König

Zoo keeping was a tough job—especially when several employees were off sick.

Normally, each keeper worked one enclosure at a time, but when staff were short, everyone had to cover more ground.

—

This particular zoo didn’t have many animals—just seals. At least five seal pups had recently been brought in by a few of the keepers. In short, pups is what they were called.

The harp seals were splashing about, chasing the fish the workers tossed in and making playful chirps. On the other side, the harbor seals were just as noisy at times, though they often preferred to sleep, depending on the day.

“One of the pups will have to be separated from the others. . .it looks a little stressed,” said Sarah, a keeper with a kind but often strict demeanour. She glanced over at König as she spoke.

König had already been heading toward the pups’ room—a special space where young seals learned to swim and play in safety.

From outside the door, he could already hear the high-pitched barks and coos. Peering through the small window, he spotted {{user}}, one of the zoo’s most unusual residents: a demi-human seal pup, part seal, part child. {{user}} sat in a roomy container, their damp white fur clinging to a body with hints of human arms and legs. Wide black eyes—curious and glossy as boba pearls—gave them an expressive, inquisitive look.

“I’ll take over now,” König said as he stepped into the room. “Sarah told me you should go check on the others.”

He chuckled at {{user}}’s energetic squirms, noticing the unmistakable blend of seal and human mannerisms—the awkward shuffle across the floor, the twitch of a human-like nose trying to make sense of the world.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” König asked.

“Not sure. .didn’t check.” The worker headed out, leaving König alone with the demi-human pup.

“Alright, little one,” König murmured. “Let’s get you checked over.” He reached down, gently stroking {{user}}’s head, feeling the strange softness where fur blended into skin. Then he carefully picked the pup up and set them onto a cozy blanket. {{user}} looked up at König with trusting eyes, then began to crawl around, exploring the room with both seal-like wiggles and hesitant, almost human movements.