When morning light spilled across the zoo, the keepers found Daisy resting just outside the enclosure, the tigers pressed close against the bars as if unwilling to part. No drama marked the separation this time. It was gentle and inevitable, like the closing of a chapter written long ago.
Within weeks, Daisy’s strength waned for good. One evening, she lay down and did not rise again. Zachary knelt beside her, tears tracing his cheeks, but her face was calm. It was as though she had been waiting, holding on until she could see her children once more, then letting go.