything. You go rest Florence. Please. It's been a long night for us both." I said, reaching for a blanket just out side the enclosure where the cub would be staying.

"Fine. But don't forget to do a check up on the cub! Who knows what she's been through!"

"She?" I questioned.

"Yes. I gender checked her on site. She was a little angel while I checked her."

"Shiela."

"Huh?" Florence asked.

"I'm gonna call her Shiela. Now go. I'll take care of getting Shiela settled in." I said as I hurried over to the carrying kennel that Sheila was in and lifted her out, gently carrying her to the wildcat enclosure. I set her down and watched as she smelled the food placed in her kennel and jumped away.

"Hey Florence! Come here for a second will you?" I yelled. A couple seconds later a very annoyed Florence popped her head out of the bathroom down the hall from the door that leads to the wildcat enclosure. The upside about living at a wildlife center: there's plenty of room and you can design it any way you want.

"What is it this time?!" Florence asked.

"Come see this. She's refusing to eat the cub mixture." I explained to a  confused Florence. The cub mixture is a mix of chopped meat and milk formula.

"I've never seen any animal refuse this mixture! Unless............" I trailed off. I had a feeling we would have to visit the smugglers so we could find out information about Shiela. I was about to turn and head to my room when I saw Shiela out of the corner of my eye. She had bounded back to the food and was sniffing it, this time lapping some up. "Ewwwww!"

"Did you just-?!" I asked, turning to Shiela.

"You can understand me?!?!"

Oh boy. There was a lot I have to learn about myself......

Hey everyone! If you haven't seen, I posted something about Wildlife Aid, for animal lovers all over. This book was inspired by Wildlife Aid's series Wildlife SOS. A big thanks to them for helping save wildlife in England.

                       ~wishes 😊

Word count: 1,211