Mwezi Hu: The Death House Pt. 1

“I thought this place was burned.”

My skin crawls as I wonder the same thing Vyke said. The outside of this manor is black, burned from a fire long cold. Dying trees surround it and monsters we can’t make out howl in the woods.

The inside is in perfect shape. The four of us walk into the entryway of the manor. There’s ornate furniture lining the walls. Swirls and serpent designs decorate the woodwork. The far end has a painting of a family. Two nobles and their three children. No one appears to be home and the roaring we heard ceased.

“What is that?” Bree points to a table in the middle of the room. A large, blue fuzzy thing is laying on it. When Vyke and I edge closer to it, we hear snores.

“It’s alive.” Vyke glances at me, his voice a whisper to not wake the thing. “Any idea what it is?”

I make a face. I don’t have to get too close to this thing to smell the stench coming of it. It smelled like blood mixed with trash. “Whatever it is, it reeks. I say we put it out of its misery.”

Vyke obliges and summons his sword. He pokes it into what we assume is the creature’s back for a quick run through.

“Ouchie!” The blue fuzzy suddenly lurches and twists toward Vyke before the sword can penetrate. By the fineness of his face, I can tell he’s a half-elf. He pulls a pistol from his cloths and aims Vyke’s head. “What was that for?!”

“Who are you?” Vyke looks as taken aback as I am. He keeps his blade pointed at the half-elf.

Confusion softens the half-elf’s face when he takes a look around. “Uh…where am I?”

“We were going to ask you that.” I can hardly believe what I’m seeing on this half-elf. He’s dressed in a bright blue, fuzzy onesie and is that…? Yeah…it’s a unicorn onesie. Not to mention he’s wearing flashy yellow bunny slippers. The katana on his back and the pistol in his hand tell me he’s some sort of adventurer, but why–in the moon’s beautiful light–is he wearing that. “Why are you sleeping on that table?”

“I was sleeping in my bed.” The half-elf glances down at his perch. “Did you guys summon me here?”

“It wasn’t us.” Vayne steps forward. She rifles through her pack to pull out her crimson letter from Strahd. “Did you get one of these?”

The half-elf nods. He and Vyke lower their weapons at the same time so the elf can show us his letter. It’s wadded up and I think I see the corpse of a spider in it. “All of you got one?”

I nod to the elf and look at the family painting at the end of the room. “We should search the house. The four of us heard some type of roaring coming from underneath this place. Maybe that can give us answers as to why we’re here.”

The others concur and we move to explore the house. While Bree heads upstairs to scout ahead, the rest of us explore the main floor. I find the kitchen and my skin crawls. Everything inside is nice and tidy. There’s even a table set for six. The family only has five members.

“OUCHIE!”

I bolt back into the main room when I hear the shout, my morning star ready to draw blood. Yet, annoyance boils within me. The half-elf is still by the table hopping on one foot.

Vyke had been investigating the serpent designs in the woodwork, but came rushing over at the half-elf’s shout too. “What happened?”

“I dropped that stupid paperweight on my foot!”

A growl escapes my throat as the half-elf points to the paperweight under the table. “You need to be more careful!” I snap. “We don’t know what else is in this place.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. Stupid paperweight.”

I roll my eyes at the half-elf’s careless response. He shakes out his foot and walks over to where Vayne is investigating a food pantry. I head to another door and find a hunter’s den. The stuffed wolves inside sadden my heart. I’m all for hunting, but wolves should be left alone.

With nothing interesting on the first floor and Bree reporting nothing interesting on the second floor, we all head to the third floor. I shiver. The higher we go, the colder it gets. The third floor is another hall with a couple more doors and a suit of armor at the end. Vyke goes for one door and Bree goes for the other, but no one gets the chance to open anything. I should’ve been paying attention to the stupid half-elf. He walks right up to the suit of armor and tickles it under the chin. When he goes to lift the visor of the helmet, it clamps down on his finger.

“OUCHIE!”

“You idiot! That thing’s alive!” Bree darts forward. As a tiny halfling, she slips behind the half-elf to sneak attack the suit of armor, but her two daggers slip harmlessly between it’s cuirass and tasses.

Vyke and I move next. I pound my morning star down on the helmet while Vyke blasts it with magic. Both of us create good, sizeable dents in it while the half-elf screams. His finger is still stuck in the visor. The half-elf pulls his pistol and fires it point blank into the helmet, but it doesn’t even penetrate. “Let go. Let go. Let go!” He yells.

“I got it!” Vayne, still back on the staircase, pulls her javelin from her back. With a mighty throw, she sails it at the suit of armor. The half-elf screams again and manages to get out of the way. The javelin pierced the armor right in the heart.

Piece by piece the suit of armor falls apart. The half-elf’s finger is freed. I can’t help but howl in victory. It was just a measly, haunted suit of armor, but these new associates of mine–not including the half-elf–make a pretty good team. We have don’t have a clue as to why we’re suddenly in this haunted and eerie mansion, but if things keep going like this, I know we’ll be alright.

To the Sunflowers

To the sunflowers on the side of the road
Brightening the land and lightening the loads
Of those headed to work, or leaving home
Going somewhere with a sour tone
A dreary drive day after day
But your sunshine keeps the misery away
Just a simple flower in the highway
Yellow petals on shades of gray
Here for a season and gone again
To tell us dark clouds do have an end
Thanks to the sunflower so simple and pretty
Reminding me to always find the beauty
When days get long and monotone
And I’m feeling like I’m all alone
So here’s to the flowers who ask for naught
And offer their shine even when its hot
You’re always there and you never goad
You beautiful sunflowers on the side of the road.

Mwezi Hu

My dungeons and dragons group began a new campaign a couple weeks ago. I thought I’d share the tale with you. We’re following the storyline of “Dungeons and Dragons; The Curse of Strahd.”

A dead scent trails through the luscious forest. With it, I feel the faintest of a chill that conflicts with the noon day sun. I’m on the right track. My prey is only a couple hours ahead of me.

My name is Mwezi Hu and I hunt vampires.

I’ve been tailing this one for the past few days. A village I arrived in was having issues with mysterious disappearances. When I inquired about, I realized they had a vampire problem. A small nest was budding in a nearby cave. I took out the thralls and vampire fletchings with no issues, but the ancient that led the nest got away. The coward.

I wish I recognized this ancient’s scent. You see, my pack was slaughtered by vampires. I survived solely at the sacrifice of my forebear. I remember the scent of every one of those bloodsuckers that killed my pack. Someday I’ll get my revenge.

For now, I settle for any vampire. Those walking corpses are curses upon society. The coward I’m chasing probably hoped to become a lord someday when he started the nest by the village. I’m glad I dashed his dreams.

As I continue into the woods, a fog rolls steadily at my feet. That’s odd. It’s the middle of the day and there aren’t any lakes or streams nearby that would harbor fog. I still have the vampire’s scent though, and it looks like he scraped his claws on that tree. I keep going.

The fog slowly thickens and soon I can’t see five inches in front of my face. I growl as the vampire’s scent slips away from me. I won’t find his tracks if this keeps up. I turn to my pack and riffle through it for my compass, but a flash of scarlet catches my eye. I forgot I had that. When I woke up this morning, this scarlet letter was resting at the edge of my camp. It’s addressed to me. Some sort of invitation to some castle event thing. I almost tossed it out. I don’t have time for castles. It doesn’t matter if my reputation as a vampire hunter has made me famous or not. I don’t attend parties. The name on the letter that keeps me from throwing it away, though. Some guy named Strahd. There’s something about that name.

I keep going through the fog. I keep hands outstretched so I don’t run into trees, but the trees that surrounded me seemed to have disappeared. I can’t find one no matter how many steps I take. Not to mention, the grass beneath me has shifted to gravel. I know I wasn’t near any roads, so where did…? The hairs on my skin stand on end. This fog is more unnatural than I thought.

The crunching of rocks catches my attention. I draw my morning star. Perhaps that cowardly vampire isn’t as much of a coward as I thought? If he’s trying to ambush me, I’ll give him what for. There’s more crunching. Footsteps. Multiple from the sound of it. I close my eyes and breath deeply. Something out there has the scent of smoke to it. Another smells of scales. The last smells humanoid.

“Hold it!” A skinny tiefling summons a magic sword in hand the moment he spots me in the fog. I squint at him, morning star at the ready. This devil-horned humanoid is the one that smells like smoke and the dragonborn–lizard person–beside him is the one smelling of scales. Her hand goes to the javelin on her back. She has a barbarian’s build and I’m not ready to provoke the rage in her eyes.

“Where did you two come from?” I demand sharply.

“Us?” The dragonborn huffs. “We were just walking. Where’d you come from?”

“I was hunting.” I watch these two’s mouths as I talk to them. They both have the sharp teeth of their races. No extra long canines and, judging by their smell, they’re not vampires. I lower my morning star. “I was following my prey through the woods. Though I seem to have lost the woods when this fog rolled in.”

“Us too.” The tiefling lowered his weapon as well. “The fog rolled in and here we are. My name is Vyke.” He motioned to the dragonborn. “This is Vayne.”

“Mwezi Hu.” I nod in a curt greeting.

Vyke dispells his weapon and moves his hands to his hips. “So…any idea why we’re all out here in this fog?”

When his hand brushed one of his belt pouches, I caught a flash of scarlet. “Wait.” I stepped forward and pointed. “What do you have there?”

Vyke raised his eyebrow. He opened his pouch and pulled out a scarlet letter. One that looks identical to the one in my bag. “You got that invitation too?”

Vyke nodded and Vayne revealed a scarlet letter of her own. “I did as well.”

“Me too!”

The new voice causes the three of us to jump. To my right, a hand pokes out of the fog about waist high, a scarlet letter held within it. Vayne and I wave the fog away and a small halfling in a dark cloak is staring up at us. “Hi! I’m Bree Goodbarrel.”

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t unnerved. I scented this girl and yet I had no idea she was standing right next to me. “Hi…”

“Okay…” Vyke appeared a little unnerved as well. He glances at Vayne, then to me. “So, a tiefling, a halfling, a dragonborn, and a human all get invited to some Strahd’s castle.”

Vayne huffs. “That sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.”

“Yeah,” Vyke fumbles a frown. “But what’s the punchline?”

“Only one way to find out.” I point off. The fog was clearing that I could tell where the path continued. I looked at the others. “Up for it?”

Vyke and Vayne shrugged. “Better than staying here,” the dragonborn mutters.

“Let’s go!” Bree disappears into the fog once again. I rolled my eyes. Rogues.

We hypothesize why all of us got fancy invitations, but we don’t get very far. None of us know who this Strahd guy is. The fog clears further and we spot a structure in the distance. My first thought is the castle, but as we get closer, dread seeds my gut. It’s a manor of some sort and it’s not in good shape. The walls are black. Scars of a fire lace its frame. What shutters haven’t fallen off are banging in the growing wind. A couple of the supports have me questioning if a good storm won’t knock it over. A black forest of dead trees surrounds the house. When I was hunting my vampire it was the middle of the day. The others can can’t have been walking for thirty minutes and the sky holds the shades of night.

“This doesn’t feel right.” Vayne eyes the house and the surrounding woods. “Where are we?”

None of us get the chance to answer. Some sort of roar comes from the woods behind the house. Bree stiffens and draws two daggers. “What was that?”

“I don’t know.” A chill rattles my ribs. I’ve faced many creatures in my time. Hunted monsters and animals alike and I didn’t recognize that roar.

“I’m going to sneak around the side of the house.” Bree looks back at us. “Get an idea of its perimeter.”

Vyke shakes his head. “Splitting up isn’t a good idea.”

Another roar quiets our group. This time, it sounds like its coming from under the house. When Bree takes a step toward the house, the front doors open wide. I tighten my grip on my morning star. I can’t see anyone inside and strong wafting of rot assaults my nose. “Something doesn’t smell right in there.”

“Smell right?” Vyke gives me a strange look. I don’t blame him, though. He doesn’t understand why a human like myself has heightened senses and I’m not about to tell him. “There’s no point in sticking around here or scouting the back of the house,” Vyke continues. “We might as well just go in and figure out what’s going on.”

I agree with him. If we find someone, they might give us an explanation as to where we are and why we have these letters in our pockets. I don’t trust this house, but we have no better options. I keep my morning star in hand. Vyke summons his sword. Bree couples her daggers, and Vayne takes her javelin from her back.

Together, we go inside.

To Be Continued…

Personal Writer’s Block

How many times have you find yourself staring at your computer screen or journal and you just can’t figure out what to put on the page? Maybe you have a deadline, but you’ve lost motivation. You find yourself scrolling through the internet instead of getting done the things you need to get done.

That’s where I’m at. I need a webpost for tomorrow, but I’m staring at my screen and all my different drafts and wondering “Do I really want to put THAT one up now? It’s not really ready.” And instead of going in it, reading it over, and making sure its ready, I turn to the files on my computer to see if maybe there’s something else I can post about instead.

Low and behold, I found my Miitomo folders. You may not remember, but the year I started this website, I wrote a post called What’s Your One App? I talked about how I made a bunch of pictures on of my different characters and my two imaginary friends: Cheetah and Candra. When I found the folder on my computer, I couldn’t help but scroll through all the photos. Then, I came to the one featured in this post. I created these photos in college and this one is my Writer’s Block photo. It’s what I imaged was going on in my head when I couldn’t figure out what to write.

Cheetah snatched the pen with a big, toothy grin on his face. “We should start with ‘Once upon a time!’ That’s the best way to start!”
“No, Cheetah.” Candra grabbed the pen back. “We’re writing a novel, not a fairytale. Nobody starts with ‘Once upon a time’ anymore.”
“But, there’s fairies in our tale!” Cheetah reached for the pen, but Candra pulled it away. Cheetah hissed. “It’s a classic fantasy line that we all love! We should start with it!”
“Guys…” I flip through my notes as I watch them fight over the pen. “We need to start with the main character as soon as possible. That’s what all the writing workshops say.”
“Great!” Cheetah tackled Candra to the ground and managed to wrangle the pen from him. “So, we start with ‘Once upon a time there was a son of an alchemist!'”
Guilt burdened my shoulders. “I don’t think we should start with ‘once upon a time,’ Cheetah.”
“What?!”
“I thought so!” Candra shoved the startled feline off of him and snatched the pen back. “Once upon a time is too cliché, but there are still ways we can corollate it into the story.” Candra gets up and brushes himself off. He walks over to me to hand over the pen. “Remember, every time you write ‘upon’ in the story, it makes you think of ‘Once upon a time,’ it’s such a commonly known phrase that the reader will think of it too.”
“You really think so?”
“Well.” Candra sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Maybe. If anything, we’ll still see it in there.”
I smiled. “You have a point.”
Cheetah sat pouting on the ground. “So, if we’re not starting with ‘Once upon a time.’ What are we starting with?”
“The first chapter needs tension to draw the reader in.” I look down at my notes. “We all know how the first chapter is suppose to end, but the beginning has always been difficult.”
“He should be running!” Cheetah suddenly sprang up. He ran in circles around Candra and I. “Everyone knows something is up when the main character is running!”
Candra looked doubtful. “That’s a little too common to, isn’t it?”
I drop my head in my notes as a groan escapes my throat. This should not be this hard. I know my story. I know my characters, but why can’t I think of the words to put on the page? “We tried running before.” I didn’t lift my head. “But we’re not supposed to start with a memory. I think our best bet is to start in the memory.”
Cheetah stops and both he and Candra grows quiet. I know what they’re thinking. Believable arguments have always been a hard thing for us to write. You’d think it’d come naturally since Candra and Cheetah argue all the time.
I lift my head and look both my boys in the eye. “We have to work together. I’ll tell you when the pen should be passed off from one of you to the other, okay?”
Candra and Cheetah exchange a glance, and to my relief, they nod. “Candra,” I hold out the pen. “This is a serious scene, so you start, but as soon as our main character bolts from the house, you pass the pen to Cheetah, got it?”
“Got it.”
Cheetah quivers. “This is so exciting. Our fairytale’s gonna be great!”
Candra rolls his eyes. “It’s not a fairytale!”

Silver Lining

When all is dark and treacherous
A light does shine through
It creates a silver lining
For us to hold onto

You see it in the clouds
On a dark and stormy day
You see it on the horizon
The sun beats shadows away

Everyone’s silver lining
Means one thing or another
It can be in different forms
But to us it does usher

A sense of hope and dreams
Of good things around the bend
The lining always tells one thing:
That Darkness has an end

My lining is a little different
Made of silvery silk
It holds tightly to a character
And never ever bilks

But no matter what the form you choose
I hope you’ll always know
A silver lining reminder
Is there to help you grow


200!!!

I’m so excited to celebrate the fact that this is my 200th post! For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been posting on this website twice a week since October 14th, 2020. It’s been an incredible ride and I plan on keeping it going. All the poems, animal facts, stories, victories and defeats. There’s been something to learn through it all and I hope all my amazing followers out there have enjoyed every bit of it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get 200 more posts out in the next two years? Maybe I’ll get my novel out too?

Now, it’s your turn, my friends. I’d love to hear back from you about these 200 posts on my website. Do you have a favorite story? Favorite poem? Have you learned from the writing tips or love the animal facts? Did you read something that changed your perspective? Made you laugh or cry? What was the post that stood out to you? You don’t have to remember all 200, but I hope there’s at least one that you carry with you. Maybe you don’t read my posts and just enjoy the art that I create? That works too. You can comment your thoughts here on the website, or my Twitter or Facebook pages. If you need a refresher on my posts, check out the Written Work section at the bottom of the Home page. All of my writings are split up into categories so you can quickly scroll through.

Thanks so much for celebrating my 200th post with me and to my followers for sticking with me through the past couple years. Hopefully, we’ll have many more posts and years together moving forward!

What Color Are You?

Have you ever done any of those Facebook surveys where it’s like: “Answer these questions and we’ll tell you what color you are!” Or “Answer these questions and find out what Hogwarts you belong in!” Which celebrity would be your sweety or what tattoo you should get. Some of them are probably spam, but others are just fun ways to get something to tell you “who you really are.” Like you’re in Hufflepuff because you’re loyal and true. You’re spirit burns red because you’re passionate and extroverted. Or you should get an eagle tattoo because you’re a free spirit.

I like to do them to see how bogus some of them are.

There are some really good ones out there, but lately I’ve noticed that a lot of them say the same thing just in different ways. Like if you get one result it tell you: “You’re an independent person who’s loyal and people should watch out when you get angry!” And another result might say something like: “You stick by those you care about and are stable enough to stand on your own. You’re not easily angered, but your fury knows no bounds.” Pretty much the same thing, right?

Doing some of these surveys and quizzes is a way that some of us try to figure out who we are. If you read a result you like, it can be very encouraging. Even if you get something you doubt, it can still put that thought in your mind that maybe deep down you are courageous like a Gryffindor?

Whether you believe these cute, little Facebook games or not, there’s people out there who really do research into personality types and assign colors to them. We all know the 13 different personality types. The ones where you’re labeled as a bunch of letters in a row. Well, at my job, we’re doing a team building thing and this one involves answering 6 different questions that each have four answers. You’re supposed to order them as most like you to least like you. At the end, you get assigned a color. There are four colors: blue, red, green, and gold. Each color has different traits assigned to it. Like blue has harmonious and empathetic, red has adventurous and flexible, green has logical and philosophical, and gold has loyal and dependable. You get scored with so many points in each color. The most you can is 24, the least is 6.

I’m not going to share my results, but honestly, I felt a little called out in reading them over. This program that my coworkers and I went through includes tips on how your color set best deals with change, communication, stress, and other topics. I’ll be the first to admit I got a little defensive. To me, it read that the best way to treat my color set was to treat me like a child and nobody likes that.

I’m not sure how much of this color stuff I believe. I peeked on some of my coworkers’ results and though everyone got different values in their colors, it mainly focused on your primary color and all the tips were how you react and should be treated based on your primary color. Two of my coworkers had the same primary color, but every color after that was in a different order. Because their primary colors were the same, it listed the same things for both of them on how they deal with stress, communication, etc.

I know it supposed to be a quick reference and guide to understanding your coworkers, but it bugs me. There are only four colors and your primary color defines you in this case, so it isn’t designed specifically for you. That splits the billions of people on the planet into four categories. Oh, you’re green so you’re too logical. You don’t understand emotions. You’re red, so you’re too outgoing and loud. Being gold means you put responsibility first, so you don’t care about people. And blue? Well, you’re just too darn emotional.

It’s fun to see what results you get. Who of your team is similar to you and who is opposite, but I hope no one ever lives by these results–defines themselves by these results. Because, people–you–are so much more than a single color, personality type, Hogwarts house, tattoo, or whatever other quiz is out there. We live in a world full of labels and you shouldn’t be defined by just one. There are over 7 billion people on the planet, but there’s only one you.

Beat You Up

One word or slip up
Or forgot something to do
You don’t beat up
Because you did it too
Still learning the routine
All ins, outs, and true
Grace is the new mean
When learning something new
Yet, a mistake weighs the heart
A wrong word, something unsaid
A missed spot or observation
It leaves your day filled with dread
You should be better than this
You can’t make mistakes
And cause people to hiss
The mind is weighed by molehills
You panic and try to please
But your joyful soul it kills
And you’re left rotting in weeds
Something you thought was nothing
Was a major mistake
You find yourself trembling
In the wake it creates
Others move on
A new day. New grace
But you hold on
To the tears on your face
You wait for a lash out
Someone to strike the first blow
Walk on eggshells and grout
Speak carefully and slow
Yet, no one throws the punch
You believe you deserve
They move on without a hunch
The audacity. The nerve.
With no one else to do it
You dwell in your thoughts
On yourself, you spit
And fire your shots
Everyone is kind
Treating you like a pup
But the mistake blinds your mind
And you beat yourself up

A Day in the Life: Chimp Zookeeper

Temperature: High of 85. Low of 71. Chimps can be locked out on exhibit all day.

Two keepers are required to work the building and check locks for shifting. Today’s keepers: Vicky and Nikki

Morning team meeting provided the following updates for chimp building: chimpanzee Bao is still on antibiotics to help heal a wound he received from another chimp a few days ago. The wound is healing nicely. So far no infection has set in.

Keepers are always in protective contact with chimps. Meaning there is always something between us and them. Both keepers do a face check of every chimp to ensure all are still in the holding area. When all are identified, locks are checked to ensure its safe to go out on exhibit. There must be two secure doors at every access route between chimps and keepers when keepers enter an animal area. Exhibit is cleaned from the day before. All leftover food and feces are picked up. The public glass is cleaned with vinegar solution and morning greens and forages are spread out. Chimps have a natural behavior of foraging for food, so keepers are encouraged to get creative with greens and forage placement to encourage foraging behavior. Greens are their favorite lettuce spread throughout the exhibit while forages vary from the day to day. It can be dry cereal, peanuts, fruits or vegetables, ice treats, or biscuits. Once the exhibit is set up, one keeper must walk the perimeter of the exhibit to ensure that no branches have fallen that the chimps can use to climb the wall. They need to make sure no branches overhang the wall that the chimps can use to bridge across it. Keepers must look for any parts of the wall that might be broken/compromised and that there are no handholds the chimps can use to climb out. Keepers must not leave anything on the exhibit. Everything they took with them out on the exhibit, must come off.

Medications and diets are prepped. Meds are given in peanut butter and jelly. If a chimp refuses a medication, keepers must get creative. If a chimp still refuses, the veterinary staff is notified. Some chimps are suspicious of every piece of food handed to them while others happily take their meds for the extra treat. Thankfully Bao, the chimp receiving antibiotics, has a sweet tooth and likes taking his meds. The chimps have body checks every week. Keepers will do the assigned body checks before chimps eat. Each chimp is trained to know every body part from the top of their head to the base of their foot. Body checks are to ensure nothing is wrong with a chimp. To document any injuries from the smallest scratch to anything severe. Body conditions are assessed and scored. Every chimp is marked thin, fair, good, or overweight. Body checks also include ultrasound training. Chimpanzees are susceptible to heart disease so ultrasound training is started when they’re young to desensitize them to it and encourage them to participate when they’re older.

Diets are brought out after everyone is accounted for and trained. All chimps are stationed at different places. Each bucket is marked with a shape and color and each chimp knows which bucket is theirs. Chimps are handfed their diets by keepers to ensure everyone eats and we can monitor how much they eat. Chimps are fed half their diet in the morning and the other half when they come off exhibit for the night. Keepers must mind their fingers when feeding the chimps and never stick them through the mesh when feeding. Some chimps take their food in hand while others prefer taking it in mouth. If you stick your fingers through the mesh, you risk getting grabbed or getting a finger chopped off. Chimps can stick their fingers and lips through the mesh, so be mindful.

Once chimps are fed, all keepers are accounted for to make sure no one is still on the exhibit and perimeter locks to the exhibit are checked by two keepers. Keepers must verbally confirm with each other that they’re good to let chimps out before shifting chimps onto exhibit. If chimps are passing through multiple shift doors to get onto the exhibit, they must have a straight shot. Meaning all outside doors must be opened before the first door chimps have access too. Keepers count the chimps as they go out to be sure everyone has left the holding area. They are locked into exhibit if temperatures are sufficient and two keepers visually check all stalls the chimps had access to in case any chimps are left in the building. Once stalls are checked, keepers must check the perimeter locks to the stalls they enter for cleaning. There must be two secure doors between keepers in holding stalls and the Chimps at all times. If this is unable to be done, a bar and chain are placed in the shift door to further secure it.

With stalls open, cleaning begins. All stalls are swept out, hosed, scrubbed with soap and bleach, and rinsed. Each day has a different area that gets disinfected as additional cleaning. The perching in the stall gets taken down and replaced and toys are removed for bleaching. Perching can be strung up fire hoses, cargo nets, large tires, or plastic toys. Toys can be anything plastic from children’s beach toys to outdoor playhouses. Today’s disinfecting was stall 6 plus the chimp restraint. When cleaning is finished, compost is run.

Lunch time.

The chimp chat is after lunch. Two keepers head to the public area with throwable treats for the chimps. One keeper talks facts to the public about chimps for ten minutes while the other keeper throws treats to keep chimps engaged. Treats must last the full ten minutes. Thrower must be careful to not cause fights between the chimps and not reward begging behavior. Different treats have varying value among the chimps. No one will fight over biscuit balls, but bananas are high value. If a chimp doesn’t receive any treats due to others taking it, it’s okay. These treats aren’t essential toward the chimps’ daily diet.

After chat, kitchen stuff is done. Someone runs to commissary to get diets for the next day and forages for the next day are made up by keepers. Any meds for the PM are prepped. The keeper area is cleaned according to guidelines and enrichment is prepped. Extra tasks are also done for the day be it walking the zoo fence line, yardwork, or work projects.

Enrichment for the chimps varies from the day to day. It can fall under several categories: social enrichment, manipulative enrichment, sensory enrichment, or food enrichment.

Social enrichment is interaction with the chimps. Whether it’s training, playing in the hall, keepers singing or dancing for the chimps to watch or playing games in the chimp hallway for the chimps to watch. Social enrichment can also involve bringing other animals such as tortoises to the chimp hallway for the chimps to see.

Manipulative enrichment is something the chimps can interact with. They can be puzzle feeders, or fishing boxes. Chimps have a natural fishing behavior where they use sticks to collect termites out in the wild. Keepers encourage this behavior by give the chimps thin sticks to use to fish for treats outside the mesh.

Sensory enrichment is something to stimulate the chimps five senses. It can be perfume in the hallway, feathers to touch, TV outside the mess for them to watch, music from a radio, or spices put on their daily food.

Food enrichment is different food added to their forage. Keepers are encouraged to get creative with food enrichment whether its freezing bananas in ice treats, hard boiled eggs with spices, or anything approved as food enrichment.

With diets made and enrichment prepped, the chimp stalls are prepped for the night. Chimps get straw to use in making their nests. Somedays, they receive an enrichment bedding item such as boxes, grain bags, blankets, or burlap. Chimps also receive a variety of greens, and their PM forage. The chimps receive 10 stalls overnight. There must be no dead ends when giving stalls so if there is a fight overnight, no chimp can get cornered. Keepers also make sure to use the next day’s disinfecting stall limit cleaning. The chimp’s straw, forage, and greens should not go into the stall next to the exhibit access so the chimps don’t come in, take what they want, and leave again. Forage and greens are placed in stalls the chimps won’t have access too until after feeding.

With stalls set up, the chimps can be called inside when the zoo closes to the public. Two keepers must bring the chimps inside. Locks are checked to secure the area. Once both keepers verbally confirm they’re good to shift, the chimps are called off exhibit by pounding the doorknocker on the exhibit door. How fast the chimps come off exhibit varies from the day to day. Keepers utilize the stalls to shift chimps in without allowing them to back off to go back off on the exhibit. Once all chimps are in and accounted for by two keepers, PM feeding begins. If the chimps come off early enough, exhibit can be cleaned for the next day. Once feeding is finished, the chimps are given access to all their stalls for the night and all diets are recorded. We keep track of how much fruit, vegetables, and biscuits each chimps eat. Other records are inputted throughout the day whether its a wound noted on one of the chimps, who took their medicine, interactions between chimps, or what work orders were submitted that day.

Keepers finish the day by securing the area. Every lock in the building is doubled checked. When keepers are confident the area is secure for the night, they wait for the rest of the team and all keepers leave the area together. If someone else falls behind at a different routine, the team works together to get them caught up.

The True Ending: Nuray Solana

It all came to down to this. All the bandits and necromancers, politics and pirates, leviathans and abominations. It led us here. My feathers are quaking. My heart is racing. A field of burning sand stretches out before us and at the end of it is the elemental. The primordial being of fire itself stands at least thirty feet tall. Devil horns protrude from it’s magma head. Fire burns in its eyes and its gaze is locked on us. I look at my companions. Norman, an old hedge with dreams of adventure. He’s a miner at heart, but a few months ago he discovered he’s a warlock too. He draws his sword and readies his pickaxe. Sure determination burns in his eyes. Then there’s Mini, the gerbil. A bandit and a rogue with more athletic ability than I’ve ever known. The legendary and ancient ice spear: the Borealis, choose Mini to be it’s wielder and he’s never cast magic in his life. Now, Mini held the spear above his head. He shook it and a battle cry escaped his lips.

I don’t understand how they’re so calm. I’m trembling like a leaf. We could die! If we fail, the entire country burns. I mutter a prayer to the wind god, Atlus. May the wind be at our backs this fight and should I fall, may my spirit soar the wind for eternity.

The ground quakes and terror skips my heart. I fly into the air as the elemental lets out an ungodly roar. It was waiting for us. That much we knew. We came to face it before, but had to flee. We all had to get fire blessed to enter the monster’s domain without it constantly aware of us. I hated the idea. To be fire blessed, I had to lose the wind blessing I was born with. My wind blessing was my identity, but saving the kingdom is more important than one’s own identity. And, now that we have the Borealus, we stand a chance to defeat this elemental. This fight will surely be worthy of songs.

An ash snake, standing twenty feet tall and three swarms of fire bats are summoned by the elemental’s roar. I try to swallow down my nerves and I look to my companions. Norman stomps his foot and suddenly disappears. It takes me a moment to realize he somehow made it over to the ash snake. With three, powerful strikes, Norman carves chunks off the towering creature.

Norman’s action was the trigger. The sky turned red as the fire elemental summoned it’s power. The ash snake bit at Norman, but he dodged it. I lost sight of him when a swarm of fire bats engulfed him. The other two swarms came after Mini and I. Mini bounded away while flew upward. The swarm gave chase. My heart pounds harder. Fire bats aren’t much, but three swarms, an ash snake, and the fire elemental? I’m scared. I raise my wing and two stars appeared at my sides. I could cast them out at the swarms, but if they stay near me, they’ll protect me if anything attacks me. I’ll keep them with me. My aim isn’t very good anyway.

“Ha!” Norman’s victorious shout cuts through the air. I look over just in time to see him dice up the bat swarm and take three more shots at the ash snake. All three of his strikes rip more chunks out of the snake. It lets out a scathing hiss and pain writhes from its face. The ash snake falls over and it body thuds loudly against the ground. The glow of fire in its eyes fades and suddenly its entire body fall apart like windblown ash. I can’t believe it. Norman killed it in six hits!

The elemental let out another cry and suddenly fire was shooting across the sky. It shot straight for Mini like a falling comet. Mini bounded away once again. He was able to avoid the initial hit, but the aftermath explosion of fire look liked it singed his tail. I find it hard to believe that he walked away from it so easily, but I guess the cold aura on the Borealis froze the flames. Mini points the Borealis at one of the fire bat swarms. His hands are shaking–he never really cared for magic–so the frost spell he cast missed.

Norman suddenly disappears again. He escapes the swarm of fire bats that rages around him and dashes straight for the elemental. I think he’s making a death wish. The elemental sees him coming and raises its hand to smash him into the ground, but Norman disappears again! In a billowing cloud of black mist, Norman reappears by the elemental’s head. He lands four direct strikes, but in doing so, ticks the elemental off. I cry out in alarm when the elemental grabs Norman in hand and slams him down on the ground.

“I’m coming, buddy!” There’s alarm in Mini’s voice when he cries out. He abandons the swarms of fire bats and charges closer to the elemental. He pulls a decanter from his belt pouch and aims the top right at the fiery monster. A geyser of water explodes from the magical item and completely douses the elemental. Heavy steam humidifies the air. The elemental groans in pain and its glowing, magma skin dampens and hardens to rock.

My eyes are as wide as orbs as I watch. I wish I knew how to help, but none of my spells would do much damage to the elemental and my weapons wouldn’t penetrate. All I have are my instruments and my songs to inspire my companions, and these two stars protecting me. I take a risk and cast one of my stars at a fire bat swarm. Surprise encourages my heart when I actually hit it. The bats explode in a blinding, radiant light and not one survived.

A roar of unfathomable rage splits through the air. The fire elemental snatches a large boulder from the ground and lobs it straight at Mini. While it soars through the air, the rock catches fire. Terror skips my heart. When we arrived in these infernal plains last time, we were chased away by those burning rocks. Mini and I almost died in their fiery explosions. Yet, Mini wasn’t running away this time. He takes the Borealis in one hand and points it right at the meteor falling toward it. I yelp when the boulder makes impact. Yet, the fiery explosion I remember was doused by a chilling shade of blue. The boulder fell apart with frozen chunks of ice stuck to it. Mini was unmoved. He remained poised with spear in hand and a smirk slips on his face. “That all you got, ya overgrown barbeque?!”

The elemental growls so deeply, it echoes the sky. It shifts its burning gaze down at Norman. The old hedge is still on the ground. An easy target! The elemental raises both fists and brings them slamming down at Norman. To my disbelief, the old hedge manages to roll out of the way! He plants one foot on the ground and suddenly his magic of black mist teleports him back on the elemental’s head. Norman drives his pickaxe into the monster’s rocky skin to secure himself a good hold. The elemental tries to throw him off, but the old hedge continues to be as stubborn as I have known him to be.

I’m trying to keep Norman healed. He’s taken a lot of damage. I see how he’s getting ragged. Even standing on the elemental is hurting him. Yet, my healing spells are only doing so much. I try digging in my bag for the scroll of mass cure wounds I obtained. It has to be here somewhere! Suddenly, stinging and burning pain pierces my arm and I yelp when the last swarm of fire bats engulfs the air around me. Another one tries biting at my feathers, but my final star gets to it first. It explodes in radiant light and the fire bats all dissolve into embers. I’m glad I kept one star with me, but where was that stupid scroll?!

“Hold for hole!” Horror chills my bones when I hear Norman’s shout. He looking at Mini and a solemn look swaps between the two of them. Mini nods curtly and readies the Borealis. He waits.

Norman uses his pickaxe to rip a chunk of rock from the elemental’s head. He then jumps down into the elemental’s flesh. “No!” I cry out. The fool! Doesn’t he know its hotter than a million suns inside that thing?! He’ll get himself killed!

The elemental roars with ungodly wrath. It raises its hands to pick Norman out of its head, but the fiery sky suddenly darkens. A chill courses my spine as large, black feathers drift from the sky and around the elemental. I recognize those feathers. They’re Titan’s feathers. Titan is the owl god the night. Norman’s god.

Like striking snakes, large black chains suddenly erupt from the ground. They latch around the elemental’s wrists just as it grabs Norman from its head. Another chain explodes from the ground and seizes the elemental by the neck. It’s pulled to its knees and Norman is lost from its grip. The old hedge falls straight to the ground, thirty feet below. I finally find my scroll and I cast a mass healing spell on Norman and Mini. Norman doesn’t get up.

A bright blue light flashes from the tip of Mini’s Borealis. For a moment, the world deafens. Then, a large glacial blast bursts from the Borealis. It engulfs the elemental. Ice furthers binds the monster as its frozen solid.

I can’t take my eyes from Norman’s unmoving form. I know I cast the spell correctly and there’s only one reason why it didn’t work. My breath shudders and tears fill my eyes. That stupid, old hedge. Always rushing us. Always thinking he was smarter than us. Always calling us ‘idiots.’ Well, who’s the idiot who went and got himself killed now?! It wasn’t fair! He was just an old man who wanted an adventure. He was my friend!

My anguish could not be controlled. I scream and the wind picks up around me. My god, Atlus, owl god of the wind, appears behind me and with a mighty flap of his wings, he directs the wind at the elemental. Our power slices through the elemental like a hot knife through butter. It falls apart and crumbles to the ground in chunks of frozen ash.

Atlus lowers me to the ground and I fall on my knees. He lays a wing upon my shoulders and in his mighty, green light my wind blessing returns. I want to feel grateful, but all I feel was grief. Norman lays motionless a few paces ahead.

Mini comes to my side when Atlus returns to the heavens. He doesn’t say anything. I don’t say anything. Neither of us know what to say. We did it. We beat the elemental. We saved the kingdom, but at the cost of our friend.

More black feathers gently drift from the sky and my beak parts in surprise as Titan, herself, flies down to Norman’s body. She brushes one wing against him and hope soars in my chest when Norman stirs. Mini and I move to step closer, but Titan shakes her head. That single motion returns my grief. She wasn’t here to heal Norman, but to take him to her realm beyond life.

Norman grunts as he rises to his feet. He lightly brushes himself off and looks more pleased than I’ve ever seen him to be. “Well, idiots.” He actually smiles at Mini and I. “‘Twas a fine adventure. Keep on defending the wood.”

Tears roll down my face. I’m too choked up to say anything back to him. Mini gives Norman a single nod and we watch as Titan gently takes Norman in her talons and flies off. They fade in the light of the rising sun.

Mini and I still don’t know what to say to each other, but we spot Norman’s pickaxe in the ruins of the elemental. We grab it and stand it upright in front of the elemental’s corpse as a memorial to Norman. Since the old hedge wasn’t the only one to kill the monster, Mini and I leave traces of ourselves as well. Mini carves his sigil of a rapier through cheese in a rock and places it next to the pickaxe. I carve the symbol of the wind and do the same. We take one last long look over our accomplishment. Then, its our duty to tell the kingdom its safe.

I can’t help but think about how right Norman was. It was a fine adventure.