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The sky began to dim, temperatures dropped, and animals began to change their ways. The humans were too busy planning and building emergency shelters to notice.
They were almost in hibernation when the meteor hit and the giant earthquake followed. The pair of Galapagos tortoises had burrowed into the earth beside each other, as they had for years. The one on the left was a tad larger with a darker shell. He had angled himself toward his mate before hunkering down in his hole. The one on the right was a tad smaller with a slightly lighter shell. He squinted at his mate as if making sure he was there before pulling slightly into his shell and settling in for a long sleep. They didn't feel the tremors in the earth, didn't experience the screaming or terror or death on the surface. Time passed as they slept peacefully, probably the only creatures left to do so.
For whatever reason, the universe was on their side. Maybe the earthquake produced an air pocket, or the atmosphere changed enough to prolong their hibernation. The years of cooling and adaptation before had served them as well. Through a combination of factors and fate, these two tortoises slept the months away. When the humans were emerging from their bunkers, they slept on. Finally, the earth began to warm and the pair began to awake.
First was the larger one, who began to shuffle in place. Then, he began digging upward. The second tortoise was disturbed by his mate's movement and began to awaken as well. He stretched and snoozed for another day or so before following the first tortoise out of the earth.
The surface had changed during their hibernation. There was little food and water. That would be okay for a time, they were old, but large, and had stored plenty of energy before going into their prolonged naps. The pair bumped noses. Very slowly, they took turns examining each other and refamiliarizing themselves with each other. It was unnecessary at this point, they'd spent their entire adult lives together. Still, it was habit and instinct.
They took time to examine their environment, what used to be their home. They ate and drank what they could, then hunkered down together for the night. The next morning, they began their journey to a new home. Neither knew what had happened, but they both understood they couldn't stay here. They needed food and water, and maybe someplace warmer.
The journey was slow, understandably so. They were slow creatures to begin with, but were also the first to venture through these lands in a long while. There was an occasional bird, but most of what they passed through was decaying. Very few trees were left. This wasn't a problem for the tortoises, they needed all the warmth they could get. Both of them were already weak due to their hibernation, but they had no choice but to carry on. Food was scarce, with fewer birds and bugs to aid in seed dispersal and pollination. They ate what they could, and a few things they hadn't before.
The smaller one fell sick first. He slowed, then stopped. Nature should dictate that the larger should carry on alone, but that is not how these two tortoises worked. They were a pair and would not, could not, separate. Instead, the larger traveled a short distance to look for food and brought back what he could to his mate. Their survival was already illogical, nearly impossible, so really what was one more illogicality?
After a few days they were both strong enough to continue moving. Either way, they had to carry on in search of water. Travel was even slower than before, which was to be expected. They weren’t bothered, after all, they were tortoises. They had little understanding of time. Another day passed before they found water. It was surprisingly clean, probably a spring of some sort. They could have stayed, but their instincts told them to move on. It wasn’t quite right, too busy, not warm enough. Many other animals were fighting over resources that just weren’t available. So, the journey continued.
The pair of tortoises finally hit a human road. They had encountered these flat surfaces long ago, but had little memory of their meaning. It was deserted and they had no reason to stay away. It was easier and warmer to travel along, so they did, until they found a human town. Slowly, they started through it. People stopped and stared and pointed. The two were slow enough and the town was large enough that they had to sleep behind metal bins for the night. The next morning they continued, but not for long. The townspeople had told the scientists, who had said they should capture the tortoises, as they were possibly the only ones still living. The pair were lured into a large crate and loaded into vehicles. They had no reason to resist, after all, there was food, water, and they were still together.
The larger rested his head on the smaller’s shell as they rode to their new home.
After being unloaded, the humans were quick to draw blood and run tests. They were disappointed to learn that they had collected two males, but it was still alright in the end. The lead scientist named the larger tortoise Dan and the smaller one Phil, declaring it was still extraordinary there were any of these species left. The pair were special and should be kept safe and healthy till the end of their days. Once the quarantine period was over, Dan and Phil were moved to a new habitat with a few other reptiles. They paid them no mind, instead spending their time together as always. Instead of being used for breeding, they were placed on display to the public, something to lift spirits. A small sign read:
These are the last two surviving Galapagos Tortoises in the world. “Dan” is slightly larger, and has a darker carapace. “Phil” is slightly smaller, and has lighter scutes. They are both males, but instead of fighting, appear to be the best of friends. Dan can often be found hiding in the corner or in the pair’s cave. Phil enjoys looking out, or can be found near the food bowl. Dan and Phil also enjoy meeting their fans on the weekends, when you can visit them in the petting exhibit.
And so, Dan and Phil lived out the rest of their years together. All things considered, they were still quite young for their species. Eventually, civilization built itself back up, in a small part thanks to them. They were able to inspire the next generation, serving as a beacon of hope that things could get better and that survival was always possible, against the odds.