Disclaimer:
Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.
In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economic/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.
No copyright infringement intended.
Original characters are the property of the author.
Keeper of My Heart: Tiger Kisses
Ezekiel guides them to a wooden double door surrounded by plants and vines which shows a sign that reminds people not to enter unless they work for the zoo. Normally Carol would have been much more careful of following a random man, but she has kept her distance and studied Ezekiel and nothing in his gait or way of carrying himself tells her that he is lying. Ezekiel is, after all, dressed in a zookeepers garbs and they've passed various other workers who have greeted him warmly.
He pushes one of the doors and keeps it open so that Carol and Sophia will pass through.
"After you, milady, Princess," Ezekiel says with a nod of his head.
In her arms, little Sophia giggles, her eyes wide with happiness at being labeled a princess.
Once the door closes behind them, Ezekiel guides them through some gravel pathways, where another member of the zoo team waves at him, then guides them into a building. He codes in his passcode and the door unlocks.
"Do not think of me as un-gentlemanly but I must go in first to make sure it is safe for you guys." He explains as he takes a step in. Carol waits until he beckons them in.
"Wow!" Sophia exclaims as they go into the room.
They have various habitats behind glass, not as big as the ones they had outside, but big enough for animals to frolic. Each habitat is expertly designed, looking as if they've taken a cut off the wild and reset it inside. If the glass and walls weren't there, Carol would have thought they were outside. Some of the habitats have animals, but not the tigers they came to see.
"I've brought you in through the back door. The exhibition is open to the public, but you guys will witness the behind the scenes. That way we avoid bad children."
"Bad." Sophia agrees with him, not wanting another go with children who will not follow the rules.
"Yes, bad children. This way, your highness can enjoy the tiger cub on her lonesome." He agrees with Sophia.
Sophia gives him a shy smile after making sure with her mom that she is allowed to.
"Outside we have two cubs; Bast and Jeremiah." Ezekiel guides them further into the building until they reach a bigger enclosure. "When the exhibition takes place, they are the ones we allow our visitors to observe."
"Why them?" Carol asks.
"They are the strongest and even as cubs they can show how lethal a tiger can be. We show the young ones how they learn to hunt, how they learn to take care of each other. " He explains. "But my favorite tiger isn't part of the exhibition at the moment."
"No?" Sophia asks, just as curious as her mother. Carol can't help but smile at her daughter's curiosity. It is something Ed has yet to take from her and Carol wants to nourish it as much as possible so that her husband will never take it away.
"No. Shiva got hurt."
"Oh no," Sophia mumbles before turning to look at her mother with sad eyes, her chin already wobbling for a tiger cub she has yet to meet.
Carol leans forward and gently nuzzle her daughter's cheek. "It's all right Soph." She promises. "I'm sure Mr. Ezekiel helps take care of her, makes sure she gets healthy."
"Exactly."
Not quite convinced, Sophia turns to look at Ezekiel. "Where Tiggy?"
"Do you want to see Shiva?" Sophia nods enthusiastically. Of course, she wants to see the tiger cub, especially where there are no children to block her view.
Ezekiel moves towards the nearest door and once more keys in his code. The door unlocks and he goes in, leaving Carol holding Sophia.
No sooner does he call out Shiva's name that Carol sees the ruffling of vegetation through the glass of the enclosure. Out of one of the farthest clumps of bushes comes a tiny tiger, much smaller than the ones outside. She is obviously excited to hear her caregiver coming in and tries to rush to him in her excitement. That's when Carol notices the injury or the remains of. Shiva, about the size of a Labrador pup, limps her way over to Ezekiel who squats in order for her to reach him. Her front paw doesn't always touch the ground as she goes.
"Look, Mama!" Sophia exclaims excitedly. "Baby Tiggy."
"I can see." She reminds her as Sophia tries to get her to look in the direction she wants by squeezing her cheeks again and turning Carol's face.
"Ouchie." Sophia declares, noticing how the cub is limping. "Poor Tiggy."
Ezekiel walks closer to the glass with Shiva following him. Sophia starts wiggling in her arms in the universal toddler sign to be let down. After making sure no animals will suddenly appear, Carol lets Sophia slide down before placing her on the floor. She watches as Sophia walks over to the glass and presses both hands on it.
"Pwetty." She declares before squatting down so she can be at eye level with Shiva who, by now, has noticed her and moves towards the glass.
Carol joins her daughter, pressing her hand against Sophia's back to steady her; the last thing they need is for Sophia to lose her balance and slam face-first into the glass. "What colors is she, Soph?"
"Black," She starts listing. "White, owange!"
"Correct."
Sophia squeals when Shiva presses herself to the glass, passing her whole body against it, her fur plastered to it. When Shiva turns and suddenly stands on hind legs by pressing one of her front paws against the glass, the other paw folded against her, Sophia gasps in surprise and leans back. Before Carol can stop the movement Sophia lands on her butt slightly hard.
"Whoops." Carol tries to not give importance to the fall, knowing that if she doesn't show worry Sophia wouldn't think she was hurt, but Sophia surprises her by giggling instead and playfully moving her feet side to side, completely uncaring of her fall.
"Touch Tiggy?" Sophia asks as she scoots closer and once more presses her hands against the glass, folding her legs under her.
"I'm not sure we can do that, sweet pea," Carol admits to her. "She's hurt, remember?"
"Oh yes," Sophia says in a soft tone.
Ezekiel surprises her by reaching for the tiger cub and cuddling it in his arms. Once he's got her secure, he moves towards the door, keys in his code then opens it.
For all her bravado, Sophia quickly moves to her mother's leg, arm wrapped around it.
"Do you want to touch Shiva?"
Sophia nods against her leg but doesn't move away from Carol. Instead, she looks up with her big hazel eyes, asking permission to touch the cub.
"She won't hurt her, right?" Carol asks not wanting to expose her daughter to danger.
"Her claws are sharp but she won't release them unless she feels she's in danger. Her injury has needed a lot of tending to and thus she is used to human contact. I have a good hold on her so the chances of her hurting Princess Phia is minimal."
"Pwease!?" Sophia begs, giving her mother her best puppy eye look.
Carol takes in a deep breath and bends down to pick up her daughter. With Sophia secured on her hip, her little legs tight around Carol's waist, Carol reminds her to be gentle. "Not too hard, remember she's hurt."
Sophia nods eagerly.
"Hold out your hand, let her smell you," Ezekiel instructs Sophia who quickly does as told. Shiva leans forward and flares her nostrils as she takes in the scent of the two new people in front of her. Once she's gotten her fill, she presses her furry forehead against Sophia's palm.
Sophia wiggles in her mother's hip in excitement but doesn't move her hand.
Shiva moves back then cuddles against the crook of Ezekiel's arm.
"Do you want to touch her, Lady Carol?"
Carol would have normally shaken her head no, but seeing her daughter be so brave gives her the push she needs to be as curious as Sophia was.
She repeats the movements Sophia has done, though this time Shiva keeps her head against her hand. "She likes you," Ezekiel explains. "Trusts you. I think she has recognized you are Sophia's mother."
"That's a good thing, right?"
"A very good thing."
"Down?" Sophia asks. Carol is about to answer when she notices her daughter is not addressing her but is instead talking to Ezekiel.
"Do you want to play with her?" Ezekiel asks her, amazed that Sophia doesn't seem scared at all.
Sophia nods, her thumb once more going to her mouth. This time Carol does take the thumb out of her daughter's mouth, knowing she's doing it out of habit instead of uncertainty.
"We have to go into the habitat, will that be all right?"
Again Sophia nods and once more does the wiggle to be let down. Carol puts her down and no sooner has she done so that Sophia is marching towards the open door, entering the habitat as if it was just another room she was used to going in.
"Come, Mama!" Sophia beckons her. "Pway with Tiggy!"
Carol chuckles and follows her daughter inside then waits for Ezekiel to walk in and close the door behind him. Ezekiel squats once more and places Shiva on the ground in between his legs. He grabs hold of her before beckoning Sophia to them.
"Careful, be gentle." Carol reminds her, moving along with her daughter, staying close by in case she has to snatch her out of harm's way. She trusts Ezekiel, although she doesn't know why, to know what he is doing, but she's a mother and Sophia's well being was her top priority. It doesn't matter to her if she is defending Sophia from an abusive father or an overzealous tiger cub.
"Gentle," Sophia promises as she finally reaches Ezekiel and Shiva.
With Ezekiel guiding her hand, Sophia is soon petting Shiva as if she were just a regular cat. "Soft." Sophia decides.
"She is soft."
"How did she get hurt?" Carol asks Ezekiel, suddenly curious as to why a cub with such a sweet disposition had ended with an injury that not only takes long to heal but also needs human supervision.
"Shiva and Bast are from different mothers. She was playing with Bast, practicing their hunting when she bit Bast's tail while playing. Bast cried out and her mother reacted on instinct and shoved Shiva out of the way. Shiva is smaller than Bast and the shove threw her out of the rock they were at. She didn't land right, broke her leg in three parts. We took her out, fixed her up as best as we could. It needed surgery. She's doing much better but still needs plenty of rehabilitation."
Sophia continues petting Shiva, saying 'poor Shiva' under her breath over and over.
"Unfortunately her mother has rejected her, so placing her back with the other tigers will be an impossible feat."
"They will hurt her," Carol concludes.
"Precisely," Ezekiel answers, his hand also caressing the top of Shiva's head. Shiva, for her part, shakes her head then nuzzles Sophia, her mouth opening to pass a tongue against Sophia's hand.
"Mama! Kisses!" Sophia informs her as Shiva passes her tongue over Sophia's fingers once more.
"That's right, she's giving you kisses." Ezekiel agrees with her, making not only Sophia smile but Carol as well. The fact that Ezekiel takes the time to include Sophia in their conversation without babying her, and reassuring her observation, is not passed over. It warms Carol in a way she has never felt before.
"What will happen to her?" Carol asks suddenly very worried over the cub her daughter is obviously connecting with.
"It is unsure. We will make sure she is fully healed before taking her out to the general animal population. Worst case scenario she needs to be placed by her own." Ezekiel replies honestly. "Best case, once she's fully healed, older and rehabilitated, the ambush will welcome her back. It almost never happens so we are preparing for the worst-case scenario. For now though, she's happy being the center of attention."
Shiva does look happy, all cuddled by Ezekiel. She is letting out a soft chuffing sound, not quite a purr but definitively a sound of contentment. "Isn't that right, Shiva?"
Shiva replies with another chuffing sound and a wiggle of her ears.
"Mama, kisses?" Sophia asks her, turning to look at Carol without removing her hand from Shiva's head.
"You want to give mama a kiss?" She asks Sophia surprised. Her daughter isn't one to ask if she can kiss her, usually peppering her face with kisses whenever she feels like it, unless her father is around, so her question surprises her. Sophia instead only shakes her head with a tiny grin.
"No," Sophia informs her. "Shiva kisses."
"Oh!" Carol exclaims, now fully understanding her daughter.
Sophia reaches for her hand and gently guides it to Shiva's head as if she has been introducing people to tigers all her life. Carol goes along with it, smiling at her daughter. Shiva accepts her touch easily enough and in no time she's chuffing loudly as Carol caresses her fur.
A quick check at her watch tells Carol that they have to leave soon if they want to make it back home in time to calm down from the zoo trip and have something cooked and ready to serve for Ed. She hates to break her daughter's happiness so suddenly but they have to go if they hope to be able to come back and visit Shiva and Ezekiel.
"Soph?" Carol says softly. "It's time to go baby. Can you say goodbye to Shiva?"
Sophia pouts once more, this time even more pronounced. She knows though that there is nothing they can do so she nods and turns to look at Shiva.
"Bye, bye Shiva." She says with a soft sad tone, caressing the cub's head and paw as gently as she can. Sophia suddenly stops her movement and turns to look at Carol with wide eyes and mischief.
"Take?" Sophia suddenly asks wanting to know if they can actually take Shiva with them. Carol laughs and Ezekiel chuckles along with her.
"I'm afraid not, sweet pea." She explains to her daughter. "She's hurt and she needs the help of the zookeepers."
"Later?" Sophia sneakily added.
"Oh, I wish we could, Soph." She says before bending to give her daughter's head a kiss. "But she's gonna get big and strong. We don't have space for her at home. She needs to be free and happy, surrounded by nature and we don't have that at home."
Sophia pouts, visibly deflating at the thought of not being able to keep Shiva.
"Plus, Ezekiel is going to miss her. She's going to miss him. We don't want them to be sad, do we?"
Sophia shakes her head, her pigtails jumping around as she does. "No." She still gives a little pout and a sigh.
"You are welcome to visit anytime, little princess." Ezekiel offers. "You can just ask any of the zookeepers and request an audit with Miss. Shiva. They will contact me and I will bring you to her lair."
Sophia's eyes quickly turn to look at Ezekiel, her little mouth dropping open. "Weally?" She asks. "Weally, weally?"
No man in Sophia's life has ever given her the importance that Ezekiel is now giving her, and Sophia's face shows not only the surprise but the complete giddiness that she feels. To any mother, this might have been just something that was expected for their kids, but Carol and Sophia's life, especially Sophia's, hadn't always been what was expected. To see someone who wasn't her mother show interest in what she wanted and facilitate her getting it, was something very new for Sophia.
"Really, really," Ezekiel promises, using one of his fingers to make a cross over his heart. Sophia giggles but does the same even though she doesn't really know what it means.
After Ezekiel has released Shiva and they have left the enclosure, Sophia quickly turns to look at Shiva and waves at her from her mother's arms. Shiva, despite being hurt, once more goes on both paws and tries to scratch at the glass as if trying to get them to come back or go with them.
"She really seems to like you both," Ezekiel comments as they make their way out of the building and through the gravel path. "I've never seen her respond to any of the families when she was part of the exhibition, not as she did to both of you."
"I think its the baby cuteness factor," Carol replies with a grunt as she secures Sophia once more against her hip. Sophia lays her head against Carol's shoulder and neck, her thumb moving to her mouth. Carol doesn't move it away because she knows her daughter is feeling a little emotional from leaving the tiger cub behind. "You can't say no to this freckled face, can you Soph?"
Sophia sakes her head against her mother's neck.
"Thank you, for letting us see Shiva," Carol says once they are back to the general area of the zoo.
Ezekiel gives them a soft smile, a light red color settling on his cheeks. Carol finds herself blushing as well and looking down.
If Ed were to see her now she would no doubt get a beating back at home, but there is something of Ezekiel that seems to make her forget Ed's existence completely. Something tells her that if it wasn't for time running out they could comfortably spend all day playing with Shiva and talking.
"It was an honor," Ezekiel replies, still blushing slightly, his hands locking behind his back. "The offer for play with Shiva is real. Just come in and ask any of the zookeepers for me."
"Thank you, you… you don't know what it means for Sophia and me."
Turning to look at her daughter, Carol searches for her eyes which Sophia tries to hide in a never-ending gave of peek-a-boo they've had since she was a baby. "Can you say thank you, Ezekiel?" Carol asks her.
What Sophia does next thoroughly amazes her. Not only does she turn and move her chest away from Carol in order to find Ezekiel, but she extends her arms out in the universal sign to be picked up. Ezekiel turns to look at Carol, asking permission to accept the hug. Carol is almost astonished at what she is witnessing but eventually nods at him.
Sophia is transferred from Carol's motherly embrace to Ezekiel's. She leans forward and plants a kiss on his cheek, giggling when his beard tickles her. She then wraps her arms around his neck in a tight hug before pulling back and saying "Thank you," in her soft, toddler voice.
When Carol extends her arms for her to come back, Sophia goes willingly then settles as she once was with her body leaning against Carol and her little face tucked into her neck.
"Thank you," Carol whispers once more before starting her way away from Ezekiel and out of the zoo.
She can feel Sophia waving as they move away and can't help but turn to look over her shoulder only to find Ezekiel waving back.
She doesn't know how they ended the day like this, but she knows it is a day neither she nor her daughter will soon forget.
Term explanations:
1) Ambush: name given to a family of tigers.
2) Chuffing: the sound tigers do to show their happiness. Since they cannot purr they do a chuffing sound.
