2-18

Amanda pushed open her door and stepped out into the hallway of her apartment. Rosco the raccoon weaved between her legs and out into the hallway ahead of her. She closed her door, locked it and started following him. Rosco had ran down the hallway and stopped in front of Suneya's apartment door. He turned and raised his paws up, chittering at her. To anyone else it would have sounded like random animal noises but to Amanda, it was its own language. “Chip Lady Home?”

Amanda flicked her ear in the general direction of Suneya’s apartment. She didn't hear anyone inside and Suneya normally kept the door open so Amanda could come hang out, “Shes not home. We have other things to do today anyways.”

She leaned down and held out her hands. Rosco dropped his paws and ran to her. She caught him and lifted him from the ground, holding him by her side. She stepped out of her apartment and headed to her car, setting Rosco down and letting him run ahead. She opened her car door and he crawled inside, over the seat and into the passenger seat. Amanda sat down and closed her door then reached over and clipped Rosco into the passenger seat with the little harness he wore. Rosco chittered, “going?”

Amanda reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out a little bag of catfood. She pulled it open then sat it in front of Rosco, “Angelicas to see your friends.”

Rosco started eating his cat food and Amanda nodded before starting the car and driving to the animal sanctuary. Pulling into the parking lot she parked her car and looked around to make sure there were no cars driving around. When she saw nothing the reached over and unclipped Rosco. He hopped over into her lap and she collected the bag of catfood, folding it up and putting it into her pocket.

Opening the door, Rosco hopped out and started exploring the parking lot. He looked under cars and around trash cans. Amanda stepped out of the car and shut the door then walked over to one of the side doors to the zoo. She turned to Rosco where he was trying to climb a trash can, “Get over here.”

Rosco flopped from the can and scurried over. Amanda pulled out a plastic card and swiped it across the reader. It beeped and turned green, she pulled open the door and Rosco charged ahead. Closing the door behind her she stepped onto the concrete flooring and followed Rosco. Walking deeper into the facility she could hear the animals calling for food or trying to get others to play with them. Anytime it looked like Rosco was going to go the wrong direction she would get his attention, he was a good raccoon and listened. Some of the older ones would disagree with her at times.

She passed a worker and asked for directions. She picked up Rosco and followed the directions, it led her up some stairs and to one of the sides of the animal sanctuary. She stepped into the room and saw Angelica sitting on a little stand and Redford in his massive biome. Angelica turned when Amanda entered the room, her white coat fluffy and well groomed, “Hello Amanda. It is good of you to join us.”

Redford the elephant wiggled his truck, typing something on the massive keyboard in his enclosure, “Welcome Amanda”

“Redford, Angelica.” Amanda nodded as she got close, “Just here for this one's check up.”

Angelica scanned Rosco's form, “Hmm.. a few more weeks and you'll have to let him free.”

Amanda kneeled down and set Rosco down. She started playing with him, rolling him between her hands and letting him run circles around her, “Yeah. I have been teaching him how to open jars lately. He almost has it down.”

Angelica lowered the front of her body then tucked her paws under her chest before shifting a bit and getting comfortable, “There will always be more.”

Redford wiggled his trunk and the speaker on the railing spoke out, “Sad as that maybe, have you two been watching the news?”

“No, I haven't watched the news in awhile. I normally watch it with Suneya. Whats been going on?”

Angelica let out a huff, “Every person with a problem seems to have crawled out of the woodwork. People are robbing banks and attacking research boats when they dock. It is a whole mess.”

Amanda let out a hum and rolled Rosco onto his back, scratching his belly, “I have been getting a lot of weird programming request lately. I might just not take them if stuff like that is happening.”

Stolen novel; please report.

Redford shifted his weight, the flooring beneath him creaked, “I think there is something in the water, or something was taken out of the water. There has been quite a lot of brutishness happening. I have yet to see any of the cities around us have the right answer to the problem.”

“The cities have been throwing teams of people dressed as superheroes at the problem. Enhanced fighting enhanced in the streets.” Angelica shook her head, “the other continent is doing pretty bad too. There was a few brushfire conflicts that started up but there is this lady flying around the globe putting things like that out.”

Amanda started petting Rosco the raccoon, “I hope that doesn't spread over to Swivel City. Insurance prices will shoot through the roof.”

“You wotn have to worry about that. Owl runs around the city and the people that would do that are kind of intimidated by her.” Redford said from the speakers in the room.

“Owl does do good work. I speak to her through email and haven't gotten a reply in a few days. She must be very busy with all this mess.” Angelica added.

Amanda picked up Rosco, he grabbed her forearm to hold on and she pulled him to her chest as she stood up, “Well I need to get him checked out. Angelica is Cassidy in?”

“Yes. She should be up for checking out Roscos health. She is in lab twenty two.”

“Nice talking to you Redford, Angelica.”

Redford waved with his trunk and Angelica nodded. Amanda turned and left them to their chat. She walked down the large concrete hallways carrying Rosco on her hip. She passed by a few different biomes with animals inside, even a small aquarium. She didn't enjoy talking with fish, they are very dumb. All they thought about was food and trying to dodge other larger fish. She was scratching Rosco's head, he had grabbed her hand and held it to his head. She walked past a biome and into the light of it when she heard a growly voice, “Morsel!”

Amanda stopped and looked into the enclosure. There was a very large lioness sitting on a a rock inside. When Amanda stopped the Lioness stood up and hopped down, walking closer to the transparent material of the window, “Give Morsel.”

“I am not giving you Rosco. You have plenty of food given to you Sophia.” Amanda told the lioness.

Sophia stopped and laid her paw on the material and pulled down with her grey claws. The material peeled off in curls below her claws, “Play Morsel. Run Morsel. Hunt Morsel.”

A little light flicked on in the enclosure while Amanda shoot her head, “You have plenty of toys I know you enjoy.” She pointed inside the enclosure at a few, “Some of those are your favorites. I will tell some people you are getting bored of your toys, I am sure they will swap them out.”

The Lioness stop clawing grooves in the barrier and paused at that. She turned her big head to look at her toys then flopped down onto all fours, “No Take.”

Amanda nodded, “Then go play with them.”

The lioness huffed and walked off. Amanda shook her head and continued on her way, Rosco in her arms. He let out a chitter, “Big.”

“Yea she is pretty big.”

She finally reached her destination. It was just a little room with a table and some equipment on it. Cassidy was there, she was a heavy set older lady wearing scrubs. She was doing some paperwork with a stethoscope around her neck. Amanda plopped Rosco down on the table, “Sophia scratched the see through enclosure material. I think she is getting bored.”

Cassidy set the paperwork down and approached the table, “We will have to give her something new to play with then. Replacing that polymer is going to be a pain. I will let someone know tonight so they can do it while the lions are sleeping.”

Cassidy slid her stethoscope into her ears and ran a hand down Rosco’s back, “He is looking healthy but lets check his heart to be sure.”

She put the end to the side of Rosco's chest. He shifted and chittered, raising his paws in the air like Amanda taught him. Cassidy hummed, “He seems like he is fine from all the raccoons I have studied.”

Cassidy pulled away and Rosco turned to Amanda, “Treat?”

Amanda reached into her pocket and pulled out a little bag. Inside were little green cat treats. She held it out to him and Rosco snatched it from her fingers with his little paws. Amanda reached up and ran a hand over his head while he gnawed on the cat treat, “This little guy is about ready for me to release him with another group of raccoons.”

“He will be fine. It's not your first animal to be released. The enclosure raccoons will accept him. Are you going to take him over there before you leave?”

Amanda gave a nod, "That's the plan.”

Cassidy gave a nod then walked over to her papers. She started working on them as she replied, “Well Vanessa hasn't been throwing things much after you came with your friend so I think you will be fine. Still, do be careful.”

Amanda picked up Rosco and set him on the floor, “Lets go to the play area Rosco.”

Rosco took off, running ahead on all fours. His little nose up in the air leading him on. Amanda hurried after him. Rosco knew where he was going as Amanda had brought him here a few times in the past. He ran down a few hallways then waited by a door for Amanda. Amanda walked over and pulled the little bag of catfood from her hoodie and handed it down to Rosco, it would help the others accept him if he came with food. Turning to the door she lifted the lock, just a little bar through a few loops, then opened the door. Rosco scurried inside and Amanda heard all the other raccoons chitter and greet him.

Amanda stepped in and closed the door behind her, sliding the little bar back home. More raccoons that she had helped in the past came over to her and chittered at her. She knelt down and rubbed heads and bellies where she could. She watched Rosco play with other raccoon and slowly started to relax. Amanda would give him an hour then pick him up and head home. It was early morning and raccoons were nocturnal, she was getting tired and planed on sleeping the day away.

She crouched down watching Rosco chase a ball with the other, thinking about the news from Angelica and Redford. If people really were coming out of the woodwork and doing stupid things she might have to start worrying. She would shrug it off if Suneya was around but Amanda hadn't seen her in awhile.

An hour later Amanda walked over and picked up the empty bag that had carried the catfood, the raccoons would bury it in their enclosure if she didn’t. She turned to the group of passed out raccoons and walked over, behind down she lifted Rosco out front he little huddle and headed home. He wasn't ready for that and she saw signs from the wilder raccoons that he wasn't fulled welcomed yet.