( ok i know the cat chapters are weird but stay with me this one's emotional )
"Will you shut up?" Soyeon hisses angrily.
"If I don't meow, they won't notice me!" Yuqi explains, jumping up on two paws to try and peer out of the glass to see if anyone has come into the pet shop. It's smart, since they were one out of so many other kitten enclosures, but..
"There aren't even any humans in here," Soyeon mutters, drawing a paw over her ear after licking it.
"Says you." Yuqi begins meowing again because the bells of the entrance door chime, indicating that someone had come in.
"Daddy, I want a fluffy one!!" They hear a little girl squeal as she runs through the shop past all of the lizards and snakes.
Yuqi's tail droops and Soyeon snickers. "I guess it's not your day today," she remarks, because Yuqi is not very fluffy at all, well, not compared to the other kittens in the shop. Despite having fun teasing her enclosure-mate, she also feels a twinge of happiness when the little girl didn't even look in their direction, going straight for the fluffiest kitten in a different cage.
Because the moment Yuqi gets adopted, she'll be alone. All alone. With no one to bother, no one to talk to, no one to eat with, nothing. And besides how annoying Yuqi is.. She can't help but want her around.
"Look!"
Soyeon lifts her head to see a teenage boy checking out the puppies, backing away once one of them started barking excitedly. She watches carefully as he comes towards the kitten section, stopping at the one next to theirs.
Yuqi lets out a loud meow, bringing the boy's attention to her.
"Well, aren't you cute?" he chuckles, tapping on the glass.
Yuqi rubs herself against the glass, meowing again and again until the guy leaves. Soyeon couldn't help but fall into a lying position in relief. But, the boy came back with one of the staff, lifting the top off of their cage and picking Yuqi up.
Yuqi began to purr the moment she was lifted gently into the boy's arms, even happier when he started to stroke at her head. "I.. I think I want to adopt this one," he says to the staff, and they nod, heading somewhere to fetch papers.
"Soyeon! Come on, he could adopt both of us!"
No, he won't, Soyeon's ears flatten and she shrinks farther into the corner of the cage. No one wants her, no one ever wanted her for one reason: she didn't look that 'cute'. It's not my fault I'm the daughter of a street cat... She doesn't really remember how it happened, or when, but she's always had a chunk taken out of her right ear, and not to mention, she doesn't take much interest in toys or giving affection to humans, which is an immediate turn down for buyers.
She blinks, watching as Yuqi sits perched on his shoulder while the teenager fills out some paperwork for adoption. And just like that, they leave. The top gets set back onto the cage and Yuqi doesn't care enough to even spare one glance at her.
Soyeon buries her face in her paws, curling up into a ball. Now, she was alone. Alone forever. How could she have been so dumb? Of course Yuqi was going to get adopted. But she couldn't help but wonder why no one had thought to move her to a cage with another kitten now. At least then she wouldn't be alone.
Alone, alone, alone..
She could finally eat as much as she wanted without Yuqi begging her for some. She could finally use the litter box without interruptions. She could finally nap on the blanket without having to share it.
But she doesn't want any of that. She didn't mind sharing her blanket or her food or her bathroom. She cared about Yuqi.
And now she is gone.
