I was pretty amazed how big a tiger was when it stood up on its back legs while a zookeeper was feed it from a chair on a tall, sturdy stand. It was fall, school hasn't started yet, and I was at the zoo, I got a chance to see the animals up close and personal with them. Right now I was in a big room, looking through a glass at a tiger eating; there were different types of big cats in other rooms. Me and a lot of other kids, mostly juniors like me, where in a group, about ready to see a cat that was a cross breed between a tiger, mountain lion and panther, that's what the zoo said. There where a lot of trained people that have dealt with this animal in the room with it. They called him Major meaning spear, because he's teeth where like thousands of big sharp spears ready to bit, he was big and was pure black on he's legs and tail, the rest of him looked like a tiger.

The zoo has let other groups in and he has not bit any of them, and he still has a clean record. Everybody around me felt scared, I saw it in their eyes, but me, I felt so amazed that I was in a room with an animal such as him, he must have felt my excitement because he turned and looked at me with these big black eyes.

One of the zoo keepers said we could pet him as long as he came to us. Right then he came directly to me, I was stunned. But Major did something that shouldn't have happened, he bit me, there was blood rushing out of my arm. I had no idea what was going on, all I saw was Major walking away like nothing happened, then I saw darkness.

I opened my eyes, it was too bright for me, I gained my focus back and saw a chair with tiger print on it, suddenly I remembered, the zoo, Major, the blood. I looked around again, I was in the hospital. Then my mom walked in the room. My dad died in the army, I live with my mom in Montana, next to the Yellow Stone National Park.

"Claire, honey, are you feeling ok?" She sounded worried, I had no idea why, and then I looked down at my arm and figured it out.

"I'm fine mom, wha – what happened," I knew what happened but I just wanted to make sure I knew before I opened my mouth again.

"That 'mutton' cat at the zoo bit you," she said it with a more calm voice.

"Oh, it didn't hurt but I do feel a little weird," I'm horrible at lying, but I did feel different.

"Stop lying."

"Fine, when do I get out of here? I don't like these needles."

"As soon as you feel ready to go."

"I'm ready now, the sooner the better."

"Okay, fine we will leave now."

I got out of the car and we were home. The first thing I did was walk to where the forest starts behind my house. It's the quietest place in this small town. I walked a bit then sat down on a rock. I heard every sound in the forest, I wasn't use to it. Then I heard a loud breathing, it wasn't an animal, it was a person breathing. Then out of nowhere came a guy, about 5ft. 5in. dark spiky hair, tan and muscled. He looked like Major in a way that I didn't know was possible. He looked at me like he knew me for a while. I looked shocked to see someone behind my house.

"Can I sit down?" He's voice was smooth and even.

"Um, sure." I was still confused.

"What happened to your arm?" He was looking at my cast.

"A better question would be who you are." I hissed it at him, his expression didn't change.

"I'm sorry, I am ah...Ben."

"Are you sure? You don't seem sure."

He laughed, "I think I know what my own name is."

"Okay fair enough."

"You didn't answer my question."

"An animal bit me."

"I got bit by an animal too." He showed me a scar on his arm that looked like mine.

I heard my mom call me from inside the house.

"I have to go." I started to get up.

"Wait," his voice was rough, "what's your name?"

"Claire." That was the last word I said to him before I left him sitting there in the woods.

That night before I went to sleep I didn't know how he was or what he was doing there but I felt like I knew him. He had big black eyes like Major. I went in my room and took off my cast, my arm didn't hurt, I had a scar, and I could see where all the teeth where that went into me. They where perfectly lined on my arm. My mom heard that they let Major go in the forest but with a tracker on him. She also heard he bit five other people before the zoo released him. I remembered that Ben had showed me a scar that looked like mine, could he have also gotten bit by Major. I looked out my window in my room, I was looking at the forest, and it was so peaceful. I went to bed trying to remember all the things that have happened in that one day. One, I was bitten by a 'mutton' animal, two, Ben could have also been bitten by Major, and third I still had no idea what was going on.