Chapter 5

John and Sherlock followed the shady pair for a while around the zoo always staying several meters away. John didn't like that the sun was already going down by the time the pair was headed towards the parking lot. It was trickier following them there without being seen but Sherlock was confident that he could pull it off. One of the men stopped and waited by the trashcans as his accomplice fetched something from the trunk of the car. Sherlock held out his hand to give John the 'wait' symbol. The accomplice was brandishing a massive knife and the two men went smiling back into the zoo.

"Shi- Darn. We can't just let them kidnap another kid."

"Come on, we gotta keep following them" Sherlock quickly trailed after them but by now the zoo was mostly empty.

John followed his pint size friend for a while until he came to an abrupt stop at a shadowy corner facing the tiger pit. "Sherlock, what is it?" As he stepped closer he could see the two men crouched down talking to a little girl who looked scared- lost her parents he figured. John stepped cautiously forward pushing Sherlock behind him. It wasn't until he saw one of the men pull the knife from his back pocket that he rushed forward and plunger at the man.

"Get the hell away from her you creep!" John grabbed the hand holding the dagged but was meet with another hand squeezing tightly at his throat.

From behind him he could hear the girl scream as the second man grabbed her. Sherlock didn't hesitate for a second as he came to John's aid and punched the man grabbing the girl straight in the testicles. He dropped the girl who ran for her life and fell to one knee as he yelped in pain.

"You little shit!" The man grabbed Sherlock by the collar and swiftly held him over the cage.

John twisted the knife wielding hand of the other attacker just right causing strikes of pain through his arm, realizing his other hand from around John's neck. But the second he saw Sherlock hanging dangerously over the pit by the strings of his shirt he attempted to rush forward but was grabbed by the waist.

"Oh no you don't. Ya shoulda thought of yer own kid before tryin ta rescue another."

"John!" Sherlock rasped out as he struggled to get free.

John pulled with all his force to get towards the detective but only succeeded just after the second man dropped him. Sherlock fell with a small thud into the tiger pit, soft grass breaking his fall. The two men ganged up on John, one punching him hard in the face and the other grabbing his phone out of his pocket and smashing it on the ground. John spat the accumulating blood in his mouth out and proceeded to throw several punches of his own. It was no use against two of them though and the larger of the pair in an effort to end the small mad man's solo fight pushed up against the tiger pit where John finally lost his balance and fell in.

"Lets go, they're both dead anyway." John and Sherlock could hear the sound of feet running away high above their heads followed by the low growling of a tiger much closer to them.

They both shot looks all around the enclosure. There were five tigers total, it was likely that some of them were asleep but they could only spot two lazily whipping their tails perched on rocks.

"Stay here, I'm going to see if there's a way out." John crouched down low checking the perimeter of the small rock they had both landed by.

"John… you're bleeding…"

John wiped some of the blood away from his mouth with the back of his fist. "I'm fine, promise. I was a soldier after all." He slowly crept forward but as he did a distant low rustle in the tall grass quickly became a massive tiger growling fiercely in his face. He barely had time to scramble back to his rock against the wall. The tiger stayed near the rock and waited for them to move again; slowly wagging it's tail back and forth in anticipation.

Hours passed and the tiger still waited for them. Eventually the zoo lights were all turned off as their waited out their fates in the ambient lighting of the stars, barely able to make out the glow of the predator's eyes. An hour later and the two watching orbs dimmed until they were both sure the tiger had fallen asleep waiting. If they had been in the wild it was likely the creature wouldn't have given up even after days, but a well fed zoo animal though just as deadly, has the luxury of calling it quits in favor of a cat nap.

Sherlock gave John's sleeve a light tug forward. It was a true testament to both men's sleuthing abilities to quietly walk past the sleeping tiger and closer to a large rock against the main building where the zoo keepers would come in and out to feed the creatures. They were able to squeeze close enough behind the rock to make out an older entrance that had been blocked off. Sherlock was just a hair too big to fit though.

"You need to get through that hole, then you can come around to the main entrance and open it, can you do that?" John's voice was barely audible.

"I'm trying, I'm too big."

"Try harder, one of those things could eat us at any minute. They hunt at night."

"I know tha'! But I won' fit." Sherlock stiffened at the sound of another low growl this one further away then before. "John we're going to die!" he wrapped his arm around John's leg.

"No we wont, it will be ok." He felt for his phone that now lay smashed in pieces above the pit and scowled, but his hand brushed against something he had forgotten about. "Oh… Sherlock, look at me. You are a very smart and intelligent boy. You can take care of yourself right?"

The moon rose slightly higher letting Sherlock see John's face a little better, it was filled with concern. Sherlock nodded. "I can… but, what are you planning?"

They could hear two tigers in the grass near by sniffing about now.

John pulled out the vial, "This is the stuff that made you a kid."

"Well you can't make the tigers drink it." Sherlock raised an eyebrow.

"Not them… if you can't fit through the hole… I'll do it and I'll open the door to get you out of here too."

"You're not thinking of…"

"I have to. Sherlock… er, I was always small for my size. I was smaller then you are at your age. I could fit. Just… you're a lot smarter then I was and probably more mature."

Sherlock nodded in understanding, "It's ok. I can watch over you. But… you'll forget who I am. You wont know that we're friends and… you'll treat me like a freak like everyone else does."

John put his hand under Sherlock's chin to bring his face up. "I would never think that, I swear." From his back pocket he pulled out his wallet and a pen. Inside the wallet was a newspaper clipping containing a picture of them from one of their cases. On the back he wrote. 'Sherlock and John, best friends no matter what.' He placed the clipping back in the wallet and handed it to Sherlock. "You better be in charge of this from now on. Use the cash and cards if you need to. Use that picture for me if you need to. Once we're out find your brother Mycroft- he uh… looks different now though. If you can't find him then call the police and ask for Detective Inspector Lestrade ok?"

"I will." Sherlock carefully put the wallet in his own pocket. "I'll take care of you."

John smiled, "I know you will. Remember, we won't be like this forever. We'll both remember who we are eventually… and each other."