"What should we do?" Trent asked.
I didn't know what was going on here. Perhaps this was my manna in the wilderness experience. "We're going to butcher this deer, before our generous friend thinks otherwise about his gift."
I started the process of butchering the deer with Deshavi helping me, as Trent stood guard watching the lazy feline. It brought its great head up, every once and a while, to watch us for a moment and then it would flop back down. After about an hour it got up and left the clearing abruptly without any warning.
We finished with butchering the deer and went inside to eat.
I heard something outside about an hour later and got up to look out the window. The tiger was back and he was right beside the window!
He reared up on his back legs and put a paw to either side of the window and we looked each other face to face through the glass. I didn't move a muscle, as I stared deeply into his cat eyes through the thin panes of glass. The Tigers big tongue came out and he licked the pane of glass with one slurp before getting down and ambling out towards his ball.
I began to breathe again and glancing down I saw a red doe laid out beside what was left of the buck's carcass. Tears came to my eyes, God was so faithful!
In the height of my despair, in the midst of the wilderness of my life He was still showing me that He cared and that I could trust Him to always provide. I opened the door and with the others help we began the butcher the second deer.
The Tiger stayed around. I watched him as I worked. He approached the big ball, his tail flickering and without warning he suddenly sprung forward upon it biting and scratching at it, while ferociously roaring. He rolled around with the ball in the snow with it clutched by all four paws. The ball popped away and he was up after it tackling it into the snow again. It was like watching a big kitten with a ball of yarn.
As playful as it was, it was still an awesome display of strength and agility that I couldn't help but be in awe of. I glanced to the side at Deshavi to discover her smiling wistfully at the playful tiger.
"What are you thinking?" I asked softly.
She glanced at me, but shook her head no.
Trent wanted to know too, but he went about finding out with a tease. "If your thinking about asking to bring it along, as a pet, the answer is no."