Chapter Seven: A Big, Bear-y Twist

 Chapter Seven: A Big, Bear-y Twist

Ariel and Koi arrived at the Bear Exhibit out of breath, hearts pounding from their sprint through the zoo’s shadowy pathways. Starlight glimmered on a rocky formation that loomed ahead, encircled by high fences and wooden signs reading: “Beware: Bears!” In the dim light, large silhouettes shifted among boulders and sparse evergreens. An eerie hush filled the air.

A Frightening First Impression

“Uh, I hope these guys aren’t as snooty as the penguins or as bored as the camels,” Ariel whispered, her oversized zookeeper sleeves flapping when she waved Koi forward.

Koi gulped. “Bears are huge. Could be a tough crowd.”

No sooner had he spoken than a deep growl echoed across the rocky floor. Out of the shadows padded three massive bears—thick fur, sharp claws, and ominous glares. At least, that was Ariel’s first impression. Each wore a simple name tag strapped around a giant foreleg:

1. Buffalo the Bear
2. Beetle the Bear
3. Badger the Bear

They all looked formidable under the flickering lanterns. Ariel took a step back, fear crawling up her spine. “H-hi,” she stammered.

Buffalo the Bear let out a rumbling growl. “What’s the meaning of this? You come to steal from us, too?”

Beetle the Bear sniffed the air suspiciously. “We’ve had just about enough of intruders tonight.”

Badger the Bear rose onto her hind legs, looming like a furred tower. “If you’re here for our midnight snack, think again.”

Ariel felt her stomach twist in fear. Even Koi’s ears flattened. “Uh, we’re not thieves,” he managed. “We’re just looking for a meerkat named Mole. We heard he might’ve come this way.”

For a moment, the bears remained stiff and intimidating, growling under their breath. Then, with sudden swiftness, they whirled around at the smallest noise—a pebble clattering off the rocks—and let out high-pitched shrieks of terror.

Actually, Just Big Scaredy-Cats

“Did you hear that?” Buffalo squeaked, hugging Beetle’s arm.
“It’s probably that meerkat again!” whimpered Beetle.
Badger looked ready to sprint away. “I just want my midnight snack in peace!”

Ariel’s jaw dropped. Moments ago, they’d seemed ready to rumble with intruders. But now, it was obvious these big, fuzzy creatures were, in fact, total scaredy-cats.

Koi blinked in disbelief. “S-so, uh, you’re not… actually fierce?”

Buffalo shot him a nervous glare. “We can be fierce,” he insisted. “We just—prefer to avoid conflict.”

“Yeah,” Beetle huffed. “Our motto is: ‘Snacks, Snoozes, and Zero Surprises.’ That meerkat is messing it all up.”

Badger sniffled, big tears welling in her beady eyes. “He came in here, rummaging around our cave, and stole part of our midnight snack. Nuts and berries, our favorite! If you’re after the same… leave us alone.”

An Unwanted Dinner Guest

Koi’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. “Nuts and berries, huh? That does sound kinda tasty…”

“Don’t you dare!” Buffalo cried, huddling behind Beetle. “We hardly have any left.”

Ariel sighed, stepping closer. “We don’t want to take your food. We just need to find Mole.”

Beetle rubbed a paw across his nose, blinking. “Find him? He’s not gone. He’s literally in our hut right now, taking our nuts and berries!”

Koi did a double-take. “Wait, you mean he’s still here?! Ariel, we can catch him before he runs away again!”

Ariel’s pulse pounded. “Which way?”

Badger pointed a trembling claw to the dark maw of a rocky cave entrance. “In there. Please don’t let him take all our snack. We planned this feast for—well—for ourselves.” She sniffed.

Ariel and Koi exchanged a wide-eyed look. “Let’s go!” Ariel shouted, taking off at a dash.

“Please don’t take the rest of our midnight snack!” Buffalo wailed after them.

Eye to Eye With Mole

The inside of the bear cave was surprisingly cozy. A flickering lantern revealed piles of leaves, scattered bedding, and a small stash of nuts and berries in handwoven baskets. Ariel skidded to a halt just as a wiry little figure scurried into view: Mole the Meerkat!

He held a bulging sack, so full it threatened to burst. Ice, peanuts, special grass, and now random nuts and berries poked out of the top. Mole locked eyes with Ariel at the exact same moment she spotted him.

“There you are!” she yelled, heart racing. “Come here!”

But Mole let out a tiny squeak of alarm, spun on his heels, and darted past them in a blur. Koi leapt, trying to grab him, but missed by a hair’s breadth. “Stop, you little—!”

The Silliest Chase Scene

Suddenly, it was mayhem in the dimly lit cave. Mole zigzagged around stalagmites, bounding over baskets of berries. Ariel slid under a rock overhang, nearly face-planting as she swiped at Mole’s tail. Koi hopped like mad, sending a basket flying, nuts scattering everywhere.

The chase spilled outside into the open enclosure, with Mole skirting past Buffalo, Beetle, and Badger—who shrieked and dove for cover. Koi and Ariel scrambled across the rocky ground, nearly tripping over each other.

“Cut him off over there!” Ariel hollered, pointing to a corner near the fence.

“I’m trying!” Koi huffed, mouth flopping open in exhaustion.

Mole dashed between them, made a U-turn, then hopped up a small boulder. He paused, glancing back with a mischievous grin—and took off again at breakneck speed, diving through a hole in the fencing that led into the deeper darkness of the zoo.

Panting and sweaty, Ariel and Koi reached the fence too late. Mole was long gone.

A Crushing Defeat

“We lost him,” Ariel groaned, sinking to her knees. “After everything, we still don’t know why he’s collecting all that stuff.”

Koi’s ears drooped. “He’s so fast… I never expected him to out-hop a kangaroo.”

Ariel was about to reply when she glanced up. A sign overhead read “Kangaroo Exhibit”, with a big mural of jumping roos. She did a double-take. “Wait, are we… back at your place, Koi?”

Koi stared at it, his eyes filling with tears. “Oh no,” he whispered. “I should’ve been here hours ago.”

Koi’s Confession

Ariel rose, gently placing a hand on Koi’s shoulder. “What do you mean?”

He hiccupped, tears rolling down his furry cheeks. “I was s’posed to feed my little Roo tonight. I forgot all about it and asked Mole to do it for me. But he never showed. So I went looking for him… that’s when all this started.”

Ariel’s heart clenched. “Oh, Koi. I’m so sorry.”

He pulled a few shriveled blades of that special camel grass from his pouch. “This is all my little Roo has for dinner now… and it’s my fault!” Wracked with guilt, he sobbed. “I messed it all up. Now I have to tell my mate, Katydid, that I failed. She’s going to be devastated.”

He shoved Ariel’s hand away in frustration, tears still falling. But she inched closer, rubbing his back. “We’ll figure this out,” she whispered. “I promise.”

Koi nodded sadly, wiping his eyes. “Right. Let’s go inside.”

Return to the Kangaroo Enclosure

He pushed open the gate leading into a moonlit clearing. The Kangaroo Exhibit was calm at this hour—soft grass, a few scattered logs, a couple of short trees with drooping branches. Koi trudged forward, tail dragging, until he stopped under the boughs of a particularly lovely eucalyptus tree.

“I’ll be here if you want to stand by me,” Ariel said quietly. “You’ve helped me all night, so I want to help you, too.”

Koi sniffed. “Thanks, mate.”

They wove through the brush, searching for Katydid and the little joey. But as they rounded a mossy log, they paused. Right there, curled up contentedly, was Little Roo—looking perfectly full and sleepy, a couple of nut shells and bits of leftover berries scattered around him.

A Surprise Reunion

Koi’s jaw dropped. “He… he doesn’t look hungry at all!”

“That’s because he’s stuffed with yummy bits,” called a voice from above—a voice that made them both spin around in surprise.

There, perched on a thick branch, was Mole the Meerkat, wearing a wide, mischievous grin. “Why so gloom, my old friend?” he teased, tipping a tiny safari hat.

“Mole!” Koi exclaimed, more confused than angry. “Wha—I thought you ran off!”

“Sorry about the chase,” Mole said, hopping down. “I had to gather the last few goodies to make Little Roo’s supper extra special. And, well, those bears were not exactly feeling generous. So I had to take some…drastic measures.”

Koi gawked at him. “You… you were getting all this for my joey?!”

Mole shrugged. “A promise is a promise. You asked me to fetch his favorites from around the zoo—ice to keep it cool, peanuts for protein, special grasses to nibble, fresh nuts and berries from the bears, you name it.”

Katydid’s Gratitude

Just then, a graceful kangaroo hopped into view. She wore a soft expression and had kind eyes. “Katydid,” Koi breathed, trotting over.

“Koi! My love!” Katydid exclaimed, bounding forward. She pulled Koi into a gentle hug. “I was worried when you didn’t come home, but I found Little Roo here absolutely spoiled with all his favorite treats!”

Mole cleared his throat, looking a bit bashful. “No big deal, mate. Just wanted the little joey to have a feast.”

Koi turned to Ariel, eyes shining. “I… guess this entire crazy night was Mole fulfilling his mission. Ariel, you helped me so much, chasing him around. You solved the puzzle even if you didn’t know it.”

Ariel cracked a big grin. “I’m just glad it worked out. And, hey, I got a pretty epic zoo adventure out of it.”

Wrapping It All Up

They spent a few minutes exchanging thanks and introductions. Ariel shook paws with Katydid, who praised her for helping. Koi and Mole teased each other about the frantic chase, but it was all in good fun now that the dust had settled.

Suddenly, someone shouted Ariel’s name. She stiffened, turning to see lights bobbing along the path outside the enclosure. “Ariel! Ariel!” called her dad, Nick, followed by her mom, Beka, and a tall, stern-looking head zookeeper.

“There you are!” Nick exclaimed, rushing over. “We’ve been searching all over.”

Beka scooped Ariel into a hug. “Are you alright?! We were so scared.”

Ariel burst into rapid-fire chatter: “Mom, Dad, you wouldn’t believe what happened—I met talking kangaroos, and penguins in HR, and camels named Cat and Chimp, and—”

The head zookeeper raised an eyebrow. “I think maybe she’s had a scare, locked in here after dark.”

Ariel spotted Koi in the corner, quietly nibbling the leftover camel grass. “Mom, Dad, I promise, the animals can talk—look at Koi right over there—” She pointed, but as soon as Nick and Beka turned, Koi gave her a quick wink and hopped away, disappearing behind a tree.

Beka rubbed Ariel’s back soothingly. “It’s okay, sweetie. Let’s just get you home.”

Nick helped Ariel to her feet, chuckling softly. “By the way, where’d you get that zookeeper outfit?”

Ariel blinked down at her giant, rolled-up sleeves and pant legs—still sporting the big, official zoo badge. She opened her mouth to reply but then remembered Koi’s wink, the hush of the night, and the absolute silliness of the past few hours. She just smiled.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she whispered, shooting one last look at the quiet brush where she was sure Koi the Kangaroo was still watching.

The End (For Now)

With a final glance back at the dark enclosure—where Katydid and Little Roo were happily safe, and Mole the Meerkat had pulled off his grand feast—Ariel let herself be led out by her parents. Tomorrow might be a normal day again… but for tonight, she’d learned that even the wildest places can feel like home when you make unexpected friends—especially those who share a crazy after-hours adventure with you.