Zoomahouse is taking the summer off!

See you all in August 2011 :oD

Happy Easter from Kyrie the Easter Bunny!

Minisode 5: Kyrie Got in the Garbage...Sigh...

I was going to write a story blog for this week, but this is too funny not to share. Kyrie just got into the garbage and got sticky tape stuck to her foot. She's also throwing her food around and playing with it, which I didn't realize until after I started taping...

Enjoy. She's a goofball!

Minisode 4: Kyrie and Nyko's Epic Battles

Episode 6: In Memory of Buddy

Buddy came to Zoomahouse so young that he didn’t have much of a personality yet, but he developed quite a personality from events throughout his life. He had a long, full life filled with adventure and love. I will let him tell you about his experiences…

***

Buddy basked in the hot sun. The humans had let him and his sister out on the sealed in porch. They were able to roam around free. Selky loved to climb the thin wall and hang from it as she sunbathed. Buddy preferred the ground. He was pretty particular about things. Everything had to go exactly how he wanted. He wasn’t always this way… He began to think about the first time he ever saw Selky as she let out a little squeak from above him and fell, her tail slapping him in the face. She chuckled, but Buddy did not think it was funny so he stepped on her head. She squirmed out from under him, huffed and stomped away. Buddy may pick on her, but, he thought, I do love her… very much… Although he understood he could never take her old mate’s place; she had made that clear the first day they had met…

When Buddy Met Selky

He was put in a sack and rudely taken from his little family. He was already moody from the heat, but  after a long trip in a bag, he felt incredibly feisty. He was let out into a giant house with wonderful smelling cypress mulch spread out on the ground and a pink little house near the back wall. He scuffled his little claws in the wood and felt happy suddenly… He had been in pine wood before, which is not  good wood for lizards, at least, that was what he thought after one of his siblings had accidentally eaten some and became very sick. This wood was better, he wasn’t going to try to eat it though, but he did want to dig in to it and hide. He looked up as he heard human voices talking over him.

“Look, Erik! I think he likes it… Where’s Selky?”

Selky, he thought… What’s that?

He heard a huffing noise and out of the pink house came a slightly older tegu like him. She gazed at him, her eyes confused. “You’re not Leo.” She said.

“No…” He looked at her. “Who’s Leo?”

“You’re my kin…” She flicked her tongue on his face; he blinked his eyes avoiding her tongue and shifting his little body.

“I am?”

“Yes.” She said indignantly. “Can’t you tell by the scent?”

“No.”

“Well, you’re just a baby. Leo was my mate. I suppose my ward got you so I could feel less lonely, but it won’t work. You are not Leo.”

“No. I’m…”

“I’m naming him Buddy.” He heard from above as the roof closed.

“I guess I’m Buddy.” He finished, looking at Selky eagerly, hoping she would accept him as he realized she was now his new family.

Over the next few weeks, he tried his best to get close to Selky, but she sulked and cried and wouldn’t look at him or speak to him. He knew she was very sad about Leo; she had loved him very much, and Buddy wanted her to love him like that.

One night when it was very cold, he saw Selky standing by the glass of their house, her nose resting against the glass as she looked out. She looked so sad, Buddy forgot his youthful need for acceptance and marched up to her, a glimmer of his future self, and placed his foot on her head. “Hey, stop moping! I’m here for you now, and I will never leave you. Not ever.” He felt determined as he squished her head with his little foot. She squirmed out from under him and laughed. Buddy blinked in surprise. She’s laughing, he thought.

“Oh, Buddy. Thank you…” She looked at him gratefully; the sadness was still in the back of her eyes, but at least it was in the back.

Suddenly, the roof lifted up, but it wasn’t the humans that he had grown used to in his few weeks… it was a stranger. He heard harsh laughing, “How much you think that big one will get us?”

“I dunno. Just grab her.” Buddy felt fear; he realized he was in the shadows and they hadn’t seen him. Selky whipped her head up and started to shake her tail like a rattle snake.

“Buddy, I don’t know them. Go! Hide!”

He immediately turned around and shoved himself into the wood. Flicking his back feet he pushed under until he was completely covered by their water bowl. Through the ripples he watched the strangers roughly pull Selky out. No, he thought, I don’t want to be alone. But Selky whipped her tail at the strangers, smacking them in the face. They both cried out, but held on. She bit the man holding her body. Squirming violently, she bit again. He dropped her. The other man had her tail still, having grabbed it after she had whipped him. She used her strength and lifted herself into a v-shape biting his finger until he let go. She landed outside their home, and looked back to Buddy. The men tried to grab her again, but she ran… And Buddy didn’t see where.

When Buddy Loved Selky

Buddy waited for days. His humans had been very upset, guessing someone had broken in to steal Selky as the lock had been broken… At least that was what he thought he heard them say. He found himself standing by the window, his nose pushed against the glass consumed with sadness exactly how Selky had always been. He realized he loved Selky, and, if she came back, he would never be a coward again. He would always protect her from now on.

The next day, the roof lifted up and he gazed up listlessly. “I can’t believe we found her!” He heard one of the humans say. “She went right to the neighbor’s shed. She was so smart, Erik! She knew she wasn’t met for the wild… She was too used to her house.”

“Yeah, Vinny said he has absolutely no more bugs in his shed, that’s for sure.” Laughter followed.

Buddy looked at them angrily. Why are you happy? He wanted to yell. “Selky is gone!” He cried out loud.

“No I’m not!” He heard Selky. He must be hallucinating. After all, he had refused to eat since she had disappeared. But he looked up anyways and was filled with happiness when he saw Selky wrapped around her human’s neck, content and smiling.

“Selky!” Buddy couldn’t believe it. “You didn’t leave me!”

“How could I leave you? You promised you would never leave me and it goes both ways.” She plopped into the house next to him and he immediately stomped on her head. She laughed, “We have got to teach you a new way to show affection…” But she never did…

Buddy’s Final Act of Love

I still stomp on her head, he thought happily. He heard a loud buzzing noise and looked up incredulously. A wasp? He turned his head to the side in confusion. Selky’s tail began to vibrate next to him.

“How did that get in here?” She exclaimed. “It looks angry!” The wasp seemed to lunge down, and Selky darted away quickly. Buddy immediately felt angry. How dare that wasp try to hurt Selky, he thought. The wasp lunged at Selky again aiming right for her head, but Buddy pushed her out of the way, full of bravado and was stung instead. The wasp stuck into the side of his face and struggled to buzz back into the sky, but Buddy used his long claws to pull the wasp off his face and stomped the wasp into the ground. “No, Buddy.” Selky gazed at him. The sadness from the past jumped to the front of her eyes.

“What?” He looked at her. His face started to hurt badly. “I’m fine.”

“No, Buddy.” Selky said again. She went to him and squeezed her body up next to his. “I don’t think we can handle getting stung by a wasp… Thank you, Buddy, please stay with me.”

He looked at her, thinking she was silly, but he felt his body stiffen. Something is happening to me, he thought, but I can’t let her know. “I told you I would never leave…”

“But you also said you would always protect me and you did.” Selky whispered. “Thank you, Buddy. It’s okay if you need to leave. I’m stronger now.”

Buddy felt cold and hot. His face felt weird and he closed his eyes, sudden fatigue taking over his will. “I… love you… Selky…”

***

We found Selky next to Buddy with the wasp squished next to them. We still cannot figure out how a wasp got into our screened-in porch, but Buddy definitely saved Selky and we will never forget him. Selky seems to be doing fine. She is depressed, but is still eating unlike when she lost Leo. We take her out and hold her every day.

Thank you, Buddy. You are a hero.



Rest in Peace, Buddy

I am very sorry to bring such sad news, but Buddy, our columbian tegu, passed away this week. I wanted to post a story blog in his memory, but I am unable to do so at the moment; the sadness from his passing is still with me.

I assure you that I will post a new story blog next week in Buddy's honor, and it will be a wonderful story too....

Thank you for understanding.

Rest in peace, my precious tegu. We miss you.

Eden

Minisode 3: Buddy Steals Selky's Food

Selky has such a little mouth compared to Buddy... And he is impatient!

So whatever food is hanging out of her mouth is, apparently, free game...

He's such a pig! He still wants more- tegus love fish! Well, they love anything that = food. They are like a garbage disposing version of a lizard who will eat almost anything.

If you watch closely at the end, you can hear Kyrie panting. She is always staring at the tegus!

Gotta love sibling rivalry!
Gotta love Zoomahouse!

Join us next time for Episode 6: Buddy's Memories 

Episode 5: Selky's Memories

Just like at any zoo, there's good days and bad days. Today we will take a journey into the past, seen through our columbian tegu, Selky's eyes. She's been through a lot, but she is one of the calmest, most loving lizards I know...

****

Selky, the tame columbian tegu, stared after her not-so-tame brother as he stomped around their house and jumped furiously at the ceiling, bouncing off and splashing into their small pond of water. Sometimes, when he landed in the water, he would become young for a moment and close his eyes or splash his long claws in the water, but, today, Buddy would have none of it.

Selky sighed, wishing he would just calm down; he was attracting that large fluffy thing to their window, and every time Buddy would jump the fluffy thing would make a very loud harsh screaming noise that Selky just wished would stop.

She burrowed deeper under the newspaper as though she was trying to cover her head with a pillow. I have a headache, an awful headache, a headache that is making me want to smack Buddy…

She thought about whipping Buddy with her tail, but he was so much more wild than her, he usually won that game just based on his level of crazy. Selky was a pacifist and usually could ignore Buddy when he was in his moods, but today was different.

Today was the anniversary of Leo’s death. Leo was Selky’s mate; he had passed away a very long time ago, it felt to Selky. Although she knew Buddy was only about two years old, still a youngster compared to Selky’s five years, so really Leo must have passed only about two years ago.

Selky’s love for Leo was not puppy love, though she was young when they were together. Selky loved Leo with all of her might… she began to ignore Buddy’s craziness as she drifted off into her memories of Leo………

Leo Outside

Leo---the gentle giant of the tegus: an argentine tegu--- used to be littler than Selky, and she would watch over him. He was so timid, at first, he would hide more than her, if that was even possible. The humans seemed to love him, taking him out with her a lot, probably trying to grow Leo’s confidence level.

Well, it worked. In a few weeks, Leo was bigger than Selky and he had taken to cuddling with her when they slept.

                                     

They had a silent understanding in their tameness, and enjoyed trips outside, food, and even long, warm baths together. Her ward, the male human, used to help her around the bath water by using his large paw as a raft. Selky would cling to his fingers and let herself be boated around the water while Leo watched. He was too stubborn to let any human help him swim. Selky knew how to swim, but she loved the attention from her ward. In a few more weeks, Selky no longer needed her ward’s large paw to float calmly on the warm lake, she had Leo’s tail to ride on instead.



Leo and Selky in bath



Leo had grown so large that Selky would just cling to his humongous whip of a tail and hang on as Leo masterfully swam through the water. She became so used to riding Leo’s tail, that she would even cling to it when he walked around their house. He never seemed to mind, and would get her back when she was sleeping by flinging his huge body onto hers and sleeping with his tail on her head. She didn’t really mind this either. You didn’t mind much when you were in love.

Leo grew too big for their house, but Selky got to visit with him a lot, but one day, he never came back. She noticed her male human crying and the female human holding him the way Selky would hold Leo’s tail, and Selky realized, in her actually complicated lizard brain, that Leo wasn’t ever going to come back. She grew sad, and refused to eat... until her ward opened the door to her house and in came wild Buddy…....



Big Leo



Selky blinked out of her reverie as Buddy stomped on her head. “Okay, that is enough, Buddy.” Buddy lifted his huge claws off her head, poking her in the eye as he went. He moved his large, stubborn triangular head and stared at her.

“I don’t understand why I can't jump out of here.” Buddy said huffily.

“Because that is our roof, Buddy, and it only opens when the humans want to open it, which, thanks to you, they don’t open it as much now.”

Buddy blinked. “Gosh, Selky.” He was suddenly bashful. He always got like this when Selky actually expressed annoyance. “Why are you so moody?”

“Leo.” Was all she said.

Buddy, her sibling from a different father and at least three clutches removed from hers could never truly replace the love she had felt for Leo, but her ward had been correct in understanding Selky needed someone to take care of and love, someone to keep her from being lonely. Although Buddy was a rough character, she loved him and was grateful for his moment of youth as he nuzzled her nose with his nose and licked her in the eye…. okay, he has a problem with poking me in the eye, but I can forgive that.

He apologized and snuggled under the newspaper with her. The large fluffy creature outside their window seemed to get bored and go away. Good, Selky thought, now I can spend all day remembering Leo in peace…



Baby Selky says, "See you next time at Zoomahouse!"



Minisode 2: Kyrie and the Atomic Fireball

Kyrie was bad and stole a fireball candy from the kitchen table...

Little did she know, it was a very hot candy.

Stubbornly, she was determined to eat it, but it was so hot she could only fling it through the air for mommy to catch on video. Enjoy!

Fireball 1:

Fireball 2:



No more fireballs for Kyrie! Keep your eyes peeled for next week’s story blog: Episode 5: Selky and her Memories.

Episode 4: The Great Escape

Today, our story blog is through Kyrie's eyes... Enjoy!

***

Kyrie, the jackbagoodle, stared at Nyko’s butt through his cage. He had been ignoring her for eternity and she wanted him to play--- Now!

She made her growling, whiney noise as she pawed at the cold bars of his cage. She felt her rear end shake as that mysterious, long thing, that she kept trying to kill, wagged back and forth. She was happy, but still hadn’t figured out how that thing on her bum knew that!

“Nykoooooooooooo!” She howled in a squeaky whine, “Play with me! Play with ME! Helloooooo! Why won’t you look at me? Why?! Nykoooooo!” She heard Nyko huff as he turned one eye to her, his head looking over his back.

“Nemesis.” He said. “Silence.”

“Nooooo!” She cried, hopping from one paw to the other, excitedly. He just talked to me. Yay!  She was panting now in her exhilaration, as he waddled to the bars. He reached out his mini paws and slapped at Kyrie’s face. “YES!” She cried and nipped back at him, growling playfully.

Nyko stopped, suddenly, and stared at her.

“If you want me to play more, help me get outside.”

Kyrie looked at him as he pointed a long nail at his front door. “But mommy and daddy can let you outside. They’re asleep. I’ll get them!” She was about to bound away to throw her bone on daddy’s head--- that always wakes him up! ---when Nyko fairly screamed, “Nemesis! Wait!” at her. She skidded to a stop and flipped to face him. She cocked her head.

“Let them sleep.” Nyko huffed. “I’ll unlock the sides of the door. All you need to do is pull the door out with your teeth.”

“Ummm.” She stared at the door, trusting in Nyko’s love for her. “Okay! And then you’ll play?”

“Yes, Nemesis. I will ‘play.’ Just let me out first.” Nyko jumped to his second story and pushed the sides of his door out of the locked-in position. He gestured to Kyrie and she gently nipped the bar on the door, pulling it open with a clang, which seemed to freeze Nyko into panic mode for a second.

“What?” Kyrie yelped.

“Silence!” Nyko huffed again. “Father and mother will hear.”

“But then we can all play together!” Kyrie said, happily. Suddenly, Nyko was on her face, poking her in the nose, and huffing. She reared back.

“No, Kyrie,” Nyko calmly stated, “I want you all to myself.” He climbed on her back; she could feel his little paws as he crossed her backbone. There was a plop as he dropped onto the floor. She turned excitedly to bite him---just a little---and maybe toss him in the air---again, just a little---but he was already gone! She heard a crunching noise from where her dinner was and padded over to the noise. Nyko was in her bowl, eating her food. Kyrie was so sad and upset, she began to hysterically cry. “Shush!” Nyko said around her food in his mouth.

“Nooooo!” Kyrie howled through her tears. “You said you would play with me!”

“After I eat.” Nyko shoved a whole morsel in his mouth. Kyrie tried to pull the dish from under him, but he was firmly rooted in the bowl and just slid with the dish. She went to her water and thought about splashing him, but decided against it when she thought about yucky, mushy food for later.

Instead, she turned, grabbed her bone, jumped onto mommy and daddy’s bed and threw the heavy bone on daddy’s head.

“OW! God, Kyrie! What the heck!” Daddy’s up! Nyko kept eating, but daddy seemed to hear him. Kyrie was ecstatic as he groaned and climbed out of bed. Kyrie raced ahead of him to Nyko. Nyko had his eyes closed, enjoying her food. “Daddy’s here.” She said, triumphant. Nyko’s eyes shot open just as daddy said, “What the--- Nyko? How’d you get out?” Daddy picked up the shocked prairie dog and put him back in his house.

 Kyrie felt that thing wag again as she playfully licked her daddy’s hand. “Oh, thank you, daddy!” She ran and grabbed her ball, tossing it at his foot. “Play?”

Nyko huffed in his cage. Kyrie would never let him out again.

Episode 3: Nyko, The Music Maestro

Today's story will be seen through Nyko's eyes...

***

“DING!”

                                “DING!”

                                                                “DONG!”

“Diiiiiiiiiiiing!”

Nyko, the (at this moment) fluffy prairie dog, strummed the bars on his cage like a harp, making beautiful music to his ears.  Yes, yes. There were critics of his masterpieces. Father and Mother didn’t seem to like it, especially when all the lights were off and the house was quiet, but that was when Nyko felt most inspired… when Nemesis was asleep. AS Nyko played his “harp,” he pondered Nemesis and his music took on a more somber “Dong!” tone.  He stopped for a moment to scuttle quickly to the other side of his house to strum the bars there. He must get this note perfect. “Doiiiiing!” Perfect!

That was how Nemesis made him feel when she gloated in all of the attention Mother and Father gave her. Nyko must have all the attention for himself! Well, sure, she could get some attention, but Nyko couldn’t help getting the stupid pooch into trouble...she just sorta walked right into it. Nyko jumped down from his second story, landing in his cotton ball, half Tee shirt, mostly alfalfa hay, and some stuffed animal limbs bed. He abruptly stuck his head sideways on the center of his bed, rolling his body after his head until his furry butt stuck up into the air. He tunneled into the cotton poofyness and then turned onto his back, his arms and legs sticking up in the air.

He closed his eyes just as his Nemesis, of course, decided to bound up and crash into his cage.

Nyko chittered and opened one sleepy eye. “What, Nemesis?”

“Nyko! You have to stop your horrible music, Dude.”

“As usual, Nemesis… too late… I have stopped. Go away or I might have to start again.” Nyko would definitely have to play music again if Kyrie gave him another headache. He’d played for hours already because of what Kyrie had done earlier. He was so inspired, in fact, that mother had thrown him out of the bedroom, rolling his giant cage into the middle of the living room, and closing the bedroom door. Yes, he had made truly beautiful music tonight, and Nemesis was going to ruin that.

Kyrie stared at Nyko through the bars in the cage. “You’re done, dude?” She stuffed her velvety, wet nose through the bars and snuffled the air as though she could smell his intentions. Stupid dog, Nyko thought.

“Yes!” Nyko quipped crankily.

“Man… Nyko! I love you! I’m sorry that when Mommy let you out, I bit your butt. I couldn’t help it! My animal instincts kicked in and I was like ‘Wa-Hoo!’ You know, dude, like how you are with your music. I just felt the wolf in me want to hunt!”

Nyko rolled his little blue eyes and laughed, “You, jackbagoodle, have not a single ounce of wolf in you. And my music is NOT from animal instinct.”

“But you love me though, right?”

Nyko sighed. Why must he tell this silly mutt every night he loved her? That’s why she was Nemesis, one of the only inhabitants of Zoomahouse he felt inspired by. “Yeah…” Nyko got up on his haunches and went to her nose. “You made me get out of my bed.” He muttered to her huge nose.  He reached out his little hands and started grooming the hairs around Kyrie’s face. “You should be more careful when you eat. You always have crumbs on your face.” He picked them off and flicked his long nails. Nyko put his little nose on Kyrie’s big nose and nuzzled her.



“Okay. I love you, Nemesis. Goodnight.” Kyrie’s eyes shined with puppy happiness and she opened her mouth to…

Sneeze.

Wet stuff of unknown origins completely covered Nyko’s face. He reared back on his haunches and sat on his butt, rubbing his arms over his face disgustedly. “YECH!” Nyko, the music maestro, was suddenly replaced with in-the-wild Nyko, as he quickly lunged at Kyrie’s extra wet nose and popped her in the face with a quick right hook. Kyrie yelped, she was always such a baby, and looked at him accusingly.

“Why, Nyko?” She exclaimed, her tail in-between her legs, “I love you and I apologized.”

“CHIT! CHITTER! CHIT! CHITTER!” Nyko clicked his teeth quickly, his little paws by his chest like a boxer, at the ready. Kyrie moved in and tried to lick him through the bars, but he lunged at her, clicking warningly as he quickly flicked his hands at her face like a small child trying to shoo away a fly. “You sneezed on me!” He cried haughtily, in between his clicking. He stopped clicking and calmed down as he realized he had to play his instrument again. Sighing, he said, “I guess the ‘wild’ came out in me.” He glared at Nemesis. “You should understand that, apparently.”

“You have wolf in you too? Oh, wow!” Kyrie jumped in a circle, wagging her tail excitedly.

Nyko wanted to smack her again. Idiot, he thought. He turned his back on her, putting his tail up in the air as he walked haughtily to the bars of his cage. He grabbed a bar in his strong teeth and, “DING! DING! DING!” Yes, it was time for an erratic masterpiece, full of angst and vitality. He was going to create the Wolf Song.

“Well… goodnight.” Kyrie padded away softly as Nyko embraced his maestro side and placed all of his wildness into his beautiful new song. From the bedroom, he heard Father as he cried out, “Not again, Nyko! Give it a rest!” Nyko took it as further inspiration that Father approved of his new wild song, and played more rapturously…

“DINGDINGDINGDINGDING DOOOOONG!”

***

And so now you have met Nyko at his best and worst as he drives the whole house crazy at 2 AM with his awful cage clanking! But we love him anyway… Look out for Kyrie’s story next week. Those two just cannot get enough of each other.

I hope you enjoyed your trip to Zoomahouse!

MiniSode 1: Actual, Raw Footage of Canis Lupus Familiaris, Kyrie, Catching Her Tail!

I will let the video speak for itself...

First Sighting: Kyrie catches tail

Second Sighting: Dizzy Dog

Third Sighting: And so, Canis Lupus Familiaris conquers the "tale"...

The End

Episode 2: To the Mountain Top, Dumpy Goes!

Today, we have a new member of my family joining us. And, he is very new! He just entered Zoomahouse yesterday... Everyone, welcome our newest member, Dumpy, the Blue Dumpy Frog.

Have fun at the zoo!
***

Dumpy was plucked from his house and placed in a white room —even the floor was white! —but it was also wet, which actually suited Dumpy just fine. He was four months new to the world and had already known cruelty. He was picked on by the other Blue Dumpy Tree Frogs for being too small. They told him he was funny looking without a big, fat belly like them. It was true, Dumpy felt little compared to his companions, so he had always wanted to be taken by the levitating, hairless paw that periodically took the others.

The room shook; Dumpy stuck to the wall, riding the rocking motion as a jockey rides his horse. There was some strange, muffled voice and then a rush of air that dried Dumpy’s skin uncomfortably. A hairless finger poked his head and became stuck on his drying skin. Two large eyes peered at him from the sky. They were so big, Dumpy could see his reflection in them! He looked, to himself… well… he looked little. Dumpy caved in his eyes as he blinked, seeing the giant’s eyes through varying layers of eyelids.

“He’s sticky!” The giant announced. “I love him! Seriously, I am for real, literally, naming him Dumpy. What he is—well—it’s actually the perfect name for him.”

After a long ride in the white room, with the ceiling lifting once in a while to reveal the now familiar large eyes and a few pokes to his head, he arrived in a glass house with beautiful bark, moss, and an actual lotus flower (although, the flower seemed rather strong for a flower, but Dumpy shrugged it off, counting himself lucky to have a such a rare flower to sit on) that was attached to a log Dumpy could snuggle under.

The big eyes boggled at him from the clear wall of his house. Dumpy looked back. He wanted to croak to the eyes. He wanted to say, “What? What are you looking at, huh?” But all he could do was stare as he realized the eyes had given him this home, and the eyes were actually part of the big, levitating, hairless hand he had always dreamed of in his prior, obviously temporary house. The hand had never been levitating, it belonged to the big eyes, and a big body… It really was a giant!

Dumpy promptly wet himself and the eyes withdrew. Phew! He hid under the tree and looked out the other side of his new house.

Another house was beside him, although it was shaped more like a sideways pyramid. It was full of water too. Dumpy waddled over to the side of his house to get a closer look, huddling by the wall as though he could squeeze himself invisible. What is in there?

Suddenly, a mini frog with long scraggly legs spread in a permanent split bopped against the glass of the pyramid house. Its skinny body twitched and it was sideways, its little beady eye staring into Dumpy’s eyes. Dumpy hopped a bit, a little moment of fright flowed through his froggy limbs as he encountered a frog that was completely immersed in water… and the way its legs stuck out in all directions… it was simply the strangest kin Dumpy had ever encountered!

“Hey, you!” The spindly, water frog gurgled in a squeaky, girly voice. “What are you staring at, huh?”

Dumpy laughed inside. He had felt the same way towards Big Eyes. He shrugged to the mini frog.

“Can’t talk, can ya?” The little frog floated back into the wall and bumped off of it, again.

Silly, teeney frog, Dumpy thought contentedly. Wait… he was happy feeling. A little nervous being in a weird place… but happy, nonetheless. This frog was TINY. She was tinier than Dumpy could ever be! Dumpy was no longer too little. He was now the giant! Well, not the giant, but in reference to small brains over there—Gangly thing, silly enough to live in the water; it could never snuggle into a tree like Dumpy, or stick to walls and defy gravity—Dumpy was the giant in this territory!

The little frog stared at him as though she could read Dumpy’s mind. “I know I may be little, but I have seniority here! The male giant picked me out and named me Speckles. I’m his frog. So, you can’t be his frog. I suppose that means you’re her frog.”

Big eyes, Dumpy thought. Speckles continued rambling, “She’s alright I guess, but she taps my wall too much and it echoes horribly that I can’t even imagine how you are going to feel without water to muffle the sound and I bet she is going to tap your wall all of the time and ooooo I bet I know exactly how lucky you are because she can actually pick you up and that means that maybe you have it worse than her always just poking your house! Although–” She stopped suddenly, looking thoughtful. As if that’s possible, Dumpy thought sarcastically. “She does feed me a lot. I get extra ‘cause she feeds me after my giant like she doesn’t know I was fed. Double feedings for me!” She floated upside down, apparently happy in the memory of lots of food.

Dumpy sighed internally. Well, food is good. He nodded to Speckles and squinted at her, hoping she would stop her tinny gabbing.  But, she didn’t. Great. She may be little, but she sure talks big. Wonderful.

Dumpy turned his back on her and began to walk to his tree only to be suddenly in the giant’s hairless paw, being stared at by two different big eyes. It’s Speckles’ giant! Dumpy looked at the male giant as Speckles' voice became, if it was even possible, whinier.

“Hey, there, Dumpy.” Dumpy rested in the warmth of the giant’s paw for a moment, planning his strategy. He was the biggest frog in town now, so he wanted to climb the biggest mountain, which was, apparently, this male giant. Dumpy just had to get to the top.

He sat. The warmth filled his froggy belly and loosened his limbs and with a sudden burst of movement, Dumpy hopped to the back of the giant’s paw, forcing the giant to turn his arm. Dumpy stretched out his curled up limbs and ran, full speed up the giant’s arm. “Aah!” The giant cried in surprise. “Eden! Did you see that? He’s just like the Matrix!” Loud laughing followed after Dumpy landed on his destination. He made sure his toes were secure; the giant’s face was not like the walls Dumpy was used to.

Calmly, the male giant said, “Ohhkay. Now, he. Is. On. My. Face.”

Dumpy had made it! He was on top! He was the biggest frog and he had climbed the highest tree… or mountain… to Dumpy, it was one and the same. He had asserted his place in his new home and simply puffed with pride.

“Oh…oh…” The female giant gasped in between laughs. “He likes you, honey!”

She scooped Dumpy off of the other giants face, who was now standing incredibly still. Dumpy was amazed by the patience the giant showed, but, then again, that giant picked out Speckles! He had to be patient!

Big Eyes, his favorite giant, gazed at him lovingly. “Wow. Dumpy, you are a perfect fit for our family.” He heard water running. Big Eyes’ hairless finger patted his head, this time it was warmly moist, and water seeped into his pores. He gazed at Big Eyes gratefully… maybe even enjoying the pat a little. Of course, he would never admit it! Her big mouth spread into an upturned half-circle. “Welcome to Zoomahouse.” She placed him on his lotus flower and crickets fell from the sky. He jumped down and munched one immediately. He was going to love it here. Whatever Zoomahouse was, he was obviously a part of it now!

Yum!

***
And Dumpy is settling in just fine, besides the occasional wetting the bed issue... well, more like wetting my hand... But I'm sure he will be completely confident in time. Everyone else in Zoomahouse is!

Visit us again soon!

Episode 1: Bino and the Fur

Today's story will be seen through Bino's eyes...

Enjoy your trip to the zoo.
***

Bino, the bearded dragon, roamed restlessly in his house. He was so hungry and hadn’t eaten a cricket in days! All the crickets were hiding in a little cardboard box in the corner of his home. The crickets were not that smart, however, they loved cardboards so much that they naturally stayed in the box. Bino could never understand what was so wonderful about cardboard, but he understood what was wonderful about crickets! He was so hungry!

Suddenly, the roof to his house began to slide back. Bino  looked excitedly up. His friend was gonna feed him! He knew that whenever she opened the top it met one of three things: food was coming (which Bino hoped desperately for as he cocked his dragon head), a bath was awaiting (which Bino sometimes liked, mostly after he ate though… it helped his tummy), or…it was cuddling time! Cuddling time was always good because Bino could be with his best friend, the tall one with hair, but he really, really, really wanted food!

A little furry creature dropped down. Bino’s roof began to close. Bino heard his friend singing to him in her weird language so he looked at her through his right eye. “What’s this?!” He bobbed his head at her, but his friend walked away. Bino turned to the shaking fur. He pounced over to it, kicking sand into the air. The fur began to tremble more, “Oh no!” It cried, “Don’t eat me!”

It can talk! And has eyes! Bino’s beard turned black as he puffed it out as far as possible, hoping he was threatening enough to keep the fur away. The fur was scary! Bino turned and ran at it, trying to make it go away. The fur ran to the cardboard box and stopped at the opening. Twitching its little nose, it sniffed towards Bino, “Why didn’t you eat me?” It squeaked out.

Bino’s beard flared haughtily, “I do not eat furs!” Bino cried, “I like BUGS!”

Fur turned its big ears towards the box. “Like the ones in here?” It asked.

Bino bobbed his head in agreement. “I know tall friend. If you help me get those crickets, I bet she’ll see I don’t want to eat ya!” Bino stomped a foot, and shivering, added, “BLECH!” His eyes bulging he said quickly, “No offense!”

The fur’s little body shook with laughter. “I am very happy I am ‘BLECH’ as you say. I will get those bugs for you!” The fur ran into the card board scattering crickets everywhere. They hippity-hopped about Bino’s home.

“Nyum, yum, nummy, yum!” Bino munched happily as his belly blew up as big as a blowfish. “Schmank chew!” He said to fur as he ate. Fur laughed again and ran up to Bino, crawling onto his back.

“I am glad you are happy, friend… How odd I would make a friend here! Will your friend come and get me soon?” Fur asked, sitting on Bino’s triangular head. Bino bobbed.

“She must know I would never eat a fur now!” The roof slid away. “There she is now!”

“Oh, Bino! You are the weirdest bearded dragon ever. Great, one more roommate for Zoomahouse! Come here little mousey; there must be something special about you.” The tall one with the hair grabbed fur off of Bino’s head. 

“Good-bye, dragon-lizard. I will always remember your kindness!”

Bino stamped the ground, bobbing his head good-bye. “I will always remember you too!” Thank you for helping with the crickets. And don’t worry, I will never eat a fur!” Bino watched as his best friend carried his new friend home. Filled with joy and food, Bino now hoped that soon it would be… CUDDLE TIME!

His roof slid back and he was with the tall girl, in her hair… “Love you, Bino.” She said as she cuddled him happily. Bino always did love cuddle time the best!

***

Little did Bino and I know, but that mouse did become part of the family. In fact, she was named Stormy and paired up with Squeaky, a gorgeous blond, and they made over 20 generations together, which -- interestingly enough-- became spotted like cows, and were later eaten by Bino…

His taste buds changed after he met Star and she, apparently, explained to him that he was abnormal enough as it was without adding being friends with food to his list… That… or, he just really wanted to impress her.

All that in another tale from Zoomahouse later…