WARNINGS: none for now

Note: This is based on the stories of a keeper reader with the octotrio by @ashensgrotto and @merakiui on Tumblr except I decided to take it a step further and include all the dorms. I know that a lot of these animals don't fit them perfectly, but I did the best I could. I left out Ortho because he has no age and he looks really young so... no.

All characters are aged up, since there will be mature themes in future parts.

Also, I can't promise I'll finish this. I suck at finishing stories.

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"Pleased to meet you Mr. Crowley."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. (Y/n)!"

You smiled up at your new boss, taking in his eccentric appearance- everything from his crow feather-lined cape, to his sparkling suit, to his top hat, and to the black bird mask that covered half his face.

That name suits him.

"Now, you're mainly a researcher, but you will also be assisting with some of the general chores, such as feeding the animals," Mr. Crowley explained what you already knew.

"That's alright," you said, smiling brightly, "That will allow me to observe even more of their behaviors."

You were fresh out of college and ready to face The Halfling Zoo. There was plenty of debate whether it was okay to treat half-humans as animals and keep them in a zoo, but it was convenient for you. You didn't have to travel the world to attempt to study animals from afar through a camera lens.

"You will be supervising the lion and hyena exhibit, the wolf exhibit, the panther and tiger exhibit, the bird exhibits, the reptile house, and the aquarium," Mr. Crowley explained.

"Wait, did you mean to say the lions and hyenas are together? And the panthers and tigers? Or did I misunderstand?" you asked, confused.

"They are bonded groups, so it would be wrong to separate them," Crowley explained, "Halflings don't always act like their animal counterparts."

You nodded, cursing yourself internally. You had learned that on your first day at college! How could I be so stupid to forget about the bonds different Halfling species make?

"Follow me," Mr. Crowley's voice broke through your thoughts, "I'll show you around."

The two of you left the cramped office in the main staff building and headed out onto the guests' paths. You could see a few families walking by- less than usual, since it was nearing closing time. It felt as though the sky was growing darker by the minute as the sun made its way down the horizon, beautiful orange and pink clouds lighting its path.

You almost immediately arrived at the lion and hyena exhibit. It was a huge enclosure, the terrain so detailed that you felt as though you had stepped straight into an African savannah. In fact, you could even feel the heat emanating from the ground itself.

"We keep it as hot as their home naturally is," Mr. Crowley explained, reading your thoughts, "They're happy here- it's home with no need to hunt to survive."

You nodded, but inside you wondered if that was really true or not. Were they really happier in a giant cage on display for humans than they were in Africa? You couldn't imagine feeling that way.

Mr. Crowley pointed out a big rock where a pride of lions had gathered, "On top of that rock is the top dog- er, cat, I mean. The king of the jungle."

Upon closer inspection, and a lot more eye strain, you could make out a figure lying on the top of the large rock. It was a Lion Halfling, with tan skin and thick, dark mane of brown hair that fell to his shoulders, except for the braids in front of his face, which were even longer. You could just make out the lion's ears on top of his head and the lion's tail draped over the rock's side.

"And those are the hyenas," Mr. Crowley supplied, pointing to the edge of the enclosure, "They're used to aggressive females, so the males might be a little jumpy around you."

You remembered reading about that in school, but it was amazing to see all the Halflings in person. You couldn't help but feel excited to study them up close. Imagine if you made a big discovery that no one else had ever discovered about Halflings! After all, there were a lot of unknowns about them.

"Onto the wolf exhibit!" Mr. Crowley said in a sing-song voice.

The enclosure was right across the way from the lions and hyenas, but it had a completely different feel. The air was cooler when you walked up to the giant forest. Through the trees, it was difficult to actually see any wolf halflings. You thought you saw a flash of white, but it was too quick to tell.

"Yes, well, this exhibit is pretty quiet during the day," the zoo director said awkwardly, "They'll be out tonight, howling at the moon and whatnot."

"Wolves don't actually howl at the moon," you helpfully supplied, "They howl to communicate with other wolves."

Mr. Crowley stared at you for a moment and you wondered if you had annoyed him, until he grinned widely, "Such a knowledgeable new researcher!"

You smiled at the compliment, a little embarrassed as the two of you headed for the panther and tiger exhibit. You were surprised to see it alive with Halflings, all of them staring back at the two of you with narrowed eyes.

"There's two black panthers," Mr. Crowley pointed them out, "and two albino tigers. The four of them are as thick as thieves."

You cautiously waved at them, but they merely turned away and disappeared into the jungle enclosure. You wondered if they were somehow curious to see you, or if they always did this to guests.

"Next, the bird exhibits!" Mr. Crowley led the way to the aviary. He pointed out Halflings left and right in the closely-packed enclosures, "A parrot, three albino peacocks, two flamingos, an owl, and a raven. You'll get to know them well, since they're mostly all very friendly. Except the peacocks are a little cocky."

You giggled a little and waved to all the birds. It was a futile effort, because, save for the owl halfling, they were all fast asleep. The owl halfling stayed on his perch, wings tucked around his body, his bespectacled face scrutinizing you. Not in a rude way, just sort of deciding what you were.

You followed Mr. Crowley into a heated building with a glass wall on one side. You peered through the glass wall and immediately spotted the Boa Constrictor Halfling lying against the wall. Human until the torso, which then winded into a snake tail.

"Don't be fooled!" Mr. Crowley said, "There is more than one snake in that exhibit. See if you can spot it."

You looked at every angle, struggling to spot anything different. Then, a part of the sand moved and two gray eyes glared back at you.

"A Viper Halfling, right?" you said in awe, "Aren't those venomous?"

"Ah, yes, well," Mr. Crowley stuttered a little, "Don't get bitten."

You stared at him for a moment before it sunk in. All of these animals, except the birds, were extremely dangerous! And you were going to go into their enclosures to study and feed them? Were you insane?

You pushed down the panic and took a deep breath. This is what you signed up for. You probably already waived all your rights away anyway. You hadn't looked at the fine print of your contracts, of course.

You noticed another tank on the other side of the room and walked up to it. You couldn't see anything inside this one, but Mr. Crowley was quick to explain, "There's a salamander in this one. A beautiful electric blue, but extremely shy."

You peered inside, trying to catch a glance of blue, but you couldn't see a thing.

"Lastly, the aquarium," Mr. Crowley clapped his hands together, as though to bring you back to reality.

The aquarium was a huge glass tank where visitors could go down the stairs and see inside. The two of you walked by it, and saw very little signs of life.

"You'll probably see the eel twins a bit. They're a little shy at first, but Floyd is pretty playful. The octopus, on the other hand, rarely leaves his cave. He'll venture out to eat, but that's about it. We should have made that damn thing see-through, but it's too late now."

You were glad it was a normal cave, and not transparent like the glass. The Octopus Halfling probably felt safe inside it. It wouldn't be fair to rob him of that simple pleasure.

"That's the end of your tour, young lady," Mr. Crowley said cheerfully, "You start bright and early tomorrow, have a long lunch break, then leave late at night. Are you sure you're ready to do this?"

He looked down at you with a hint of nervousness, as though he expected you to say "no". But you were determined and excited to explore what your classes had trained you for. Real life application.

"I'm ready!"







Note: So, some of the animals are obvious, but I'm wondering what you all think the others are?