I returned home after grazing with my family when my master put all of us into the barn, secure behind the bamboo cage. My mate, fuzzy adorable kids and I were resting and chewing on cud when suddenly we heard a growl. I hushed my family and stood near the gate hackled and with my ears up, sniffing for any danger nearby. My family and I could sense that the sleek and supple Leopard was on the prowl again. Livestock was an attractive target for the Leopard even though it put her in an antagonistic position with the villagers. A few days ago my herd of friends and I had seen the leopard’s cubs amongst the dense Guatemala grass. Probably the Leopard had been visiting the vicinity to prey. In spite of warning my family of the danger lurking around one of my kids began to bleat...meh…meh... The calf next door began to moo. My master and his neighbours having heard all the commotion came out of their huts with torches and marshals and searched for the Leopard in a frenzy. They could see the trail of footprints on the ground but the mother Leopard was not to be found. While checking on all of us, we overheard my master and his neighbours say they would report Leopards rampant visits to the management, as we all had had sleepless nights for a while. I prayed for the security of my family.
The next day my herd of friends and family returned to their usual places back into the barn but to my utter shock I was captivated and my master lead me through an unfamiliar path. After what seemed to be a long journey we reached the forest path with the bushes on one side and Guatemala grass on the other. There was a huge iron cage lying there and to my dismay, I was shoved into the smaller part of the cage. Though I was fed with succulent green grass I was indignant because of being separated from my family and to top it all I could not believe their arrogance for having placed me in such a tiny compartment when there was luxurious space available. I was uncomfortable in the unknown surroundings and it was getting dark. Bleating, I longed for my mate. Alas!!! no one heard my cries. It was a long and lonely night. The next morning the cage was transported to another location near the Jhanji river as the leopard had been spotted there. They made sure that I had enough food. Bored and lonely, I ruminated on my feed. Another day had passed and as night fell my longing to go home intensified. I cried out in the hope that someone would have some pity on me. All my cries fell on deaf ears but wait…
I could hear some scampering and scurrying. I stopped bleating to listen intently, my muscles stiffened. Lithe mother leopard Leela was entering the cage from the other side. On the verge of fainting, I mustered all my courage and stared into Leela’s eyes. I thought that this was the end of me. The brave whiskered goat- Gabbar was at the mercy of Leela. I shut my eyes and prepared for the end when suddenly I heard a growl and opened my eyes to see Leela backing off. Had I… Had I managed to scare off Leela?! After a few moments when I recovered from the trauma, I realized the irony of my fate- there was a close-knit iron partition between us. I thanked my lucky stars for being in the smaller section of the cage. Leela came close to the partition, sniffed and grunting, she put in her paw to grab me. However, I huddled in the corner with a sense of trepidation. It was dark and nippy and I faded out of consciousness, paralyzed by fear…
---TO BE CONTINUED---
(Watch this space for the next part)