“Zoe!” Ever stumbled, almost tripping over. He saw a clothed figure sitting, hunched over, terribly close to the crocodile. No, no, no…

  Grim-faced, Reuben and his squad ran past Ever, fanning out around Krakatoa.

  “Zoe!” Ever repeated. He was within seven yards; she didn’t respond. “Zo–”

  She put her hand out towards him, one finger up. Ssshhhh.

  Ever took a few tentative steps forward. He looked at Reuben who, along with the other members of his squad, were riveted on Zoe.

  ^...she just never seemed to appreciate me.^ Krakatoa’s voice still rumbled, but somehow it sounded more plaintive.

  “That must have been so hard.” Zoe sat cross legged by the edge of the swamp, where it was mucky and soft. She stroked the length of the crocodile’s snout, nearly two feet long in of itself, over and over.

  Ever crept up to sit next to Zoe, on the side away from Krakatoa’s snout. The crocodile’s left eye locked onto the intruder.

  “Sh, sh, sh,” she shooshed, pressing her hand firmly in the middle of the crocodile’s snout. “He’s with me. He can understand you too.”

  ^I don’t care,^ Krakatoa growled. ^All I’ve wanted is for a female to understand me. Not even. I’ve just wanted them to care enough to listen. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Sheila. It broke my heart when she didn’t wake up. But part of me felt relieved when that happened, a weight off my back.^ This all came out as murmurs with slight changes in frequency. ^Does this make me a bad croc?^

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  “Of course not,” Zoe said, patting him reassuringly. “Love is messy. You can absolutely love someone but still dislike them. It’s never always all sunshine and roses.”

  ^What’s a rose?^

  “I’ll show you one day,” she smiled.

  “Reuben says that there’s a new female that he’s trying to introduce to you,” Ever said, cutting in. “Do you think you might want to meet her?”

  The croc drew the inner membranes across his eyes. ^I don’t know. I still need some time, I think. Also, how do I know that I won’t have the same problems with her that I did with Sheila?^

  “Well I guess we have to vet her,” Zoe winked at Ever, pointing a playful finger gun at him.

  Ha! Good one. Death guffawed in Ever’s mind.

  There was a thick squelch as Zoe pulled her backside out of the muck into a squatting position. Krakatoa lifted his head, his full array of teeth on display.

  ^Are you leaving?^

  “Yeah, I’ve got to go.”

  ^When will I see you again?^

  Ever’s breath caught in his throat; the expression on Zoe’s face as she gazed upon the animal everyone else feared was a love he had never seen before.

  She stroked the length of the crocodile’s snout one final time, her finger lingering on the end.

  “Maybe soon.”

  She turned away from the Krakatoa, leaving Reuben and his men awestruck. Ever trailed behind looking at the beast. He was blinking a lot more than usual, almost like he was trying to stop himself from crying.