Question: Pre flood: Gen 9:2 Was there a different relationship between the animal kingdom and man than there is today? (It seems odd that Eve would be sitting around in the garden and having a casual conversation with a serpent)
Answer: Apparently there was a different relationship. Keep in mind that her thoughts about a snake/serpent would have been completely different as a newly created woman prior to the Fall than our viewpoint today. Similarly, if animals were like animals today and didn’t speak she may not have understood or known that right away and wouldn’t have been overly surprised and leery of a talking snake or perhaps prior to the fall they did speak – we really do not know.