There was a loud splash and a scream of shock and pain that rang throughout the air before there were shouts for "help" and whatever else that was screaming, and I couldn't help but look that way before I started to run in that direction without thinking about my safety at all.

"Help!" someone exclaimed. "My baby has fallen into the gorilla pit!"

Aw, shit, I thought while I pursed my lips in annoyance before I started to run faster in that direction, and my heart skipped a beat before it started to pound hard and fast in my chest.

"Erin! Erin!" one of my friends at the zoo said from above me, and I looked up to a crow flying above me, circling around every so often. "A kid fell into Frank's pit, or did you already know and are going that way?"

I held back an eye roll and didn't say a word while I kept running, looking where I was going and making sure not to run over people. "Excuse me, excuse me," I said and moved through the crowd that were slowly starting to move toward the gorilla pit, wanting to see what all of this ruckus was about. "Please, get out of my way."

The crowd started to move out of my way and stared at me. They didn't say a word, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, grateful that they didn't try to stop me or pull me in a different direction.

I ignored the calls on the walkie talkie while I moved closer to the gorilla pen, and my friend flew faster to investigate what was going on, even though we both knew that Frank wouldn't do anything to that child.

"Erin! I repeat! Where are you?" I heard one of the calls say, and I instantly grabbed the walkie talkie before I squeezed the button on the side of my walkie talkie.

"I am almost at the gorilla's pen," I said into the walkie talkie before I let go of the button so that they could go ahead and contact me back. "Please move out of my way!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Get out of my way! Now!"

More people moved out of my way until I was able to reach the pen. They yelled at me to do something, but I ignored their calls while I watched Frank slowly start to make his way to the child, clearly interested and not a threat to him at all.

"Frank!" the crow, Garrett, said, and the gorilla looked at him. "Would you stop moving towards the child and move away from him?" he asked. "You know better than that."

The gorilla rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the child, and the crow scoffed and rolled his eyes before he started to fly around the older gorilla, keeping an eye on everything.

"Is there anyone on the other side of the gate?" I asked into the walkie talkie when there wasn't anything else said before I stuffed the walkie talkie back onto my belt.

"Yes, but don't do anything stupid, please," one of my human friends said, and I bit back a small scoff and rolled my eyes when I reached the glass barrier.

"Too late," I muttered under my breath before I grabbed the barrier and leapt into the gorilla pen, knowing full well that Frank wouldn't attack the boy.

Sure enough, Frank looked at me when I landed in the pen on my feet and rolled his eyes. "Someone lost their child," he said while he sat down, and the child cowered in the water. "Why are humans so stupid?" He scratched his stomach and yawned, leaning back on his butt.

I shrugged and grimaced, pressing my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word to him before I turned my gaze to the child and smiled. "Hi," I said and dipped my head closer to my chest. "How are you?"

The child looked at me and the gorilla. He didn't move from his spot, and I could tell that he wanted to go to me but didn't want to make the gorilla mad.

I bit back a small chuckle and started to slowly make my way toward him, keeping an eye on Frank, even though I knew that he wouldn't do anything to us. "My name is Erin," I said before I gestured to Frank. "And his name is Frank." I paused and smiled, tucking my head closer to my chest. "What's your name?"

The little boy didn't say a word and pouted, and his bottom lip quivered. He looked at me before he looked at Frank and then back at me. His whole body was tense, and he slowly started to sniffle.

My heart ached, and I knew that he was scared and shocked. "It's ok," I soothed and shook my head, silently praying that he wouldn't cry. "You are not going to get hurt by him. You are not in trouble. Everything is fine."

The little boy didn't say a word and blinked before he blinked, trying but failing to keep the tears at bay, and my heart ached some more because he looked so scared and worried about everything that he was going through.

I walked the rest of the way over to him and gave him a small smile while I dipped my head closer to my chest. "What's your name?" I asked softly and raised an eyebrow in question while I studied him. "Are you hurt?"

He hesitated before he shook his head. He didn't say a word before he looked at Frank and then looked at me.

I bit back a small laugh and shook my head. "Don't worry, Kiddo," I said and looked at Frank before I looked at him, biting back a small smile. "He's not going to come near you. He'll stay right there and make sure that there aren't any other gorillas near us."

The little boy's eyes grew wide, and he looked at me shocked and scared.

Frank chuckled and leaned back further. He scratched his belly while he looked between the two of us before he landed on his back. "I will make sure that the ladies don't come near you, as well as the newbie," he said, and I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thin line.

Of course you will, I thought, even though I knew that he would make sure that they wouldn't come near us, but they wouldn't do anything, anyway, especially since they would have seen me.

"Don't worry," I soothed and gestured for him to come over to me. "Come on, let's get you out of here and get you cleaned up. I think your mom is waiting for you. Ya?" I knelt down beside him and tucked my head closer to my chest, praying that the boy would finally decide to stand and come towards me, especially since I was close to him.

Finally, the little boy sniffled and stood, and his bottom lip quivered with tears streaming down his face. He did this running leap into my arms, ignoring Frank snorting and pounding his chest while he backed away from us.

Screams and gasps came from above us, and my radio blasted with some commotion while Frank snorted and pounded his chest.

"Oomph," I said when the boy came at me full force, and I scooped him up, stood, and started to walk towards the entrance behind one of the rocks. "Shhhh," I soothed and rubbed his back while he slowly started to cry. "You are safe. You are ok. No one is going to hurt you."

"Have fun, Erin!" Frank exclaimed while he ran away from us but didn't go too far, and I rolled my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line. He stopped near a tree and turned to look at us, sitting down in the shade and scratching his stomach. "Also, can you make sure that I have some food because I am hungry?"

I didn't respond and pressed my lips into a thinner line, slightly annoyed because that would mean he would have another meal and not be on his daily schedule.

Frank laughed as if he knew what I was thinking. "Just kidding, even though I would like a snack. It should be snack time soon, right?"

"You just ate," Garrett said and landed in a tree near Frank, "about an hour or so ago."

Frank scoffed, and I had a feeling that he rolled his eyes, and I couldn't help but bite back a small smirk. "Rude," he said. "Shut up, Garrett. Why do you have to be so annoying?"

"How are you holding up, Kiddo?" I asked the kid while I walked the rest of the way to the rocks, ignoring the animals. I ran a hand through his hair and across his back, and he nodded and stayed silent, silently indicating that he was safe and fine.

I bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded while I grabbed my keys from my belt loop, placed them into the lock, unlocked the door, and opened the door behind one of the rocks. "You're safe now, Kiddo," I soothed while I entered the dark room only for it to turn on with the automatic lights we had set up and placed my keys back where they belonged.

The little boy didn't say a word and kept holding onto me tightly. His whole body was tense, and I had a feeling that he didn't care that he was safe.

I looked around and breathed a small sigh of relief when I saw that there were no other animals in here before I closed and locked the door so that no animals could escape, even though I knew that they could if they wanted to.

I tried to put him down at the entrance of the area so that we could walk down the passageway together, but the little boy didn't let go of my neck. "Ok, Kiddo," I said with a small chuckle when he clutched me tighter and tried to bury himself closer to my body. I patted his back, biting back a small smile. "You are safe, and no one is going to hurt you. There are no animals in here at the moment."

"Erin, do you copy?" I heard someone through the radio followed by some chatter of worry. "Is the child safe?"

"Ok, Little Man, we are going to have to get you situated so that I can answer the radio. I think your family is worried about you. Do you know what your mom's name is?"

The boy shook his head before he moved his head back to where he had it. He closed his eyes, and I had a feeling that he was tired from all that had happened.

"Ok, Little Man," I said with a small laugh while I shifted him a bit so that I could grab my radio.

"Erin, do you copy?" someone asked again. "I repeat, do you copy?"

"Yes, I hear you. Sorry, I had to get the little man situated so that I could get to the radio," I said after I clicked the button to speak. "He is fine. He doesn't know his mother's name. Do you want to meet you at the gate, Stephen?"

"10-4," the person, Stephen, said. "Also, you are in trouble."

I rolled my eyes and scowled while I walked to the entrance. "Haha, very funny," I said, and the little boy giggled while he clutched my neck tighter. "Who hates me?" I asked and raised an eyebrow.

I had a feeling Stephen snorted. "No one hates you, Erin," he said through the radio. "You are just in trouble."

I rolled my eyes but stayed silent, pressing my lips into a thin line.

"You didn't need to jump over the fence and into the gorilla pit like you did. What are you teaching these children?" he teased.

I didn't respond and pressed my lips into a thin line while I stuffed the radio back into its holster and pulled out the same set of keys to unlock the back door that would lead us outside of the gorilla area.

"Are you at the door?" he asked, and I had a feeling that he raised an eyebrow in question.

I bit back an annoyed sigh and rolled my eyes while I scowled. "Mother mmph." I made sure that I didn't cuss in front of the boy because I had no idea how his parents would react to that.

"Was there another word you were wanting to use?" the boy asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He lifted his head before he looked at me with wide, innocent eyes. "Like f-"

"Now, now," I said, interrupting him with a small chuckle in my voice while I shook my head, biting back a small smile. "That's not a good word for you to say at such a young age. Do your parents say it a lot?"

The boy hesitated before he slowly nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Yes, Ma'am," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "They do. A lot."

"Hmph." I bit back a small chuckle. "That's fine," I said before I cleared my throat and grew serious. "Now, let's go ahead and see them, ya?" I shifted him a little to the side and grabbed my keys before I placed it in the hidden door. "What is your name, by the way?"

"Luke," he said. "Are all doors like this?"

"Yes," I said and nodded while I started to open the door, the keys jingling slightly. "We make sure that the animals can't get to them, but this is if we need to get out of the cages or exhibits like what we are in now."

"Call to Erin," Stephen said in a sing-song voice, and I rolled my eyes and scowled, biting back an annoyed sigh. "Where are you? Are you there?"

I still didn't respond to my companion and rolled my eyes while I pressed my lips into a thin line. I unlocked the door and opened it to reveal Stephen on the other side of the door with his keys out and about to be put into the lock. "Yes, I am here, Stephen," I said, "with the kid in my arms, safe and sound."