Chapter 18

We set off, Ferdie and I. Philip and Asha headed towards the paddocks. We tried to keep to the grass areas – I was barefoot and it was painful to walk on the gravel. I was beginning to notice a change in Philip. As reluctant and as doubtful he'd been just a few hours ago, I couldn't help but give him some credit for his insight. The boy certainly has a flair for planning and strategy.

"How about some of the big cats?" asked Ferdie. "I'd love to see the damage caused by some of those kitty claws."

We were nearing the lion enclosure. The huge, double fence loomed above us. In the distance, we could see the lions sunbathing lazily whilst tourists in their cars snapped madly. I stared in apprehension at the fence – the thought of chasing a lion and acquiring its DNA make me a little more than nervous.

"Let's give the lions a miss," I suggested. "I don't know about you, but I'm not stepping foot in that enclosure. There's far too much land to cross before to get to them. We'll get spotted. And I don't want anything acquiring me for lunch before I've got a chance to acquire them."

"No, me neither," replied Ferdie. "I don't want to be dead meat before this thing's even started. How about the other big cats? There's loads of others in smaller cages not far from here."

We approached the other big cats. A large, circular den for the tigers. A spacious, tree-filled area for the leopards. Other areas for pumas, jaguars and a snowy lynx.

"I'm going to go for that leopard," I announced, seeing a beautiful, spotted creature lying in the shade under one of the trees. "Is there any way to get in, opposed to climbing over the fence?" I laughed.

"Yeah," said Ferdie. "There are back door entrances for the staff only through that building on the left. There shouldn't be many people around – the tiger feeding starts soon."

Sure enough, most of the visitors were leaving the leopards and jaguars and crowding round the glamorous tiger pen. One glanced at my leotard and gave me a funny look. "Won't be able to do tigers then, with all those people around," I said.

Ferdie guided me through a small, windowless building at the back of the smaller enclosures. It smelled of raw meat. I guessed this was where most of the cats' feed were prepared. We walked down a narrow corridor, with doors on either side. Each door held a clipboard on a peg, detailing the animals housed within that enclosure, feeding times, any medical care, and all that. We stood outside the door marked leopards.

"Ready?" asked Ferdie.

I nodded reluctantly. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be ready. "Just as long as I don't get my arm bitten off in the meantime."

I pushed open the door and closed it behind me. There was a second door in front, creating a safety cage in case the leopards were to suddenly rush out of the door. I unbolted the second door, and slipped inside, re-bolting it as I went. I took a deep breath and looked around. Most of the place was hidden by trees. The whole enclosure was like a mini-wood. A lump of chicken meat, or whatever, lay stinking on the ground. I kicked it out of the way. A slight movement! I blinked in the sunlight and took a tiny step forward. One of the two leopards was lying on a rock, snoozing peacefully. It had twitched as I kicked the chicken, but had gone back to sleep now. A smaller leopard sat in the trees above me, its long tail hanging gracefully down below the branches. Well there was no way I was getting up there to acquire it. It would have t be the sleeping one.

"Hey, kitty, kitty," I whispered, moving quietly towards the leopard, never taking my eyes off it. "Hello, puss, puss. Please don't eat me."

I stood gingerly before the cat, mostly hidden from the public by the trees. The leopard was lying on its side, facing towards me. Good. I didn't want to creep up on it, and then have it attack. It slowly opened one eye, looked at me for a second, then went back to sleep. It knew it was perfectly capable of taking me out there and then if I tried anything stupid. I held my breath and took another step forward. My pulse was racing, butterflies dancing in my stomach. "Ooooh my god…" I said to myself.

I slowly reached out a hand to touch it. Its soft fur flickered in the light breeze. I slowly exhaled, then placed my hand of its flank. Immediately, I began to concentrate. The leopard, having fallen into the trance, dozed on. I backed away, having acquired the leopard. I stole a nervous glance towards the crowd, who, thankfully, couldn't see me, and backed quietly out of the room.

"Did you get it," asked Ferdie, once I'd reappeared.

"Yup. Pretty nerve-wracking experience, though, I can tell you!"

"God I bet," he replied. "By the way, I've chosen my next morph. "I want to acquire the lynx."

"Ok, sure. Hope you don't get as nervous as I did!"

Ferdie laughed uneasily and pushed open the door marked 'lynx'. He re-emerged a few minutes later, looking shaken, but happy. "Got it," he said. "Eurasian lynx, third largest predator in Europe after the brown bear and wolf. Largest of the four lynx species. Excellent morph, I'd say."