Sunset waved as Fluttershy left out of the front door, smiling. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this excited about...anything. She was nervous, yes, but ecstatic in all the ways she never thought possible.
She was now alone in her room.
Alone with her new pet leopard gecko!
It only took a moment for Sunset to race up the stairs that led to her loft, stumbling and hitting her side against the fairy lights that lined her railing.
“Sorry,” she muttered absentmindedly at the inanimate lighting, rubbing her hip to soothe the pain. Though, this didn’t stop her from getting to her destination. She crouched low to the ground, her eyes at the level of which her glass tank sat. At the moment, she couldn’t immediately see where Ray had gone, but she didn’t stress too much from it.
“Rayyyy,” she called out, her voice quiet as to not disturb him. She squinted her eyes to get a better look. “Where are you? Do you want to come out?”
Nothing answered. However, something flickered in the shadows beneath the fake skull, which made Sunset laugh.
“Was that your tongue?” she asked, grinning. Ray slither out from under his hiding spot, crawling up to the glass and pressing his face against it. His little feet trailed up in a climbing motion, but he did not move from his spot on the ground. Sunset eyes filled with sparkles. “Aw, why are you so adorable?”
Ray chirped, his tail rattling behind him. It reminded her of a rattlesnake, except ten times cuter than that. Sunset lightly tapped the glass with one finger, holding her head in her other hand. His scales seemed to glimmer under the light, which made Sunset love him even more. Everything about him was perfect.
His gaze turned away from her, and the leopard gecko paced around in a circle before deciding the lounge underneath the plant potter. Chirps and squeaks sounded from his throat, a ballad of noises that were music to Sunset’s ears.
“Are you hungry?” she asked suddenly, tilting her head. Why did I ask that? He’s not going to answer me, he’s a lizard!
Instead of waiting for an answer that would never come, Sunset pulled the box of feeder worms from out of the shopping bag. Giving them a shake, she pulled the plastic top off gently, peering inside for the first time.
Wriggling beetle larvae greeted her, to which Sunset grimaced. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but she was certainly grossed out by the outcome. Fluttershy had suggested crickets while they were still at the animal shelter, but Sunset couldn’t deal with the constant noise those provided. Mealworms were the next best option. They were cheap and easier to manage.
So I guess I’ll have to deal with their grubby legs as a trade-off.
Picking up long pair of tweezers, she carefully plucked a worm from the blue container. It’s spasmed in the metallic grasp, but Sunset pushed through the grossness as she opened the mesh screen of the tank.
With even more deliberation, she lowered the tweezer far into the glass terrarium until it was leveled with Ray’s eyesight.
“‘C’mon and eat me, lizard! I’m tasty and delicious!’” Sunset said in a small voice, externally laughing and internally cringing. Why did I make you talk? This makes me even queasier than before. What is wrong with me?
It got her little buddy’s attention, though. Gray-green eyes fixated onto the mealworm. The tweezers shook ever so slightly, making Ray more alert as he quietly stalked closer to the grub.
With a shrill squeak, Ray pounced towards the tiny tongs. He eagerly gobbling up the worm and even part of the metal.
“Hey! Don’t eat the tweezers!” Sunset laughed, wrestling it back from his mouth. Once it was out, Ray rattled his tail even more, pressing his tiny feet against the warm end of his tank in an effort to get more food.
Sunset was happy to oblige, picking up another small grub and wiggling it in front of the little leopard gecko. In the same eager manner, Ray bit down into the insect vigorously.
“Such a tiny predator you are!” Sunset cooed. She continued the motion until she reached what she felt was enough food for him.
Probably should look up how much I should be feeding him, she remarked quietly, giving herself a mental note.
Ray squeaked, bringing his feet to the glass once more. She wasn’t sure if reptiles expressed emotions on their faces as humans did, but that was a look of joy if she had seen it.
“Aww, your so adorable!” Sunset smiled. She replaced the lid onto the feeder worms’ container, placing it to the sides. With careful hands, she reached into Ray’s tank, lifting her baby to her face.
He chirped again, which made Sunset giggle. “I’m very glad I chose you.”
It was very late at night. Sunset didn’t need to look at her clock to know that.
It was dark, the only light coming from the moon and her phone. The device in her hands was heating up significantly, but she didn’t pay much mind to it.
She was very busy.
“‘How...much...mealworms...should...I...be..feeding...a...leopard gecko,’” she mumbled aloud, not caring how many words she had spelled wrong. Her pupils strained bat the bright screen, only pausing to blink her dry eyes.
‘Five to seven every day until they reach four inches.’ Hm, do I have to measure him? What else does this say?
She was deep into her research. Her hands briefly pull down the menu on her phone to read that it was thirty minutes past twelve, though she didn’t care very much.
Sunset had wayyyy more important things to do.
“CHIRP!” came a loud cry, which made Sunset’s skin jump. She turned to her pet’s enclosure, her brow furrowed with worry.
Her worries subsided when she heard the distinct sounds of rattling.
They are a nocturnal species, Fluttershy’s voice rang in her head. It was a nice reminder. The high-school student smiled, sighing.
“I love you too, Ray!”