Night Ended

Rosa's POV

Rosa has never seen anything like this before.

Especially so slowly.

"Then why come all the way down here to poop?"

After she asked, Rosa naturally waited for Sal's reply.

Sal was always a little slow to talk, but she was patient to wait.

Sal opened his mouth to speak a couple of words, before pausing, his lips cupped into the shape of an "O" as his lower lip jutted out, leaving his tongue levitating in his mouth. His eyes, or more exactly his eyelids, drooped down, leaving him to look as if he was going to drop dead asleep. He was quite the comical sight.

Sal froze there in complete silence for a period of time as his facial expression collapsed as if the muscles in him disappeared. His face sagged down, looking like the skin folds of an elder tortoise.

Perhaps he finally experienced how time is so fast, Sal was aging rapidly.

His forehead crinkled into wrinkles. All of his features melted down his small head, his mouth looked like it was clinging on to where his chin used to be, and his fur seemed grayer than usual, like the color of rumbling thunderclouds about to strike.

To Rosa's horror, suddenly, the flaps of skin twist and smush, squeezing and mashing his features back into their rightful places, like Sal had tasted some sour and bitter fruit.

As if that wasn't enough, Rosa felt something worse was coming, and she was right.

Sal's eyes were originally dull and lifeless were soon glossy, then glimmering. Before she realized it, there were tears escaping from his red-rimmed eyes, wetting his fur. His lower lip trembled as he rapidly blinked his eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling down, only to squeeze the droplets out more and more.

A torrent of emotions broke out.

In frustration, Sal twisted his face away in utter embarrassment and anger and slammed his head into his arm, or as Rosa saw it, Sal's head slowly and gently nudged into his arms.

-Goodness, oh Sal, you're so cute yet helpless.-

As Sal's shoulders started to shake, Rosa gave a little croak to clear her throat.

"Sal, I didn't mean for you to cry. I would like to apologize for that-"

"NO!"

Startled, Rosa's large, crimson eyes popped out of her little skull.

"I mean-"

Sal rubbed his face into his arm and turned to Rosa, a string of snot connected to his nostrils and arm looked like spider webs, sticking and matting up his fur. Better than a cheese pull, Sal's face flushed in shame.

"What I mean is that you don't have to apologize. I can get really emotional sometimes, so hic-" Sal hiccuped, "But I really appreciate your time. I'm really happy talking to your, really!"

With a strong nod, Sal grinned ear to ear.

"If you say you're happy then…" Rosa said, seemingly unconvinced.

-The amount of emotion you went through this night is more than I have gone through in my lifetime.-

"Yep, I'm happy. We got to learn more about each other, get a little more comfortable, and even got to make a deal!"

"What deal?"

"Making each other uncomfortable!"

"Pssh!" Rosa laughed as her little toes went to cup her mouth, trying to swallow her giggles down, "Are you sure that was a fair deal? I overstepped my boundary."

"Welp, a deal is a deal!"

With one large grin and a small smile, Sal and Rosa basked in the bright atmosphere. Literally, a brightening atmosphere.

The leaves filtered in no silvery glow, rather slightly warm rays. The barely cool night air mingled in with the humid air, alerting the animals all over the rainforest that the sun was rising.

Night ended.

The sloth and frog made eye contact.

"I suppose we will have to part ways then."

"Yeah, I guess we do. I wish we could've talked a little more."

"Well, that's the purpose of tomorrow, right, talking buddy?"

With a wink, Rosa gave a little hop away from Sal.

"I'll see you soon Sal, let us talk again."

"Yeah!"

With a friendly wave goodbye, Rosa leaped away gracefully, branch to branch, disappearing in the thick, vibrant foliage illuminated by the slow climb of the sun.