Ice Blue Eyes
Animals were all around the girl; it didn’t matter where she turned. A monkey was there, a lion here. But never had she been so completely captivated by one creature. So drawn that she would have watched forever. This creature happened to be a tiger. A white one at that, who stood completely alone in the center of its domain. As she had been weaving through the seemingly endless crowds, something had compelled her to walk to the deserted balcony.
Its face was round; tufts of fur making the cheeks appear fuller than they truly were. Thin black stripes were wrapped about it, a strangely distinct pattern from the other tigers she had seen. A pinkish, heart shaped nose sat on the end of the muzzle, a few black spots speckled across it. From beneath the moist nose flowered the usual lips of a tiger, fur giving a fluffy appearance to its lower jaw. As it yawned, two rows of strangely white teeth were visible; the perfect killing tools for this predator. Wire-like whiskers sprouted from the tiny black holes lined across the tiger’s cheeks. Then there was a brilliant flash of an ice blue; it was the tiger’s eyes. Almost an almond shape, their brightness was amazing, a chill running through whoever may venture to meet eyes with them. The pupils were now just small black slits in the sunlight, a lavish void in their depths. About the outer edge of the iris was a deep blue ring, which was almost black in color. As the color moved in, closer to the pupil, the tint gradually lighted. About the iris, only the smallest bit of a silvery color showed. It was the whites of its eyes. Still, her eyes lingered, locked in the tiger’s gaze. The emotions were abstract, nothing and everything all at once. Contempt for being locked up, but joy for having a visitor. Shaking her head, she blinked and the deep contact with the tiger was lost. Soon her eyes began to look about the rest of its muscular body. Delicate paws rested on the end of each leg, large, though holding the appearance of a kitten’s. From each fluffy toe, a retractable-claw’s tip could be seen, the end sharpened to a deadly point. As it sauntered across the grassy expanse, she could almost see each tiny ripple of a muscle beneath its white coat. She took in how it lifted its paws, setting them down silently with utmost care. As the tiger walked, its tail followed along like a charmed snake, waving about as if it itself had its own mind. The cat moved as a whole though, besides its tail; the liquid grace was even present in the twitching of an ear. “More grace could not have been achieved by a ballerina,” she thought to herself. This most certainly was a magnificent creature, one worthy enough for something better than that cage.
But, as her eyes had moved over the cage, she had realized it wasn’t too bad. Tropical trees were scattered about for shade, as well as a resting place for the feline. The grass underfoot had seemed green and soft enough, and there was plenty of fresh water. The area was quite large, rather strange since the tiger had been the only animal inhabiting it. No mate, no cubs, just that solitary tiger.
Longingly the girl had reached out, wanting to touch the cat, to feel down its silky back. But then, a finger tap on her shoulder had interrupted her thoughts. She had scowled ever so slightly as her mother told her not to run off again, and that they had to leave. She watched the tiger reluctantly as she left, and ever after she had gone, its image was still in her mind. Its eerie blue eyes were still watching her every move with incomprehensible emotions.