The other squirrel leads you up the tree and from branch to branch across the zoo towards one of the administration buildings. Along the way, you learn her name is Cleo.
"I was one of the early victims," she explains, to pass the short time to the building. "I came out here looking for work. I had been wandering from city to city ever since Hurricane Katrina destroyed my home. I came here about a month or so before this zoo opened answering an online job ad I saw while searching ads through a computer at the library." She pauses on a branch just over the roof of a building, waiting for you. She looks back at you sitting up on her hind paws and spreads her forepaws in a very human-like gesture. "This isn't exactly what I was looking for." She shrugs and flicks her tail at the same time and then drops down onto the roof and leads you to cat flap door installed near the peak of the roof.
You find yourself in what looks somewhat like an office shrunk down to squirrel-size proportions. There's a small PDA with tiny keyboard in one corner and a short string of white LED lights overhead. Cleo bounds over to the PDA and starts claw-tapping away on the keyboard. Her tail flicks back and forth as she waits and then claw-taps some more.
You look her over as there's not much else to do. She's a common gray squirrel in appearance. You're squirrel instincts tell you she's old enough to be your mother and you realize the way she has treated you so far has been like an adult to a child. Then again, in some ways that's basically what you are in this new body, a child who needs to learn the ropes.
Cleo's tail sags a little as she turns back to you.
"The administrator wants to personally see you first thing in the morning. This is highly unusual. Well, no point worrying about that tonight."
You look at her in puzzlement. She shrugs and flicks her tail again.
"I have no idea why, but it's late and he would prefer to wait until morning to explain things to you. Come, I'll show you where you can get some sleep, where to relieve bodily functions and get some food."
At the mention of food, your stomach rumbles audibly. Cleo gigglechitters. "I guess food comes first."
She leads you through another cat flap into a short corridor. More white LED Christmas lights are strung along the ceiling for light. There are flaps to the left and right at regular intervals. She ducks into one and you find a small break or dining room of sorts. On the far wall are a bunch of institutional-style self-serve cereal dispensers. One has Cheerios-like ring cereal in it, another sunflower seeds, yet another some sort of pellets, and so on.
"Be sure to eat a little of each to get a balanced meal," she explains to you. "The pellets are boring, but contain important vitamins/minerals your new body needs, especially right now after your change." She points to a trough next to this. "You can lap all the fresh water you want. It's on a sensor and will bubble-up water as long as you have your head in it."
You look at the stack of tree twigs next to the dispensers. "What are those for?" You ask pointing with a forepaw. To your surprise, your tail also points towards them.
Cleo gigglechitters again. "Dental hygiene. I and the others will teach you."
"Where are these others you keep mentioning?" your tail flicks up in a question mark on it's own, which baffles you a moment.
Cleo tskchitters. "Patients, my child. Most of us here are diurnal. It's well past our bedtime. They're asleep. Those that are nocturnal are out in the zoo." She yawns covering her muzzle with her tail tip. "It's rather late. Would you forgive me for not giving you a personal tour of the rest of the area? The bathroom is directly across the way. It's unisex and we don't have any of those human taboos here, so don't be shocked if you find yourself sharing it with someone else. Don't let the floor trough intimidate you. You'll find it comes natural to crouch over that. A sensor will automatically flush after you step away from it. From this room, if you turn to your right and go down two flaps on the right, you'll come across a sleeping chamber you can use for tonight. In the morning, don't hesitate to have some breakfast before coming back to my office." She yawns again. "Goodnight."
She ducks out the flap leaving you alone before you can ask another question.
Your stomach rumbles at you again, and your squirrel-side says FOOD! EAT! Your nose twitches at the scent of sunflower seeds, cereal and is that cashews over there?