When Emi blinked awake, she took a moment to survey her new home. Her enclosure was more than she'd expected for a hedgehog—it was thoughtfully arranged, spacious, and filled with cozy nooks and play areas.
The enclosure had a soft bedding section in one corner, where fleece blankets were piled up to make a warm nest. Beside it was a small, hollow log-shaped hideaway, perfect for curling up when she wanted privacy. In the middle of her space, she spotted her food dish and a shallow water bowl. And on the other side, a "play zone" featured an exercise wheel, a couple of tunnels, and some colorful toys to keep her entertained.
Not bad, Mr.Idol she thought
But as she waddled over to the food dish, her enthusiasm faded. Inside the bowl were dried mealworms and a small scoop of hedgehog pellets, neither of which looked remotely appetizing. Emi would rather starve than eat those. With those thoughts in mind, she hid herself back into her little house, prepared to start contemplating life.
At that moment, SJ entered the room, dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, a small smile lighting up his face as he leaned over her enclosure.
"Morning, Blueberry," he greeted her as he peered into her food bowl.
Blueberry. Is that my new name?
Fine, it was better than Porky or Spikey.
"Why hasn't she eat?"
Emi looked up at him, then back at the mealworms, then turned her butt towards him to express her disdain.
He picked her up from her little hidey hole, startled, she instinctively pricks up her spines. But when she saw his look of pain, her heart soften and she puts it back down.
The hedgehog and man then proceed to stare at each other.
What's wrong? You haven't touched your since we left the shop yesterday.
"Who the hell wants to eat worms!", but what came out of her mouth was just a squeak. So angry.
Scratching his head, he brought her out into the kitchen and set her down on the kitchen counter.
Stay still alright?
🙄
"Why are giving order to a hedgehog!", but whatever, she still listened to his request and stayed still, all the while wondering what he was up to.
SJ opened the fridge and took out some fruits, along with a couple of plastic containers. He cut up some apples, pears and put out some blueberries. Raw chicken and beef as well as their cooked counter parts were also laid out neatly onto several plates. While he was doing this he looked over at her from time to time to check that she hasn't run away somewhere.
He then picked her up after finishing everything and put her next to the plates that he put out.
Emi—the hedgehog and SJ—the man stared at each other.
Tentatively, she moved towards the apples that he cut.
(⚈₋₍⚈) nom nom nom nom
She ate some apples, then pears and some blueberries. Thinking that she also needed some protein, Emi went for the boiled chicken. However she really couldn't eat bland chicken, so after a nibble or too, she left it.
The raw meats were snubbed completely
Squeak, "nice buffet SJ" she thought. She looked up to see him smiling at her behind a camera. Seeing the camera, Emi hid her face behind her paws, (/ω＼). Only to realize shes now a hedgehog with no image to upkeep. She then froze, doubting life. Is her brain so bad that she can't even remember this fact?
Silas looked down at the little hedgehog's shenanigans and really wanted to laugh.