“Larry!”
A familiar, highly agitated voice echoed down the hallway.
It was Old Frank, and he sounded incredibly anxious.
Titan paused mid-swallow.
He turned his scaly head to peer through the thick viewing glass.
Clang.
Old Frank followed the scent of fresh fish right to Titan’s enclosure.
He yanked the heavy iron gate open, panting heavily as he glared at Old Larry.
He froze for a second, utterly stunned to see the old man, a crocodile, and a bear cub sitting cross-legged in a peaceful triangle on the grass.
“Are you out of your mind?
You really spent a thousand bucks to buy that thing?
Do you have any idea how much heat the Department of Fish and Wildlife is putting on illegal animal trading right now?”
“Let’s talk outside,” Old Larry hushed, standing up.
“I don’t want to stress them out.”
Old Larry followed his furious friend out of the enclosure.
He left the heavy iron gate slightly ajar, leaving the injured black bear cub and Titan staring at each other in bewildered silence.
This did not look good.
It was the first time Titan had ever seen Old Frank act so intensely.
This was the same guy who had been shaking like a leaf while holding a baby crocodile just yesterday.
Squeak!
The one-armed little bear clearly wasn’t used to walking on three legs yet.
It tripped, tumbled onto its side, and frantically tried to crawl away from the baby crocodile.
Hmm?
Titan shifted his golden gaze toward the trembling cub.
Buddy, you smell absolutely delicious.
Pat, pat.
Twisting his long body and shuffling his stubby legs, Titan easily caught up and pinned the retreating bear cub to the grass.
Relax, little brother.
I am just checking to see how you are doing.
Titan closely inspected the cub’s severed limb.
To be precise, it wasn’t a completely missing arm, but a severed paw.
The surgical stitches were incredibly rough and hastily done.
The jagged shape of the ugly scar immediately conjured up mental images of a rusted steel jaw trap.
The poor cub was dangerously malnourished.
Titan’s scaly claws could easily feel the creature’s protruding ribs through its matted fur.
It was a completely pathetic sight.
Old Frank’s voice drifted in from the hallway.
“What about the authorities?
Can’t they handle this?”
Old Larry scoffed.
“Please.
They are heavily underfunded and stretched dangerously thin.
We are dealing with local poachers and smuggling rings operating all over the state.
How much of a role do you really think the department can play when push comes to shove?”
Titan glanced toward the viewing window.
He figured the little black bear was officially going to become his new neighbor.
Well, at least things were going to get a lot more lively around here.
While animals generally preferred quiet environments, Titan was a bit too active for a life of silent captivity.
He liked a bit of noise, especially at night.
If he managed to stay on Old Larry’s good side, maybe the eccentric old man would eventually let him roam the zoo grounds for a walk?
After letting his thoughts wander, Titan lifted his claws and released the terrified bear.
He hesitated for a moment before turning back to a half-eaten sea bass from his morning feast.
The poor kid was starving.
It was time to stop worrying about whether or not bears were strictly supposed to drink milk first.
Flop.
Titan tossed the heavy fish directly onto the grass in front of the cub.
The little bear looked utterly bewildered.
It tried to awkwardly grab the slick fish with its one good paw, taking quite a while to realize it could just eat while lying flat on its stomach.
Slurp.
The cub eagerly scraped its teeth against the side of the sea bass.
Unfortunately, its baby teeth weren’t nearly sharp enough to pierce the thick, tough scales.
Titan stared in utter disbelief.
He sighed internally, chalking this up as an early investment in good neighborly relations.
He waddled forward and gently clamped his jaws around the middle of the fish.
With a sharp flick of his neck, he cleanly snapped the sea bass perfectly in half.
The soft, fleshy interior was now fully exposed.
The little cub shouldn’t have any more problems digging in.
“Look, I am just saying you need to keep a lower profile,” Old Frank warned.
His voice had significantly lowered.
“You are going to attract the wrong kind of attention.
Putting everything else aside, Cat Number Two alone is rare enough to buy a luxury sports car on the black market.”
As the two old men wrapped up their heated discussion, Bear Number Four finally began to happily devour the fresh fish meat.
“I know, I know,” Old Larry sighed.
“But that butcher was getting desperate.
He would have just dumped the poor thing in a river to hide the evidence.
Oh well, at least we can apply for another government stipend to help feed it.”
“Let’s just hope things hold together.
Once the new wildlife protection acts pass, these poor animals might actually see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Titan watched his future neighbor gorge himself on fish.
Suddenly, a brilliant, devious idea sparked in his crocodilian brain.
Could he somehow catch that annoying owl?
The warm orange afterglow of sunset vanished below the horizon.
A sharp chill crept into the zoo alongside the falling darkness.
Old Larry had taken Bear Number Four away hours ago.
Titan wasn’t sure if the old man was taking the cub to get registered or just bringing it home for the night.
Now two days old, Titan lay perfectly still beneath the surface of the artificial lake.
Only his slit-like golden pupils breached the waterline as he plotted his next move.
He had secretly hoarded a few scraps of fish meat during dinner.
He stashed the bait near the small island saplings, carefully concealing it with leaves and aquatic grass.
He seriously doubted the disguise would fool a keen nighttime predator, though.
Tonight’s ultimate goal was to make that owl completely fall for his trap.
He needed to play this perfectly.
Whoosh.
A dark silhouette flashed rapidly across the bright silver moonlight.
Titan instantly went on high alert.
Okay, time to review the strategy.
Last night, the owl had been hunting a small, carnivorous scavenging bird that had been attracted by Titan’s bloody leftovers.
Therefore, all he had to do was replicate the scenario.
Titan crushed a small chunk of fish and smeared it across the shoreline grass.
He then submerged himself in the shallow water less than ten feet away, facing the bait directly.
He vaguely remembered having a strange dream once about a crocodile going fishing.
How ironic that it had become his actual reality.
Rustle.
A gentle breeze swept through the tall grass and tree branches.
The night was going to be long.
However, considering the zoo’s pseudo-wild ecosystem, some unlucky creature was bound to take the bait eventually.
Rustle.
A faint, deliberate sound slowly approached.
It was almost indistinguishable from the whistling wind.
Learning from his embarrassing failure the night before, Titan didn’t make a single rash movement.
He simply shifted his eyes, quickly spotting a slender, furtive figure creeping through the grass.
Was that a weasel?
The little mammal clearly couldn’t resist the overwhelming temptation of fresh meat.
After a few cautious hops, it arrived right at the bait.
It didn’t rush in blindly.
It lowered its head and sniffed the fish twice, completely unaware of the apex predator lurking just inches away.
Splash!
A violent rush of water shattered the silence.
Titan threw his jaws wide open and lunged.
In a fraction of a second, his jaws completely enveloped the furry intruder.
Crunch!
A sickening, meaty crack echoed into the night sky.
Oh no.
Titan instinctively opened his jaws in shock.
The weasel dropped back onto the grass.
Unfortunately, it was only half a weasel.
The poor creature probably never imagined it would meet its end in the jaws of a captive crocodile.
This massive miscalculation put Titan in a serious dilemma.
He seriously doubted the owl was stupid enough to hunt an already dead, half-eaten carcass.
Well, he had to salvage the plan somehow.
He swallowed the original fish bait in one gulp.
He then picked up the gruesome half-weasel and wedged it directly into a crevice on the dead log where the owl had perched the previous night.
After ensuring the fresh meat wouldn’t fall into the water, Titan pushed off the bank and plunged back into the lake.
The dead log bridge was sitting much lower than before, hovering barely two feet above the water.
Titan had secretly chewed entirely through the natural branch supporting its right side.
His master plan was devious.
He would wait until the owl landed to feast.
Then, he would shatter the final remaining support, dropping the arrogant bird directly into the lake.
From there, he could totally play the hero, save the drowning victim, and force a diplomatic truce!
As for the minor fact that he was the one actively causing the danger in the first place?
Well, he wasn’t going to worry about those minor details.