The large, white, male tiger was making a chuffing sound, a muted, backward whistle. The sucking noise came from deep inside its wide throat. The sound was almost unearthly. Birds took flight from a nearby cypress oak. Small animals scampered away as fast as they could.
The tiger was eight feet long, muscular, and weighed just over five hundred and eighty pounds. Under ordinary circumstances its prey would have been pigs and piglets, deer, antelope, water buffalo.  There were no ordinary circumstances in California. There were lots of humans, though.
The cat pounced quickly, its lithe, powerful body moving effortlessly.
The young blond male didn’t even try to resist.  The tiger’s massive jaw opened wide, then clamped down onto the man’s head. The cat’s jaws were strong enough to pulverize bone.  The man screamed,’Stop! Stop! Stop!’
Amazingly the tiger stopped.
Just like that. On verbal command.
‘You win,’ the blond man laughed and patted the animal, which released his head.
The man twisted sharply to the left. His movements were almost as quick and effortless as the cat’s. Then he pounced. He attacked the tiger’s vulnerable creamy-white underside, grabbing onto flesh with his teeth.’Got you, you big baby! You lose. You’re still my love slave.’
William Alexander stood off in the distance, watching his younger
brother with a mixture of curiosity and awe. Michael was a beautiful man-child, incredibly graceful and athletic, strong beyond belief. He wore a black pocket T-shirt and powder blue shorts. He was already s............