Run Away With Me, Pet Shapeshifter

Parents, of some sort

A/N: This chapter contains materials potentially upsetting to those who are sensitive to child abuse. The abuse is mostly limited to this chapter, feel free to skip it. I will include a brief summary at the bottom of the page for those who cannot read it.

When I followed Liana into the house, I wasn't much surprised. It was messy, trash and bottles on the floor, strewn about with little care. The carpet was torn up and stained, I wasn't sure of the original color. A television was playing loudly in another room. The alien girl who had purchased me looked fearful once again, gripping my rope closer, as if something might snatch me away. My heart sank for her. The more children you have, you more you feel for other's. I have had more children than any human would, so this poor girl resonated in my heart. She may have been well over my height, but I still saw a child in her eyes.

A shrill voice shrieked through the house. I couldn't understand her, as I couldn't see her face, but pitch and tone of voice told me it belong to an angry female Alvar. Both Liana and I drew back from the voice. I was startled and she was scared.

"Yes!" She shouted to the voice, her own wavering. My heart was racing at this point. Who would treat their child like this? These people weren't good. Liana seemed kind, but her parents scared her. No one should ever be scared of their parents.

This time, a booming voice came from the other room. Liana drew back, ushering me through a door and into a room. I didn't observe my surroundings immediately, instead opting to watch my new owner while hiding behind the door. I huge Alvar approached Liana, he was more than twice her size, and his body language screamed aggression. He was pissed off.

"You know you have to tell us when you come home! We could've shot you!"

" I-I'm sorry... I won't do it again! "

"Damn right you won't. Where is the damn animal you were bringing home?"

"In my room."

"Good. Don't what the stupid thing getting into my merchandise." With that statement, he grabbed Liana and all but tossed her into to room. I drew back, hiding myself further behind the door. As much as I'd have loved to defend the young Alvar, I was of little use against anyone in my current form, let alone against such a big alvar. I'd only stir the pot. Instead, I opted to rush to her after he had slammed the door, loudly locking it from the outside.

Liana was chuffing. It is a behavior performed by big cats on earth, known to have the same meaning as purring. In Alvar, however, it mean she was crying. While they don't cry like we do, with tears and runny noses, their chuffing showed the same emotions. She laid on the floor, where she had fallen when her father all but chucked her into the room. I knelt beside her, touching her head in an attempt to comfort her. Letting is taboo to cuckoolines. Not only is it a behavior only performed by mothers on their young, but I was currently in a submissive situation. It would be incredibly odd (and perhaps disrespectful in her books) to pet her. However, just touching her, like I did that afternoon, was fine.

At my touch, she lifted her head to look at me. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't manage a comforting smile. The fear of my situation and future (that alien seemed all but caring for his own daughter, let alone an individual from another species), along with the disgust I felt towards her parents, were too much to muster a smile for her. Instead, she found one for me. She pulled herself upright, giving me a small, half smile for my troubles. I realized immediately why she had purchased me.

I was correct earlier in the day. Her intentions were neither wholly selfish or selfless. She was lonely in this household. It seemed the only people around to love her had none to spare. She needed someone, something, anything to keep her company, to care about her. She also needed someone to love. Someone to take care of, something she could comfort when it was scared. Upon this revelation, I allowed her to hold me when I felt furry arms wrap around me. She enveloped me in a huge, warm hug. After a moment, she leaned back and looked at me, giving me another smile.

"It's going to be okay, I promise."

~~~

After several hours, we heard a knock on the door. She had been showing me various things in her surprisingly tidy room, most of which looked like they were found in a junk yard. After a few quick, harsh knocks, the door swung open. A skinny female Alvar came in, her face covered in makeup and various cheap looking jewelry. Liana didn't seem quite as scared as with her father, but not happy to see her in the slightest.

"Where's the money for that thing?" She waved a smoldering cigarette in my direction. I watched, perplexed, as Liana pulled a stack of books out of her pocket, handing them to her money. Without a word, she counted the money. Once finished, the Alvar closed the door, locking us in again.

Was Liana paying her parents to keep me? This was ridiculous! They lock her in her room, throw her around, yell at her when she gets home, then charge her for a pet she paid for in the first place? I looked at Liana questioning her.

"Don't worry. They're going out for the night. We'll sneak out when they're gone, and when they get back, they'll have forgotten having locked us in." She didn't answer my question, but at least she tried. She had no way to know what I wanted to know, she was neither empath nor Cuckooline .

*~*~*~*

After a few more minutes of silence, we heard the front door shut and several locks being locked. Liana immediately pulled what appeared to be a hobby pin from one of her drawers. After just a few seconds of fiddling, she undid the lock that held us in the room. She slowly pushed the door open, checking both parents were gone. She motioned for me to follow her out, which I did, with much deserved caution.

We left into the kitchen first, where she opened a cabinet and reached deep inside. I heard a loud pop, and peeked inside. There was a secret compartment she had made in the back of the mostly empty space. Inside were various foods, most freeze dried it seemed. She pulled several packets out, explaining to me the contents. I chose what I wanted to eat, and she pulled out two plastic bowls that were nestled in the back.
Most sinks on this planet included an extra tap that dispensed boiling water. Liana used this tap,pouring boiling water over both our meals.

"That needs to soak for five minutes. Don't touch it until I'm back okay? I need to shower." She jogged into what I assumed to be the bath room for several minutes.

We ate when she was done. The food was bland, but good otherwise. We used plastic spoons and our hands, I washed mine dutifully while she was in the shower. I make do in the wild with boiled water, but it was nice to have soap. Afterwards, she used me into the shower and let me wash myself.

Cuckoolines are naked much the time in the wild, as we turn into various animals. That mentality bleeds over into our human forms as well. Long before this point in time, clothing had become a habit more than a necessity. We generally trust each other, only feeling as if we need clothing around humans or aggressive aliens, but wearing them around each other anyways. I wouldn't have much minded if Liana didn't give me privacy, the Manori sure didn't. I trusted her. It was a nice courtesy for her to give me privacy to shower.

With a full belly and a shower done, we both headed back to the room. Liana replaced her hiding place for food, tucking the lock pick back where she had retrieved it. We climbed into the bed together (I didn't mind. Cuckoolines slept in big piles all the time. I had actually missed having someone close at night) and hunkered down for some rest before facing what tomorrow held for us.

Published 1/27/19

Summary:

Liana takes stormy inside, where they are locked inside her bedroom. It is revealed that Liana is paying her parents to let her keep stormy. She got stormy so she would have a friend. They sneak out of the bedroom after her parents leave, retrieving food from a hiding spot and having dinner and showers. They go to bed afterwards.