The afternoon had begun its slow descent toward evening, painting the sky in shades of amber and rose.
The zoo was quieter now. Families with young children had started heading home, and the remaining visitors moved at a more leisurely pace, savoring the final hours before closing.
In a small café nestled among the exhibits, surrounded by miniature enclosures where tiny pygmy goats and rabbit-sized deer wandered freely, Nadia, Astrid, and Nuri sat together.
They had been having so much fun exploring the zoo that they had completely forgotten to eat lunch.
Now, as the afternoon wore on and their stomachs protested loudly, they had finally settled down for what could only be described as a very late lunch or perhaps an early dinner.
Astrid leaned back in her chair, her seven tails puffed out contentedly behind her. One tail had wrapped itself around Nuri's waist, a gesture so natural that neither of them seemed to notice it anymore.
