Kitten

Chapter 1

        Murdoc sighed softly as he stood in front the doorway to the shelter. He'd been feeling somewhat lonely lately, not enough for him to be concerned but it certenly had most of his friends worried. One of his closer ones, Russel, had mentioned getting a hybrid recently, a small girl he could call his own and keep him company. The last he remembered Russel had always wanted kids, so it wasn't too out of the relm of possibilities for him to have gotten one. On his most recent visit the kitten was still learning how to speak properly, and even though it was cute at first hearing the kitten whine for Russel every ten seconds when the other was away got annoying.

"She's just afraid that I'll abandon her. They're like children at first after all." Russel had explained to him.

He went on to explain how most hybrids were sold without the ability to even talk, something along the lines of teaching them how to speak strengthened the bond between them though Murdoc didn't exactly care to listen to every last detail so he just took the elders word for it. He had to admit he was a bit happy at the thought of having company other than the occasional bird popping in, though he would never admit to that. He took in a short breath moments later, still thinking how stupid the idea could be, though in the end he decided he'd at least have a look, see if any of the little animals caught his eye.

"Hello, I'm Serri. How can I help you today?" She spoke when Murdoc entered, her voice sweet like sugar.

"Hello," He hummed, trying not to seem too interested. "I'm.... somewhat interested in adopting one of your hybrids today."

"Oh, well I can assure you you've come to the top seller in the country. Is there any breed you're looking for today?"

"I don't have experience with real animals aside from the stray cats around the block, I thought maybe a kitten would be fitting."

"Ah... Well I'm sorry we're all out of the younger ones, Kittens are quite popular after all. We do have a few older ones in the back if you still want a cat. If not we have plenty of puppies or rabbits."

"Mm, I've had my heart set on a cat, so I'll take a look, then decide if you don't mind."

The woman nodded and stepped from behind her desk, leading Murdoc down the hall into a back room, then into a smaller one to his right. The room was lined wall to wall with cages, which were more of small rooms with a glass wall to see into them, Hybrids nestled in their beds our out lounging around for the day as they waited for someones attention. Serri turned back towards Murdoc with a smile before giving him a small nod, letting him know that he was free to look around for the time being.

He gave her a small nod back and started to walk around, taking a look into each cage he passed. Most of them were awake, either watching him or playing around on their own; but none really stood out to him until he reached a cage at the back of the room. It was smaller than the others, a bit dirtier as if the attendants had left the room to rot after an accident. He almost walked right by it, thinking it was just a spare room that would be cleaned out when they got a new cat to add in with the rest of them. It wasn't until he spotted the small bit of movement on the bed that he stopped, looking back at the cat inside.

This one was much smaller than the others from what he could tell, practically skin and bones under the thin blanked that seemed to drape over him. His skin was a sickly pale as if he hadn't gone outside in months; his hair a soft blue that contrasted against his skin in the most beautiful way. His ears were pressed flat to his head and his fluffy tail wrapped around his waist as he slept with out a care in the world. Murdoc knew right away that if he were to buy a hybrid, this was the one he wanted.