Behind the Curtain ||DISCONTINUED||

Caught

I can feel tears welling in my eyes. Raze is gone. I don't know what they did with him, but I know he's gone. King is smiling, a manical grin. He holds an old riding crop, permanately stained red. It has a plated metal end, only sold under the radar in black markets. He pulls out his ring of keys, and unlocks our cages. I sit up.
Both Blade and I lean forward. We can't move for the shackles encasing us. Blade lets out a growl as King approaches. He places down a large bowl in front of both our cages. He leaves, and comes back. In his hands are two huge steaks. They smell heavenly.
He sets them down in the bowls in front of us. He also refills the water troughs.
Blade and I are both parched and starved. We strain at our shackles as King leaves again. My shackles pull at my legs, but I struggle. The meat smells so good.
A couple minutes later King cones back. He has a long chain, and at the end of the chain is a lion. The lion is very small and thin. It has a dark yellow coat, and a short, bristled mane.
King pushes the lion before our cages. He stares at the steaks. King dips his head, and the lion falls upon the steaks. He devours the one in front of Blade, but when he moves toward mine, he stops. He looks up at me. His eyes have an uncanny intelligence.
He grabs the steak in his jaws, and lifts his head.
Then, with a wild swing, he flings the steak into my cage. King lets out an outraged shout, but I have already fallen upon the meat. He grumbles and roughly shoves the lion into Raze's old cage. When he leaves, I slide Blade some steak through the bars of our cages, then turn to the newcomer.
On closer inspection, I can see that he is very thin. I can see every rib on his body, and his joints stick out. His fur really is almost yellow, with a light brown mane that has barely grown. One of his ears has a huge tear, and his eyes are like honey. He looks up at me.
"Hello." I say, in an almost purr.
"What is your name?" I ask.
"T-Tele." He stutters. He's barely an adult.
"Tele, while King was bringing you here, did you see another lion? With a dark mane?" My voice is brisk, to hide how worried I am.
Blade leans forward to hear what Tele says.
"N-no. I was brought outside of a big human machine and brought in here. Where are we?" His voice pipes up.
"A circus." I say simply. I almost let out my pent-up frustration, but I restrain myself.
"Tele, my name is Blaire. This is Blade." I turn my head and nod. Blade nods back. He very rarely speaks.
Tele nods, and slowly lowers himself to the ground.
"Blaire...why did you ask about a lion?" He looks up at me.
I heave a sigh, then say, "Because the lion who lived in that cage before you was just recently taken...taken away. His name was Raze." Just saying his name makes me sad.
"Was he...your friend?" Tele's voice is a whisper.
"More than that. Like a brother. Him, Blade, and I were all adopted to this circus together, we grew up together. And now he's gone."

Beyond the lion's tent, a small camper sits. Inside, four trainers sit at a round table.
"Well, the amazing three have been broken up." One, named Luke, says.
"Broken up? What do you mean?" Another one, Veronica asks.
"Aparently they attacked Mr.Clyde. That feisty one, Raze, started it. Mr.Clyde brought him out, and we haven't seen him since." Luke says.
"Yeah, and they've already replaced him. With this little one named Tele." Another trainer, simply called Pip by the other trainers, pipes up.
"Ha. Trying to replace Raze? We trained those three since they was cubs, they're in the lion tamer act! And now ones been replaced." The fourth trainer, Jarah, laughs.
"Yeah. We've got a show tomorrow as well. Pity, the lion tamer act was supposed to be the main event. Maybe Mr.Clyde will cancel it?" Veronica says.
"Don't kid yourself. Clyde won't give it up. He'll do the act, even if he has to work those lions to death!" Luke's tone is meancing.
"He's horrible." Pip says, his voice full of hatred.
"That's the Del'cour Circus for ya. Horrible." Jarah's voice echoes in their heads as they leave to turn in for the night.

A small figure darts behind tents and carts, trying not to be seen. It enters a rather small tent, and walks over to another figure, waiting for him. He removes his hood.
"Hello Jackson." Annamarie's voice rings through the air.
"Hey. I got the medicine. Listen, Anna, I won't do it again. Clyde already doesn't like me." His voice is shaky.
"It's fine, Jackson. It was just this once." Annamarie takes the vials of medicine from Jackson.
"Be careful, Anna." He says, before departing.
Annamarie creeps to the back of the tent, where the tigers are. She enters the cage of the battered Asha, and gently applies the medicine. Asha barely moves.
As Annamarie heads for the exit of the tent, a figure blocks the way.
"And just what do you think you are doing?" A voice hisses through the darkness.
Clyde stands in the tent entrance, a menacing look on his face.
"You know, medicine isn't allowed to be wasted." He takes a step forward.
"Mr.Clyde, please sir, I-" Annamarie is cut off.
"Guess I'll have to teach you a lesson."He takes another step forward.
"Please sir-"
Annamarie is cut off as Clyde hits her. She falls to the ground.
"No excuses."

_______________________________________

Just a quick question for the readers: Would you rather I focus more on the animals, or go a little deeper into the trainers?
Also, what do you think of Tele?

Remember to vote, and comment!