The two of you just sort of stare at each other for a while. You finnaly break the silence.
"You have got to be the single dumbest feline since Brain from Top Cat." You say dryly. You're not sure if the responding growl was meant to sound sheepish or angry, but at this point you don't much care. You see his quadrapedal form slightly shift, and your body correspondingly shifts, making walking on two legs difficult. You suddenly realize that only one of you can be human at one time. Why is someone else's problem, you just have to stop it from happening.
"Whoa whoa whoa, let's not do that again, huh? Where's the key?" Your re-transformation stops, and quickly reverts. you ask. The tiger shakes his head and seems to point at you with his head. You look at yourself and realize that your clothes and possessions have been restored as well as everything else. No doubt the only way for this guy to get the keys is to switch back.
"There's got to be a better way of solving this problem then going through that change again. How long before someone comes to check on you?" you ask. The tiger paws the ground twice."
"two mintues?" you ask the tiger shakes his head with difficulty. "Two hours?" you ask the tiger nods his head.
"Can you break the cage?" you ask. The tiger rolls his eyes in response. "Right...it's built to keep you in. Lesseeeee." You think
Two hours until he gets checked on, the zoo is closed so no visitors to help or hinder your escape efforts. You cast your eyes to the ceiling in a combination of thought and exasperation. Then you see it. Everyone's favorite plot device...a ventalation shaft.
"I could hide in the shaft!" you say, the tiger shakes his head. "Won't hold? you ask. The tiger nods his head, then his eyes widen as though he was struck with a thought. He draws a single claw across the floor, making a scratch on the immitation grass outside the cage. You're not sure where he's going with this, and tell him so. The tiger's look darkens and he stares at the ceiling inside your cage. Confused, you look up at the ceiling, then look back at the tiger and shrug. The tiger growls and draws a sinlge claw in the same straight pattern, a straight line. You look again at the ceiling and then you see it. Almost hidden in the fake rock ceiling is a medium sized pipe.
"That pipe..." you think for a moment. The pipe runs parallel to the cage door, and is about five feet up from the top of the door. "...can it hold my weight?" The tiger nods, then shakes his head.
"Maybe yes maybe no?" you ask. The tiger nods. "It's worth a shot." You form a plan. Within two hours, a familiar voice is heard approaching. You climb up the cage door and barely grasp the pipe and hold on. It's slippery and you fall off the first try.
"Hank?" the female voice says. She's obviously looking for her workmate, and she's getting closer. The tiger looks nervous, but stays quiet. Thinking quickly you climb the cage door again and this time throw your jacket around the pipe and hang on. The pipe creaks a bit, but holds for now. You pull your feet up in just enough time to avoid having them seen as the female employee walks in.
"Oh...it's you." she says. "What are you doing out here? And where is Hank?" You can't quiet place the voice, but you know you've heard it somewhere. A the tiny sound of a creaking pipe pulls your mind to more immediate concerns.
"Look who I'm asking. Look you're smarter then I gave you credit for if you're out here, but I told you I can't let you go. Now, I'm letting you into your cage and...what?....you're staring a the cage...Hank's in there?" You can hear your denim jacket slowly tearing as the cage door opens.
"Hank?" she calls out. "Okay you first." You see the tiger walk into the cage and look up at you. That idiots going to get us BOTH caught, you think to yourself, you gesture with your head to the far corner of the cage, where a few decoratative plants and shrubs are placed. He seems to take the clue and heads for the far corner and looks back halfway to the female zookeeper urging her to follow.
"Hank? Are you..." she calls out. A slow moan issued from the pipe as
your full weight slowly wreaks havoc on it's moorings. You need her to get far enough into the cage for your plan to work, but the pipe won't last much longer, nor will your old torn denim jacket. Finally she takes a few tentative steps into the cage. But she's moving slow and the jacket is tearing fast.
Can you hold on?