Zoophobia: Alternative

Across the Universe -- Part 2

Ryan, completely stunned, just stared ahead at the outlandish display right in front of him. His face a mixture of shock and confusion, his mouth hung open as his brain rewired itself rapidly so that it could better attempt to process just what the everloving hell he was looking at.

Ryan's current state of mind was not helped in the slightest when one of the creatures in front of him, a tall, lanky, fancily-dressed creature with a serpentine appearance juxtaposed with his dark red fur, stepped forward, grasped his hand, and began to shake it.

"Welcome to the zoo, Mr. Walker!" the creature said, smiling. "Well... hah! Of course, it isn't actually a zoo. Kinda ironic that I just called it that, really! Hahahahaha..."

As the red thing started to laugh, a cyan-skinned bipedal turtle was the next to shake the shocked Ryan's hand.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, my boy," the turtle-person said, bowing his head respectfully before letting go of Ryan's hand and stepping away.

Just then, Ryan felt someone grab him by the elbow, and looked over his shoulder into the face of an anthropomorphic lizard-looking woman with short blonde hair, dressed like a cowgirl and wearing a fedora, who was inspecting his arm like a drill sergeant.

"This kid sure is a scrawny, gangly, shaky li'l thing, ain't he?" the lizard-woman said, raising an eyebrow.

"Carrie."

The next voice, carrying a smooth, laid-back quality, came from a humanoid fox with red fur, dressed in grey pants and a blue sports jacket.

"Don't make him feel self-conscious. He looks alright to me."

"I'll take your word for that, Fabian!"

A slightly silent voice with a hissing quality to it joined the conversation, belonging to a quasi-humanoid reptilian being with green skin, shaggy black hair, and eerily blank eyes, who rested his arms on the fox's head.

"Good evening! Wait, no, actually... morning? Day!"

The whole area went silent. Everyone present stood in silence, including Ryan, who didn't move a muscle as he was surrounded by the entire group of bipedal animals. The air started to feel awkward and tense without anybody doing or saying anything. That was, until Ryan's chest heaved outward as he inhaled heavily through his mouth.

And then he screamed. Loudly.

Ryan's shriek of terror was enough to make Carrie flinch at how loud and high-pitched it was.

"Yeesh, that kid is loud!"

Ryan bolted away, seeking to gain some distance between himself and the animals, before he skidded to a halt, shoes grinding on the rooftop's surface, and summoned his psychic powers, eyes and hands blazing indigo.

"Stay back, you freaks of nature!" he shouted. "I can move things with my mind! I'm warning you!"

The animals didn't respond. Instead, they stared at Ryan, confused.

Just then, the tallest of the group, a humanoid cheetah in a black suit and pants, stepped forward, his face calm yet stern and authoritative.

"Mr. Walker, please calm yourself," he said. His voice was soft and low-pitched. "You are not in any danger-"

"Back, I said!" Ryan shouted as he thrust out his arms.

The cheetah grunted as he was telekinetically pushed backward, but otherwise, remained unharmed. Meanwhile, Ryan, seizing his chance to escape, whipped back around and made a beeline toward the edge of the rooftop.