"Well, I am glad everyone has made it out alive so far," Shinichi breathes a sigh of relief as he leaned forward in his chair and eyed the other children.

They were gathered in a computer cafe after dinner at the local burger restaurant. Everyone looked fresh and wore new clothes. It was almost evening, and the computer cafe was packed. Students and young professionals were crammed into every nook and cranny, tapping away on their laptops and sipping coffee.

"Also, I am glad we manage to get new phones now! I am glad that we've finally gotten rid of our old ones."Takuma beamed, showing off his smartphone and so did Michio.

"I feel bad that you had to buy all of our smartphones because of what had happened, but thank you, Ranran."Michio thanked Ranran, as he was always raised to thank others when one is good towards the other.

"Don't feel bad about it, it was also the fact that I got all of you involved, you boys needed a new phone, "Ranran reassures him with a smile.

Though initially all of their phones were working despite having been soaked under the drain, however, the waterproofing wasn't as effective as they initially assumed, all 4 of their phones were no longer working due to the drain situation. This is why Ranran was able to buy a new batch of phones for the boys that afternoon.

"Ranran, where did you get the money to buy us our new smartphones? So unlike you to splash your own pocket money."Shinichi couldn't help but ask.

"Well, let's just say I discovered a broken safe box out of somewhere, took out the money and use it for our phones, "Ranran answers nonchalantly.

"Wait, safe box?!"Shinichi couldn't help but whipped his head at her, "What safe box!?"

"Who knows?!"Ranran gave a sly smile to Shinichi as she shrugs, before rubbing her petite chin." So everyone," She turned to everyone for attending, "What do we all learn so far about this case?"

"Well, we know there's going to be a robbery, and Watanabe is probably prepared to kill two birds with one stone because both criminals are out to kill him." Shinichi scoffs.

"And we know The Snake is involved," Ran remarked.

"Plus the Crows want in on it, at least that's what they claimed," reminded Michio.

"And it all has something to do with a white tiger," Takuma concluded.

"And we know that one of the four Bengal tigers hasn't arrived yet," Junko continued.

"No, Amelia said Mr Rupert reassured her and her coworkers that there had been a delay and that it will arrive tomorrow morning. But I'm very convinced Rupert is lying." Ran is confident that's the case.

"Out of the 4, why Fifi is the only one missing? Also, what makes Fifi different from the other tigers?"Junko wonders.

Before Shinichi raised his hand, the other kids continued to argue among themselves. "Guys, before we try to answer that question, let's listen to Ranran," he advised, "on why Ranran duped the hooded guy by stating 'Operation: White Tiger,' although Watanabe only expressly specifies the message reads: Operation: Tiger."

"How about we start here?" Before Ranran switched on the computer and typed WHITE TIGER into the search engine, everyone agreed with a tiny nod. A few seconds later, an image of a pale-coloured tiger appeared on the screen.

Shinichi began reading the material aloud as he scrolled through it, "The white tiger is around 3 metres long, not including its tail, and weighs between 180 and 285 kg. The white tiger is a white-coloured Bengal tiger, the largest member of the cat family. It is not a separate species. It has blue eyes, a pink nose, and creamy white fur with chocolate-coloured stripes."

"But why is it white?" Ran asked the question out of nowhere as Shinichi sipped a bottle of water he had recently purchased.

"There's a reason," Ranran said after a long pause before turning to face the other members. "Guys, how much do you know where baby tigers come from?"

Shinichi spewed the water away from the other kids as Michio merely froze in position, culminating in Shinichi splattering water over a man seated next to the group of kids, infuriating the adult. "Hey! Hold on to your water, please! God! Now I have to wipe up the mess you left on my shirt!"

"Sorry, sir!"He bowed in apology as the man stormed off, while Shinichi wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Meanwhile, the 4 other kids blinked at Ranran, confused with Ranran's question."What was that again?"

"I mean baby tigers, you guys at least should know where they come from, right?"She asked again.

Silence lay in the PC room but was broken by Shinichi's awkward cough. Ranran then turned to Shinichi with odd looks, "I think Majima should take you to see the doctor after all of this is over. You kept spurting water at people like an Archerfish."

Shinichi wanted to protest once more that he was fine, but his rapid coughing made it difficult for him to do so."If you are talking of tigers...I ain't sure either," Junko struggles to think, "But we usually need a male and female tiger to make it happen."

"There you go."Ranran clapped before proceeding with the next question, "Here comes the unusual part. White tigers... to be born, they need to have an unusual gene that gives them the white coat," Ranran explained, not needing to look at the computer.

"Special gene? Like how does one get it?"Emiko couldn't help but be intrigued.

"Well, all tigers have them, "Ranran replies.

"Really!?"Takuma was amazed as eyebrows shot up from one kid after another.

"They all do, and it must come from both parents, "Ranran confirmed.

"Is it really that simple?"Junko doubted.

"Yes, but there's a catch," Ranran remarked, clicking her scarlet lips as Shinichi continued to read from the computer. As soon as he completed reading the remainder of the information, he became wide-eyed and his mouth dropped.

"What is wrong?" Ran said, noticing Shinichi's look.

Soon, Ran read where he was staring at. By the time Shinichi realizes Ran was reading it, he tried to push her away but it was too late."What does the word 'inbreeding' mean?"She pointed at the word, looking at Ranran expectantly.

"In-breeding?" "I suppose breeding implies something like creating animals or something, but what's with the word 'in'?" Emiko ponders as she repeats the word Ran readout.

"Ah guys, wait! Don't-"

"Just Google it," Ranran spoke casually, disregarding Shinichi's horrified face as the other kids began to do likewise on their smartphones. They were absolutely flabbergasted by what they read. Michio and Junko meanwhile looked red like tomatoes, Shinichi was sure their minds were filled with imagination about the new fact they learned.

Shinichi ended up glaring at Ranran, to which she responded, "What?! I did them well by educating them!"

"In-breeding means...having a child with a sibling, mother, father, or even grandparents!? Ewww! Gross!" Ran frowns and sticks out her tongue.

"I had a general idea of where newborn animals come from, but to believe it was within the family...ugh..." Junko shuddered in displeasure.

"Damn, the animal kingdom is a mess." Michio couldn't stop muttering.

Meanwhile, Emiko's eyes were darting about, as she had things she wanted to say but couldn't because of how awkward the situation was.

"Who'd have believed that was even feasible!" Takuma was dumbfounded as well until a realisation dawned on him. "Wait a minute! Does the fact that animals can do it imply that people can, too?"

Before Ranran could speak, Shinichi cuts in, "Anyway, now that you guys are aware how white tigers are produced, a lot of countries have banned producing them because of this."

"Why? Because they are white?"Michio couldn't help but voice out.

"Here's the problem." Ranran decided to explain, turning to the kids solemnly, "When the monarchy was in place, there were few royal families that married off their kids. They do, however, require their own children to carry on the throne's legacy. To do this, they marry inside the family, much like a tiger situation. But, unlike tigers, this was done on purpose to produce powerful clever children."

"Hah!? That really happened?" Shinichi's mouth fell, followed by disdain "Are you serious? What is wrong with them!?"

"Everything, really." Ranran tilts her head in distaste "It subsequently led to the dissolution of many royal families since it was discovered that having children from the same family resulted in many problems. It makes children dumber, uglier, and sicker."

"That serious!?"Even Emiko covered her mouth at Ranran's revelations.

"Yeah, it's enough to make you wish you are better off dead," Ranran explains, making everyone gulp at that thought."Anyway, "Ranran adds, "Getting a wild white tiger is about 1 in 10,000."

"Wouldn't that make them rare?" Takuma pondered, not realising Junko had opted to look up the human defects Ranran mentioned. She quickly regretted doing so. Looking at photographs of Charles II of Spain was enough to persuade Junko that she had seen enough.

"Very rare," Shinichi remarked, acknowledging and looking at the computer screen. "That's why you can only find them nowadays in zoos or circuses, since the majority of this scenario is man-made, where they compel blood-related tigers to breed, then market them off by saying that they're uncommon so they can profit from curious individuals." Shinichi then glanced at Ranran, "I'm guessing that's why Fifi was the only one that went missing, because it was the only one with a white furcoat, right?"

"Yes, "Ranran affirmed his deduction. "In comparison to the other three tigers, Mr Whiskers—or Fifi as we all know—has a white fur coat. Furthermore, there has long been a myth that white tigers are the most valuable because of their scarcity. Given the circumstances, this is somewhat accurate."

"Neh, Ranran...what do you suppose would happen if The Snake gets to capture Fifi?" Emiko couldn't stop herself from asking the dreadful question.

"Probably this, "Ranran told them as she scrolled a photo of two men holding the skin from a dead tiger. "Also, the value of a tiger is higher dead than being alive performing shows. Look,"she pointed on the monitor," Tiger coats can be sold for a small fortune and their body parts can be used for traditional medicine and exotic recipes. That's why there are laws to stop tigers from being shot before they're all wiped out. The Bali tiger is extinct. The last Java tiger was shot in 1971. And there are only 47 South Chinese Amoy tigers left."

Shinichi sat back. "It's very clear cut, isn't it? The white tiger is worth more money than any other tiger. That's why The Snake, Rupert, and the Crows all want to steal it."

"It's most likely why Watanabe was drawn in to break out of that cage." That's when things got serious, and Shinichi isn't happy about it. "I am beginning to feel that Mr Rupert could be involved as well," he admits.

"Why? Is it because Amelia mentioned he is in charge of import?"Takuma comment.

"He has their schedule since he is the ringmaster, so he should be aware. Also, "Ranran googled more about the circus, "Around the year the circus had switched management, it was already severely in debt."

"In debt?!"Heads turned to Junko, "How does one get in debt?"

"Remember what Shinichi mentioned about the absurd laws that come with having a circus? That is one of the grounds for dismantling a business that has been profitable for a long time." Ranran sat with her hands crossed and a grave expression on her face "Unless one is wealthy, anyone would be a fool to gladly take over a circus that is already in debt. You'll require a lot of money."

"How much are you talking?"Michio ask.

"About millions of pounds," Ranran said, counting with her finger, "plus the expense of running a circus, animal welfare in terms of food, health care, the performers that work for them...transportation in particular."

"Man, when Ranran put it that way, that is awfully expensive."Takuma cringed.

"Amelia also stated that the previous management was in charge of purchasing Fifi's cage since they didn't trust Rupert with the animals. That says a great deal. That's why Mr Rupert lied about Fifi coming in today, perhaps to get Watanabe to intersect during its transportation time and break Fifi out to be auctioned off," Shinichi sighs grimly. "It is one of the rarest of them all, by this point...Fifi will be gone," Shinichi said quietly, head down and eyes shut.

"Thinking how they gonna smuggle Fifi out just for all of this crap is awful! Poor tiger!"Ran couldn't help but sympathize.

"How cruel!"Junko expressed her disdain."All this for money!"

The voices of revulsion and outrage could be heard muttering among the kids.

"That's all there is to it. Two gangs of crooks banded together and tried to break an imbecile out of prison, all to steal a white tiger and make a profit, but greed tore them apart." Michio sagged in his chair. "Except we have no idea where the white tiger is or when the heist will take place."

"Not really, "Shinichi got to his feet and paced up and down."There is one more thing we almost forgot," he reminded them. "Remember that Crows who'd been shot I mentioned not long ago? Just before he passed out, he mentioned 'Josephine'. If we figured what is the link, we'll be ahead of them."

"Josephine?" Takuma raised an eyebrow. "What's Josephine got to do with Bengal? Could it be a person?"

The kids were perplexed.

~~~

While Tantei association were discussing at the pc cafe, another meeting was taking place elsewhere.

The enigmatic man known only as The Snake had gathered his deputies together for a conference in a spacious office high in a skyscraper that towered over the city. The Snake appeared on television, sat behind a silver screen so no one could see his face, and spoke to them through a special microphone that concealed his voice. When The Snake spoke, everyone paid close attention, and no one ventured to interrupt until asked. They were all aware of the consequences of failure.

"Alright, Denisonia."He called out one of the deputies, "How was the idiot dealt with the other day?"

"Ah, hai! I have some recent developments to share with you," he stood up as he announced. "As you know, 3 weeks ago the driver was late in an attempt to pick Mr Watanabe up from prison due to one of our underling idiot forgetting to send the car for maintenance, his car broke down. So that idiot old fool went off by himself into the city to look for us and was discovered by those kids. He also attracted the attention of the Crows. That's when all our problems started. That imbecile who forgot to send the car to repair has now been taken care of the way he should be."

"Good," replies the Snake, "that idiot deserved it.  We wouldn't have foolhardy kids chasing us down like that if it weren't for his idiocy. Also, it was because of him that I had to pay tons of yens to repair the damage those barbarous rascals caused to my Toyota!"

The men in the room experience a shudder. They were all aware of The Snake's ruthlessness. "Krait-san," the boss said to the other.

"Hai!"Before briefing everyone, he stood up. "We were able to rescue Watanabe from the Crows and put them out of commission," Krait added. "Watanabe informed us that those children had also been kidnapped by the Crows and were being held captive in their basement. So we don't have to be concerned about them either. They've undoubtedly drowned or been devoured by sharks by now. As a consequence, we can proceed with our plans with confidence."

"Good, I don't want to see any of them ever again, especially after one of them punctured my damn car!" The Snake relaxes as everyone nods, their expressions filled with relief. "Vermicella, how did the hit with the Crows go?" Snake queries.

"So far...it didn't do us any good," Varmicella scowls as he flips the file on the table. "Everyone had managed to flee when we broke into their headquarters, except for one man we managed to capture, who is now in our torture chamber."

"Noted. That'll teach those stupid birds to lie to me!" The Snake swore angrily before turning to his subordinates and asking, "Anything else?"

"Oh, right!" One of his deputies, Bungarus, began, "Do you know our long-term animal supplier? Who operates Duke Kramer's Circus Olympia? Mr Rupert?"

"Ah yeah, Rupert Aubrey Austin... he's been supplying us with the animals he acquired from the circus for the past two years.  How is the status of the white tiger thus far?" the Snake asks Bungarus, closing his eyes.

"Well...it's this..."Bungarus rearranged his files before he began, "You know that tiger shipment thing we discussed the other day?"

"Yes, he mentioned it will be onboard the freighter Josephine Bonaparte from India, which is scheduled to arrive in the early hours of tomorrow morning. Rupert asserts that he has already made arrangements with the captain to notify them of my arrival." The Snake was heard asking, "Why do you ask? Did the Crows realise we misled them about the ship's arrival time?"

"No, not so far. However, our opportunity to break the cage may have been cut short "Bungarus exhales heavily. "Earlier, for some reason, one of the circus employees raised a commotion on Mr Rupert about why the tiger hadn't arrived, although its showtime is scheduled for tomorrow night. Furthermore, Rupert was caught in his own lie because he informed them it would arrive today.  One of the workers then called the former ringmaster, and now he is on a flight currently to examine whether Mr Rupert's accusations of smuggling those animals out of the circus to us were true," he continues.

"What an imbecile!  This is why I expressly told him he should've secured the tent all the time to prevent anybody from checking every day without fail!" the Snake muttered under his breath, thumping the table. He then sneered, "And that moron persists on feeding those beasts himself rather than seeking the help of another trustworthy criminal. What is it all for?"

"It's money, sir. He didn't want to split the money we'll be paying him in exchange for the animals he'd smuggled," Bungarus is worried at this point.

"I don't think anyone could blame him, considering how much his gambling debts have grown. This is why we shouldn't have placed him in charge of acquiring the circus as our animal supplier," Vermicella muses.

"What other option do we have!? He is the only one under The Snake whose family owns a zoo, let alone is used to dealing with exotic creatures!" Denisonia seethes.

"Enough!"The Snake admonishes them, having had enough of their antics, "Thanks to that idiot Rupert, the plan will remain as it is with a twist. I'll board the ship with Watanabe, and he'll break the lock on the cage containing the white tiger, though he'll have to do it faster than originally intended."

The deputies listen to his briefing intently.

"We'll move the white tiger to our own storehouse before the ship docks. Meanwhile, Rupert will then paint one of his old Bengal tigers white. He'll then carry it out to the ship and exchange it. Then Watanabe will lock it up in the cage, and no one will be able to tell the difference."

"I really think this is a bad idea, the whitening part."Krait couldn't help but think, "People can tell."

"I doubt it, most people will just see its white colouring and think it's the real deal. By the time the previous ringmaster notice its eyes and nose are the wrong colour, it will be too late! Even for the Crows!"The Snake declares.

Heads nodded before Krait asked, "Then what about Rupert and Watanabe?"

"Unfortunately," The Snake continued in a distorted voice, with a cruel smirk on his face "After the switch is flipped, the captain of the ship will orchestrate a fatal accident. Then those two will never be heard from again...Plus..."

Eyebrows were raised from his top deputies," Also what sir?"Krait pressed.

"That will also teach Watanabe a lesson! What he did to cause us to lose millions of yen!" The Snake snarled, sending shockwaves through his subordinates.

~~~

Meanwhile, back at Duke Kramer's Circus Olympia, 10-year-old Amelia Francis Dixen was puzzled.

Throughout her years in the circus, Rupert had never missed a circus performance, but tonight, he had phoned in to say he was ill. One of his assistants would be working with the lions and tigers.

But Amelia didn't believe a word of it as she knew he was never ill.

Amelia prowled about near his trailer during the performance when everyone was in the big tent. There has to be another reason for his absence. And she wondered if Ranran and her gang were correct to be wary. Something was going on...

Now Amelia would never dare to cross over the trailer of Mr Rupert, not in a million years. She knew what Rupert is capable of.

Fifi's absence, on the other hand, is something she will not accept. After all, Fifi had provided her with many good memories. The joyful, the sorrowful, and even the bitter. Through thick and thin, the tiger had always been there for her. It has always served as a source of comfort for everyone in the circus. Even her coworkers were taken aback when Fifi hasn't arrived.

If Fifi is gone...it would be to Amelia, losing another family member. Like how Ranran reacted when 'he' was gone. Also, it will devastate Ranran to know Fifi has joined 'him', up in Heaven.

That's the last thing Amelia wants to see: Ranran's forlorn expression.

Amelia also promised 'him' to watch after this tiger because 'he' knew it was Ranran's favourite.

She was observing Rupert's trailer from behind a tent when she saw a man approaching. It was Griffith Tobiah Jones, one of his assistants. Griffith was a young, skinny man with a face that froze her blood. Whenever they met, he always stared at her with a sly expression. He joined the circus around the age of 16 when he was kicked out of school for bringing knives, and it has been about 2 years since.

Griffith was carrying a huge chunk of meat and that's when Amelia's curiosity was immediately aroused. Usually, Rupert is the one in charge of the feeding, he never allowed anyone to feed the animals, not even his own assistants. Griffith looked around nervously before unlocking the door to a small trailer parked to one side. He disappeared inside for a matter of seconds. When he stepped out, he was empty-handed. He locked the door and hurried away.

Amelia waited until she was alone. She crept over to the mysterious trailer and listened at the door. Strange grunting noises came from inside. She circled until she discovered a small hatch on one side. She lifted it quietly and peered through.

It took a few moments for her eyes to focus on the darkness inside. A cage had been built in the trailer. And there, in the gloom, she could see the shape of a tiger hungrily devouring the meat. But not just any tiger, suddenly realized.

A chill rippled down her spine."Fifi? Is that you?"

It was a white tiger. However...for some reason, the expression didn't look like Fifi at all. Also, the more Amelia call the name 'Fifi', it didn't respond. And Fifi usually responds.

Amelia closed the hatch, her mind reeling. Now she knew something weird was happening."Where did that white tiger come from? And why had Rupert hidden it in the trailer? Are we expecting two of them now?"

Amelia then decided to search for Michio's card in her pocket before running back to her family's trailer. Her father had left his smartphone on the shelf. She snatched it up and punched in Michio's number.

"Majima," she called out his name without the suffix when she answered, "I don't know if your gang is busy, this is important. You need to come over here, right now! I think something shady is going on here!"

.....

"All abroad!"

Fifi was lying in the sun in a cage, soaking in the pleasant wind while watching people go past each other, as the Josephine Bonaparte ship had been travelling for around 8 hours now. There were six tiny passenger cabins in case people chose to travel with their goods, as well as a handful of smaller holds for hauling cargo that required special treatment, such as breakable objects, fresh vegetables, or health supplies.

The sky above, unsurprisingly, stayed clear.

Though the cage Fifi looks smaller out the outside but inside was surprisingly spacious, enough to pace back and forth in its enclosure, its long tail swishing back and forth. Most tigers would rattle the cage, especially being in there for 8 hours. However, Fifi is trained to be temperamental and was used to travelling on cargo ships, a stark contrast to how a normal white tiger is supposed to behave. This shouldn't be any different, soon it'll be a matter of time before Fifi has to perform several stunts later on.

The more Fifi thinks about the stunts, the more it dreads it.

.........

Before that ringmaster took over, there was a kinder ringmaster back then. Back then, Fifi was around 5 years old, the circus was based at a place where the sky rarely is blue, as it was constantly grey. The ringmaster would never use a crack whip onto the tigers in this circus, there is always something about him that always made the animals wholeheartedly trust him. Fifi was no different and was happy to see him on occasion. Fifi only knew the 60-year-old man as 'Kramer'.

Then one day, the man called 'Kramer' never returned to the circus ever again.

The following day, before Fifi knew it, it observed a black coffin with flowers placed on it, with the black and white picture of a smiling Kramer, while the crowd shed tears as the song 'Amazing Grace' played out from the speaker.

As time goes by, Fifi notices another ringmaster has taken over. He looks like he is in his 30s, his face looks a little like his late ringmaster, but there is no twinkle in his eyes, nor the gentle words coming from his mouth as he yelled commands onto the tigers to perform as his orders. Although Fifi overheard the new ringmaster sharing the same surname, the man told everyone to address him as 'Anthony'.

Anthony wasn't a good showman unlike 'Kramer', Fifi could often hear the boo sounds coming from the crowd whenever they come to visit. Suddenly, fewer viewers began showing up. Before anyone knows it, the circus was no longer the no.1 go-to destination for entertainment.  That's when that 'Anthony' began introducing more animals that are no longer tigers. He bought elephants, lions, zebras, birds - you name it, he could've built a zoo for all one knows.

It must have worked because overnight, the circus was as popular as it was during its heyday. However, there isn't one without sacrifice.

The white tiger watched from his cage as the circus staff fed the other animals. He had been the star of the circus for years, but now he was relegated to a back corner of the exhibit. The other animals had taken centre stage. The white tiger felt a sense of sadness and displacement. He had always been the centre of attention, and now he was alone and forgotten. The other 3 tigers he had come with together had outshined him, as they were younger than him by many years.

In addition to that, he was also an outcast, as he was born different from the other tigers, and they never let him forget it.

That is why he has his own cage, separately from the others.

Now, it seemed to be agitated, its eyes scanning the area for something. Visitors would stop to watch the tiger, their faces betraying a mix of fascination and fear. As soon as they left, the tiger decided to sleep for the day.

"And that tiger is Fifi."

Perking its ear as its name was called, the white tiger turned to see who it was. The dirty blonded haired 7-year-old boy is introducing some child smaller than him, a 3-year-old girl to a tiger."Isn't Fifi a he?"The little one frowned.

"He is."

"Then why does he have a girl's name?"

"Anyone can be named whatever they want, Ranran."The Boy scoffed at her.

"Why is it white?"The girl named Ranran asked.

"Well...things happened."The Boy was hesitant to explain 'inbreeding'.

"Why does he has his own cage, unlike others?"

"Cause he keeps getting attacked by others, Ranran. It is white, the normal colour is brown."He explained to the child.

As the 3-year-old watched the white tiger pace back and forth in its enclosure, she felt a sense of sympathy for the animal. "How is it one with a cool looking fur must be cast out like that?"Ranran commented with light in her eyes, before adding, "Unlike the other tigers. So boring." she rolled her eyes. She then cheekily declares, "I think it should be called Mr Whiskers."

"Mr Whiskers!? Where did you come up with such a name!?"

That's right, that was how Fifi met her. His favourite human.

....

Once in a while, the white tiger would watch as his favourite human came into the circus. It had been watching this human for weeks and had come to recognize it as its favourite. The girl had been coming to visit every day for the past week, and the tiger had grown to love her. It was drawn to her innocence, her purity.

They would play together, and it would even let the child rest on its body whenever Fifi was released.

Always coming to the circus and watching it for hours, telling others how beautiful it was. And the tiger would purr and rest its head in her lap, and she would tell it stories and pet it until it fell asleep. There were even times someone whose name was 'Amelia' would accompany his favourite human, by letting Ranran ride on the tiger. Those were happy days, one that completely distracted Fifi from its harsh days at the circus.

A year went by, and finally, Anthony is no longer around.

More animals were no longer around anymore, as Fifi often see men dressed in police uniforms approached Anthony, till finally, it watched Anthony being escorted out of the tent for good. Another ringmaster come over, this one was Timothy Kramer, the other son of his late ringmaster. And for once, things were better. Fifi got back its fame, tourists went up a notch, and every day was a blessing.

Then, around December was the beginning of the end.

One day, Fifi and the other animals were put into a trailer cage, set off to leave for good. And they no longer see Timothy anymore. It was a gloomy rainy day, without warning, the entourage travelled.

Suddenly, all of them were put to a halt.

Confused, Fifi went close to the caged to see what was going on. The animal trailer were all parked at the side of the road. From a distance, the tiger could see a group of people dressed in black were gathered around a couple of tombstones, expression of somberness and sadness were evident.

"Here! Say goodbye to Fifi one last time!"

Amelia hurriedly took Ranran over to the cage, as the 4-year-old stood. The tiger had been observing its favourite human for some time and had noticed that the little girl was unusually sad. Too sad. It's like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. What made her sad?

It then looks at the girl it always works with, the one the humans called 'Amelia' coaxing the 4-year-old to say goodbye. The tiger then noticed one person missing.

Only then, does it realizes...the Boy who was always with his favourite human, was no longer around.

"Mr Whiskers...I am going to miss you."The 4-year-old said in a sombre tone, feeling like the world around her was going to end.

As if it wants to comfort her, the tiger approached the girl and put its head on the hand, offering its support. The little girl was touched by the tiger's gesture. As soon as the truck pulls its trailer away, leading away from the 4-year-old girl. He knew this was the end, and he was going to miss her dearly.

After her family forcefully moved her away from the tiger, she was forced to leave everything behind. The tiger is heartbroken, but though fate was cruel, it went on with life. With a ringmaster like Rupert around, life wasn't any better for it either. It kept its glory and fame, but it's pointless having to deal with an airhead who ain't responsible when it comes to feeding time.

Fifi became restless, agitated. It had been a long time since it had seen the 4-year-old. It often wonders how is her life now? The last time it saw her, the tiger was forced to watch from its cage, its favourite human had tears in her eyes.

The tiger was starting to get lonely. It missed the sound of its favourite human's laughter and the way its hand felt when it was petted. The tiger longed to be out of its enclosure and back with its favourite human again.