The Secret Zoo; Obscurities & Magic

Chapter 7; I know the Feeling

Richie knew he was the least coordinated out of all the Action Scouts. Heck Richie knew he was the bottom of the list in almost all accounts. He wasn’t like the other Action Scouts, not adventurous, brave, quick thinking… Richie watched as The Descenders and then his friends disappear.

“Last again,” He sighed. “I just hope no one steals my shoes. Again.” His shoes were new and were the kind that had lights built into them so that when you stepped they would light up. Richie like his shoes and so did a lot of the animals in the Secret Zoo as to the fact they were always trying to or stealing them.

As he wandered through the area, stands of feed, and hand sanitizer in the middle between the two different rows the pens were all swarming with zoo gowers, except for one. A gigantic tortoise it regarded Richie and slowly walked over to him. It presented it’s head to Richie, allowing him to touch it.

“Can you help me? I’m looking for a drop?” He asked the tortoise. He hoped that the tortoise was a gifted so that it would understand him and be able to help him.

The tortoise nodded at him and stretching it’s neck out it pointed to a more secluded part of it’s pen. Richie smiled. “Thanks.” With that he rushed past and slipped into the part of the pen that the tortoise had shown him. Past the entrance there was a set of elongated stairs Richie took a deep breath and took the first step down.

He was making good time as he traveled down the stairs and when he finally made it to the black velvet curtain. “I’m not going to be late this time.”

Richie passed into the curtain half way through he felt some push him. Losing his balance he toppled over with something lizard like.

“Hayahaya!” Richie Screamed.

“Yeahyeah!” Another voice screamed with him.

The two figures tumbled down the stairs, coming to a stop at the bottom in a heap. Richie fixed his glass and he could see a big purple lizard. Now while other would have called the creature a lizard and leave it at that, but Richie could see that he had a green underbelly and spins as will as a set of fangs. Besides it could have been a lizard because it rubbed it’s head with a claw like appendage and stood up on it’s back legs.

“That’s a ride that I don’t want to relive.” It groaned.

Richie stood up and met the lizard like creature, they were almost the same size. “Oh hello, I’m Richie what’s yours?” He asked bravely.

The creature raised its claw to me. “Spike, Spike The Dragon. At your service,” Spike glanced around. He patted and examined himself. “And I’m still a dragon, that’s great.”

“Why wouldn’t you be a dragon?” Richie asked.

Spike examined him. “Well you’re not like the human Twilight and I first saw so this can’t be the same world.” He noticed the confusion on the young human’s face. “My friend Twilight and I went to a world with human and we were transformed. She became a human and I became a dog. I think the universe hates me.”

Richie scratched his head. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, in our world there are these being know as Diamond Dogs. When I was in that other human world as a dog I saw another version of them and they were human. So days I think the universe hates me.”

“I know the feeling.” Richie said with a nod. “It seems like every time I’m here one of the animals steal my shoes.” He looked down at the shoes with the normal flashing lights.

“Still I’ don’t see any of my friends anywhere, is there any other place with curtains around here?”

“Lots this is the Secret Zoo it’s the only way to get around. If anything I bet they came through the other curtains in this sector. I bet they’ll be at the core waiting for you.”

“You think so?” Spike asked.

“Sure, hey, do you like comic? I’ve got some with me I wanted to share them with a friend of mine name Tank but maybe you’ll like them.” Richie pulled a stake from his knapsack.

“Comics? I love comics I got some of my own too want to see?”

“Sure, but where are they, I don’t see any bags with you?”

Spike smiled. “Watch this.” Richie watched as Spike bent his head away and a burst of green flame poured out of his mouth. The lingering smoke from the fire swirled together and became a stake of comics.

“You have Comic Book Breath?” Richie said amazed.

“Nah, just enchanted fire breath. I can use it to send thing thought the mail. I figured out a long time ago that it I don’t assign a to a person or place it’ll float in limbo until I do.” Spike passed Richie the stake.

“Can you do that for anything?” Richie passed him his stake.

“Don’t know never thought about it. There are some… individuals that I would like to do it to though.”

“Bullies?”

“Bullies.”

Richie looked down at the comic. “The Power Ponies?” He thumbed through the comic. “It’s like the best members of The Justice League and The Avengers on the same team!”

“Cool right, I like these X-man comic too.” Spike thumbing through his book.

The two took a seat and read comic together. Richie knew that he would be late but he also knew that he would have something other than comics to show his friends. Then again his friends may have thing to show him. He paused and looked up from the comic.

“Wait you said you had friends?”

“Yeah,” Spike looked up from his comic. “They’re not dragons, but ponies. I’ll fill you in when we’re done.”

“Oh, OK” Richie answered.

They both went back to reading comics.