My eyelids fluttered open, the distant sound of a lion roaring waking me. I yawned, stretching my arms out and rolling over on my side. At least I didn't have to drive to work, given the fact that I live at work. My boss, Russell, offered me a cabin out the back of the park, but not too far way from everyone. I liked it. Add a few personal items and you can make a place feel like home in no time.
I rose from my bed and got dressed into some clothes I randomly grabbed off my dresser.
Of course, I loved the jeans, even if they had massive rips in them. Oh well, nobody ever said that your clothes wouldn't get ripped when you handle animals that have massive claws.
Now, you're probably wondering what I actually do here, aren't you? I take care of the wildlife assigned to me by Russell. Which consists of the big cats, the small pack of African Wild Dogs, and a rather cheeky band of Meerkats. I love my job. Ever since I was a little girl, my Mom would always tease me about "being one with the wild".
I walked down to the storage shed, where we kept all the animals' food, and started placing a heap of meat into a nearby wheelbarrow. It stunk, but it made the cats happy. Pushing the wheelbarrow along I made my way to the lion's den. As soon as I got near, they jumped up from where they sat and trotted over to me, some standing on their hind legs with their paws gripping the mesh fence, the others pacing back and forth waiting for their breakfast.
"You guys hungry?" I said cheerily to them. One of them, an old lioness we had named Mika, huffed in response, as if she was agreeing with me. I grabbed a heavy piece of butchered meat and hauled it over the top of the fence and into their enclosure. The lions pounced at their food and dug in, the males letting the females eat first. I laughed a little bit - even lions have manners.
"Hey, Sophrose!" I heard someone yell out to me.
I turned my head to where the voice came from. My boss, Russell, was jogging over to me, looking out of breath, his long black hair in his face from the run. "Hey Russ, what's up?"
It was always casual here. "We've got a visitor just by the giraffe pen. He's - well, how do I say it?"
"Weird?" I suggested.
"Very," he chuckled, his brown eyes twinkling. "Can you go and keep an eye on him, please?"
I looked back at the lions. "I wasn't done here though," I said with a pout.
"I can take care of your babies," Russell teased, "now, go to the weird guy, please?"
I rolled my eyes. "Sure thing Russ, see ya."
I made my way to the giraffe pen. How weird could this guy be? When I arrived, the first thing I heard was a loud, booming voice. "How do you humans find such bizarre beasts?"
My eyes widened. Ok, Russell was right. This was going to be a tough one. I approached the strange man. His appearance was... , blonde hair, sea blue eyes, and muscular build. I couldn't help but think that this guy was something else. Shaking off my thoughts, I stepped in front of him.
"Um, excuse me? Is there a problem, sir?" I asked, my voice shaking a bit. He was much, much taller than me. Oh, who am I kidding? He's a freaking giant!
He looked down at me with a pleasantly amused expression. "Of course not, fair maiden! May I ask where you collected these beasts from?"
Fair maiden? Well, that's a new one. "The giraffe's? Um, They can be found almost anywhere in the African plains."
"I see!" he said enthusiastically, gazing up as one of the giraffes stretched it's neck out and wrapped it's long tongue around some leaves in a nearby tree.
This guy must be foreign, I thought, my curiosity growing. "What's your name?" I asked.
"Thor, son of Odin," he said with pride, bowing.
I couldn't help the grin that appeared on my face. This guy may be weird, but he was surely something else. "I'm Sophrose Collins, nice to meet you."
He gave me a small smile. "Well, Maiden Sophrose, I am glad to have your company."
An idea came to me. Since Russell wanted me to keep him busy... "Have you seen much of the park yet?"
"I'm afraid not," he replied, "I found myself in awe of the beasts you called giraffes."
"How about I show you around?" I offered, shifting my weight to the side a bit. "I'm on my break, I guess, and I really have nothing to do, so... How about it?"
Thor's face lit up, a broad grin stretching out. "That sounds fascinating! Lead the way, fair maiden!"
I showed Thor around half of the park. He was like a big child in a toy store. When I showed him the tigers he asked me if it were possible to purchase one. We were heading to the main building when Anna, a sweet Chinese girl that worked here, came running up to us.
"Soph! We-I-need you're help!" She said between breaths.
"Calm down!" I urged her, rubbing her back. "What's going on?"
When her breathing calmed down, she looked up at me with nervous eyes. "Anaya, the pregnant jaguar's going into labour! We need you to help with the birth, since she only trust you to get close to her."
I nodded. "Ok, I'll be there."
"Thank you!" Anna cheered, before running off.
"What is going on?" Thor asked, clearly confused.
"One of our animals is giving birth, and I have to go help her," I explained.
Thor pursed his lips, thinking. "May I come observe?"
Well, Russ did want me to keep an eye on him. "Fine, but just keep your distance from the jaguar."
I patted Anaya's soft furry head, calming her. This was her first pregnancy, and she wasn't keeping calm. If any of the cubs got stuck, I'd have to reach up there and gently pull them out. She started to push, and I got ready to help. Thank God I have gloves on! Anaya yowled in pain, her roar echoing off the walls.
"It's ok, it'll be over soon," I cooed softly.
About half an hour later, a small spotted cub appeared. I reached out and untangled out from the sac, quickly positioning the cub in front of the tired jaguar. The cub was big - unusual for most jaguar cubs. After more and more panting and yowling from Anaya, her second cub was born. I felt rather emotional. It's not everyday you get to bring new life into the world.
"Well done, Sophrose," Russell congratulated me, grinning. "I knew you had it in you!"
I let out a loud sigh. "It was pretty intense, I'll admit that. But, I'm glad I did it."
Thor came up to the two of us. I almost forgot he was here. "You... have talent," he admitted, smiling softly.
I nodded, my face slightly burning up. "It's just what I was trained for," I said with a dismissive wave of my hand.
"I think you deserve the rest of the day off for that, don't you agree?" Russell grinned at me.
My face lit up. "Thanks Russ!"
I left the medical ward, Thor following behind me. "You are an interesting woman, Sophrose."
I spun around, surprised. "Um, thank you?" It came out more as a question.
He took one of my hands on his. "I'm glad to have met you. Now, I must go."
I nodded, slightly crestfallen. "It was nice meeting you, Thor."
"And you, fair maiden."
I watched him walk away, heading for the exit. For a strange man, he was nice. Exhaustion took over, and I slowly made my way back to my cabin. I felt at peace.
My peaceful aura didn't last long though, when a hand clamped over my mouth and roughly pulled me against the wall of my cabin. I struggled with my captor, which made things worse. I saw in the captor's free hand a syringe with a dark liquid in it. pulling my sleeve up, the dark liquid was injected into me.
The hand went off my mouth. I opened my mouth to scream but felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, blacking out.
