Kingsley the Monkey: [Hey, what occasion are you guys celebrating? Toss a banana over here!]

I read the message and looked up at the monkey hill. Kingsley the Monkey and a big gang of monkeys were scratching their ears and chattering, all of them staring at the elephant enclosure. Many monkeys stretched out their hands, hoping an elephant would fling a banana their way, but the elephants ignored them and kept eating.

I grabbed a banana and hurled it toward the hill. Kingsley the Monkey leaped up and snatched it midair, already chewing before his feet hit the ground. He looked like he hadn’t eaten in days.

The monkey troop howled and squealed, begging me for more bananas. My hands were only so fast, so I tossed as many as I could. The whole hill rattled with noise like a little festival, and with the commotion from the elephant enclosure, that corner of the zoo suddenly felt alive.

Animals from nearby enclosures crowded to watch, and they filled the air with a nonstop chorus of chirps, squawks, and bleats. Luckily, the zoo was quiet today, with almost no visitors. Otherwise, anyone passing by would have been terrified.

The truth was, Sunnyside Zoo had been quiet for years, and the main reason was the stench. It smelled really bad. The whole place reeked of animal waste, and on top of that, many of the animals looked listless or openly hostile. No wonder people stopped coming.

In fact, only the holiday season drew a trickle of visitors. However, if the animals rioted on Christmas, that would be a disaster. Visitors would be at huge risk, and the animals would likely be shot.

I checked the calendar at that moment, realizing it was seven days until Christmas.

While I worried, conversation filled the group chat.

Ellie the Elephant: [That was delicious! I finally had a proper meal. She’s a good human!]

Kingsley the Monkey: [I agree. The way she tossed that banana is burned into my memory. My butt’s tingling!]

Wendy the Capybara: [Hey, guys. Last week, I found a rotten orange that was tasty, but it just crossed my mind to share the joy today.]

Thor the Tiger: [Interesting. That human really knows how to win beasts over. When I go out, I’ll be the first to kill her!]

Wait. Tiger, are you serious? That wasn’t right.

Then, a different voice spoke up in the chat, a voice I didn’t expect.

Benny the Elephant: [Thor the Tiger, that human is truly kind. Don’t hurt her.]

Thor the Tiger: [Kid, you’ll learn when you’re my age that human kindness often hides a loaded gun.]

Wendy the Capybara: [All these messages are making me sleepy. I’m going to take a nap.]

Kingsley the Monkey: [I think we should keep observing. Thor the Tiger, don’t be impulsive.]

Thor the Tiger: [Hmph.]

It was like a tiger’s roar echoed through the group, and the chat went quiet.

I shook my head and kept working. Normally, we could take a lunch break, but there was too much to do in the elephant enclosure. The urgent task was to restore running water. Without it, bacteria would breed, and the elephants would fall ill.

I spent two hours tracking down the person in charge and slipped him two hundred dollars. Finally, he opened the water valve for the elephant enclosure. From the fake-rock cave, a clear stream began to rush, water from the tap gushed down the rocks into the creek, and the flow swept toward the pool. In a few hours, the dirty water would drain away, and the elephants’ lives would be a little better.

The enclosure erupted. Excited calves raised their trunks and trumpeted, while bold elephants jumped into the stream without hesitation, splashing even though the water was cold.

On the monkey hill, Kingsley the Monkey craned his neck and shouted, “Oh-ho! Oh-ho!”

I didn’t understand what it was saying, so I opened the group chat again to check.

Kingsley the Monkey: [Oh-ho! Oh-ho…]

The Egrets’ Shared Account: [What’s that silly monkey going on about? He almost made us fall when we passed by!]

Kingsley the Monkey: [I’m sorry. I got too excited. I’m saying the human gave the elephant enclosure water!]

George the Gorilla: [I heard it too. It sounds so familiar. That human really is… a good human.]

Animals kept popping into the chat, arguing and commenting. I even saw a panda send a GIF with its paws together, like it was thanking someone. For some reason, my chest felt warm, and a small smile tugged at my lips.

Then, the tiger showed up again.

Thor the Tiger: [How naive! Food and water are ours by right. Those humans dangle a little treat and expect us to forget everything? If she dares show herself, I’ll rip her apart!]

The chat went quiet for a long moment.

After a while, Kingsley the Monkey asked, [What if she gives you your favorite—a big drumstick?]

Thor the Tiger: [Hmph! I wouldn’t eat it. I’d rather starve, bash my head on the cage, and die than take a bite of her food!]

With that, I set off for the supermarket again. This time, I focused on meat, packing top-quality cuts of chicken, duck, goose, pork, beef, and lamb into bag after bag. Lucky for me, I had a little money saved. Otherwise, this kind of spending would’ve been brutal.

By the time I got back to the zoo, it was already afternoon. The animals had had their lunches, but nearly none of them were full, especially the big carnivores like the tiger.

I carried two huge bags of meat over to the tiger enclosure, which was basically a massive iron cage with a grimy metal shed. Because the shed was so cold, the tiger usually lounged in the outer pen to soak up whatever sun there was.

As expected, the tiger lay in the outer pen, head down, chewing at a pile of scabby offal that flies swarmed around. It kept gagging between bites. Its thin chest rose and fell, rib outlines visible beneath the fur. It was so skinny. Even though it was tall, there was almost no fat or muscle, making it look fragile.

This was “Thor the Tiger”? He’d be the one to get taken down by a single hit.

The group chat pinged again.

Africana the Lion: [Thor the Tiger, why are you gagging? I was sleeping next door. Can you keep it down?]

Leo the Leopard: [I heard it too. Thor, don’t eat it. You might as well eat excrement at this point.]

Callum the Coyote: [You don’t get it. Thor needs to force the cage open. If he doesn’t eat, he won’t have the strength.]

A chorus of sighs filled the chat.

Thor the Tiger ignored them and kept eating with his head down. However, after a while, the smell must have gotten to him because he rose to drink.

The moment he stood, he noticed me. I was carrying the two bags of meat and staring at him when our eyes met. He narrowed his lids, nostrils flaring. Then, he fixed his gaze on the bags in my hands.

I pulled out a steak and tossed it inside the enclosure. They were fresh and still streaked with blood. The bone and flesh were fused together like it had just been carved off an animal.

Thor the Tiger froze. He let out a low growl and stalked around the steak twice. After that, his mouth was full of saliva. His thin body trembled, and his eyes reddened.

A hungry beast was finally going to have a proper piece of meat. However, he didn’t lunge. He held himself back.

Thor the Tiger: [Something’s off. A female human just gave me a huge slab of meat. It’s definitely poisoned!]

His message dropped in the chat, and the whole group went wild. Some doubted it, while others thought the zoo was finally showing some mercy.

Predators from nearby enclosures all turned their attention toward his cage. The lion from the next habitat even jumped onto the partition wall, craning his neck to peek over.

Africana the Lion: [A whole slab of meat? Save me some!]

Leopards, hyenas, and other carnivores began growling with excitement, eager for a bite. However, Thor the Tiger didn’t respond. His paws were already pressing down on that juicy steak, his self-control wearing thin.

Just then, a congregation of white egrets flew overhead. Within seconds, new intel appeared in the chat.

The Egrets’ Shared Account: [It’s that human from the elephant enclosure! She brought Thor the Tiger meat!]

When the news got out, Thor the Tiger froze. He lifted his head and, with a hateful look at me, slapped the steak away.

Africana the Lion: [Geez, don’t waste it! You threw it right into the stale water!]

The lion’s furious roar echoed across the fence as he tumbled down in frustration.

Thor the Tiger simply ignored him. His fangs glinted as he growled low, each step heavy as he stalked toward me. He was thin, but his limbs were long, his back straight, and his presence menacing.

Still, I didn’t panic. Instead, I reached into the bag I’d brought and pulled out his favorite bag of chicken drumsticks. When I tossed one inside, Thor the Tiger paused. His throat rumbled as drool began to spill from his jaws.

Above us, the egrets fluttered anxiously, feeding updates to the group chat.

The Egrets’ Shared Account: [Oh my, she really loves the Thor the Tiger! She brought him chicken drumsticks! But Thor the Tiger’s resisting! He looks furious! He might eat her instead!]

The chat erupted. Even the elephants chimed in, clearly nervous.

Ellie the Elephant: [Thor the Tiger, don’t eat her! She’s a good human!]

Benny the Elephant: [Yeah! She gave us tons of sweet fruit! We call her Miss Fruit now!]

Kingsley the Monkey: [Thor the Tiger, do me a favor and hold off. Don’t hurt Miss Fruit yet.]

Thor the Tiger: [Quiet!]

His roar was deafening, shaking the entire zoo. Every animal fell silent instantly. Even the egrets dove into the trees, hiding behind the leaves.

I didn’t waste another second. I dumped the whole bag of chicken drumsticks into his cage and flashed him my most confident smile.

“Hey there,” I said brightly. “You’re the most beautiful tiger I’ve ever seen. Your eyes look like stars in the night sky. These chicken drumsticks are my gift to you. I’ve got a mountain up north. Come with me, and you’ll be king there.”

I laid it on thick—full-on flattery mode—but Thor the Tiger blinked, clearly confused. That was when it struck me that he, an animal, couldn’t understand human language.

Luckily, Pedro the Parrot came to my rescue. It perched right on top of the tiger’s cage, wings puffed up as it typed rapidly into the group chat.

Pedro the Parrot: [Thor the Tiger, she said you’re the most beautiful tiger she’s ever seen. Your eyes look like stars in the night sky.]

The translation touched the animals.

Daisy the Duck: [That’s so romantic! I want to divorce my husband and marry Miss Fruit instead!]

Javier the Crane: [Suddenly, being widowed doesn’t seem that bad. I feel like I believe in love again.]

Kingsley the Monkey: [Why does my butt feel hot again? And red?]

Thor the Tiger said nothing. He only stared at me coldly.