Page 41 of Sanctuary

“The veterinarian tried to save a cub this way, and I remembered what he did.”

“The cub didn’t make it?” Misty asked sadly.

“No, and Summa might not either, but I had to try.”

“He’s breathing again, and I can stitch him up quickly. He has a chance because of you.”

Simon tried to stand but he couldn’t.

“I’ve got you,” Misty said and stood to help him.

“We’ve got you.” Paige came up behind them with Sarah. Between the three of them, they helped Simon off the floor.

He looked embarrassed, but they acted like it was no big deal. Misty sat down beside the cat again, picked up the needle, and threaded it.

“Pour this on the needle and his wound before you start.” Simon handed her a bottle of disinfectant. “It should have been put on before I inserted the needle but I forgot. I won’t hit my head again because I’m stupid, I promise.”

“What if I add that you can’t call yourself stupid again?” Misty asked sternly.

Simon smiled at her and she went to work.

“I’ve sewn the cut, but now I’m at the puncture and it looks deep.”

“Squirt the bottle directly into the puncture,” Simon told her.

Misty followed his directions and used the rest of the disinfectant. She added several stitches to the punctured area before she was finally done. She leaned back against the wall with a loud sigh.

Sarah carried a blanket over and placed it around her shoulders.

“Thank you,” Misty said. She turned her focus to Simon again. “What’s the plan?”

“The plan?” he questioned.

“You have four of the lions here. How many others do you need to collect?”

It took him a moment, and then he ran through the cats who were loose. “There are seven lions out there. I also need to find the tigers. There are two panthers, but they hide really well, and I’m more worried about the others. Some are not afraid of people, and they might walk up to the hunter without fear.”

“Are you going after them?” she asked.

Simon looked away, and Misty wondered what was bothering him. “Do you need our help?” she finally asked when he didn’t answer.

“The hunter wants to hunt me,” he said softly, then looked down at her. “I want to find him first. Jerry, my boss, needs to be stopped too. He does horrible things to the cats. He took money from the hunters so they could kill one of the cats, and now he’s paid Jerry more. Some of it is for you and Paige and Sarah. The rest is to hunt me.” His eyes pleaded with her. “He shouldn’t do that, should he?”

“No, Simon, he shouldn’t do that.” Something settled deep within Misty. There were so many things wrong with this entire situation. “We’ll help you keep the cats safe.”

“Shouldn’t you ask us?” said Paige.

Misty turned to her, putting steel into her eyes and tone, ready for the confrontation. “You know there is no way to get out of this that keeps us from going back to that horrible place. We will be caught on the island. The only person who has helped is standing here risking his life for us. Do I really need to ask?”

Paige’s chin went down, and air left her lungs before she looked up. “Why am I always so mean?” she asked.

Sarah placed her arm around Paige’s shoulder. “It’s okay because being mean is how you protect yourself.”

“I don’t know. It just comes out.”

The two girls watched as Simon and Misty cared for Summa. They applied a bandage over his wound, and Misty bent forward and gently rubbed the large head.

“There’s a good boy,” she said. “You’ll be as good as new soon.” The lion didn’t move. She looked up and directed her next words to Paige. “The hunter wants us, and we are the perfect bait. I’ll go alone if I need to, but I’m helping Simon.”

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