The Tiger raised by Goats : a retelling

Well, who cares what they say; this here is a Ancient Folk Tale that's so old, no one can even remember where it comes from!
It's a damn good story, and it might even teach you something about yourself..

OK here goes my version of it..

Once there was a Pregnant Tiger, who seeing an injured Fallow Buck, could not resist the temptation, of what looked to be an easy meal;

but the Wise old Buck fought fiercely; even as he was cut down by the Tiger's attack;

thus the Tiger received many wounds;

none too serious, except for a broken tooth;

which weeks later became infected, and prevented her from eating ..

In her weakened state, she succumbed to her infection, and inevitably died of Fever, under some shrubs, in a small Meadow;

but not before giving Birth to a Single Solitary Tiger Cub…

The Cub was Blind and Helpless, and should have died;

but....

as luck would have it, a passing Goat Herd stopped to Forage nearby.

Among them, was a Pregnant Doe, in Labor, and looking for a quiet, safe place to give birth for her first time.

She had a very difficult labor, and after many long, painful hours, she birthed a pair of still born twins, and then promptly collapsed from exhaustion.

When she woke the next day, their was a warm, fuzzy, Life suckling at her Teat, and it was NOT a Goat..

She was too weak to get up and return to the herd; so she just laid there, occasionally licking the little ball of fur at her side.

It being Summer, the Nights were Warm, and fortuitously, there was no rain..

By the third day she tried standing on her legs; she was very wobbly, and quickly laid back down only a few feet away. The cub found her within the hour, and returned to suckling..

On the fourth day, she made it much further, and sometime during the Night, the Warm fuzzy ball of Life snuggled up beside her and suckled.. by Morning of the fifth day enough time had been spent bonding, that the Mother Goat now refused to leave the little, striped cub behind..

When it finally did Rain, the Mother Goat stood above her little cub, and kept it safe and dry; She was a good Mother after all; when her little cub called to her, she always came, and nursed it; so that She was perpetually in Milk....

never went into estrus, to breed again..

She eventually returned to the Herd with her clumsy, long tailed kid following close behind. The other Goats of course, were none to pleased with the odd pair, but never the less, being Goats, they became accustomed to the presence of the benign creature; for Truly the young cub, knew nothing of what he might have become; had his first mother lived..

The Mother Goat produced all the Milk that her small frame could muster; yet the Cub constantly demanded more..

By the next Summer, it had grown into a juvenile; although it's meager body definitely lacked the size, and strength that a healthy specimen would have exhibited; it's ribs, and hip bones showed clearly beneath the dull, matted, striped hide.

The other Kids bleated with Joy; jumped and played wildly within the Herd. The young Cub had at one time wanted to be like them, Happy and Content, but he had long since lost Hope, so wretched was his miserable existence.. Occasionally it nibbled some grass, and coughed a bit.
"Maaaa"… It called to it's mother for more Milk, the only comfort it knew..

meanwhile…

A Huge Male Tiger slunk through the grass, towards the sound of the Bleating Goats. It's Shiny, Striped Coat Glistened, as the Muscles rippled underneath..

Crawling on it's belly, It inched it's way forward, to within Ambush distance; it's body gathered itself, now tensed, knotted and tight, and ready to spring like a steel trap.. in a flash it scanned the herd looking for an acceptable target; When all of a sudden…

It's body relaxed and it's jaw dropped open; it's eyes Widened at the sight; One of it's Own Kind suckling from a Goat!

The Big male had forgotten everything else, as it's Predatory Mind tried desperately to make sense of what it's eyes beheld.. Compelled by a feeling of disgust, he strode quietly into the clearing.
An Alarm immediately went out in the Herd, and All of the Goats ran.. All except the long tailed one with the whiskers, it sat still and watched as the Bigger Tiger approached..

"What is the meaning of this" growled the Big Male.

"Maaaa" said the little, feeble Cat.

The Big Tiger Snarled, bared it's Fearsome Fangs, turned it's head, and walked away in indignation.

The Weak little one followed; something deep within him, made him Curious; so curious that his Focus Sharpened, and the World he knew Fell Far Away, into the background, against the Striking image of the Adult Tiger. A Strange feeling came over the little guy as he watched every detail, of every movement, and soon, he began to mimic the Gracefully soft stride of the Big Cat.
The Big Male took him to the edge of a small Lake, and showed him his own Tiger Face upon the still water's surface. It did rouse the pitiful thing to Bleat, which only served to further annoy the Big Male.
Adult Male Tigers are Solitary creatures, who normally avoid even their own kind; with the sole exception of mating Season, of course.
The Big male maintained his Regal bearing; and he plodded along slow enough, for the scrawny, confused thing to follow; though he could just as easily have left it to starve; he led it up the hill to his cave, where the remains of a deer carcass still held some tiny bits of flesh. Having no patience for the company of another, he shoved it's head and muzzle down into the gory, days old carcass, the juvenile squirmed beneath the Cat's big paw, and licking his own face clean, he discovered that he liked the taste !! He nibbled bits of flesh and sinew from the bone, as a goat might nibble Spring buds from a bush, until there was nothing left but hide, and bones; whereupon the big Male said " Now Growl like this"

(ROAR !!!) …

The little Cat stepped back in shock, as the terrific Roar was amplified in the confines of the small cave… "Maaa" went the little one…

"Wait here" growled the Big Male. Hours later he returned with the fresh carcass of a Goat; He let the little, bony thing fill it's belly, then he said, "now Roar !".

The little cat said "meow"..

… and the Big One Roared, "GOOD ENOUGH !!! NOW GO BE A TIGER !"

and with that, he swatted the scrawny, pitiful thing across the face, sending him a clear message never to return..

He was a Tiger after all.

::::::: if you really liked this story please RESTEEM, as i fear it will never see the Light of day… a Thousand Thank You's ….