How they met: Talik glanced over the horizon, noticing the rising sun. He yawned, his steamy breath making clouds in the cool morning air. He stood up, stretched, and surveyed his surroundings. He had slept on a smooth rock surface in the lowland rain forest. He took a look at different sections of the woods and chose a path he hadn't yet taken. He bounded into the lush surroundings, taking big breaths of fresh, sweet air. The jungle was alive with sounds, birds calling, leaves rustling, and the hooting calls of some animal he didn't know. He came across many wondrous things. A bubbling brook that led to a waterfall, an exotic bird dancing for another, and interesting burrow with smells new to him. But what interested him the most was a moving pod of spikes bumbling across his path. When he approached, the spikes froze and then displayed themselves at him. He tentatively pawed it, but quickly pulled back when the spikes jumped up. Unscathed, he peered closer at it, his curiosity getting the best of him. There he saw two little, beady eyes, peering curiously at him. Then he saw the nose at the end of a long snout twitch, some whiskers flick, and an ear twitch. As they analyzed each other, the tenrec composed itself and relaxed, then continued wobbling into the forestry. Talik followed, engulfed in this strange creature. He had never seen or smelt this thing before. He followed it, eyes trained on the array of colours and didn't notice all the things that he usually stopped to stare at. They passed some aromatic flowers dripping with sweet nectar, a gorgeous snake resting in the canopy, and even an elusive jungle cat, but all were missed by Talik as he was much more intrigued by this thing.
The day wore on and the tenrec began to forage. It seemed unafraid of Talik, as he kept his distance and the tenrec knew if it really was a predator she could just prick up her spikes again. But Talik was no predator. He watched the tenrec munch on bugs and groom itself. Finally when Talik was relaxing nearby in the sun, it was the tenrec who approached him. First it kept the same amount of space between them, and then it slowly inched closer. She placed a tiny hand on Talik, who obediently stayed still. Then the tenrec began to groom Talik.
This was the first interaction, from which sprouted a beautiful friendship. Both are trustful, loyal, and kind to one another. They spend their days exploring the jungle together and their nights curled up together. Talik knew what it was like to love another, and the tenrec knew what it was like to trust something as big and at first intimidating as Talik.
Favourite hobby: Climbing dangerously high buildings and bridges with his buddy, Alaric.
"Are you ready?" Talik asked, turning to his buddy.
Alaric nodded, zipping up his pack.
Talik pulled up his bandana to warm his face. His huffing was muffled as he hauled himself over the gate, wincing at the icy cold of the metal bar.
Alaric followed closely behind. "I should have brought mittens." He paused, puffing on his paws in an attempt to warm them. Tal glanced over his shoulder. "Mitts are too slippy."
Alaric smirked and they continued forward.
Tal clung to loose cables that ran along the huge steel beam, which swooped upwards towards the peak of the bridge. They began their trek to the summit of the huge metal structure, which groaned and swayed in the wind. After a strenuous journey and careful footing, they reached the platform that workers stood upon for repairs.
"Ah, what have we here?" Tal grinned, leaning in to look into the blinking light of a security camera. He examined the lens which was beautifully frosted over. He stepped back with immense satisfaction. "No better time to climb than dawn. Visibility is good, cameras are frosted, and the world is sleeping."
Alaric grinned. "And look at that sunrise."
Talik swung round and dangled his feet off the edge. "Look how small everything is," he contemplated.
They sighed. Alaric snapped photos and Tal posed for a few, but had little interest in the pictures. He lived in the moment, and right now he was 600 ft above the street below, clinging to the frosty metal of the bridge's upper supporting structure. He brushed away the wisps of hair that tickled his face in the chilling wind.
"You here that?" Alaric asked, flicking an ear.
Talik glanced down. He expected to her the chirping of morning birds, but they were too far away from any trees the hear the melody of perched songbirds.
They did, however, hear the soft wailing of a siren in the distance. It gradually grew louder, but still the sound was muffled by the distance between the boys and the flashing cop car.
Talik struck out his watch. "Morning." He grunted. Alaric nodded. "I wish it could be dawn forever."
Tal smiled. Without another word they put into action their protocol, collecting their bags and hoisting them over their shoulders. They began a quick but careful descent down the endlessly long swooping beams. Talik watched the pair of footstep paths that faced towards the top, making sure to step in them when he could to avoid the layer of frost around them.
A pair of officers awaited at the bottom. They began to question them, and Talik stalled them long enough for Alaric to slowly, gradually, more carefully than his steps on the bridge, inch his way backwards, farther and farther from the cops.
"Well, it was a nice chat eh boys?" Tal smiled.
Before the cops had time to react, Talik and Alaric bolted away, laughing with adrenaline. They didn't have time to spend in a cell, they needed to find something new to climb and kiss the sun at the crack of dawn.
