Black and grey realism tattoo of a lioness face on the middle finger of a hand, with shaded tattoo work visible on the forearm.

Lioness face on a middle finger

Realism · Hand · Black and grey · Photo

A small lioness face is tattooed across the middle finger, shown head on with the ears at the top edge of the finger. The linework is soft and the shading is layered in greys and black to give the eyes, nose and cheek fur depth. The hand fills the frame against a blurred indoor background, with a partial tattoo visible on the forearm at the left.

Realism Hand Lion Big cat Animal portrait

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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

The fair left Harrowby on a wet Tuesday in March, and Dora Venn was the only one who noticed the lioness was missing from the back wagon until the chains were already rattling down Mill Lane. Nobody had locked the cage. Nobody ever did, because Juno had grown too old to bother with the gate since the Coronation bunting went up.

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Dora found her at the sawmill, lying in the sawdust like a dropped coat, her great head turned towards the river. Dora had been feeding her scraps of mutton for six seasons, and she had learned the trick of speaking low and slow, the way her grandmother spoke to hens. 'Come on, girl,' she said, and held out the pail. The lioness looked at her for a long moment, then lowered her chin onto her paws, grey at the muzzle, eyes half closed against the rain.

The constable arrived on his bicycle with his fear and his notebook. Dora told him to fetch the keeper and a length of rope, and she did not tell him the rope was no use. She sat down in the sawdust beside the animal, close enough to feel the warmth coming off her flank, and waited. Somewhere a church clock struck four, then five. The picture house let out, and a dozen children gathered at the fence to stare, quiet as owls.

When Mr Penhale came up the lane with his lantern, the lioness lifted her head and gave a single low sound, almost a question. Dora stood, brushed the sawdust from her skirt, and walked out between them. 'She wanted to see the river,' she said. 'Let her have it till morning.' Nobody argued, and when the fair pulled out at dawn the wagon was empty but for a length of rope, coiled neatly on the step.