The Tiger stalks: moves slowly and quietly towards an animal or a person; in order to kill, catch or harm, (here) moves in a similar fashion: in his vivid: very bright: stripes.He took a few steps in his cage on pads of velvet quiet and fumbly snarled in his quiet rage. The Tiger should be lurking: waiting somewhere secretly, especially in order to do something bad: in the shadow, sliding through the long grass of the wild, near the water-hole: a place in the hot country where animals go to drink, usually a small pool in a forest for wild animals: where the plump dear pass.
The Tiger should be snarling: showing his teeth and make angry noises: around houses at the edge of the jungle showing his white fangs: the two long sharp teeth at the front of the mouth of some animals: his claws and terrorizing the village. But now the Tiger is locked up in a concrete cell and all his strength is kept behind bars. He spends his time stalking the length of his cage and ignoring all human visitors. He hears the last voice every night and that is the voice of the patrolling cars: police cars going around an area or a building at regular times to check that it is safe and that there is no trouble; then he stares with his brilliant eyes at the brilliant stars above.