Tenzin

“ O ne… two… three.” I snapped the picture on Gwen’s phone, which was worse for wear.

“Thanks, Tens.” She rolled out of the headstand.

We’d finished yoga in the park. It was a lot less intense than what I did with Cooter. Gwen put our mats in the basket and waved to the instructor, who taught at her university.

“Can we have coffee at the zoo?” She was on her phone posting the photo, a tote bag slung over her bare shoulder, as she shoved her feet into some slip-ons.

“Zoo? Okay. I haven’t been there yet.” I put on my shoes.

“You can meet my tiger.” She took my hand and pulled me across the park.

Ah, yes, the tiger she’d found. I liked that she was becoming more comfortable with me. She gave me focus, which soothed some of those alpha instincts left raw by my ex.

“Is the zoo even open this early?” I asked as we approached the gates.

“With a pass like mine, yes. My treat. I get guests. The pass was my reward for returning Marty. It’s a nice place to go when I need a moment.” She scanned her phone on the turnstile.

We got coffee and muffins from a cart, and I followed her as she bounced about the zoo, giving me a mini tour. I loved how happy she looked.

Leaning against the rail of the tiger enclosure, we sipped our coffees as she named every one. Finally, she led me around to a viewing area with glass. There was a sign about mini tigers and how they didn’t make good pets.

She crouched down and put a hand on the glass, making an odd little whistle. A moment later, a young tiger bounded over, trying to nuzzle and lick the glass. He was an interesting-looking tiger, with no black stripes, just white and orange.

“Hi, Marty.” Gwen’s entire face lit up. “Marty, this is Tens. Tens, this is Marty.” Her shoulders fell. “I wish I could have kept him.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Marty,” I said to the tiger, imagining her watching TV with him in her lap or taking him for morning runs.

Some kids came over and she taught them how to play with Marty through the glass. A zookeeper walked through the inside of the enclosure and waved at Gwen. A few moments later, the zookeeper disappeared, then joined us.

“Hi, Gwen. Are you doing okay today?” She was a middle-aged omega with blonde hair in a braid.

“Hi Trixie, I’m okay. Hey, this is my friend Tens. The one I was telling you about. Can we bring Marty out for a walk today, please?” Gwen batted her eyes.

“Sorry, Gwen. Not today.” She gave her a fond look. “I can get you some playtime. Your friend will have to stay out here so Marty doesn’t get territorial.”

“Great. I’ll meet you at the playroom.” Gwen took my hand.

“De-scent yourself well,” Trixie called.

“You get to play with the tiger?” one kid breathed.

“I’ve been trained to play with the mini tigers. I’ve known Marty since he was a baby.” Gwen led me over to another viewing area. Instead of the enclosure, it was a little room with toys. “Sit here. I won’t play long.”

“It’s fine. Take your time.” I took a seat on the bench as she disappeared, leaving me with her tote bag.

A few moments later, she appeared through the glass, as did Trixie, who had Marty on a leash. I watched Gwen pet Marty, fed him treats, snuggled with him, and played games like he was a cat.

Trixie was right there with him, and the two of them were having a conversation. A bunch of children watched excitedly. I took some pictures and sent them to Cooter.

Me

She’s certified to play with baby tigers.

Cooter

She would absolutely wrestle a bear.

Me

If she hasn’t already.

“How much did you have to pay for her to have that experience?” an alpha dad asked me. “One of my kids loves anything dangerous. She was keeping a possum under her bed.”

“Gwen had a racoon in a bucket.” I chuckled, still unsure what the story was. “She rescued Marty when he was a baby, so she gets special privileges.”

The alpha smiled and shook his head. “She rescued a tiger? Have fun with that.”

I heard some noises, like something from her tote was rustling. Did I even want to know? My phone buzzed.

Eats

Back in town. Going to my sister’s pack's farm later. Any interest?

He added a link to a summer farm party. Oooh, live music, barbecue, beer, berry picking, hayrides, and dancing? Too bad she had to work tonight. Eats was the one person I knew in New York. While we weren’t really close, we went way back.

Another zookeeper clipped the leash to Marty and took him away. A few moments later, she came back out with Trixie, smelling like a tiger.

“Thanks, Trixie. Oh, do you know anyone at the reptile house?” She asked, then gave her a hug.

“I do. Why?” Trixie eyed Gwen as she got a popcorn pail out of her tote.

It rustled again, and I saw a shadow.

“I found this little guy at the rink. I put up signs, but no one called me. Since he’s illegal to keep as a pet in New York, I thought I’d bring him here.” Gwen took the lid off the pail.

Inside was a small orange and black lizard that stuck out its tongue in an annoyed gesture.

“Gwen. You found him at the rink? ” A fond, exasperated look crossed the omega’s face.

“In a storeroom. I’ve only had him a couple of days while I looked for his owner. I’ve been feeding him like the internet said.” She handed Trixie the pail.

Trixie got out her walkie talkie. “Taking ten and going to the reptile house.”

“Um, why?” a voice echoed.

“Gwen found an endangered venomous lizard.” Trixie shook her head.

Laughter echoed over the walkie. “See you when you get back.”

“You found all the animals as a child, didn’t you?” I said as we followed Trixie out of the tiger area.

Gwen nodded. “My nonna’s wasn’t quite a farm, but there was land, a pond, and lots of wildlife. Nonna was a vet and taught me so much about animals. She wouldn’t let me keep the wolf cub after her leg healed though. We used to volunteer at an animal sanctuary my aunt runs, too.” She sighed. “I miss having pets.”

“One day,” Trixie assured her. “Animals love you.”

“Yeah.” Her scent turned salty with sadness. “Does Cooter have a pet armadillo?”

“No, but Cooter’s family has a horse ranch where he spends the off-season,” I told her.

“That sounds fun. I never learned to ride a horse.”

We entered a building that said Reptile House. My nose scrunched at the potent smells, my alpha nose overly sensitive sometimes. Trixie led us through a door that said staff only.

“Lan,” she called. “I’ve got something for you.”

A beta with a beard came out. “For me?”

Trixie showed him the lizard in the bucket. “Gwen found him at the ice rink. It’s not ours, is it?”

He shook his head. “No. Let’s check this little guy out. You, little lizard, should not be running wild at an ice rink.”

“His name is Gary,” Gwen replied.

Of course it was.

The beta inspected the lizard, giving him a thorough checkup. “He’s in good health. I’m going to call around and see who might have lost him. This little guy is protected and probably belongs to someone. If they call you looking for him, have them call us. If they have a permit, it won’t be a problem giving him back. Thanks, Gwen.”

We left and walked around the zoo. She held my hand. “Um, someone wants to trade shifts with me and take mine tonight. Want to go dancing?”

I squeezed her hand. “Absolutely, Firecracker. Would you like to go on a little day trip? I have a vehicle now.”

The pickup truck I’d leased was better suited to Portland than here. But I liked trucks. Sure, there was great transportation here, but having my own vehicle would be useful. Also, I should get her out of the city for a bit. It would be nice to see Eats.

“That sounds great. Should I change? Do I have time to shower and throw in some laundry?” she asked.

“Plenty. Do what you need. I’ll work on finishing editing the video from yesterday, so you can put it up.” Yesterday we’d filmed the first of her figure skating videos. “I’ll pick you up?”

She nodded. “You can pick me up by the rink?”

“Sure.” I lived by the rink, anyway. “Wear one of your sundresses?”

I had the shoes covered. This was going to be fun.