Eden fell silent again, eyes going to the porcupine on a tree stump inside a glass cage. She decided to leave Sterling to his red pandas and focused on the animal that caught her attention.
She chuckled to herself, walking towards it and placing a hand on the grass as she watched the rodent. It wasn’t as big as the others, but it was large. It looked like it was asleep, but Eden knew even a small movement would startle it. Those creatures were adorable. Eden loved them. At one point, she even wanted one as a pet. Her parents, unfortunately, refused.
Sterling watched the little, furry, red animals for a while longer, his smile ever present on his lips. He felt Eden’s presence disappear from his side, but he didn’t turn to see where she went yet. After a moment, he looked over his shoulder at her, then turned around completely. He watched her quietly as he leaned back against the fence. She looked… almost happy here…
“Hi,” Eden murmured, tapping lightly on the glass. The rodent didn’t jump away, but it did look at her. It lifted its tail and she smiled. “Unfortunate you have to be locked up in here, hm?”
It seemed ridiculous to speak to something that couldn’t even understand you, but Eden didn’t find it so. After all, she’d grown more used to the presence of animals than humans. She visited the zoo, animal shelters, and aquariums whenever she could. She had a pet at her apartment, too. A cat named Razor whom she got two years ago when she… Eden immediately wiped that thought away.
The rodent scurried away as if it felt the dark route her mind went off to. Eden let out a quiet chuckle. “Well, then, it was nice to meet you, too.”
Sterling watched Eden as she spoke to the animal. It was cute, really, what she was doing. Even if she thought she was all tough, she really did have a sweet side to her, he could tell. She might not ever show it to him or anyone else, but at least she had it.
Eden finally felt eyes on her and sighed, closing her eyes. She’d forgotten he was there. Had he seen the way she was acting? The side that had nearly been killed. The side she refused to show. He’d seen it.
It doesn’t matter, Eden told herself. At the end of the way, whoever he’d tell, they wouldn’t believe it.
“Are you done with the red pandas?”
“I am. Do you want to go see another animal? We still have about an hour to kill,” Sterling mused, letting his smile settle into his normal one.
“Let’s walk,” the girl replied instead, already turning her back against the male. “To the open side.”
“The open side?” Sterling questioned, falling in step behind her.
“The area that doesn’t have the animals… locked up?” Eden furrowed her eyebrows. “The open side. No cages? Mostly reserved for bigger animals, like the elephants, giraffes, hippos, and rhinos.”
“Oh, cool. I didn’t realize that’s what it was called,” Sterling mused with a shrug. “So what’s your favorite animal here? Besides the penguins, that is.”
“It’s not called that. It’s just me that calls it the open side,” Eden corrected him quietly before offering a shrug. “I like all of them. They’re good company.”
Sterling hummed, taking a small step closer to her. “You like animals, then. Do you have a pet?”
Eden nodded, eyes carefully skimming everything she passed by. “I do. Why?”
“Just curious. What kind of pet?” Sterling wondered.
“A cat,” Eden replied, twirling a strand of her hair around her fingers. “Siberian.”
“What’s it’s name?” Sterling wondered, smiling as he looked around. It was nice having a pleasant conversation with her.
“Razor,” Eden breathed. “His name is Razor. He’s two.”
Sterling smiled over at her, taking another tiny step closer. “Any pictures?”
Eden noticed how he seemed to get closer, but she didn’t pay much attention to it. Instead, she nodded. “Lots. I take pictures of him whenever I can.”
“Can I see?” Sterling asked, smiling over at her. “He sounds like he’d be gorgeous.”
Eden bit down on her lip, his smile making her feel strange. She sighed, taking out her phone and unlocking it. She was only complying because he called Razor gorgeous. No other reason.
She tapped on a picture, the one where Razor was snuggling in her blanket, eyes closed, peaceful. She showed it to him.
(A bit like the picture in her biography)
Sterling leaned over to look at the picture and smiled. “He is very pretty,” he mused before pulling away. “When did you get him?”
Eden looked at the picture as well, thumb caressing the screen. Her Razor, the affectionate feline.
“Two years ago,” Eden responded, her voice quiet. “He was a baby when I got him.”
“Do you have any pictures of him from then?” Sterling asked softly, his gaze moving to her face. His smile widened at the look she had. She just looked peaceful talking about her pet.
Eden nodded, scrolling up, passing by pictures of Razor and sometimes of her and her pet together. Finally, she stopped when she reached the end of her gallery, tapping on a picture. Razor was tiny and weak, wrapped around a small blanket, laying in her lap, a bottle of milk in his small paws. She showed the picture to Sterling without looking at him. “He was a weak feline. He’s healthy now.”
