After staring for a long minute, she frowned a little and looked at the tiger askance. “You really Vlad?”
The tiger nodded.
Zoe grinned, her mouth open, and looked at Rose. “Mommy! That Vlad. He cool.”
“Yes, I suppose he is. Do you like talking to a tiger?”
“Yeah. Can I pet?”
Rose glanced at Vlad and he nodded again. “Just be gentle. No pulling.”
Zoe eased off the couch and approach the big cat slowly, reaching out a hand toward the thick white ruff around his neck. Rose’s heart thumped hard as she watched. The scene seemed so wrong—allowing her little girl to approach a huge predator was not normal. Yet it also seemed so…natural.
The dichotomy made the moment surreal.
Zoe buried her fingers in the tiger’s ruff and sighed. “Soft, Mommy.” She proceeded to pet him on his head and along his neck, as gently as a three-year-old was capable. Vlad remained passive, giving every sign of being harmless. He even released a rumbling sound that would have been a purr from a domestic cat.
“Can I ride him?”
“No,” Rose said as she choked back a sudden laugh. “He’s not a pony, baby.”
“He big enough.”
“Well, yes, he is. But you still can’t ride him without his permission.”
“Can I ride you?” she asked the tiger directly.
The tiger nodded and lay down, his side presented to Zoe.
Rose hadn’t thought her daughter’s expression could glow any brighter. When she scooted up to him, she gave him a sweet little pat first, then she grabbed his ruff and threw herself sideways across his back. It took a great deal of scooting and wiggling to get around so she sat astride the tiger, during which Vlad remained motionless and passive, though Rose heard him grunt once when Zoe’s knee bounced against his side.
She grimaced. “Easy, baby. Don’t hurt him.”
“Not hurting.” As soon as she was settled, she sat up a little, still gripping Vlad’s fur, and grinned at her mom. “This is cool.”
Rose smiled, both pleased and baffled by her daughter’s reaction to all this. Did she get that the tiger was Vlad? Or did she just think he was a pet tiger? It was hard to tell.
Vlad gently eased upward, hind legs first, then lifting the front of his body. Zoe tottered around, slipped gently sideways, and dropped onto the rug.
“His skin slides,” she exclaimed, giggling. “So silly. Up. Up again!”
Vlad settled in a squat again and Zoe scrambled onto his back, with a little less difficulty and kicking. This time, Rose went to help her keep her balance. As Vlad stood, Zoe rolled around on his back again, but with Rose’s help she managed not to fall off this time. They walked one circuit around the living room, Zoe grinning the entire time.
Vlad eased back down in the same place as they’d started and Rose lifted Zoe off.
“Was that fun?” she asked.
“Very fun. Again?”
“No. It’s time for Vlad to be in his human shape again.”
“Ah.” Zoe actually pouted. “Love tiger. He so soft.”
“I’m sure you’ll be able to play with him as a tiger again soon.”
Rose met the tiger’s eyes. He stood and ambled back to the bedroom.
While he was gone, Rose sat Zoe on the couch. “That didn’t scare you?”
“No. Was very cool.”
“You do know that was Vlad, right?”
“Was.” She bobbed her head in a very definitive nod.
Rose hugged her close. “Well, that went better than I thought it would.”
A few minutes later, Vlad came out in his human shape, fully dressed and looking none the worse for wear.
“Did she kick you too hard?” Rose asked as he settled into a chair next to the couch.
“I can take a little three-year-old kicking. Don’t worry, I’m fine.” To Zoe he said, “You liked the tiger?”
“Yeah. Was fun. Can I ride again?”
“Yes, later. When your mother says it’s okay.”
“Yay! Your skin all slippy.”
“It is when I’m a tiger.” Vlad flicked a glance up at Rose before focusing on Zoe again.
Rose read a lot in that look, including his pleasure that Zoe was taking this so well.
“You skin slip when you a boy?” Zoe asked.
“No. My skin is just like yours when I’m like this.” He frowned a little, before saying, “Would you like to turn into a tiger, too?”
“Yeah!” She jumped up and down. Then her little face fell into a sad frown. “But I cannot.”
“Why do you think that?” Vlad asked.
“People cannot be tigers.”
“But you said you knew that tiger was Vlad?” Rose put in, frowning at her daughter. “He turned into a tiger.”