Andrew Zehts had become the new owner of Zonetond Zoo about 3 weeks ago. So he was going through the paperwork & came up on the paperwork about the zoo animals. He was going through it & came up on the zoo's the male red kangaroo Phoenix. He'd been part of the zoo for 25 years. He saw the name of the kangaroo had zoo they had got him from. It was a zoo called Sony.bAnd the date he was transferred happened. "The hell?! That kangaroo can't be from that zoo." Andrew said aloud. Andrew remembered that the Sony Zoo closed when he was 11 years old. By the transfer date the kangaroo came from there 25 years ago. Almost 40 years after it closed! What the hell? Andrew thought for a few hours & could only come up with one answer. Rufus (the son of the original zoo owner) had lied on the paperwork. Phoenix the red kangaroo is an Animal Costume User. But why had Rufus lied. Andrew needed answers. Andrew decided to confront the kangaroo Phoenix about it. Andrew went to the kangaroo enclosure & opened the door pulling Phoenix out of there. The kangaroo was confused when he was lead to an open area & the human demanded him to explain himself. "Now! Who are you!" Andrew demanded angry. The kangaroo was further confused. Andrew getting furious now yelled "Tell me who are or I will have you arrested for trespassing or something!" Phoenix yelled scared "I'm Phoenix the red male feral kangaroo! I am not trespassing! The zoo owns me! Has all this time!" Andrew was surprised that he just spoke in clear English. You shouldn't be able to do that in a feral costume. Then he remembered the transfer date & it clicked. "You are wearing one of those old model feral Animal Costumes. The ones that allow human or animal speech switching?" Andrew questioned. Phoenix confused asked "What you talking about?" Andrew explained that in the current models that isn't a mode; you can't speak in human in the feral models. So he had to have an old one. Phoenix said "I didn't know about that." Andrew questioned then "Had you been one of the zoo kangaroos all this time? Never ever leaving?" Phoenix answered nodding "Yes." Andrew took Phoenix to the main office because he wanted to look more into this. He got Phoenix to tell him his phone number. Andrew wasn't sure after he called it if one of his parents would answer it; it was a 25 years old phone number (maybe more). He dialed it & put the phone on speaker. A woman answered with a confused sounding "Can I help you?" Andrew questioned her about Phoenix; saying he was with him. She replied "That kangaroo? Hadn't even thought about that roo in years. Yeah he was my brother." (This was Alice BTW) Andrew confused asked "Why you say 'Was your brother?' I'm puzzled by that." Alice explained "He decided to be a feral kangaroo 24 / 7 the rest of his life. And be a zoo kangaroo." Andrew looked back at Phoenix & said "I see." Alice asked "Is there a reason you called me about that roo?" Andrew explained. Alice replied "So Rufus screwed up his paperwork hun? What you want me to do about it?" Andrew asked / informed "You want to talk to him? I got you on speaker." Alice replied "Why would I want to speak to an animal?" Andrew answered "He's your brother." Alice replied "He decided 25 years ago he wanted nothing more than to be a feral kangaroo. I wrote him off as my brother after that. It took me years to understand why he'd want to be some stupid animal. But ultimately I came to understand. And I accepted it." Andrew said "I see." Alice then told Andrew "I spoke with you now never call me again about this." and she hung up. "Did you want to say anything to your sister Phoenix?" He asked Phoenix. Phoenix shook his head no. Andrew went on to call the previous zoo owner for answers; again putting the phone on speaker. An old sounding man answered with a "There a problem?" Andrew explained. The old man explained that the feral red kangaroo known as Phoenix was there willingly. That he wanted to be nothing but a feral kangaroo. Andrew asked Phoenix "That true?" Phoenix answered "Yes. Every word." The old man replied to Phoenix's voice "That you Phoenix?" Phoenix replied jokingly "In the fur. Only fur." The old man asked "You are treating that roo as a person?" Andrew replied "Yes." The old man ordered him "Stop. You are going against his wishes & the agreement." Confused Andrew asked "What?" Phoenix answered "I want you to treat me as any other kangaroo; not a human. That's why I came to live here. I want to live with other kangaroos as one of them. Let me get back to that." Andrew turned & saw how sad Phoenix looked; the kangaroo looked. "Just please honor his wishes." The old man said. Andrew decided "I will honor the agreement. Sorry I bothered you." Andrew hung up the phone & told Phoenix "Let's get you back to your enclosure." The 2 left the office & headed back to the kangaroo enclosure. He opened the door & Phoenix hopped in. Before Andrew closed the door he said "I'm sorry about what happened. I promise that I will treat you just as any other kangaroo here. I also wouldn't tell anyone you are an Animal Costume User." Phoenix said happy "Thank you." Andrew then told him "Sense we own you you are never allowed to leave on your own ." Phoenix nodded with a "I never ever intended to." Andrew then added "You are never ever allowed to speak in human to anyone. No one. Not even me or zoo staff. Or ever try to use anything to do it. That includes writing." Phoenix answered "Feral kangaroos can't. And I again will continue to do none of that." Andrew replied to that "You better kangaroo. I will treat you as any other kangaroo in this zoo from now on. You better just be just be a kangaroo." Phoenix nodded. And with that Andrew closed the door & walked away. A month passed & Phoenix was true to his word. He was just a feral kangaroo; no different than the other kangaroos. Andrew did have to wonder if any of the other animals at the zoo were also Animal Costume Users though.
And Andrew came across 6 animals paperwork that came off like the kangaroo Phoenix's did. He checked on each one & he determined they were just like Phoenix. They were feral Animal Costume Users. that just wanted to be feral animals just Phoenix. Nothing more nothing less. Andrew Zehts respected their wish & treated them just like the rest of the animals. No different. An eastern gray squirrel had been watching Andrew for some time. The squirrel was pleased by how he was running the zoo. Andrew was running the zoo just like the old man did.
The End. At Least For Now.