Rygone grunted as he slid past old rusty bars, the rust on them leaving a small stain on his otherwise pure white hoodie. An abandoned zoo! What a find for the two intrepid adventurers! It was the perfect place to just hang out and call their own. At least until the landowner grew wise to their shenanigans. As noted by the ice cream shop employee, the zoo had been shut down after a rash of disappearances had left people too scared to give patronage, forcing the zoo staff to transfer all of their animals and close down the exhibits. That had been a few years ago, though, and the two men figured that whatever had happened was surely gone by now.

The young bearded man licked at the chocolate ice cream cone in his hand, the sugary goodness eliciting tingly choco bomb explosions on his palate. It was hard not to give out an audible Mmmm. The employee was right, this was a good flavor.

Up ahead of the dining trespasser, his partner-in-crime and good friend, Luke, zipped from one ancient attraction to another on his way through the overgrown zoo pathways. "This is so cool!" said the excited youth as he stood up at a 'You Must Be This Tall To Ride' sign shaped like a grinning giraffe. Equally as happy, Luke stood on his tip-toes in a joking manner, pretending to be a small child.

Dressed in nothing more than a pair of swimming trunks, the young man was like a true-to-life jungle boy brought into civilization. Preferring to stay nearly unclothed when relaxing, he plip-plapped his way around the abandoned zoo, his tanner skin casting Rygone's whiter and more sheltered skin to shame. Carrying a bowl of ice cream as opposed to a cone, Luke would occasionally take a bite of his frozen treat, his tongue stained red, then green, and then blue in a rotating barrage of creamy colors.

Rygone merely smiled, amused at his friend's antics. The more guarded of the two, he preferred to enjoy the area for what it was. A seemingly unspoiled place of relaxation. There were no honking cars, yelling people, or horrid smells in the air. Instead, there was simply silence, a distant crack of thunder warning of an approaching storm. Living in the urban city had left the young man wanting a place to just stay calm at, and the abandoned zoo fulfilled that need perfectly.

Both men passed by several abandoned exhibits as they slowly made their way inwards. There was the Reptile House, where smashed cases and broken glass had chased away Luke with his bare feet despite his initial excitement to see the miniature exhibits. At the American Wolves exhibit, Rygone could swear he had heard a howl on the wind as they had passed by, a tingle running up his spine at the thought of wild dogs having claimed the zoo as their own. Finally, they came across the Big Cats of Africa exhibit. A large red fence and overgrown bushes protected the exhibit's inner sanctuary, giving rise to an adventurous idea in the quiet Rygone.

"Hey Luke, how about we have our ice creams in there?" he said, pointing towards the enchanting exhibit. Luke, contrary to his curious nature up till then, simply stated "I don't know Ry. It looks like it might be a pain to get through all those bushes but..."he thought about it for a bit before brightening up, "let's do it!"

Surprisingly, it did not take much effort for the duo to get past the otherwise insurmountable obstacles. Age had not been kind to the steel bars and Luke, thanks to his ability to place his ice cream down, was able to pry a bar from its holdings. Entranceway devised, they both slipped in.

The area that was revealed marveled them both. While time and urban vandals had damaged the hidden gem with wear and graffiti, the exhibit still shone with a sparkling gleam. A flat rock platform was overshadowed by a large majestic tree, its boughs heavy with summer leaves. Encircling the entire area was the hedge wall and red iron bars, giving the location a sheltered feel that seemed able to weather through any storm.

Here and there, pocketed in the dirt, were glimpses of yellow savannah grass that suggested how the environment had once been crafted to look. Now, however, green grasses and bushes had overtaken the formerly wheat-colored plant. Leaving any remaining examples of it looking like a swath of desperate last stands holding out against an insatiable green enemy. The thought caused Rygone to chuckle as he sat down on the flat rock, his friend doing the same, idle and friendly conversation shared between them both.

It really felt like there was a real sort of magic in the air. As they both sat in comfortable silence, each munching on their respective treats, Rygone could feel his spirit relaxing and his heart swelling with contentment. He almost wanted to stretch out and just take a nap on the rock were it not for the attention his ice cream cone demanded.

Yawning a big cat yawn, his white fangs bared to the humid air, he then licked at his ice cream with his tongue, new barbs on his taster catching more of the sweet dessert than what was previously possible for the young man.

Luke certainly seemed to be having fun with his food. Wrapping a paw around Rygone's shoulder, his now bushier friend laughed as he licked as a droplet of red ice cream off of his finger, his lion-like tail energetically lashing behind him. Rygone grinned at his friend's antics, his own spotted tail swishing behind him amused.

He really could not be happier.

---

Bit of trivia for you here. Did you know that cheetahs are often given a companion animal when they are in exhibits? They are naturally nervous animals and having a friend there can really help them to calm down and enjoy their life.

A collaboration between myself and  TransformationAnonymous ! It seems that both of us had settled down for a treat in an abandoned zoo exhibit when we started changing into the exhibit's newest occupants! I gotta say, I look pretty good in spots.

This was a lot of fun to do and I'm glad I had a chance to really stretch out my artistic muscles. Hopefully I can do a few more like these in the future.


Luke belongs to and Linework by  TransformationAnonymous

Rygone belongs to and Color, Edits, Background, and Shading by  Umbreon07

Critique Appreciated