Saving Children (And Wooing Animals) For Dummies

[paix_et_makossa]

WHO: Olivier and Chibirisu Arthur
WHEN: July 19th, mid-afternoon
WHERE: Liberty Zoo
WHAT: Really, some people need to keep a better eye on their idiot children. And my, my, my. What lovely fur you have, miss fox~!

Comments

[godsavemy]

Escaping the String Bean Man (coming to be predominantly known as The Liar as the week wore on) hadn’t been at all difficult. After being forced into a number of peculiar and exceedingly frilly ensembles that were more in line with a certain amphibian’s sense of style, Arthur had seemingly scurried away to hide in a nook of the house.

Instead he was lying in wait.

As soon as the String Bean Liar went out to the back garden to check on his sheep, as he did quite regularly, Arthur had sprung, dashing to the foyer. He ran and jumped towards the front door, latching onto the doorknob. Luckily none of the locks were much higher or exceptionally difficult to unlatch or his getaway might have been prematurely thwarted. So, a few clicks and a hearty turn of the knob later, he was out of his self-proclaimed brother’s clutches and sweet freedom was his.

He decided to savor this new found freedom by first running as fast and as far as his small legs could take him, not stopping until the looming house was well out of sight. After he caught his breath and his heart stopped trying to burst free from his chest, the boy scampered around town, having no aim in mind but to stop to ooh and aah at interesting things.

After plastering his face to the display window of a bookstore and watching a red dwarf create some havoc with a fire hydrant, the lad overheard a father-daughter pair enthusiastically talking about lions, tigers and orangutans, oh my! Deciding to follow them at a distance, eventually Arthur found himself surrounded by dozens of creatures he had only seen in books, and dozens more he never knew existed.

But why were they behind bars...? Was this a gaol for animals? And how could he pet them when he couldn’t reach them? Wouldn’t they be a lot happier if someone rubbed their belly?

After being put out time and time again at only being able to see the animals at a distance, Arthur sulked severely at the unfairness of it all. ...That is, until he saw a man in a blue jumper come out of the enclosed area and fail to completely close the gate. Seeing his chance for what it was, Arthur wasted no time in racing over to the gate and slipping inside.

Finally, he would get his chance to see an animal up close! And what luck that it was the King of the jungle!

[paix_et_makossa]

N-Now what?

Sparing another quick look around, Olivier frowned. Where in the world were the employees? The high strung mothers? Or, better yet, the idiot boys' parents? What incompetent father, mother, guardian, or what-have-you, managed to lose their own child inside a zoo? A zoo, for goodness sake!

Mon Dieu.

But there was no time to waste least the child is mauled by the beautiful, ah, vicious beasts.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Olivier inched forward to grasp the open, swaying gate door. N-Now, to get the boy to walk back before the lions spotted him. "A-Ah, l-little boy. Cher enfant, p-please, come back. Those animals are dangerous, child!" Olivier called out, attempting to keep his voice low as he glanced worriedly at the dozing beasts.

[godsavemy]

Arthur took off on the dirt path made for ZOO EMPLOYEES ONLY (it read on the ignored sign) without reservations and had made it all the way to the lush area in the shade without incident in the form of beast or human. Though that was probably in part to the tall grass that concealed his small form from the observation area...and perhaps also thanks to the incident occurring at that moment in the reptile house in which a couple snakes escaped their tanks and had snuggled up to a visitor or two. But that was neither here nor there.

But yes, the boy had yet to face any obstacles by the time he stepped on the grass in which the lions slept perhaps a couple dozen metres away. That is, until he heard yelling behind him. Not turning around to see who wished to stopped him, he continued on. Egged on by the voice telling him to stop along with other things that suspiciously sounded like frog-speak, Arthur ran faster to his goal - only wanting to get close enough to touch the soft-looking fur and mane of the creature.

[paix_et_makossa]

This child....

This child was obviously not all that bright.

Granted, Olivier was technically a stranger to the boy, regardless of the fact that he was trying to save the boy from being torn apart by the beautiful beasts currently located behind the gate.

Beasts that were...slowly waking up.

Merde.

Moving further into the lion exhibit, Olivier all but flailed as he raised his voice just a bit louder than before. "C-Child! Get back here before you're killed! T-Those aren't normal cats!"

[godsavemy]

At the next shout, the child abruptly halted in his tracks. Not in fear or horrid realization of what he was doing, but to turn to shoot the man an almost...long-suffering look...?

“Of course they’re not cats!” he squawked indignantly. “They’re lions, you...you--” What was that word he learned the other day? “You ignoramusus!” That sounded about right.

Huffing in outrage at the apparently stupidity of some people, he whirled back around and proceeded to trot along, more determined than ever to reach the lions and point out to the man what made them different from your average Sir Whiskers.

[paix_et_makossa]

...

Maybe he should just let the idiot brat get eaten.

But that went against his morals and, merde, what if people found out that he was the last one near the boy before he had been killed?

Fighting back a scowl, Olivier continued to make his way further inside the exhibit as soon as he had propped the gate wide open. Just in case. Just in case it turned into an "every man, and child, for himself" type of situation.

"And because they're lions," You annoying brat. "They're dangerous and don't like people!"

...when had he gotten so deep inside the exhibit?

[godsavemy]

What did he know! Had ever tried to pet a lion? Or even get close? It was probably his first time! And well, this was Arthur’s first time too, but he was pretty sure he didn’t look like a zebra or one of those springy animals that look like miniature deer! So there was no reason why they would want to eat him. And there were no cubs around so there was no chance of making the mummy upset either!

So everything should be ducky!

“Yeah? Just watch!” he yelled back without turning around this time, getting closer and closer to the sleeping beast that flopped over on its side. “I’ll show him,” he muttered to himself.

[paix_et_makossa]

Taking in the boy's insolent demeanor, Olivier could not help but wonder that, perhaps, his parent's had purposely 'lost' the boy in order to rid themselves of the brat. If that was the case, well, he could not blame them. But a child was a child - and allowing them to be torn limb from limb by a ravenous beast was just unethical.

So with another hurried moved forward, he reached for the boy.

However, Olivier paused, eyes growing wide as one of the lions opened its eyes. Not a cub, oh no, if only it had been a cub. Non, instead, the mother's eyes were open and locked on the idiot enfant currently reaching out to pet one of her cubs.

Mouth open.

Sharp teeth gleaming in the afternoon sun.

He moved.

Fingers curled around the back of the boy's top, Olivier jerked him to the side just as a clawed paw swiped down roughly, narrowly missing them both. Fantastique. They were going to die. They were going to die because some idiot zoo employee was too incompetent to lock gates and because idiot children were apparently not taught that some animals were dangerous by their idiot parents.

Again, merde.

[godsavemy]

Oh! Apparently the cubs were hiding or at least were tucked away by the mummy’s chest. Not that Arthur knew that until he crept closer since he didn’t have the eyes of a hawk or an eagle. He just thought those giant balls of fluff from afar were the lion’s paws! ...Or that it was in the midst of balding. Did lions bald like Mister Moran, the local butcher, and giant patches of hair just suddenly fell out? If so, did they also try to cover it up with a rug like Mister Moran?

However, the all important question at hand was immediately discarded once the puffballs started yawning and stretching their little bodies. Cubs! he realised at once, his little eyes widening as the bundles of fur started to trot towards him, curiosity in their eyes.

Yet, just about he was to meet them midway, a gust of wind swooped right past by him. Just as suddenly, if not at the same moment, a hand gripped the back of his collar and pulled, knocking Arthur off balance and almost making him topple backwards.

“What was that for!” he yelled at the obvious culprit, glaring at the man fiercely. About to launch into a grand old whinging fit, Arthur puffed up with rage...before he just as suddenly deflated when he felt a scrabbling at his shoes. The cubs, undaunted by their potential playmate being snatched right before them, had closed the distance and were pawing at his clothes.

“See!” Arthur crowed, squatting down to run his fingers through the coarse, yet somewhat soft fur of the playful cubs. “They’re not dangerous at all!”

[paix_et_makossa]

This child was a brat.

A horrible, horrible, horrible brat.

...but even so.

Giving the lions a cautious stare, Olivier inched closer once more. Why...hadn't the lioness attacked immediately? At most, she had growled and swiped at them but she hadn't attempted to maul either of them. Lions were dangerous beasts, were they not? So why then...

He flinched.

...what was with that intense look?

Shuddering, he tapped the boy on the shoulder while his eyes remained trained on the large animal. "We're not supposed to be here, child. Regardless if these...animals are dangerous or not."

Woooo. Two months to the daaaay.

[godsavemy]

Giving the interfering man little more than a dismissing brush-off, the boy continued to amuse himself with the cubs who seemed to very much like his attention. He couldn’t say he didn’t delight in theirs either.

“They like me!” he resolutely told the man without turning back. “And the mum…” He cocked his head towards the lioness who had yet to take his eyes off of the man since she had awoken, despite her cubs entangling themselves with something unfamiliar. The boy thought the look was a…little queer, but he couldn’t exactly say why.

“She likes you! Go have fun with her!”