"Wake up, everyone."
Zane let out a quiet sigh as he heard someone speaking. He had been a prisoner of this world for six years, from the moment he was born up to now. People came by his cage and left, refusing to buy him. One time, when he was being taken back to his cage after getting a bath, he overheard two workers talking to each other.
"If someone doesn't buy Zane in two months, we'll have to... you know..." One of the workers had said, drawing their finger across their throat.
He knew what that meant. Everyone knew what it meant. It meant he would be killed if he didn't get purchased by a human, because no one would have wanted him otherwise. He knew he would never get bought. He wasn't anything cute or special, while so many others here were all that.
The sound of a cage lock coming undone sounded in his ears, making one of them twitch and flick. He reached up, scratching at his ear. He was a Meif'wa, separated from his family because he was a Meif'wa. His mother had been a Meif'wa, from what he remembered, but she was bought by his dad a while back.
He looked up when he felt arms grab him, gently lifting him up and carrying him out of the cage. He saw the familiar face of one of the workers smiling down at him, carrying him like a baby. He was six years old, but he was very light. He hardly ever ate his food, even though the workers did everything they could.
"Hey there, Zane..." The worker started, her voice soft and calm. "It's your lucky day today, little guy.."
Zane didn't understand what she had meant by that, but she started to carry him to the front of the store. That was the section where animal hybrids were adopted, and where all the care items were, like special foods and collars. He had never been up there before, so he hid his face in the worker's shoulder.
"Is that him?" A voice asked, and the worker nodded. "Can I hold him? Mommy, can I?"
"I don't know, Genie... he's six years old, he probably weighs a lot." A feminine voice sighed, uncertainty in her tone.
"I can hold him until the carrier gets here! I'm big and strong, just like dad!" The voice insisted, making their voice a bit deeper.
"Well.... alright, go ahead." The second voice, the mother, agreed.
Zane was lowered down from the worker's arms, and set into the hands of a new person. These arms were smaller than the worker's were, but still bigger than Zane's were. The worker guided the smaller person's hands to the proper places to hold Zane, supporting him so he could be held.
"He's very light." The younger person noted, looking up at their mother. "I bet Dante could hold him, if he was here."
"Gene, please be careful. He could claw or bite." His mother warned him, looking at the two with concerned eyes.
Zane finally looked up at the one holding him. It was a young boy, a few years older than he was. He was fairly tanned, with black hair like Zane's. He had two working eyes, while Zane only had one. They were a beautiful teal blue color, almost like the depths of the ocean or sapphires. His facial expression was friendlier than most, but Zane knew perfectly well that looks could be deceiving.
Once they got Zane in the carrier and to their house, a bowl of food was placed in front of him. He looked up at the mother of the two children, who he would have to call his master or owner from now on. She had been reading over the paper of information on Zane earlier, occasionally glancing into the living room to keep an eye on him, Gene, and Dante.
"You need to eat something, Zane." She sighed, calling Gene and Dante to the table so they could eat. "I made you your favorite, chicken and rice."
"Chicken for dinner again?" Gene groaned, getting into a chair and frowning.
"It's to welcome the pet you wanted oh so badly." His mother reminded him, sighing. "You can go another night eating chicken. Tomorrow we'll have hamburgers and hotdogs."
Zane didn't eat much of his food, like always. He picked at the chicken and stirred the rice around with his fork, occasionally glancing at one of his new owners. He noticed that Gene, the one who had been holding him at the adoption center, kept staring at him. It was a bit uncomfortable at this point, but there wasn't much Zane could say against his new owners.
"Can Zane sleep in my room?" Gene asked his mother once dinner was over, and they were heading to their rooms. "Pleeaaase?"
"Well... alright, but he sleeps on the floor." His mother agreed, but kept her tone strict.
"Why can't he sleep on the bed with me?" He asked, picking Zane up.
"There's only enough room on the bed for one of you, sweetie." She sighed, but Zane knew the real reason.
"Oh alright..." He pouted, carrying Zane to his room.
The bedroom was small, but a kid didn't need that big of a room anyway really. There was a closet for Gene's clothes, a box for any toys he still played with, a bed, a window, and a ceiling fan. There were posters of female celebrities and models who were popular with boys on the walls, as well as a framed picture of Gene and Dante on the nightstand. (How come every time I go to write Dante I pressed 'r' instead of 't'.) The window had a small ledge in the room, like an open bay window, where Gene layed him down gently.
"Night, kitty." Gene yawned, before hopping into his bed.
Zane let out a small yawn of his own, using his arms as a pillow for the night. He curled up into a comfortable position, laying his tail along one of his legs. He took a deep breath, letting himself be consumed by the darkness of the night and sleep.
A few minutes later, Gene turned over in his bed. He stared at Zane with tired eyes, watching as the six year-old Meif'wa slept. The rise and fall of his back told him he was still breathing, which was a very good thing. His eyes landed on the collar around Zane's neck, a solid black band of leather with spikes. Gene had picked it out himself.
He put on a small smile, sitting up as he propped himself with an elbow against the bed. He grabbed his phone and powered it on, swiping his thumb across the screen. He input the password, opening the camera app. He took a few pictures of Zane, sending a quick message to Zenix and Sasha in their group chat. He placed it back down on the nightstand, resting his head back down on the pillows.
When the next day came, he had invited Zenix and Sasha over. While they were both supposed to be fascinated by his new pet, Zenix took more interest in Dante, and Sasha kept stuffing her face in the fridge.
"Zenix, get off my brother. Sasha, out of my fridge. Zane, get out from behind the TV." Gene groaned, sitting down on the couch.
Zenix and Sasha ignored him, but Zane jumped out from his hiding spot. He strutted over to Gene, sitting down next to him as chaos took place.
"Kitty." Gene nicknamed, petting Zane's twitchy Meif'wa ears.
