Amid broken roof tiles and an abandoned tire, a small fox with reddish-golden fur, wet and trembling, stared directly at her. The little fox's eyes were big and bright, full of fear.
"Hey, calm down…" Bonnie crouched, extending a hand slowly.
The fox hesitated for a second, then took a step and pressed its snout into her palm.
"You got lost, huh?"
Carefully, Bonnie wrapped the little creature with her other hand, feeling its cold fur and racing little heart under her fingers. The fox snuggled into her arms, alongside Misty, as if it already belonged there.
"You're going to be called Sweet," Bonnie whispered, smiling. "Small and sweet."
With Misty and Sweet cuddled against her chest, Bonnie felt something she hadn't felt in days: relief.
Further ahead, under a gray sky, Stella walked in silence. Her tanned skin contrasted with her black waterproof jacket, and her dark brown hair was tied in a tight bun. Her dark jeans, stained with mud, clung to her legs.
She heard a faint sound and stopped.
Among concrete ruins, two small felines watched her: a juvenile jaguar with golden eyes and spotted fur, and a weaker leopard cub that was limping.
"Oh, little one…" Stella crouched slowly.
The leopard had a nasty cut on its paw. The jaguar, protective, growled softly but didn't attack, observing Stella with intelligent caution.
"It's okay. I just want to help."
She calmly opened her backpack, took out gauze and a small tube of antiseptic. She cleaned the wound with precision, and the cub only mewed softly.
"There… better now, right?"
When she finished, she picked up the leopard in her arms. The jaguar followed willingly.
Turning a corner, Stella saw a blonde figure approaching, carrying a cat and a little fox.
"Found someone…" she whispered.
Bonnie stopped as she saw her. Relief filled her eyes.
"Finally! There are people here!"
"You were on the plane, weren't you?" Stella said with a tired smile.
"I was. I thought…" Bonnie hesitated, "…that everyone had disappeared."
Sweet let out a small whine, and Stella instinctively stepped closer.
"Let me see that."
Bonnie trusted her. Stella carefully took the fox, examined its wound, and treated it skillfully. Her fingers were firm but gentle.
"All fixed, little one," she murmured.
Bonnie watched, her eyes misting.
"You were a veterinarian?"
"Student. Almost done," Stella smiled. "And you?"
"Fashion student…" Bonnie laughed quietly, shyly.
"Then we have a designer and an almost-doctor. That's a good start."
The two exchanged glances.
At that moment, under the still-gray sky and the marks of a broken world, a friendship was born.
And with it, a spark of hope.