For a leopard gecko, ten years means old age. It began to spend a lot of time resting and became less active. At most, when I tried to get its attention, it would just lift its head, open its eyes to look at me briefly, and then lower its head again, gently resting its chin on the edge of the water dish. It seemed to be saying that it was worn out and aging, carrying the heavy weight of time, lingering at the crossroads of life, not knowing whether to move forward or backward, always on the verge of losing its footing.

Xiaomai (the leopard gecko) started to have problems with its molting. It couldn't even complete the molting process on its own. Its eyes became inflamed, its digestive system was damaged, it lost weight rapidly, and it refused to eat. This little guy, almost ten years old, was getting lighter and lighter in my hands. It was like a piece of paper wrinkled by time, and once touched by the twilight, it was instantly soaked through. Such stillness was heart-breaking. No leopard gecko would be willing to stay in someone's hands for a long time. I gently used tweezers to help it remove the delicate "little gloves" on its eyes and limbs. After molting, the leopard patterns on its body were clear and distinct. Occasionally, Xiaomai would make a faint "hissing" sound from its throat. Due to the warmth of my palm, its small body had changed from coffee-colored to bright yellow.

For two weeks, we were basically together 24 hours a day. Even at night, I would keep the reptile enclosure beside me. As long as there was the slightest noise inside, I would get up to check. I fed it painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs and smeared insect juice around its mouth. During these two weeks, I talked to it more than I had in the past ten years. The words I repeated the most were "Don't be afraid." Actually, these three words were meant to comfort myself. We always have to face farewells, but we can never be fully prepared for them.

Whether it was doing wildlife rescue or accompanying various small animals, over the years, I've gradually come to understand a fact: animals don't have the concept of life and death in their eyes. For them, happiness means being able to play and enjoy delicious food. At the very end of their lives, they don't feel fear.

That afternoon, I went to answer a phone call. After hanging up, I opened the reptile enclosure and said to Xiaomai, "Let me take you to see the sunset!" It was still lying beside its yellow water dish in a particularly comfortable position as before, and its body had already taken on the same color as the water dish. This was its most relaxed state. However, no matter how gently I called it, Xiaomai kept its eyes tightly closed, and the patterns on its eyelids overlapped. It must have been in a dream, and it didn't want me to disturb its peaceful sleep. It used all the strength it had in its life to curl its body into the shape it used to be in my palm, just to make me not feel too sad.

It passed away, breaking free from the shackles of time, just like water disappearing into water. Since it didn't show any sign of pain or struggle in its final state, and even looked more relaxed than usual, I let out a soft breath and wanted to smile, but tears poured down like a heavy rain hitting the window.

There were still pictures on my phone of how it looked when it was first brought here ten years ago. It was so small, just a little leopard gecko. A child gave it to my son who was in the third grade at that time because his family didn't allow him to keep it. When my son came home carrying the box, I was really startled. People say that cold-blooded animals as pets won't interact with people. In fact, the growth in the weight of reptile pets, the changes in their body shape, and their attitude towards people, from avoiding at first to ignoring later, are all their responses to us.

I've also seen some people who couldn't bear to see their pets suffering. They cried and asked for euthanasia for their pets, not wanting them to be tortured by illness at the end of their lives. Actually, making such a choice requires courage. But unfortunately, some owners feel that they can't face this moment and hide outside the door crying, while at this time, the pet is still trying its best to look for the most familiar figure in its own way.

Learning to understand the meaning of animal life and the significance of the companionship that small animals bring to us is a necessary lesson for every pet owner. Let our farewells to each other no longer be hidden and gloomy, but rather be filled with respect and love.