Cats and Dogs

Chapter 1: Moving in

Liam's POV

"Yes mom I've got everything I need, toothbrush, blankets, sheets, everything." My mother nodded with tears running down her face, ears and tail swishing about distastefully, "Phone charger too? I expect daily calls, it's not everyday my baby boy goes to college!" I chuckle as I wipe her tears.

My mom was a short woman but was a force to be reckoned with if you rilled her up, which my older siblings often did. "Yes charger too I promise." I tell her

"Okay well we love you Liam, with all of our hearts." She says as my dad wraps his arms around her shoulders for a sideways hug. I was trying to get this over with as fast as I could. I love my family don't get me wrong but having my mom crying on the sidewalk in front of the dorms was a tad embarrassing.

My eldest brother Leroy followed by our middle siblings the twins, James and Lilly, come up to me and wrap me in a group hug. My siblings had all finished college all born a few years ahead of me.

"Don't forget about us while you party it up here alright." Leroy says ruffling my hair making my ears press against my head.

"You know I'm not a party person." I say batting his hands away.

"Just don't stay cooped up in your room all year alright? This is college live it up!" Says James. I shake my head, he had gotten him and Lilly into many scuffles with his carefree attitude.

"I love you guys," I say as my mom and dad join the hug ,"I'll be home once a month so don't let James turn my room into a bar."
James scoffs as the rest of my family pulls away. "See you later jerk." He says smiling as he and the rest of my family get into the car.

I wave as they drive away until I can't see the car anymore.

This is it, college.

After getting my room key and getting told I'll have two roommates from the front desk lady I go and lug my things up the stairs.

The building smells of many other shifters which would make sense since it's a mostly shifter college. Humans and shifters coexist and actually get along quite well. Most of them don't mind that we can turn into animals and have ears and tails corresponding to our shift as well as heightened senses.

Of corse there is always the occasional weirdo who tells you to go back to the woods but you can't have everything.

I make my way down the hall looking for my room.

206, 207, ah 208

As I open the door I take in the interior of the room. Empty beds,naked walls, no sign of other people in sight.

I guess my roommates haven't arrived yet

I walk over to the bed closest to the wall, furthest from the door. I decide on this bed in case one of my roommates works weird hours. I'll be less likely to be waken up by the door if I'm all the way over here I think to myself.

I yawn feeling drowsy from all the emotions. A quick nap won't hurt anyone I'll put the sheets and covers on later. I tell myself, right before succumbing to the darkness.

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I jolt awake to the door slamming open and voices. I feel so disoriented for a second, forgetting where I am that I slip right off the edge of my bed to the floor.

"Oof!" I say upon impact.

"Whoops sorry cutie didn't mean to scare ya!" Says a man at least eight inches taller than me. I was pretty average height at 5'8 but this guy was huge.

I just blink away the drowsiness as I get back on my bed when a second man walks in. If I thought the first guy was tall this man was huge. He had to be at least 3 inches taller then the first guy. They could totally pummel me if they wanted to.

"This your room?" The second man asks. I slowly nod my head. I can't smell what exact shift they are but I can tell they are shifters, and I can tell they are in the canine family with their bushy tails and tall ears.

Oh boy, cats and dogs never mix.

He smiles and walks over to my bed before sticking his hand out. "Owen Smith and this is my boyfriend, Morgan Lewis." He says as I shake his hand.

"Liam Jenkins nice to meet you."

Morgan walks over before sticking his hand out as well. "Sorry again for waking you, we didn't mean to scare you." He seamed genuinely sorry as he smiled down at me, tail wagging slowly behind him.

"Nah it's fine I shouldn't be sleeping at this time anyways." I say looking at my watch. It was 3:12 meaning I still had to unpack, double check my schedule, and eat a very late lunch.

I stand up as they walk over to the other beds, moving the dressers around before pushing them together.

As I searched for my wallet to grab lunch I tried to figure out their shifts. Owen seemed like he carried himself  with dignity and pride, the kind only a wolf could while Morgan seemed more carefree and fun-loving. A fox or a coyote maybe.

After locating my wallet and phone I stretched my back yawning before walking to the door.

"You going to get food?" Morgan asks me as my hand touches the doorknob.

"Yeah I was just going to walk around and see what I could find." I say. I didn't really know of anything in the area I was just hoping to get lucky.

"You shouldn't go by yourself," Owen says," what if you get jumped? You're not very big."

He said it not as an insult but as a fact. I mean I wasn't very big, just reaching average height.

"Do you guys wanna come?" I ask. I don't know who else he expected me to go with, I didn't know anyone else here.

"Sure," Morgan said cheerily, grabbing his phone "come on Owen let's get this show on the road."

"Alright then." I say. I had a feeling that maybe this year wouldn't be so bad.

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(Author's Note)
I've adjusted a few things to this chapter from when I first published it so if you read this chapter before it was edited I suggest reading it again or some things will not make sense. Also all of the shifters in this book have animal characteristics like ears and tails that correspond to their shift. I hope that's not confusing but just imagine a human with ears and a tail. The ears and tail are the ones from their animal that they shift into but if anyone has any questions I'll be glad to answer them! Have a good day/night!