Page 49 of Riv's Sanctuary

There were piles of gadgets all over the place, even on the floor, and a thin layer of dust coated them all.

Stepping over to some, her gaze moved over the items with mild interest. She had no idea what they were but they looked old and out of use.

She continued moving slowly around the room, looking at this and that, the only sound being her bare feet tapping the hard floor as she walked.

When she reached another corridor on the other side of the room, Lauren paused again. There was a window and a door there and she had to go on tiptoes to look out.

When her glance out the window showed no big blue guy, her shoulders set as she moved toward the door.

* * *

The door opened with a hiss as she stepped outside and it closed quietly behind her. Outside was warm, surprisingly warmer than she’d thought it would be, and she looked up at wonder at the pink sky as she walked down the little path.

A sound to her left had her freezing for a second before she saw what had made the noise.

It was a tall animal with a neck so long it reminded her of a giraffe—except it was purple with a lighter pattern of purple circles across its skin. Its head was shaped like a brontosaurus' and its large round eyes blinked at her.

For a moment, she wasn't sure what to do. Should she run? Would it try to bite her?

But when the animal dipped its head and licked her right from her waist to her head, she found herself sputtering out a laugh.

"Eww! Thanks, big guy." She wiped the saliva from her face. "Guess that's you saying hello?"

The large animal looked down at her from its elevated neck.

"Guess you don't speak much." She eyed the beast. "A bit like your owner then?"

The animal dipped its head once more and Lauren stiffened. One lick was enough. But it didn't lick her again. Instead, it rubbed its head against her side.

Tentatively, Lauren reached a hand out and petted the animal.

Its skin was like leather and it let out a soft humming sound at her touch.

She stood entranced by it as she petted it for a few minutes, amazed by how soft and calm such a huge creature was.

It closed its large dark round eyes as she rubbed its head.

"I'm looking for your owner. Any idea where he is?" she asked.

As if it could understand her, the animal lifted its head and looked toward another set of buildings down the path. The large, brown double doors of the building were open and she could hear animal sounds inside.

Patting the animal's head, Lauren smiled. "Thanks, big guy."

As she walked toward the building, the warm ground underneath the soles of her feet, she continued looking around.

Now that she was outside, she could see the layout was much different than she'd expected it to be.

It was more like a petting zoo than a farm. She had to pass several enclosures with animals she'd never seen before in her life, some she couldn't have even imagined, and there was a common theme with all of them.

The enclosures were made in such a way, it was easy to interact with the animals if she wanted to.

And that meant the animals could also escape if they wanted to.

Except, they weren't escaping.

In each enclosure, the animals all seemed happy. Content.

There was a lot of noise coming from the large brown building, and as she neared it, the noise level only increased. It sounded like...whistling? It was the only way she could describe it in her head—a bit like a cacophony of whistles and wheaks together.