(NOTE: I'm updating with the first three chapters tonight, but they were already on AO3. Generally speaking, I update faster on AO3 because I get more attention there. If you'd rather read this story there, that would be cool. If you'd like to stick to reading it here, I'll try to never be more than a day behind my AO3.)
Here you go, lovies. This is the prologue, and it's not written up to my usual standards in the fact that it's a little shorter and there's less actual action up front, but I'm not changing it because I like this chapter how it is. Thank you for reading a WIP, this is mainly just something to goof around with in my down time and to motivate me to work on my original. (I.E, "You can't write another chapter of this unless you finish your writing with your original for today")
The sun was shining, the air was warm, and Dean Winchester had a pep in his step.
After all, this was his big chance to impress his boss.
Ever since he'd been little, he'd had a fascination with big cats. Cheetahs, lions, lynxes, and most of all, tigers. However, despite his advanced zoology degree and volunteer time during college, they don't just start you out with the big guys. No, Dean had been zoo-keeping lizards and snakes and parrots for two years now.
Not that that was bad. He loved lizards and snakes and parrots, too. He even got to work with the polar bears once, which he still accounts as the most fun day he's had since he started this job. He could remember as a kid, gazing up in fascination at all of these animals.
However, there was just something about tigers. He wanted to be the keeper of the tigers ever since he was fifteen and did his English report on conserving their habitat. He can remember spending hours when he was younger going through pictures and fantasizing about the day where he would be able to work with the magnificent beasts.
That's most of why he became a zookeeper in the first place.
Of course, yesterday was the biggest step yet.
He'd strolled into Bobby's office, ready to ensure his assignments and complete his work for the day. Bobby looked unamused by the pep in his step, but Dean paid it no heed. Nothing amused Bobby.
Even if he was a little moody, though, he was like a second dad to Dean. A dad whose relationship with him didn't make him want to run to the nearest therapist.
Dean grabbed his chart and turned, boots clacking on the floor as he looked everything over. Bobby cleared his throat loudly, and Dean looked up, raising an eyebrow.
"Is there a problem, sir?" Dean questioned. Bobby waited for a moment before he answered.
"You know how we're getting in that new Snow Leopard?" He questioned, taking his feet off of the desk. Dean felt uncertainty rise up within him as Bobby scooted forward. Usually, that behavior was reserved for whenever there was something incredibly wrong. Dean quickly went over everything he could have fucked up in his head.
"Yeah, I guess." He responded. Actually, he was more than aware. The Zoo had been marketing it ever since they had gotten the confirmation last month. These animals were shy, but this one in particular was dangerous. They were informed that, due to being captured in the wild, this one was a little more temperamental.
Dean could understand why, though. He'd seen the tiny cage that that place was keeping him in, and he wouldn't wish something like that on his worst enemy. The poor guy would probably settle down once they got him here, to their larger facilities.
"Well, I need a keeper who's experienced enough to handle him. However, all the ones that are qualified have their hands full." He said, leaning forward so his elbows were on his desk. Dean swallowed. "You'd better not fuck this up, you idjit."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Dean questioned, feeling his excitement slowly rise. Bobby nodded his head, leaning back in his chair again. Dean tried to hold in his excitement at the idea, but couldn't stop the grin from breaking across his face.
"You start tomorrow. You'll care for him after dark, when he's in the sleeping room. Be careful not to get yourself killed. As long as you keep him well fed and don't instigate anything, you should be fine." Bobby said, reaching over to get a file. He tossed it across his desk and towards Dean, and Dean watched it land with satisfaction.
Inside, there were instructions for caring for the animal.
It recommended that keepers don't try to directly interact with this one, but Dean knew better. What it meant was: Don't interact unless the animal knows and recognizes you as a protector and provider. Of course, that time would be months away from now.
He would interact with it eventually. After all, Dean would need to be able to clean out its cage in the night. Food and water might need replaced while the thing was in confinement. There were a lot of reasons why he might have to face the leopard.
He just had to be careful not to let that happen too soon.
"Yes, sir." He said to Bobby, tucking the folder underneath his arm. Bobby rolled his eyes.
"Get out of here. Don't let me down, boy."
Dean watched as the leopard moved in its cage.
It was graceful. It looked angry as it's body moved fluidly across the floor, never stopping or miss-stepping. It had precise, calculated strides. He thought that, over all, it was one of the most beautiful creatures he'd ever seen.
Large, powerful shoulders, a strong jawline, scattered spots across its crystal white coat.
His, not its. Dean mentally corrected himself. The animal was male.
He'd done the routine maintenance on the leopard's enclosure that night. It was roomy and exotic, with a large pool of cool water in the center in case the leopard felt like taking a dip. Over all, Dean was anxious to get the animal to his new home.
Right now, he watched as the graceful predator paced around his sleeping room.
Even his sleeping room was larger and more comfortable than the place he'd been kept before. It had a couple of plus-sized cat trees, and a hammock for him to lay in. Dean was certain that the leopard would enjoy his new home much more than he had his old one.
Which was why he decided that, even though he was technically supposed to wait until tomorrow, he wanted to let him have a look around today.
Dean snuck over to the door leading into the new enclosure, and he flipped it open. He saw the beast's eyes widen as his head snapped up. He turned, slowly, to look Dean right in the eye.
Cold, blue irises met his own. The look was intelligent, not questioning. It was as if the leopard knew exactly what was going on. The gaze was intense, and far too human for Dean's tastes.
He forced himself to look away, eyes falling on the cold floor. He counted to thirty before he looked back up, half-expecting the predator's eyes to still be on him.
But, that was crazy, right? Dean had never been one to indulge in fantasy, and thinking that the animal had the kind of intelligence he seemed to have would be ludicrous.
Dean let a sigh of relief slip past his lips as he looked back and saw that the beast was gone.
His fingers wrapped around the cold metal of the lever as he pushed the door shut again, leaving the animal in his enclosure. He turned, trying not to feel guilty. Somehow, it felt like what he had just done was a trick.
He shook it off as he walked over to the supply closet, grabbing one of the extendable hoses.
After all, while the leopards are out, the zoo keepers will refill their water bowls. That's how the saying goes, Dean's pretty sure.
He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, though. It was all-consuming, coming from every angle, as if the leopard was still there. He forced it down as he unlocked the door into the small sleeping quarters.
Everything was quiet. The silence, combined with his feelings from earlier, make Dean feel uneasy. His shoes echoing as they tapped across the floor almost made him flinch. In the deadly quiet, he felt like he could hear his own heartbeat.
A shadow fell across the floor of the already dim room, and he jumped, muscles tensing as if waiting for an attack.
He mentally hit himself over the head for being an idiot and took a few more steps, pulling the hose lever down as he approached the water bowl.
Adrenaline still pumped through his system, and left him unable to relax fully. The air seemed thick with anticipation as he topped off the water bowl, which had lost some of its water in the humidity of the sleeping house. He shut it off, and breathed out a small sigh of relief.
He shouldn't have come in here in the first place, but now, he could easily go back out. He would open the door to the enclosure again, and instinct would take the leopard back into the sleeping house with his food. In a couple of hours, when the thing was back in its cage, Dean could go home and forget about how trippy it was to be in there. He turned, stepping towards the open door.
Suddenly, something shifted above him.
Dean jumped back as cold, blue eyes looked down at him from above. The thing jumped from its perch, landing gracefully. Dean half expected him to make a run for the open door, half-hoped that he wasn't being looked at like dinner. He knew that both of these assumptions were incorrect.
The leopard's eyes were wide, and heavy with want. A low growl escaped his throat as Dean stepped back, putting his hands out in front of him.
The predator had been lying in wait this whole time, safely unseen in one of the higher hammocks.
He pressed forward and Dean felt panic begin to rise. Oh, god, he couldn't remember the last time he'd told Sammy that he loved him. Then again, gazing into the lusty eyes of the powerful beast, he could hardly remember his own name.
He could smell something, light and sweet in nature. All together, one of the best things Dean had ever smelled.
They continued to move together. For every step backwards Dean took, the powerful beast took one forward. It was like a twisted dance, leaving Dean frightened for his life. He knew that this couldn't go on forever, but couldn't think of a plan.
Desperately, he moved faster.
His back hit the wall, and he sank down it, knees coming up to his chest as he breathed heavily. The leopard inched forward slowly, claws clacking against the concrete floor. Strangely, Dean thought the sound was beautiful for such a situation.
Those intense blue eyes were peering into his soul, promising death.
Dean closed his eyes, breathing in sharply. If he was going to die today, he didn't want to have to watch it. He wanted to pretend like he was somewhere else, with someone else, dying at the ripe age of seventy-five while his grandchildren played in the yard, or something cliché like that.
He braced himself for pain.
Every sensation: the warm breath on his face, the tickle of whiskers as the cat leaned in and scented his neck, the feeling of fur brushing against him as he leaned into the leopard rather than away, seemed to be magnified. Every touch felt like razor blades across his skin, and he embraced it. There was nothing else to do when death seemed inevitable.
Slowly, he felt the press of a paw against his bare arm. Claws pushed against his skin, breaking the surface like a steak knife against a mound of butter. He breathed sharply as he felt blood begin to trickle down from his arm, and admired the sharp pain that came with the cat's slow swipe.
The beast nuzzled Dean's neck, and he didn't fight. He bared it in submission, fear putting him into an almost-trance. The big cat made a noise that sounded almost like a chuckle as he opened his mouth slightly, inhaling Dean's scent. Dean just hoped that he didn't smell like a late-night smack.
The warmth was gone from his neck, and back at his bleeding arm. Slowly, the cat's tongue came out to lap at the blood, closing off the wound. It burned painfully for a second before the sensation turned oddly comforting. Dean's eyes opened, being unable to fight the leopard's allure any longer.
Pleasure seemed to seep into his bones as the predator's eyes met his, and Dean's breathing almost stopped.
All at once, the beast turned away.
Dean watched as he stalked to the other side of the cage, climbing onto one of the lower cat-perches and lying down. It took Dean a few moments to realize that this was his cue to not get eaten, and he stood.
He slowly inched his way along the wall, feeling like it had taken forever to get to the other side.
He vowed to never tell anyone about what had just happened, as soon as he was out of the door. He fumbled with the keys, hands shaking as he made sure that the enclosure was locked. The big cat watched from his perch, eyes seeming to bear into Dean's soul.
Dean left immediately after that, not being able to stand that stare.