The Tiger and the Goat Part II
Els the Goat and Bill the Tiger share a few moments of silence as they sit down together on the hidden bench. The wind gently swims between them and through the beautiful trees. It is getting a little late in the day but the two creatures are only focused on the moment that they are sharing. They had spent some time together in the hospital, but the communication was limited and strained. Now that Bill has healed for the most part, the two have many things to talk about.
"I don't know where to begin." The tiger starts. "Well, let's start with how you are feeling." Els gives the large tiger a stepping stone to start the dialog. "The doctors said that I've regained most of the function with my voice but it will always sound like this." The tiger's voice is noticeably lower and gravelly. "It's not a big deal but I have to get used to it."
"I am so sorry Bill." The small goat looks for forgiveness in the eyes of the large carnivore. "Please don't start that Els. We both know that bad things happened and it wasn't your fault. The whole situation is because I was there. I was in the Black Market being a shitty person." The tiger lowers his head and puts his face in his hands. "I have thought about that day so many times in the last few months. I did some really stupid stuff but I am really thankful to be alive." There is a little bit of hope in his words and he lifts his face to look at Els. "It was not your fault. You thought you were going to die and you defended yourself. That is the best thing that you could have done." "Yeah, but I really feel crappy that I made your voice sexier." Els blushes noticeably and smiles. It is obvious that she is trying to lighten the mood and make Bill feel a little bit better. "Can I see it?" Els leans a little bit towards Bill's side of the bench. "Sure. It really is a great scar. You are going to get me so many chicks with this one." Bill matches Els wittiness and gives her a little bit of her own medicine. Els smiles and moves close to Bill. She puts her hand up and runs her fingers around his fur. There is a very large scar running across Bill's throat. It is unmistakable. "Wow. How could I have done that to you?" Els sinks back to herself. "Like I said, you thought you were going to die. You fought like an alpha." "You saved me like an alpha." Els responds in kind.
"Well what do we talk about now?" Bill asks. "If you are ready for it, I want to start where we should have started. The first time that I found you out here you were sulking by yourself. Can you tell me why now? Els turns to give Bill her full attention. "You want to start with the hardest part huh? Well you deserve complete honesty from me so…" Bill takes a deep breath and begins to explain himself to Els. "I have spent my whole life trying to be the ultimate alpha. Growing up in my family, I was expected to be the best at everything, and I was. I have stood out everywhere I have gone. It is the blessing of being a Bengal Tiger and a carnivore." When I got here to Cherryton, I was just another carnivore in a pack of very strong people. I needed to stand out to keep that status. I joined the Acting club to show off my outgoing personality. I played sports to show off my strength, and I said anything to get in the pants of the most popular girls." There was a little pride in his statement but mainly apprehension in his voice.
"There is nothing wrong with wanting to be popular but taking advantage of people is wrong Bill." Els says in a very soft voice. The message is there, but the execution is very timid. "I know that Els. Or at least I know that sometimes." Bill tries to give his point of view. "I am not justifying the things that I have done, but there are some situations that are very different for alpha carnivores than everyone else." Bill continues, "If you show too much weakness in your personality, you are no longer an alpha, you are a follower, and I know that is ok for some people, but not me." Bill is pushing out his chest a bit more now. "I am what I am." "I'm not judging you Bill. I just wanted to listen. You seemed like you needed to say something to someone and I was offering an ear. I didn't expect to get thrown under the bus in front of everyone." Els hangs her head in disappointment. "I am really sorry for that. I really am." Bill hangs his head as low as Els at this point.
"Look, it is getting late and my voice is going to give out soon so can we continue this a little later? Bill asks in a lighter tone. It does sound like he is struggling to talk a bit. "I'm sorry your voice hurts, and we can continue anytime you want." Els looks up to the tiger and gives him a little smile. "Can I walk you back to your dorm?" Bill stands and reaches his hand back to the attentive goat. "No, that's ok. I want to sit here for a few more minutes if you don't mind." Els is polite but she seems to have other things on her mind. "Please don't stay long, it is getting late." Bill pleads one last time to the goat and walks towards his dorm. Els sits for a few minutes in silence just listening to the wind. It is very peaceful here and she is pleased with her first conversation since the hospital.
The next morning Bill is in his dorm room with a few of his feline friends. The conversation is bouncing around the carnivores about their previous conquests. Jackson the Cheetah is prancing around the room boasting about sleeping with Yui a female leopard. "That girl was so hot. We walked down by the river where no one could see us and we had some fun. Check it out." The cheetah pulled his shirt collar down a bit and showed the attentive males a bite marks on his neck. "That chick was freaky. She wanted me to pull her tail while she bit me." The male Siamese cat named Yuto moved in close to inspect the wound. "Are you serious?" "Well take a look." Jackson beckoned the cat towards his neck. When he got close enough to see his ruffled fur, the cheetah yanked the cat's tail from behind. Yuto let out a loud scream that startled everyone in the room. "Yeah, she did that too." Jackson boasted. The entire room breaks out in laughter and spirited pushing and shoving.
The room calms a bit and Jackson asks, "Whats your deal Bill? Are you still messing around with Talia, or did you move on to that goat?" The cat calling picks up again and Bill is now the target of the taunting. Bill must save his alpha status, but doesn't really want to get into this conversation. "Let's leave that one alone guys. I'm still dealing with stuff." Bill turns his head away from the guys and tries to remove himself. "No kidding you are dealing with stuff. That chick gave you a nice scar." "What's wrong, take a horn for doing something stupid?" Yuto chimes in. "Els is a good girl and you should leave her alone." Bill responds with a light voice facing the wall. "Els huh, since when do you know the names of the Herbies that you mess around with? Yuto pushes Bill to the edge with the "Herbies" comment. (Herbies is slang word used by carnivores. It is used when a carnivore fools around with a herbivore. It is very derogatory and has slutty connotations.) Bill swings around faster than anyone can react and grabs Yuto by the throat and lifts him off of the ground a few inches. The rest of the room is too surprised to move or say anything. "She is a good girl and I am a piece of shit, and I better never hear that word come out of your mouth again, or I'll show you what it takes to get a scar like this one." Bill is in full alpha carnivore mode and is hurting the smaller cat a bit. He begins to choke and gasp for air. The other members of the room quickly jump up to the large tiger to pull him off of the injured Siamese.
"Whats gotten into you Bill? We all make jokes about girls. There is no harm in it. Yuto is just yankin your tail a bit." The cat expression has a bit of a new meaning in this situation. Jackson convinces Bill to drop the cat and back off. Yuto cowers in the corner trying to get his breath. "Why did you come back?" Yuto squeezes the words out of his bruised throat. Bill is taken back at the statement and walks out of the room. The other felines don't go after him; instead they tend to the injured cat Yuto.
Bill, coursing with adrenaline, walks down the hall to leave the dorms. He storms down the stone covered sidewalks by the school and finds a quiet place behind some trees to sit down. He tucks his legs in tightly and begins to cry. He tucks his face in between his knees and continues to sob uncontrollably. "I hate him. I hate him, and I hate me more." The words escape from inside the balled up feline. It doesn't seem like he is talking about Yuto, but someone more important to him. Bill continues to curse to himself for a while and just sit under the sunlight broken up by the tree limbs.
Meanwhile Els is deciding what the next step is in the Bill conversation. She has some sort of feelings for him but she doesn't quite understand how to sort through them yet. The guilt of her actions and the previous situations pushes her towards more kindness, but the feeling of betrayal that came from Rose makes her hesitate. "Maybe he needs more time. Maybe we both need more time." The goat thinks to herself while walking down the hallway towards her next class. It is late in the semester now and many students are thinking about exams and summer break. Els is no exception. She is a very smart student and she didn't let her studies slip one bit during the whole ordeal. She was on track to be an honor student and get into some very good colleges. Her mind constantly reminds her that she should keep an eye on her future at all times. She almost always follows the advice, but she is very lonely on this path.
Later in the day Els makes her way to dance practice. She is a wonderful dancer for the Drama Club and has performed in countless performances. It is something that she finds brings balance to her studies. Over the summer there is a performance in another town that the dance team is practicing for. It will be a fun trip to get out of the grind of testing and semester wrap ups. "How are you feeling today Els?" Ellen the slender zebra calls out. "Ready for the trip to the dance festival?" "I think so. I have been practicing very hard and I think I have the steps down." Els reassures Ellen since Ellen is a mentor in the dance squad. "I know you will do fine." Ellen is a good leader and constantly peps up her friends.
The rest of the squad is filtering in slowly and they start their stretches. "Hey Els, can I ask you a question?" Mina the very tall giraffe leans over and asks Els. "Sure. What is it Mina?" "Is there something between you and Bill? You two have been spending a lot of time together." The giraffe says politely and just loud enough for only a few others to hear. "I don't know. I have feelings for him, but I'm not sure what they are." It is an honest answer but one that others where not ready to hear. "He is an asshole carnivore Els." Ellen chimes in. Mina agrees and looks a little disappointed. "I know that, but deep down he is good." Els feels the need to plead her case to the other girls.
"His heart is strong, he just gets caught up in the alpha male thing." "I hear that." Ellen agrees. "There are so many males at this school that all try to be the big, bad, alpha. Most don't even know what it means to be a strong male. They strut around being loud and try to sleep with everything that smiles at them." Ellen's comment makes all of the other girls blush. "Well Ellen, who is your idea of a strong male?" Els directs the attention back to the zebra. "Well have you guys met Jack? He is that Canine Lab in the honors classes." The other girls are now intrigued. "He is smart, confident, and keeps his friends in line. I bet he would know how to treat a lady." Ellen's comments have made the other girls snicker now. "No I'm serious. I know he is a carnivore, but he is an elegant one. He has good genes." The other girls are now blushing and taken back by the comments. "Why don't you ask him out?" Els just comes out and says it. "What, no way. I'm just a dumb zebra. What do I have to offer the smartest boy in the school." "How about a little bit of this?" Talia the cheetah begins to flail her butt and tail around slapping the other girls as they are doing their stretches. The other girls make lewd gestures as well and thoroughly embarrass the poor zebra. "Hey Ellen, what's black and white and blushing all over?" Mina tries to make the joke, but it comes out in a weird way. The sophisticated ladies of the dance team all share a good laugh and continue their boy talk.
Back at the dorm, Bill has skipped all of his classes for the day. The teachers just assume that he is having trouble with his throat. He has been given many liberties since coming back to school. Lying in bed he thinks back to his conversation with Els. ZZZT. ZZZT. His cell phone goes off in his pocket. "Can this day get any better?" he thinks to himself. When he sees who is texting, his heart falls in his chest. The caller ID just says POP. A simple text from his father reads: "Are you still messing around with that herbie? Get your head together." This infuriates Bill. He throws the phone across his bunk hitting the wall. Thankfully it didn't break. ZZZT. ZZZT. He picks it back up and reads the next text: "We are coming to get you this weekend." He sinks in his bed. "Great." He says under his breath. He sits motionless for a few minutes and picks up his phone again. Bill pushes a few buttons on his phone in rapid succession. Click, click, click, send. He waits anxiously on his bed for a response. ZZZT. ZZZT. "sure this evening." He has asked Els to meet him at the normal spot. He needs to seek some advice about the situation.
Later that evening the tiger is sitting in his normal spot on the secluded bench in the cherry blossom trees. It is a little later than usual but he is still waiting anxiously for Els. He can hear the rustling of leaves and grass being bent. Els runs up from behind the trees and apologizes profusely for being late. "Dance class went really long today. I'm sorry." "Stop that, the whole being sorry thing. We have done a lot of that in the past." Bill is a little stern but quickly backs off. "Sorry." In a very timid voice, Els almost makes a joke. Bill smiles at her and pats the usual spot on the bench. Els sits down and asks, "What's going on?" "Will you be my girlfriend?" Els face is in pure shock. "For pretend I mean. My dad is coming to pick me up this weekend and I really want to stick it to him. Showing him that I am dating a herbivore would really set him off." Els sits stunned at both the initial comment and the subsequent retraction and retaliation. "What?" She didn't know what else to say. "Pretend to be my girlfriend just for a day. Please?" Bill is laying it on thick as normal Bill can. She wants to feel a little insulted by the thought but she also feels a little good that he could just say girlfriend so easily. "Why do you want to stick it to your dad?" Els asks. "I really hate the guy. He used to beat me and treat me like crap when I was a kid. He said it was to make me stronger, but it really just messed me up more. He hates herbivores and it would give him a heart attack if I were dating one." Bill is almost excited at the thought of this little plan. "Bill this is wrong." Els starts to get emotional at the thought of Bill's dad beating him but even more upset that Bill says it like it was no big deal. "Bill I don't know what to say about this. Your dad beat you? Els makes direct eye contact. "Yeah, he treated everyone like crap. I would really like to give it back to him." Bill is set on his plan now. "No. I can't do that." Els is tearing up now. "If you want me to be your girlfriend, please don't ask me as a joke to your father." Els gets up and runs towards the dorms sobbing. Bill sits stunned. He can't figure out which part of the conversation hurt her. He replays the conversation in his head several times but to no avail. "Maybe I said something wrong." He says under his breath as he heads towards his room.
The next morning Els is just as confused as the night before, but her resolve is strong so she begins to seek out someone to talk to. It can't be anyone in the Drama club. That would be too close to Bill. "I know. He is smart; he will know what to do." She says this to herself as she sets out to find the one person that might be able to help. The determined goat finds the carnivore dorm and seeks out the canine hall. She found out from Ellen that Jack lives in room 701. Els knocks on the door and waits for an answer. Moments later a very weary Lab boy answers the door. "Um…hello?" "Are you Jack?' Els asks quietly. "Yes…what time is it?" The weary Lab looks very confused at what he is seeing. "Oh crap, im sorry, it's about 6:30am. Where you not up yet?' Els looks a bit embarrassed at the fact that she didn't pay attention to that. "Well we are canines; it is a little tough for us in the mornings I guess."
Jack is polite to the herbivore. "What can I help you with?" "I need some advice and I thought that you might be the only person that could help." Els says in her most hopeful voice. "Give me a minute." Jack turns around and walks back into the room. Els can see several canines sprawled out on bunks, on the floor, and in cute little dog piles in the room. Jack puts on some pink bunny slippers and walks back out of the room closing the door quietly. "They need their sleep. Let's go over to the benches behind the dorm and talk." Jack leads the goat girl to the secluded spot and motions for her to sit.
"You are Els from the drama club?" Jack makes it a point to remember all of the people in his friend's lives. "Yes, I'm Els and I have a situation that I don't know how to handle. My girlfriends all said that you were the smartest person in the school. I thought you could help me." Jack listens to the girl's words and gets a little embarrassed at the praises of some random people he doesn't know. "Tell me the situation" Jack says in the most confident voice he can.
"It's complicated but, there is this boy that I kinda like. He is a carnivore. He told me that his dad is coming to the school to pick him up this weekend and he hates him. His dad beat him and treated him badly as a child and he wants to get back at him by pretending to date a herbivore, me." Els is very emotional and choppy with her story. She makes sense but there are lots of nuances that are left out. "I see." Jack thinks for a second. "You said you have feelings for this boy?" "Yes, but that is complicated." Els looks down at her feet. "Did you try to tell Bill how you feel?" Jack looks for her response. "I didn't know what to say to him." Els just responds instinctually but then thinks. "Wait, how did you know it was BILL!?" Els voice raises and is taken back at the deduction. "You said I was the smartest boy in the school." Jack just smiles at the terrified goat. "I would imagine you have some real guilt about the cutting his throat thing, but you know that wasn't your fault. Did you have feelings for him before the Black Market?" Jack is now asking very pointed questions. "How do you know about that?" Els is taken back again. Jack doesn't answer her question and just moves to the next one. "You do have feelings for him and you don't want to be a pretend girlfriend." His questions almost turn into statements without her participating. "I see your confusion." Jack ponders on this for just a few seconds. "If you care about Bill then you should try to help him talk about the situation with his father. There could be some trauma there that keeps him from saying his true feelings about things. Trust me, I have dealt with people wanting to keep their emotions in the shadows for a long time. Bringing his feelings to the light will lift a heavy burden off of him." The stunned goat girl just stares at the brilliant mind of the dog in front of her. Out of nowhere she jumps into his arms and gives him a large hug. Startled, the Lab accidentally kicks off one of his pink bunny slippers into the tree. Els releases the poor animal and runs away quickly yelling "THANK YOU" over and over again. Jack just smiles, takes a deep breath and looks up in the tree. "I wish I were smart enough to get that down."
Bill wasn't really welcome back in his dorm room but he stayed there anyway. The other felines just ignored him and went about their lives. It was a very awkward scene for such a close group of friends. It's early in the morning now and all of the animals in the feline dorm are stirring. There is a commotion in the hallway as a small herbivore is pushing past the large carnivores looking for someone. "Bill. Biilll. Can anyone tell me what room Bill the tiger is in?" Els is asking any and all felines that poke their heads out of their doors. It is a very uncomfortable situation. Not only is it a herbivore in the carnivore dorm, but it is also a girl. The early morning males are still undressed and very taken back by a female poking around. "Can someone tell me where to find Bill the tiger?" A very large lion steps out of his room with no clothing on. "Oh my." Els is face to waste with a very large carnivore. She cowers her face behind her hands and looks at the floor. "Excuse me Mr. Lion, can you tell me where I can find Bill the tiger?" "205" The lion reaches down and scratches himself with no shame. "Thank you." Els looks up again at the numbers on the doors and sees 205 just a few doors down. She quickly makes her way down the hall while the Lion watches then leans back in his door. Thud, Thud, Thud. The goat knocks on the door of 205 and awaits an answer. Jackson the Cheatah opens the door and asks, "Can I help you? Wait never mind." He turns back into the room and yells "Bill, it's for you." Jackson turns and proceeds back to his bed. Bill rolls out of bed and sees Els. "What the hell are you doing here!" Bill launches himself directly towards her. He grabs her hand and quickly escorts her out of the building. "You could have been hurt in there." Bill's panicked voice isn't as startling to Els as is the fact that Bill is standing in front of her in just his boxer shorts. Els instantly turns more red than anyone has ever seen. She looks down and covers her face. "I'm sorry Bill but I needed to talk to you." "Fine, but why didn't you just meet me at the bench?" Bill scolds the small animal a bit. "I was excited and really wanted to talk to you." Els seems like she has too much to say. "Ok, what is it?" The supercharged goat grabs his hand and begins to pour the words out of her mouth. " I have feelings for you but I am confused as to what they are exactly but I like these feelings. Second, I want you to share more with me about your father. I need to know about your childhood, I would like for you to open up about that and third I don't want to be a pretend girlfriend. I can be your girlfriend, but not a pretend one." The girl says all of these things in one breath and is now huffing and puffing to catch her breath. It is a silly scene at first until Bill starts to unpack what she has said.
"Can I put some clothes on and come back?" The large tiger almost feels a little embarrassed but not really for himself. "If you have to." Els voice trembles a bit and she cannot hide her face at this point. She is as red as a woodpecker now. "Stay right here." The tiger turns to head back into his building with a confident walk. The goat watches him all the way back through the doors and takes a deep breath.
A few minutes later Bill reappears in his proper attire for class. He is a lean and handsome creature. "I'm sorry for what I said last night Els. I didn't mean anything by the pretending thing. It was just a stupid idea to get my dad off of my back." Bill and Els begin to walk as they talk. "My dad is a jerk. He treats everyone badly and I am not looking forward to going back home. When I got out of the hospital all I heard were lectures of "you shouldn't be at the Black Market, you shouldn't be messing with things you don't understand, and you will never be with a herbie" Els just listens contently as they walk together towards the hidden bench. "I'm sorry for that word Els. He has ingrained it in my head. I grew up with that kind of talk and that kind of thinking. I even use it myself from time to time." The tiger is a bit ashamed. "What does it mean?" Els asks gently. "Sorry, I didn't even think that a herbivore wouldn't know a carnivore slang." Bill looks off into the distance and breaks eye contact with Els. "It means a herbivore slut." Bill explains. "I see." Els tries to look to Bills face for some sort of concession but he just stares off. "I've never been called that before." She smiles a little and reaches out to grab Bill's hand. It happens to be his left hand where he is missing a digit. Bill instinctually recoils when he feels the touch.
"Sorry. I'm still a bit sensitive about that." Bill doesn't give anything other than that. Els responds with, "Its ok. Let's just sit down." They have reached their special place. They both sit down and prepare for a real conversation. "Bill, I care about you. I don't know if it is like a girlfriend, but I definitely have feelings for you." The small goat swallows. "Do you have any feelings for me?" She has put herself out there now and is ready for any answer. Bill takes a deep breath and turns towards the girl that has made his last few days a rollercoaster. "I don't know. Huh." He ponders to himself for a second. "If you were a tiger, this would be so easy." Els doesn't know how to respond. "I don't mean it like that, I mean im glad you are a herbivore. I mean, I'm glad you are you. " Bill is stumbling over all of his words. "If I were a tiger, what would we be?" Els asks timidly. "I would be so into you. You are kind, thoughtful, you have lots of friends, you listen to my problems and you cared for me when I was hurt. If you were a tiger I could show you off to my family. I could show you off to all of my friends. I would…" Bill catches himself for a minute to see that the goat is in tears. He reaches down and puts his hand on her shoulders. "Im sorry Els. I'm just a stupid tiger." Els can feel the pressure on her chest from collapsing in on herself. She is thinking about all of the things that these two have gone through and she lets out a loud response. "No you are just a stupid boy." She pushes his hand off of her shoulder. "I am all of those things that you like and you want. I am that person, I'm just not a tiger. The only reason that matters is that you are not strong enough to be with a herbivore!" These words are not like Els. She is channeling a powerful persona. She pushes his shoulder and continues. "If you like me, you should be with me. Why do you run in fear from your friends or your dad?" She pushes the tiger a bit farther. "Am I not important enough for you to stand up to them?" Els can hear the words coming out but she knows that she is going too far. She is stirring up a very large carnivore. Bill tries to calm for a second, but Els pushes more. "I stand up for you all the time, could you not stand up for me?" This is the tipping point.
Bill turns in anger towards the small goat. "Look you don't understand. Every time I try to get close to a herbivore I get hurt." His voice escalates more and sounds more painful. "As a kid I wanted to hang around the herbivores and got beaten for it. I stood up to my dad about it and was slapped back down." His voice is getting louder and louder. "I would go to the black market to see the natural separation of things. It made sense. " He is towering over Els now. "That day that I was in the market, I was there to feed on a herbivore. I was confronted by the choice of following my instincts or sparing a herbivore and I was given this." Bill raises his left hand and gestures to where his finger was. Els notices that there is a little blood coming from his mouth. She wants to interrupt to help him but she is too afraid. "I hurt one of my friends just because I didn't want them to speak badly of a herbivore." His voice raises to almost a roar. "AND TO TOP ALL OF THAT OFF, I CHOSE TO SAVE A HERBIVORE FROM OTHER CARNIVORES AND WAS GIVEN THIS!" Bill gestures his hand around his throat. At this point his voice is almost broken and he is gurgling his words. "WHY SHOULD I PUT MYSELF IN DANGER AGAIN?" Bill accidentally spits blood in Els face. His voice is completely torn and he grabs his throat.
"I am so sorry Bill. I didn't mean to cause you this much pain. I won't bother you anymore." Els stands up with the blood on her face and turns to run away. Bill wants to stop her, but he knows that he went too far and things need to calm down. Els races away from the carnivore and disappears in the distance. He waits for a few minutes and decides he needs to go to the infirmary.
A few days pass with Bill recovering in his dorm room. The other felines no longer talk to him. He goes about his days with minimal effort towards the outside world. The school nurse has contacted his parents and has explained the damage that he has done to his old wound. It is decided that he will need to go back to the hospital to repair the damage. It is almost good news to Bill because he won't have to be at home over the weekend. Maybe the Hospital will be a little sanctuary from the world.
A few more days pass. Els has taken everything said to heart. She knows that she has caused the tiger a great deal of pain. Not just physical but also emotional. She takes a day or two off of classes. Everyone that knows her is very worried. It is not like Els to miss class. She must be sick. The other herbivores that are close with her leave little messages in her mail box at the school student center. The weekend has come and gone and she thinks about how well Bill did with his father on his trip home. As she begins to feel vulnerable again, she pushes the thoughts back out of her mind. "He can't be with me, I can't be with him." She thinks to herself as she lies in bed. She loses all track of time crying and sleeping. She tries to will herself out of existence.
Several more days pass and no one has seen the timid goat. Sheila, Ellen, and Mina decide to go looking for her. She is an important piece to the dance team and they have missed her for the last week. The semester is almost over and everyone is gearing up for their summer trips. The dance team is all set for the competition with the exception of Els. They try to find her at her dorm, but none of her roommates have seen her. They thought she went home for the weekend. They ask around to some of her other friends and it seems she has been gone for days. Her bed wasn't slept in and her clothes are still in a laundry basket. She wouldn't go home without her clothes. They are now very worried. "Do we call her parents?" Ellen asks. "We might get her in trouble if her parents are notified. Let's try to find her first." Sheila is confident in her solution. Hours go by and she is nowhere to be found. "Well there is one more person to try." Ellen doesn't like the thought, but it makes sense. She goes to the drama club office to look up the tiger's phone number. She sends him a text.
ZZZT. ZZZT. A number that he doesn't recognize comes up on his phone. "This is Ellen, have you seen Els?" The tiger is at home recovering from his second surgery and can't really speak. He types back. "Not for a while." Ellen responds, "She has been missing for a few days and we can't think of where she might be." Bill thinks to himself for a minute. He is apprehensive about telling them, but she might be in trouble. "There is a special place that she goes when she is feeling bad. Maybe she is there." He knows that if she is there, it is because of him. He explains to the zebra where to find the special bench in the forest. "Thank you Bill. I'll let you know if we find her." Ellen sends the text and runs to find the special place.
The three girls follow the instructions to find the forest and find the special clearing that Bill was talking about. They all scream out when they see Els lifeless under the old wood bench. They run up to Els and try to revive her. She is limp and unresponsive. Her clothing is soaked and she is very cold to the touch. It looks like she has been here for days. "What do we do?" "Hospital, now." The zebra springs into action. Ellen is strong enough to carry Els in her arms running towards the dorms. "Mina, you go get the nurse and call the ambulance. Sheila, go to her room and get some blankets." Ellen is a good leader and thinks well on her feet. The girls carryout the commands and help arrives very quickly. Ellen wraps Els in several blankets and holds her tight until the ambulance comes. She is taken away in the ambulance with the nurse and the girls are left behind to worry about their small friend. They just sit down in the grass and cry about what they have just seen.
Els eyes open slowly. She is in a familiar place, but she was on the other side of the bed before. She knows that she is in the hospital but she is too weak to really move. The pain behind her eyes is excruciating. She looks down and sees the IV in her arm. Everything hurts. The light is too strong for her weak eyes to take. She instinctually calls out. "Can someone turn off the light?" The voice is frail and small but it comes out anyway. She can't see who did it but the lights turn off very quickly. She closes her eyes and tries to calm them a bit. She feels her hand being picked up and squeezed. There is no sound or words shared. She opens her eyes to see what is happening and she can barely make out the shape of a large figure standing over her. Her eyes are just too weary to make anything out clearly. "Who is there?" Els whispers into the air. There is no answer for a moment, but her hand is squeezed harder. She waits to let her eyes focus on the figure above her. It is the large tiger Bill along with Ellen, Mina, and Sheila. Mina is bent over in the corner since these hospital rooms are so small. "Hi Bill." Els lightly speaks to the tiger. "He can't talk Els." Ellen informs her friend. "He has been here since we got you to the hospital. He is the one that led us to you." Sheila says proudly. "Thank you Bill." The small herbivore squeezes his hand back. "I am really tired. Can I sleep?" Els asks this request of her friends. "Of course." Ellen ushers the other girls outside. Bill just sits down in the corner. He doesn't leave her side.
Els wakes up later in the day. The pain Is a bit less now. She can open her eyes freely and looks around the room. There is Bill sitting in the corner asleep. "BILL!" the goat yells at the sleeping tiger. Bill almost falls out of his chair he is so startled. He composes himself and run up to her side. He gently leans over and grabs her hand. "Hi Bill." She doesn't know what to say really. He just smiles at her. "You can't speak?" He just shakes his head. "I hurt your throat again didn't I?" Els starts to feel horrible. Bill responds with a gesture of pointing to himself. Els begins to cry and it really hurts her face. Her head is throbbing and she feels ill. Bill squeezes her hand and violently points to himself. He wants to say so much but he is mute.
Bill suddenly drops her hand and runs to the other side of the room. He rips the dry erase board off of the wall. It was secured by screws and was not intended to be removed. He frantically writes on the surface. "I did it. I did it. NOT YOU." Els responds with a smile. "Your penmanship is horrible." Els snickers a little. Bill flips over the board and reads it to himself. He smiles back. "Will you be able to talk again soon?" Els asks. Bill smears off the writing with his fur and writes his answer. "Not for a while." "Well that might make our conversations more difficult." Els seems like she is in higher spirits but she is still a frail creature at the moment. Bill flips around the board again and begins writing. This time it takes a few minutes. "I am so sorry that I drove you to this Els. I didn't know how to express my feelings for you before. I made you do this to yourself. This is my fault." The words were poorly written as if the person was thinking and scribbling at the same time. "We do a great job of hurting each other huh?" Els smiles and makes her little joke. Bill starts to cry. He can't say anything but he can whimper. He writes on his board again," Should I leave?" The timid tiger writes. "No please don't Bill. I need you here." Els relaxes a bit. "Are you still mad at me?" Bill scrambles to write something on his board. "I was never mad at you, I was mad at myself." He erases the board and writes some more. "I let other people tell me how I feel." He erases and writes. "I told my dad I was dating a herbivore and he kicked me out." "Oh Bill. What are you doing?" Bill scribbles on the board," Its ok, im living with my grandpa now." "Not that." Els always has to keep the tiger on track. Bill thinks to himself for a minute then frantically writes on his board. "Will you go out with me?" Els grabs the tigers hand and gives him a smile. "Ask me again when you can use your voice. By that time, we will have both healed and we can make a clean start. Are you ok with that?" Bill drops his board on the ground and leans over to give the small goat a hug. There are tears in his eye s and he gives Els a small nod. "Good, because I am really tired." Els smiles for her tiger and closes her eyes. Bill places her hand back on the bed and walks over to his spot where he proceeds to sit down and wait for her next words.