Welcome to Gaia! ::

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, ends the tour. We thank you for coming and hope you enjoyed your stay here in the Nocturnal House!" a woman's voice carried towards the trio as they stood near the entrance.

A large group came around the corner with excited children, a few still crying from disliking the dark. But they all thanked the woman who'd guided them. She was somewhat tall with extremely long red hair that could even be seen in the dim light of the Nocturnal house. The tips were lighter, maybe blonde. She wore the uniform of the zoo, a brown shirt and jeans, but the shirt was unbuttoned revealing her snake print tank top. A few children asked if they could leave a flower at the little plaque outside. The woman nodded and pointed to a little basket with plastic flowers in it, each costing a quarter.

"Each flower helps raise money to take care of the animals but you only need one to show an animal you care," she said, knowing the parents would at least be willing to part with a quarter. Once they were gone the woman turned to see three new guests in the house. It was getting close to evening so few visitors would come by at this time. Most would head to the big animal attractions before visiting the houses.

Sam smiled as she walked up to the older woman and, what she assumed, was her grandson and granddaughter. She seemed quite friendly though the boy looked a bit pouty. This was the common sign of someone got to go where they wanted first. She'd seen it a million times. The girl obviously liked the crickets as her face was nearly pressed against the glass. "Hello! Welcome to the Nocturnal House! I'm Samael, the Head Keeper of all our little friends. Call me, Sam!" She smiled brightly, her bright green eyes more visible up close.

"Are you and your grandchildren enjoying the....." Sam stopped as she looked over at Dior. She blinked, not really recognizing what she was seeing. The girl, as she looked young, was only there from the chest up; a long ribbing spiraling down to where her torso and legs should be. Sam had seen other races before, after all Gaia was a varied place, but this was not something she'd seen before. Then something clicked in her mind as she noticed the girl's antennae and the symbol on the back of her hood. She knew that pattern, she cared for the little creatures bigger cousins.

"Is...is that a...a Raevan?" she asked a bit in wonder. Then she suddenly realized how rude she probubly seemed. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Forgive my manners its just....I've not seen another one yet."

Sam was in awe of the girl. She was human in face and hands at least. She even had long gorgeous hair that had a gradient to it like her own. But she had wings and antennae like a cricket. But the symbol on her hoodie suggested a cockroach. Looking back at the woman she smiled sheepishly, "Well no actually. Dior," she'd caught the name, "is the first one I've really seen. I've met another guardian who's waiting for his like me."

She looked on as the two looked into the glass cases that lined the hallway down the north side of the building. Most of these contained insects and smaller creatures like mice, voles, and rats. Small creatures that normally were only active in the nighttime. The larger enclosures were farther along in the bend of the house. Raccoons, possums, skunks, even bats, all had larger enclosures.

"No the zoo won't close for another hour or so but it usually thins out around this time," she smiled, "But if you like I'd be more than happy to give you guys a tour even afterwards. I don't mind as I'd like to know a bit more about...ah...care...for the Raeven. If it's not too forward might I ask what essence and soul your's is from? She obviously insect in nature, her wings and antennae show me that. And the symbol on her hoodie. I see it a lot in our cockroaches."

Walking with the woman down towards the two she smiled, "If you guys have questions just let me know. Each of our animals are well cared for here. Maybe if your adult supervision doesn't mind you can help me feed a few of our residents in a bit."

Sam smiled as the older woman kissed her cheeks, welcoming her into a new family of guardians. She remembered fondly when she'd first taken over the Reptile House how everyone treated her like she'd just given birth, giving her a cake and everything. Talking about her new babies. "Thank you. Oh I take care of far more than the Nocturnal House. I'm also in charge of the Reptile House. It was my main assignment until the Head Keeper of this place retired. And I knew so much about some of the residents they offered me the dual job. I don't mind it, I have a good staff who helps me ensure everyone has what they need."

So the boy was her nephew rather than a grandson. Ah well he still obviously answered to her. The girl mimicked him well, like a younger sister trying to act older. The girl wasn't wrong but she wasn't right either. A tail wasn't what the woman would call her ribbon.

"Oh not at all. I sometimes offer later tours for families who don't get to come often due to work schedule or things like that. Children should see and learn about animals. Some of our newer residents need extra care after.....well after where they came from before."

Sam didn't want to mention the illegal zoo so close to the girl, knowing she probably didn't understand human greed and selfishness. She listened to Rowan describe Dior's growth, nodding as she spoke of her youth and recent appearance. And a gilded lily? A flower with metal edges? And it was a cockroach soul! She smiled at being right.

"Well I've been working at the zoo for years. Came here after I finished my doctorate. My father is a geologist and my mom is biologist. Figured since they had the flora covered I'd care of the fauna," she grinned. "My essence, strangely enough, is a Poisoned Apple. Like from the fairy tale. And the soul I used was...."

She stopped as the girl asked her a question. Tail? She could tell the girl was serious so she walked over. She walked around the girl twice, leaning over to give her a look like a professional. Then she looked at the mice, smiling at the little sleeping rodents. "Well Dior in my professional opinion that is not a tail. You see a tail is always behind the legs. See how the mice and the rats all have tails behind their legs? Well, you don't have legs so it can't be a tail."

She crossed her arms, giving her "professional" opinion that was also simple enough for the girl to understand.

"Would you kids like to feed some of our other animals? A few of them need their evening meal."

She nodded at the question of her essence, "Yes I was concerned myself but also curious. As it's from a fairy tale, something that is merely a parable to teach a moral or lesson of sorts. Yet there was something physical from the fantastical."

Sam smiled watching the two children look into the cases. She'd always enjoyed the looks of wonder and amazement on their faces as they observed a new creature. Her parents encouraged curiosity, telling her it was the only way to truly learn. If she was never curious then she would never remember what she learned. It took passion to remember and curiosity was a driving force for that passion.

Looking at the creatures she smiled, "These are Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Some of the biggest cockroaches alive today." She was going into Keeper mode, "They aren't like the cockroaches you will find here in the city or in a house. They are bigger and actually don't have wings. But as you can see, they are excellent climbers." She pointed at some that were crawling up the very glass in front of them.

"Sure we can feed them. They are vegetarians actually. We give them nice fresh veggies and some little pellets that give them protein. They are quite easy to take care of. Come on, follow me."

Sam lead the trio towards what looked like a wall, but with a push of a button a keyhole appeared. Putting in her key she opened the door and ushered them in behind the scenes. It wasn't much brighter here, the animals preferring darker areas even during treatment and feeding. There were several other keepers in the main area, all busy feeding or preparing feed. "Ladies and gentlemen we have guests who wish to help us feed tonight. Do try to make them feel comfortable."

The four keepers, two men and two women, smiled at the trio. They were use to their Head Keeper bringing in guests to feed. It helped in ways, showing that the Zoo truly cared about the health and well being of their charges. Sam motioned one woman over to Rowan. The woman walked over to Rowan with what looked like a swaddled baby. A small black furry head peeked out with large eyes and squeaked at the older woman, it was a young flying fox, a species of bat.

"That is Lee, one of our new arrivals. He's a fruit bat. I know you said you preferred birds but, they fly," Sam said as she handed Rowan a piece of banana. The little bat got very excited at the sight of the fruit.

Sam then took Dior and Rhys over to a large wall where she pushed back a flap to reveal the cockroaches. A soft hissing could be heard. She gave the two a bowl of veggies and protein pellets which looked a lot like dry dog food. "Just place it in and around their enclosure. They like to forage."

She went to check on a few other charges before returning to the two. "Come on, there are two special animals that need a tender touch."

Sam walked to the two men who were also holding bundled animals but these were larger. One was a raccoon, he had a cast on his arm and seemed to be missing fur in several places. Even his tail, which hung out of the blanket, was missing fur giving him a rat like appearance. The other man had a mink, a weasel like animal, that was currently crawling in and out of it's blanket. It also showed signs of scars and fur loss.

Sam didn't notice anything naughty going on with the cockroaches. Most likely she wouldn't notice a missing one until days later given their propensity to hide in their habitat. She smiled as the two came over to the injured animals, glad they were curious.

The weasel squeaked at Rhys petting, grabbing his hand with it's smaller ones and sniffing all over it. It even licked his fingers a bit before burrowing again in it's blankets. Sam smiled a bit sadly as the boy asked about the injuries and the girl pointed out the lack of fur on the raccoon.

"No my dear," she said to Dior, "This is a raccoon. But it's missing her pretty fur on her tail." Looking to the boy she shook her head, "No unfortunately these animals were taken from an illegal zoo. Greedy people make them, force the animals to live in tiny cages they don't clean and don't feed them properly. They don't take care of them like we do here."

She took a seat next to the man with the weasel and took the blanket. The weasel, smelling a familiar woman, popped it's head out and crawled onto her chest. She petted it with a smile. "This is Romeo, as he likes to flirt. He was forced to fight snakes for entertainment in the bad zoo. Hence his scars. And because he wasn't taken care of, he had mange. Its a skin disease, makes their hair fall out. But he's doing much better and his fur is growing back well."

Looking over at Dior, "Maiden there had mange too. But her sickness was much worse than Romeo. She lost a lot of her fur and was very sick. She's just now getting her appetite back."

The men began showing the kids how to feed the animals. The mink got little bits of raw hamburger, the man explaining to Rhys that they put vitamins and other good things in the hamburger so Romeo could get strong and healthy. Sam showed Dior how Maiden, the raccoon, always needed to wash her food in a little water dish before she ate. "We don't know why they do it, but they do with anything they eat. Always have to give it a wash."

Going back to stand with Rowan as the children fed the animals she looked to the woman and spoke softly so the children wouldn't hear. "You saw the plaque outside the house. Hurtz was another animal taken from the zoo. He was one of the worst. They would constantly antagonize him to make him lift his tail even though he was de-scented. He had severe behavior problems, didn't trust anyone. We.....we recently had to put him down. He wouldn't integrate with the other skunks."

She looked at Rowan with a small glint in her eye, "But I made sure he wouldn't leave this world in vain. And that he'd move on to a happier life."

"Sounds like good spirits to me!" a deep voice came from behind the group. Sam turned with a smile, knowing that baritone. The man was tall, broad chested, and ebony skinned. He had a warm smile on his face that seemed to light up the room with happiness. While he was bald he had a bandana tied around around his forehead. Around his neck was a necklace decorated with small animal teeth and stones.

"Tau! Good to have you back! How's your mother doing?" she said as a very large black man came up and hugged the woman.

"Good to be back. Mama does fine now. Spirits gave her some strength and she smiles all day now. Though from what I hear, no smiles are in the House right now." He put a large hand on Sam's shoulder, knowing his boss must have taken the death of the skunk hard.

"Smiles will come back. They always do," she said softly before turning to Rowan and the children, "Kids this is Tau, my second in command. He's been out taking care of family," she looked to Rowan, "And is a very spiritual man."

"Spirits all around us, Sam. Every day," Tau nodded and walked to Rowan. He reverently took the stone. "Thank you for your blessing Good Elder. The animals will feel its good aura, I am sure!"

Sam smiled again, glad to have Tau back. Going back to the children she looked to Rhys, "Sadly no. Neither of these two animals can ever be released into the wild because they don't know how to be wild animals. They've always been around humans so they will remain here or to go other zoos who might need them." She smiled at Dior, "Oh she will eat well. Now that her skin is less itchy she has more time to eat." She thought for a moment then nodded, "I'll be right back."

As Sam disappeared for a few minutes Tau went about looking for the right place to put the stone, finding it close to the sleeping cages. "There. Put good spirits here so when animals sleep, good healing to make them strong." He looked at Dior, noticing her unusual appearance. "You look like a good spirit. Bright and golden like the sun which gives life."

"Oh she's golden alright. I'll explain later. Here you go kids," Sam said as she returned with some things in her arms. To Dior she handed a picture book made by the zoo that showed all their animals. Above the picture was the animal's name and underneath each picture was what animal it was. This way children could identify the animals in the zoo. To Rhys she gave several pamphlets and small booklets on several of the animals in the Nocturnal House, including the Mink weasel and the raccoon. She made sure to include some of the insects as well. It gave normal science information on the animal but also included cultural information. "Here, to help you learn about our friends here. These pamphlets tell about the animal and tell you what the animal means in certain cultures. The mythology of them."

"Every animal is a brother or sister in the world, children," Tau said, "Each was made for a reason and is blessed with power. There is no animal here in our world that does not have a connection to the spirits. Always remember that." He grinned and ruffled Rhys hair with a large hand and gentle patted Dior's, careful of her antennae.

Sam grinned as the children began looking over the things she'd given them. In the day of modern technology it was nice to see children enjoying books and things on paper.

The boy seemed quite taken with going to see the tigers, which made her smile. "Tigers it is. You've been quite helpful so I'll take you there myself. They've already been fed but you can still see them. I know two of them like to come out towards twilight and hunt around the toys we set out for them."

Sam ensured the others were fine then she and Tau walked the trio out into the zoo. It was quieter though the cry of birds and other animals could still be heard.

"Look there, Rhys. You see that big bird there?" the large man pointed to a large bird with black tipped feathers, "That is the Egyptian Vulture. In Egypt, where my family comes from, it is a sacred bird of the great Goddess Isis. It is considered a royal bird."

The man continued to point out other animals along the way, giving the children information about them and their cultural significance. Finally they reached the tiger enclosure. But no cats were visible.

"Oh playing hide and seek are we?" Sam grinned then put her hands to her mouth. She made a strange sound, the call of an small buffalo. They waited, then she pointed. "There's one of them now. Mila, the bengal tiger." In the grass, barely visible, a pair of eyes watched them. "Her brother Fernando should be around here somewhe.."

She was cut off as the male suddenly jumped down from a rock and tackled his sister. With a roar she swatted him and he ran of with what had to be the tiger equivalent of a giggle.

"Ah little brother gonna get it if he mess with big sister," Tau laughed.

Sam let the kids see the tigers play with their ball, and occasionally bicker with each other, before announcing she needed to see them to the gates. It was getting late and everyone had to clean up for the day. She took a different route to the gate, so the kids could walk by and see the elephants walking along and the giraffes heading in for a good night's sleep.

"I'm glad you guys came. It was really wonderful to meet a Raevan and I can't wait for my to arrive." She looked to Dior, "Hopefully you can be a friend to him."