Shanna walked into the apartment’s kitchen with Erik following happily and found the other three animals sound asleep where she had left them.
“Hey, put me on the table!” Erik called up, to which the witch responded by scooping the little pink bird up from her feet and placing him on the tabletop.
“Thank you, sweetie!” Erik smiled warmly, and proceeded to walk into the open box to wake the others.
The flamingo started with the three inch long grey wolf, prodding her with his beak playfully. The canine snorted and her head rose blearily. She took in her surroundings, nodded gently, and growled. “Ah, vat veirdness avaits us now, hmm?”
Erik chuckled and drew the wolf’s irritated eyes.
“Zomething ist funny, is it, Mein Mädchen Junge?”
Erik suppressed another laugh with his wing and shook his head. “No, ma’am. It’s just... you’re German.”
The wolf raised an eyebrow and seemed to smile slightly. “Ah, yes, how very observant of you, pink boy. You would appear to be ze gay.”
The flamingo outright burst out laughing and caused the wolf to join in with a reserved but playful grin.
“Guilty as charged!” Erik bowed with an exaggerated sweep of his wing.
The wolf sat back on her haunches and chuckled in delight. “Vell, I shink I liked you better ven you did not speak.” She paused and put her front paws around the flamingo to pull him into a great furry hug.
The flamingo in turn wrapped his wings around the canine and they exchanged a brief moment of tearful happiness.
The wolf eventually broke away and turned to see Reham raising her head and weakly trying to open her eyes. She looked back to Shanna and nodded. “Zis one, she is okay, Jan?”
“Very.” Erik leaned in, whispering. “You see we’re bigger, right?”
The wolf nodded and said nothing else, standing back as a seven inch tall camel stirred and rose, stretching her long legs and smacking her lips together.
Reham looked at the wolf and flamingo and smiled a huge warm camel smile, her buck teeth showing. “My friends, hello!”
“Hello, my behooved beauty!” Erik clicked his webbed feet excitedly. “I’m Erik, this is our nazi wolf friend...”
Reham’s eyes widened and she stared at the wolf. It took her a moment to process the joke as the wolf playfully pushed the flamingo away from her. “Oh!” Reham nodded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch a name.”
“Sylvia.” The wolf nodded gently. “I am Sylvia.”
“Reham.” The camel stepped forward, sighing heavily with a strange smirk. “And what a strange day I have had.”
“Oh, haven’t ve all?” Sylvia snorted sarcastically. “A pleasure to meet you, fraulein.”
“And you, my feathered friend.” Reham gently stepped forward, towering over the flamingo. “I am glad to see you well.”
For the second time, she embraced him, this time wrapping her strong neck around his back and nuzzling him.
Erik had a sudden flash of the changing camel reaching for him and comforting him despite her own agony. He began to tear up and waved his wings against his face. “Oh, stop, camel girl, you’re gonna make me lose it!”
Reham drew away and nodded to him gently and compassionately.
“Vat about our sleepy tall friend?” The wolf pointed to the giraffe.
Reham turned to Shanna and smiled at her, tail swaying. “Would you do the honour, sorceress?”
“Witch.” Shanna giggled. “And I would be happy to.”
Gently, the human nudged the giraffe. “Hey, little girl, rise and shine.”
The giraffe let out an annoyed moan and cuddled her neck into herself.
The others laughed as Shanna gently pressed the giraffe’s side. “Come on, sleepy head! Your new friends want to meet you!”
At this, the giraffe snorted suddenly and raised her long neck up. She winced, blinked several times, and looked back at herself. “Aw, hell naw!” She said, in the unmistakable sass of an African American. “Well, shit, gang, that wasn’t no dream, I’m still a giraffe!”
This resulted in an explosion of laughter as the other animals crowded the giraffe and piled on her for a huge warm hug. This left all of them smiling and breaking with emotion as they held close to each other.
The giraffe, helped by Shanna, left the box she was now four inches too tall to stand in.
“All right.” Shanna said with a relieved sigh. “Let’s go get more comfortable and just... talk.”