Behind the Curtain ||DISCONTINUED||

Nothing but Water

Blaire's POV

I looked at the hoop with apprehension. The trainer had just lit it on fire, but it was a lot smaller than I usually jumped.

I inhaled a deep breath, then started to run forward. I MUST do this right, I cannot risk failure. I may end up like poor Asha, confined.

I leap forward, paws outstretched. BAM! I hit the ground running. The trainer whistles me over and speaks, then takes a bow. I follow suit.

The trainer leads me off stage, and puts me in a roomy pen. He walks off to help the other trainers prepare Tammy, the elephant.

I lay down, and lap gratefully from my water dish. My show lasted longer than usual, Pride Leader wanted to show off my skills.

I look up as a female trainer walks by, helping a bruised Asha to her pen. Poor Asha.

The trainer lays Asha down, whispering. She then pulls out a small bottle and has Asha drink it. It's a vial of medicine, which Pride Leader doesn't allow.

This trainer had always been kind though. Always trying to help us.

She leaves, so I walk to the barrier between our pens, and look over. Asha's beautiful coat is matted, and she has a thin scar running down her back. Her paw is bruised, and you can see her ribs.

The trainer comes back and tosses her a thin slab of meat, and me a fat juicy one. She barely has the strength to stand up.

I grab my meat, and toss it over to her. She looks up, and sees me. "Thank you Blaire, but won't you go hungry?" She says.

"I'll be fine, besides, you need it." I say, before walking back over to my bed and laying down. I slowly drift off to sleep.

A loud banging on my pen wakes me. My trainer is here, and he wants an early start.

I stand up, and he pulls me out of the pen and puts me in the arena. He goes over to a tall shelf, and pulls of the whip.

It is the length of a yard stick, and it has a flat, circular piece at the end. He pulls over Raze and Blade, two lions, and has us sit on tall stools.

He hits his leg and speaks in human tongue, but the meaning is clear. We jump forward, off the stools.

He whistles, and we begin the routine we've done every morning fur my whole life. After around three hours of constant training, the trainer brings out three fatty steaks and a large trough of water.

We eat, then lap at the water. A different trainer comes over and pulls Raze and Blade to a different training pen.

My trainer gets a hoop and lights it on fire. I get ready to run.

He whistles, and I leap forward, paws pounding at the packed dirt. When I'm just about to jump, the trainer whistles.

I jam my paws into the dirt, and I go flying. I fly forward and burn my snout.

Not a bad burn though. I stand up, then feel a hard burn on my back.

The trainer yells and raises the whip, then hits me again. He pushes me and hits, again and again.

Soon, I feel rivulets of blood running down my back. I rear up and run to the water trough, first putting my burning snout in, then drinking as much as possible, then submerging myself. 

It feels wonderful. The trainer is REALLY angry, and he drags me by my scruff to my cage.

"No food fur you today." He says, them fills a small trough with water and sets it down.

"That's all you'll be getting." He says, then walks away. I lay down on my bed with one thought in mind, "I failed."

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Heyyyy! So, recently I've been watching the Humane Society's Youtube, and I watched all these rescues of animals from horrible places, and then I saw this:

So, yeah... I mean, those animals are meant to run free! To hunt and climb, not be contained. That TIGER  ran from the trainer. Stop animal abuse, and remember, more goes on behind the curtain than on the stage!

Also, remember to check out the Humane Society's channel, they do a lot of rescues, they've rescued kittens, puppies, cats, dogs, donkeys, horses, mini horses, tigers, servals. So check them out and stop animal abuse!!!