Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
“She must’ve been in pain.”
“Yeah, she was growling and carryin’ on. So, I had to tranquilize ’er to get her to my house. While she was under, I cleaned up her wound real good. Stitched it up in no time flat.”
“Were you able to confirm that it was an actual bite, or maybe it was a cut?”
“It was definitely some sort of bite. It wasn’t deep, but whatever did it had a big enough mouth to take a chunk out of her. When she came to, she hissed and snarled. Scared as could be.” He smiled, as if this story were a fond memory. “I let her stay ’round me for a bit longer that day. Fed her and whatnot. She warmed up after a couple of hours.
“I proved I wouldn’t hurt her. When I let her go later that night, I noticed she started comin’ back a few days later. Found her way all the way back to my house. Her den at that time was far away. It started with her just staring at me from my front yard. Then she’d come closer and closer, until she got on my front porch. Lyin’ down. Resting. I let her be. Every now and again, I’d give her a bowl of water, or a fresh fish I’d caught from the river. Usually a largemouth bass. Then, one day, she disappeared.”
“Where’d she go?” Poet found herself mesmerized by the man’s storytelling. He had such a deep, rich voice, and he was speaking about one of her favorite topics in the whole world.
“To make a new den, ’parently, because she was pregnant.” Poet gasped enthusiastically. “She started showin’ up again, and by then, I could tell she was pregnant. Then, she disappeared again. Got quiet. She came back ’bout two days later. She was making this cute meowing noise, over ’nd over. Callin’ for me. I came outside, and she started walkin’, lookin’ behind to see me every few steps she took. She wanted me to follow her. So, I did. It wasn’t long before she was at her den showing me her kittens. That’s how much she trusted me.”
“You know you’re pullin’ on my heartstrings, right? I can’t take it!” She laughed, and her eyes watered as her heart warmed. He smiled at her, and nodded.
“Persia, I believe, has had a hard life. Of course she can’t confirm it, and I don’t know it for certain, but it’s just a feeling that I have. Wherever she lived before here really made her tough as nails. It was an honor that she warmed up to me. When I followed her that day, I helped her hunt.”
“Why?”
“She needed the help. That wound was still healing, but doing much better. I didn’t do all the work, ’cause then they can get dependent on you, and that would mess up their instincts and everything. Unless you’ve got a cat sanctuary or somethin’ like that, I tell folks to not start that shit. That’s still a wild animal. Give them their space, let them do what they are supposed to do, and only intervene when necessary.”
“I completely agree. It’s best to be less involved.”
He nodded. Persia rolled over onto her side, and her kittens began to nurse.
“I didn’t do too much. Just a little bit so she could heal and rest some more. Brought her and the babies fresh rabbit meat, things like that for a couple of days.”
The kittens finished nursing and started playing again. One of them ogled Poet.
“What precious kittens, she has. They all are so gorgeous.”
“Yeah. She’s got adult kids out here now, too. This place is so big, they’ve spread out some, but Persia always stays close by now. Me and this beautiful girl have been friends for a long while. Ain’t that right, Persia?” He rubbed the top of the cat’s head, then gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Poet held back tears of amazement. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing… This motherfucker is like a modern day Tarzan.
“She’s absolutely stunning. Wow. I’ve seen plenty of bobcats around, but never this color. Never been this close to one, either. They’re so skittish ordinarily.”
“They can be. Attacks on people from a bobcat are rare, but not impossible. If they’ve got babies though, they’ll hurt you if they think you’re up to no good. Tear your damn throat out.”
“Yes indeed.” She sighed as she recalled a tale of a zookeeper getting half of his face snatched off by one. Rumors swirled that the bastard had been abusing her.
“Those paws?” He pointed at one of her paws. The cat now lay on the ground, enjoying a belly rub while her kittens brushed their bodies against his legs and knees. “Rip you to fuckin’ pieces. They’re not naturally aggressive, like you said. Just don’t want to stir them up is all. You wanna pet her?”