On day’s like this, most kalons would find the heat unbearable. Aside from the remains of a few clouds, nothing could get in the way of the sun beaming unforgivingly over the earth. Looking out the windows of the bus, Cyrus could have sworn he even saw others trying to fry eggs right on the sidewalk, and it seemed they were, for the most part, successful.
Sure, to most kalons, today was a day to crank your air conditioning on high, flop on the couch, and pray you didn’t melt before it kicked in. To Cyrus and his class however, today was the long awaited field trip to the zoo, and nothing was going to get in between a group of first graders, and the promise of seeing their favorite animals up close and personal.
He laid across his bench seat on his belly, intently filling a page from his coloring book. The outlines of a polar bear stared back at him. The arctic exhibits had always peaked his interest the most whenever he went to the zoo with his family, and today was no different. He couldn’t wait to see those big white beasts in action!
The abrupt stop of the bus nearly threw him onto the floor, but that wouldn’t have mattered to him at all. His ears perked to the sound of the swinging doors opening, followed by an unstoppable wave of rushing paws against metal. Cyrus shoved his belongings into his backpack and raced out as fast as he could, completely missing the steps off of the bus and landing with a thud into the grass. He was tough though, and was up within a second, brushing himself off while running to meet his class.
Each kit was busy being strapped into a harness by teachers and zoo staff. From there, a lead rope was secured to each of the young kalons, ensuring that nobody could wander off. To say this was a process however, would have been a massive understatement. Many of his classmates fought and scratched at the adults, and many others ran around with endless energy, avoiding the process entirely. Cyrus waltzed over and did his best to behave, even though containing his excitement was a nearly impossible task.
The crosses of orange nylon webbing hugged around his chest. He liked that feeling, it made him feel nice and safe. Being one of the first to get strapped in, he was hooked to the lead near the very front of the chain, with only three other kits standing in front of him. His front row seat to the arctic exhibit was secured, and the excitement raced through his body. His legs broke out into a happy dance as he moved to the rhythm of the jangling leash. The other kits on the lead stared daggers at him as his movements tugged at their own harnesses, but Cyrus didn’t even notice, let alone care. He was on top of the world, and nothing was going to bring him back down.
It took a good 10 minutes, several claw and bite marks, and at least 3 miserable volunteers before the last kit was strapped in and the tour was allowed given the green light. After a quick thumbs up from the teacher, a young zookeeper walked around the corner, beaming with both excitement and anxiety. For the most part, her fur was a silver color, but her accents reminded Cyrus of mangos, filled with greens, oranges, and reds. She reminded him of the parrots he had colored in earlier on the bus ride.
“Hi friends!” She exclaimed. “My name’s Nikki, and I’ll be your adventure guide today! Who’s ready to see some animals?”
Every nearby adult was forced to cover their ears as an entire first grade class screeched with excitement over that sheer idea. Cyrus didn’t enjoy being loud like everyone else, but he was no less excited than them either! His paws began dancing again to the beat of adrenaline, and it only stopped when the lead began to pull him down the pavement path.
Gift shops with novelty shirts and big, expensive stuffed animals sat near the entrance, right next to a food court with fun zoo names. There was the Down Under Diner, Jungle Juice Hut, Savannah Snack Shack, and plenty of others to choose from, and the smell was heavenly. Metal tables with animal print umbrellas circled a carousel in the middle of the plaza. That settled it, this was officially Cyrus’s favorite place on the planet.
Wooden signs lined the path through the zoo to tell guests what exhibits they were headed towards. Reading them kept Cyrus busy as his class walked. Monkeys, elephants, alligators, giraffes, it felt like this place had it all! He recounted facts about each animal in his head as he passed them. He loved to read about them all in his free time, and he felt like he knew a lot. He was extremely proud of it.
But when the “lemur” sign came up, he saw something totally new to him, and he directed all of his attention towards Nikki.
“How many of you have heard of an aye aye before?”
Nobody raised their paw, unsurprisingly. Their guide continued.
“That’s what I figured, but that’s okay! This species is native to Madagascar, and they have something very unique about them that we don’t often see in nature!”
Now Cyrus was excited, he focused even harder. Nikki called up one of the little lemurs and held him up in front of the class, spreading out his front hand.
“Unlike other related species, and unlike creatures like us, the aye aye has a total of six fingers on each hand. Cool, right?”
Unlike us? That didn’t sound right. Cyrus looked at his paw, counting each of his digits. He had six too. She must have been mistaken. He through his arm up in the air and was called on almost instantly.
“We have six toes too! I just counted, see?”
His classmates looked at him with confusion, and he did the same to them. Was something wrong? Nikki chimed in.
“Oh, you’re a special one! Can I show the other kits?”
Special? Cyrus liked the sound of that a lot. He nodded very quickly and she lifted up his paw as she had with the aye aye. She continued once more.
“Your friend here does indeed have six toes! This is something called polydactyly. It’s a genetic difference that gave him a second thumb on each hand and foot. That’s very cool buddy! You’ll like our polar bears, one of them has it too!”
Now Cyrus really couldn’t contain himself, and the rest of the trip felt like a dream. He walked in a confident stride knowing that not only was he special, but he was like one of his favorite animals, and what could be better than that? Nothing, that’s what!
