Vol wandered the carnival grounds, casual and relaxed but he was in essence hunting. He knew what sort of people Baba was looking for, though he hadn’t done anything along the lines of what was now planned. It had been so addicting however, and he wanted more. 

He spotted a very fine family, young enough to be still in that state of pure adoration of one another. For most folk that vanished when the child was about ten. The happy little girl they had with them looked to be around seven. Perfect. He glanced briefly over his shoulder, but saw no indication of Baba. She had eyes and ears most places however, he had no doubt she knew which family he had selected. 

Stilling his mind Vol lifted the brim of his hat to reveal his charming hazel eyes. He schooled his face into one of his trademark disarming smiles and approached the family. 

“Welcome, Welcome” he said as he approached, his voice suave and debonair. “I truly hope you are enjoying yourselves.” His easy going manner and charming speech encouraged them to stay and talk awhile. 

He learned they were, as he suspected, truly devoted to one another and husband and wife very much in love. That would make this harder, but so much more worthwhile. Even despite their claims of devotion to one another he caught the woman making eyes at him. It wasn’t the woman he wanted though, oh she was decent enough but the young man was dashingly handsome, lean and muscled and just the thing that Vol had been looking for. He spent the last remaining hour before his show wooing his chosen family. A casual touch here, a glance there, it was no one thing but he fanned a flame of sexual tension with each action.

********

Vol’s act began in darkness, the tent silent except for a few hushed whispers and shifting of bodies. He stood, deep in the shadows, waiting for the tension in the place to get to the perfect point.

In that moment, just before the tension built to a peak, a single spotlight landed among the crowd, near the exit. A wolverine, brushed till he shone, snarling and growling appeared. Short, dense, and squat-- one might mistake the small animal as not very dangerous. A single look in their eyes would prove otherwise. The creature loped in its peculiar manner down the aisle, snarling and snapping at the crowd the whole time. 

Vol remained hidden as it wandered into the center ring and stood there, snuffling and grunting. A second and third wolverine did the same, down different aisles, and still Vol remained hidden. 

The final two however reacted different. Loosed into the audience they were in a frenzy of viciousness. Snarling they charged, their odd ferret-like gate propelling them quickly down the aisle towards a very beautiful young woman. 

She screamed, a high pitched scream of false terror, but before the audience could react to that Vol leaped from a nearby platform upon which he had been waiting. Spotlight upon him now, he performed an acrobatic leap and landed him in front of the woman. Brandishing his cane he flourished it at the creatures in swirls and jabs. 

“Begone beasts” he exclaimed, his voice deep and trained to fill the tent. The wolverines halted in mind bounce and snarling and hissing viciously began to back up. Vol drove them to the center of the ring where they joined the other three. 

Then he turned and faced the audience. He smiled directly at the family, sitting in the front row eyes wide as they watched. He winked quickly at the young father and went on with his act.

“Ladies and gentlemen welcome” he said. “Please extend a warm welcome to my lovely assistant”—here he gestured to the woman who had screamed. She bowed to applause and exited. He waited until the applause had died before speaking again. 

“Let the show begin!”

It was full of the usual tricks, modified to accommodate the different physique of the animals he worked with. They were dexterous and swift and obligingly hissed and snarled at all the appropriate points. They leaped through hoops, ran along fences, drug huge weights across the ground, and even played a child’s piano. 

Finally he lined them up once more in the center of the arena, and allowed a hush to come once more. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, it is vital you remain quiet and still through this next part. These creatures are wild, and among the most vicious in the world. I command them, train them…but I would never tame them. Keep that in mind as I bring them around so you can get a close look at one of the rarest creatures in nature.”

He lifted his cane and the wolverines obediently began walking slowly down the isles, along the front and down isles to the exits. People stood, craned their necks, whatever they could to get a better look. One stopped directly in front of Vol’s special guests. The father looked up, his eyes meeting Vol’s once the animal had moved on. Vol gave an imperceptible nod and returned to his job.

The wolverines returned to the ring, quiet and almost innocent looking after walking so politely among the crowd. 

“Now then” said Vol in the silence that followed. “They are beautiful, graceful animals but less you think they are not really as vicious as they seem I present—my final act. If you are easily shocked please turn away but rest assured that no animals will be harmed in this act.”

Vol “drove” the wolverines to the edges and another helper walked a huge tiger into the tent. The animal was huge, Vol could almost ride it like a horse had he wished. Glossy and sleek the animal moved like a true predator, watching all with a gaze that unnerved most folk. 

The assistant led it to the center ring and left. Vol rapped his cane on the ground and the tiger roared, the sound filling the tent. He did it again and the creature roared louder. 

“King of the jungle” said Vol in his showman’s voice “This great animal bows to no one, yields ground for no creature for he is truly the strongest in the land. Usually.”

The assistant who had led in the tiger brought in covered, wheeled cart. The few drops of blood trailing behind it let everyone know exactly what was in it. 

Vol took the cart and dumped it in front of the tiger. The half a side of beef hit the ground with a huge thud and the tiger growled, a purling noise that seemed to reverberate from the air around and not just the tiger. 

Vol jumped back, leaping lightly to the edge of the ring as the tiger began to rip into the meat. It had time to take only one bite before the wolverines charged. The “fight” was mostly a thing of show. Vol controlled it carefully to keep the animals from damaging one another. It was, however, very fierce and the sounds of snarls and roars filled the tent. It was over in less than 30 seconds. The tiger backed off, joining Vol who rested a hand on the beasts head. The wolverines settled down to eat, despite already having one good meal today.

A “privacy tent” dropped from the ceiling and skilled assistants snuck in and replaced the side of beef with a fairly stripped version. 

The tent lifted and Vol turned and gestured. 

“Piranhas have nothing on these animals” he said with a laugh. “And no animal trainer in the world, save for yours truly, dares work with such animals. You’ll never see another show like it folks! I promise you that.”

Then he, the tiger, and all five wolverines bowed to the crowd and the tent went dark. The cue the show was over. When the lights came on again Vol, the animals, and the remains of the cow were all gone. Only a little blood on the ground marked where the tableau had occurred.

***
The crowd filed out of the tent, talking amongst themselves. Vol, having taken a back exit, waited quietly in a shadow. He was planning his next move as he waited. When his guests exited the tent, near the end as they had been in the front row, he pushed himself off the wall and sauntered over, all charm and smiles. He had the rest of the day to spend with them. He intended to make the most of it, plus his work for Baba was not yet done. 

“I trust you enjoyed the show?”