Five days later.
“Hiss…
Number Three, do you think this fits?
I feel like something is completely off.”
Old Larry stood in front of his bedroom mirror.
He was dressed in a sleek, formal black suit, and he genuinely felt like something was horribly wrong with his reflection.
Titan was lying cramped on top of Old Larry’s desk.
The baby crocodile was currently nearly five feet long, still trying to casually read the titles of the books on the shelf, when he heard the old man’s complaint.
He slowly turned his head around.
“Rumble.”
Hmm…
Titan let out a heavy, vibrating hum.
He shifted his golden gaze, slowly scanning Old Larry from head to toe, genuinely scrutinizing the outfit.
Well…
this specific suit is a bit too modern.
Old Larry would definitely look more sophisticated in something like a vintage tweed jacket, giving off a classic, knowledgeable professor vibe.
This sleek black suit just makes him look like an aging hitman.
Wait!
I’ve got it!
Titan suddenly had a brilliant idea.
He had always assumed Old Larry was a gentle, positive character.
However, looking closely at the old man’s eyes, there was actually a lot of hidden depth.
Rather than a warm, grandfatherly gaze, Old Larry had a look of calm indifference combined with a profound cherishing of life.
Hmm…
exactly like a veteran doctor.
However, for a rugged guy like Old Larry, wearing a pristine Western-style suit actually diminished his natural elegance.
It made him look less like the master of the house and more like the hired butler.
The key piece missing was…
Titan casually rolled right off the desk, hitting the floor with a heavy, concussive thud that nearly gave Old Larry a second heart attack.
The massive baby crocodile slowly crawled over to Old Larry’s open wardrobe.
He pondered for a brief moment before using his jaws to pull a classic, round-brimmed hat out of the bottom drawer.
Old Larry’s initial shock regarding the crocodile’s intelligence had somewhat subsided over their two weeks together, but he still maintained a general attitude of “You always manage to surprise me.”
Old Larry took the black hat from Titan’s jaws.
He adjusted the angle perfectly and turned back to the mirror.
The simple addition instantly added a rugged touch of mystery to his appearance, especially when he flashed a subtle smile.
“I cannot believe that I, a grown man, just lost a fashion contest to a literal crocodile.”
Old Larry murmured the words in utter disbelief.
It was painfully obvious that Titan’s styling choice was vastly superior.
“You really do have a good eye, buddy.”
Old Larry pulled the brim of the black hat down slightly.
He studied his reflection.
It looked good, but it felt a bit too serious.
It might suit his physical temperament, but it didn’t quite capture his eccentric personality.
Titan watched as Old Larry suddenly swapped the black hat out for a stark white fedora.
The old man sat down at his desk and began actively working on the white hat with a needle and thread.
A bright white hat with a sleek black suit?
Larry, you are dressing like a cartoon villain…
Titan was just about to vocally express his extreme dissatisfaction when he saw exactly what the old man was doing.
Old Larry had meticulously stitched a single, glossy black raven feather directly into the white brim.
“Just to match this feather, I’m going to have to make my son-in-law buy me a matching white suit later.”
Ravens were incredibly loyal and righteous creatures.
How could Old Larry not return the favor?
Besides, this black suit didn’t look cheap anyway.
The contrast of the bright white hat and the sleek black suit significantly reduced the overly serious tone, adding a touch of cynical charm.
The eye-catching raven feather was the perfect, eccentric centerpiece.
Well…
whatever makes you happy, Larry.
Titan didn’t argue.
He silently crawled out of the clinic.
Coincidentally, Titan’s own raven feather ring was currently resting near the island sapling in his enclosure.
The eagle-owl, however, thought the gift was an absolute eyesore and had aggressively buried it under a pile of dead leaves.
Judging by that petty action, the eagle-owl clearly had an incredibly strong sense of possessive territory.
“Hey, wait up for me!” This story is hosted at g.com.
Old Larry straightened his dark tie and jogged down the hall to catch up with Titan.
Don’t let the crocodile’s slow, waddling pace fool you; Titan was now nearly five feet long.
Lying flat on the ground, he was essentially the length of a full-grown human.
However, he didn’t look fat at all.
He was pure, rapidly growing muscle and bone.
He simply hadn’t fully filled out his adult proportions yet.
“Good morning, my feathered friends!”
Old Larry hummed a cheerful little tune as he greeted the murder of ravens perched in the courtyard oak tree.
They felt more like honored guests than official zoo residents, so Old Larry hadn’t bothered giving them any of his eccentric naming conventions.
“Caw!
Caw!
Caw!”
Unsurprisingly, the ravens responded enthusiastically.
They seemed incredibly pleased to see one of their own black feathers proudly displayed on Old Larry’s hat.
I guess that was a pretty good fashion idea after all.
Seeing the ravens happy naturally made Titan happy as well.
Wait, what important day is it today?
Titan was deep in thought when his acute crocodilian senses suddenly detected the heavy vibrations of an approaching vehicle.
The tremor was far less intense than the hurricane, but the engine rhythm felt incredibly familiar.
“Larry!
Hurry up and come meet your new granddaughter!”
“Coming right out!”
Granddaughter?
Old Frank’s sedan was parked directly in front of the zoo.
A young man stepped out of the back seat, carefully cradling a small bundle of white blankets.
“Dad.”
The young man carrying the baby radiated a refined, cultured aura.
His face wasn’t strikingly handsome, but he had a very clean, honest, and reliable appearance.
As for the baby…
well, frankly, it was a bit ugly.
Yes, it must just be because it hasn’t fully developed yet.
Titan’s aesthetic preferences seemed to differ significantly from human standards.
He didn’t particularly understand the appeal of chubby, wrinkled human infants, although he admitted they possessed a certain helpless charm.
Old Larry smiled warmly, gently taking his new granddaughter from the young man’s arms.
After exchanging a few happy, tearful pleasantries, Old Larry led the two men through the zoo gates.
The atmosphere was incredibly joyous and harmonious.
That is, until the young man suddenly locked eyes with Titan.
“Dad…
is that…
is that a massive crocodile?”
“Oh, right!
I almost forgot.
Jason, let me introduce you.
This is your Uncle Titan.”
“Ah…
what???”
“Well…”
Old Larry’s cheerful smile remained completely unchanged.
Jason, the son-in-law, looked utterly bewildered and terrified.
Old Frank just rubbed his forehead and let out a long, weary sigh.
If it hadn’t been for Old Larry’s near-fatal heart attack, and Frank’s subsequent daily check-ins, Frank absolutely would have grabbed Old Larry by the ear today and screamed, “Are you out of your completely insane mind?!” upon seeing this ridiculous setup.
Titan pondered for a second whether he should formally respond.
He glanced at the two men.
Hmm, they were both dressed very formally today as well.
“Come on, Number Three, let me do the introductions,” Old Larry beamed.
“This is my son-in-law, Jason Hayes.
He works as a professional photographer in the city.”
“And you already know Old Frank.
Oh, right!
And this little bundle here is my granddaughter, Lily Hayes.
She is a little monster.”
The atmosphere in the courtyard completely froze.
“Rumble.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Titan’s natural, rumbling greeting completely shattered the silence.
“Um…
nice to meet you, Uncle Titan?”
Jason’s brain seemed to have completely short-circuited.
Old Larry, however, looked absolutely thrilled.
“Oh, right!
I almost forgot!” Old Larry exclaimed.
“Jason, you hold little Lily for a minute.
I need to go gather the rest of the kids!”
“Okay…
okay.”
“Number Three, don’t just stand there!
Go grab your owl!”
“Rumble.”
Thud, thud, thud.
The man and the crocodile hurried off in opposite directions, leaving Jason and Old Frank standing alone in the courtyard, completely dumbfounded.
“He…
he is joking, right?”
“Hiss…
Uncle Frank, please tell me I don’t also have an Uncle Cat or an Uncle Tiger hidden around here somewhere.”
“Pfft,” Old Frank snorted.
“Don’t worry, kid.
You only have one Uncle Titan.
Just treat him with respect.
That crocodile literally saved your father-in-law’s life.”
“Okay…
I think I am just going to go grab my camera gear first.”
“Is it hard to carry the baby and the bags?
Here, let me help you.”
The eagle-owl stood proudly on the back of Titan’s thick neck.
Because the crocodile had grown so massive in the last five days, the large bird now looked much smaller in comparison, making her riding position look entirely natural.
Old Larry sat proudly on the top step of the zoo’s main entrance.
He casually cradled Cat Number Two in his left arm and Bear Number Four in his right, a massive, brilliant smile plastered across his wrinkled face.
“Number Three, come sit right over here.”
To Titan’s utter surprise, even Boss Croc’s massive water tank had been dragged out and placed securely on the lower steps.
What was going on?
Titan was slightly confused, but he obediently followed Old Larry’s instructions.
He waddled over and lay flat on the concrete right next to the old man, waiting patiently for the chaotic setup to finish.
“Frank, what are you just standing around looking at?
Come get in the picture!”
“Oh?
There is room for me too?”
The slightly more stylishly dressed Old Frank stepped forward with a light, happy step.
He carefully sat down on the concrete stair exactly one level below Old Larry.
“Alright, everybody!
Look right at the camera!”
Titan followed the sound of the voice.
He looked directly toward Jason, who was holding a professional DSLR camera.
Flash!
A brilliant burst of white light illuminated the steps.
Click.
[ Larry’s Zoo ]
A murder of ravens stood proudly in a long row across the wooden entrance sign.
A cool, eccentrically dressed old man sat on the top step of the gate.
He embraced a blind tiger cub and a one-armed black bear cub, holding them tightly like family.
Resting peacefully beside him lay a massive, prehistoric baby crocodile.
Standing proudly on the crocodile’s head was a sleepy-eyed eagle-owl.
On the second step sat another cool old man, dressed in flashy, slightly playboy-esque clothes, grinning from ear to ear.
There was still plenty of blank, empty space left on the grey concrete steps.
This was officially the very first photo in the zoo’s new family album.