“Why do I have to switch him out?” Griffin mumbled to himself as he waited impatiently for the big cat to fall asleep from the tranq he received.
“Because Karlof is out sick and Neuro told you to.” Tox reminded him, her tranquilizer gun at her side. “That and you’re the fastest one here. You can outrun him if he decides to take a bite out of you.” She grinned and Griffin looked at her insulted.
“Relax. This guy is pretty tame.” Tox says, seeing the snow leopard begin to waver on his feet. “Zane isn’t prone to violence. Now if it were Cole or heaven forbid Kai, then you’d have your work cut out for you. He’s down now. Just get in, put him on the moving crate, strap him down, get him to the other habitat so we can do maintenance on the air conditioning on his unit and bring him back after. That’s all.” She says, patting his shoulder before walking off.
“Not even a helping hand yo?” Griffin asked and Tox scoffed.
“I’m a doctor, not an animal mover.” Tox told him with a grin, chuckling as she went on her merry way.
“The abandonment yo.” Griffin says, placing his hand over his chest before peering into the freezing cold habitat.
There lay the disoriented snow leopard the Elemental Alliance Wildlife Rehabilitation Center was alarmed but thankful to receive and care for. Snow leopards were endangered after all but this kind of snow leopard was even more endangered. Almost nonexistent. Griffin sighed once he noticed the leopard’s eyes finally closed. He gave himself a light mental pep talk before opening the doors with the carrying crate, shivering immediately at just how cold this place was. He wheeled it over to the out cold creature then knelt to take a better look at him, despite his mind screaming this was a bad idea. He was one of a huge population of human beings to take on animal characteristics hundreds of years back after some phenomenon blah, blah, blah. When Neuro started getting into his science-y talk, he starts zoning out. He had a lot of human features though. White hair with sparse black spots to match his white and black spotted fur that covered most of his body, his ears that stuck out through his hair on the top of his head that were definitely leopard-like, his odd legs that were crossed between a human and a leopard’s that allowed him to walk on all fours and twos, his ridiculously long but quite fluffy tail, his white, retractable claws on his padded half human hands… Griffin was curious now. He hesitates, catching a glimpse of his fangs from his mostly closed mouth. He went for it, opening his human shaped mouth careful not to block his pink tipped nose as he looked inside. Wow teeth. Sharp, pointy teeth. Those canines are something else! These guys are actually pretty cool! He startles back, landing on his ass once Zane gave a sudden huff. Griffin looked at him with eyes wide and heart pounding before he relaxed, seeing that he hasn’t woken up.
Fuck that would have been bad. While Zane is pretty tame from what he’s seen in passing, he can still be riled up and he is fucking scary mad. He got to his feet again, deciding to stop messing around. Any more of this cold and he’ll start getting frostbite too. He slipped his arms under the limp body of the demi human then lifted, his eyes bulging on just how heavy this guy is. Well, considering that he is bigger than him, he shouldn’t be surprised. He hoisted him up with a grunt then crab walked over to the crate and carefully set him down, panting heavily once he did. Holy shit. Maybe they should cut him back on the mutton, yeah? He strapped him tightly but not enough to damage their most prized animal. Zane was a special case. He wasn’t a catch and release kind of patient.
He was a ‘keep away from the other demi human snow leopards because he hated socializing and will attack pushy females in heat’ kind of case. And given that there are only 2 entire wildlife preservation and rehabilitation centers for demi humans in the entire world, they got to keep him, what with their location in the temperate zone to the south where there was a major snow covered mountain range that ran into the Elemental Alliance’s Wildlife Preservation area as well. He was just being kept in the rehabilitation area to help him adjust to different plants and animals here. That and they aren’t sure on how well he’d survive out there on his own as the only one of his kind. They wanted him to make friends but they had no clue where to begin as they had no other demi human that are situated to cold temperatures like he is yet.
Griffin carried him out- then found himself at a loss. Where was he supposed to put him again?
“Fuck me.” Griffin groaned to the ceiling. “If I ask Neuro again, he’ll give me a lecture for sure yo.” He sighed, then considered the rehab center.
He was definitely sure that he was supposed to go into one of the habitats inside. But there were a fuck load of them on the inside.
“Griffin, my office.” Griffin jolted then, hearing Neuro over the intercom and he did not sound happy.
Griffin looked around quickly before perking up at the sight of spots through another viewing window in the large hall.
“They both have spots so they should get along, right?” Griffin reasoned then rushed over, beaming even more to see a dual way entry. He put in his code, going into the first set of doors then quickly unstrapping the snow leopard and opening the second door.
He heaved Zane in, leaving him to lay on the ground before the second door and quickly headed back out, hearing Neuro calling him again with even more impatience in his tone.
“Sit still for a while! I’ll be back! I promise!” Griffin told the unconscious demi human through the door then rushed off to Neuro’s office.
Here’s to hoping he didn’t find out about him giving the avian type demi humans extra snacks…
Meanwhile, golden orange eyes glowed from the thick brush of plants in the habitat before the creature possessing them walked out, curious to what was left in his area. He could have used the human as a means to escape but then he caught a glimpse of what he was carrying… He was intrigued. The jaguar demi human with a fresh scar over his left eye approached the limp figure at the door, tilting his head to the side as he inspected them. He leaned his head down and sniffed at him- only for his pupils to blow wide as his whiskers tingled at the unknown but very pleasant smell that filled his nose, but they weren’t moving. They must have put them to sleep. He nudged them over on their back and his breath caught at their pale, pretty face. He was the prettiest male he’s come across. White fur too… His spots are different that his though. And his tail is really long. Cole hesitates then reached out to touch it. Soft! He kneaded at it, seating himself to do so with both paw like hands. He didn’t know how long he sat there, batting around and kneading at his tail before a low sound came from him.
Cole looked to his face then blinked to find the spots where he had no fur all shiny. Sweat, he remembers. He rarely does that but when he does, it’s because he’s really hot. Cole blinked at that. He’s really hot! That wasn’t good! He almost blacked out the last times he sweat like that! He scooped him in his arms before carefully standing on his back paws and looked around quickly. His eyes zoned in on his artificial pond before he quickly trots over, walking in with the odd creature and sunk him in. The water was colder than he was used to out in the jungle but it was perfect in this case. It wasn’t very deep, about thigh high in the middle. He sat in the pond, lowering him with him, holding his head up and the rest of him under so he doesn’t float. He sat there in the pool of water that now reached his upper shoulders, wondering when was he going to wake up. A long time was the answer. Cole had sat there in the shallow pond until he had even started to drift off, the only thing waking him was his body just starting to float when his arms went lax.
What felt like an eternity later, a low groan caught his ears. He looked down at him as he scrunched his face up, blinking his eyes open slowly. Cole openly stared, awed by the intense blue of his eyes. They were blue like the sky and beautiful. He focused a bit more and Cole blinked once he found his hand on his face. He gave a curious sound, struggling to focus and Cole only gave a low growl, urging him to rest more since he was clearly out of it. Zane was confused as to why he felt wet or who the person holding him was but he was too disoriented to ignore the lull of sleep to escape the fuzzy mess of his mind. Cole sat there still, looking at him still. He was like nothing he’s never seen before… He wanted to see more…
Zane woke up with a languid stretch, turning over to knead his pawed hands into the snow- only for him to have a face full of water. He jolted back, landing on his hands and feet as he coughed and sneezed from the water that rushed up in his mouth and nose. He blinked once he heard laughter immediately follow then looked up to see an… He blinked at the odd leopard before him. He wasn’t white… He had golden brown skin and yellow brown fur with black spots. He was much bigger than he was too. He was… Different to say the least. Zane tilted his head to the side, the tip his long tail flicking back and forth with his peaked interest. He padded over as the strange leopard continued to laugh, pushing off his hands once the water got too deep. Cole’s laughter stopped abruptly once he came face to face with those pretty blue eyes that were filled with curiosity. Cole remained still once he leaned in and scented him, not wanting to chase the strange creature away. Zane took a quick sniff close to his neck- before his eyes blew wide at the scent that filled his nose. It was something he hadn’t smelled often, living where he had all his life.
It was earthy like soil when rain fell on it. He… He liked it. He placed both hands on his shoulders, sniffing at him more before rubbing his head against him with a purr, rubbing his scent on himself. Cole’s pupils blew wide as he did, curious at the strange rumbly sound he was making but gladly rubbing against him too, his hands coming to his waist where he was half in his lap. Cole slid his tongue out, licking at his ear and Zane gasped, a spine tingling shiver running through him, down to the very tip of his tail. He purrs louder, melting against him as the other Leopard licked at his ears with his rough tongue, hand firm around his waist, his thick claws pressing lightly into his fur. Zane licked at his neck distractedly, his tail curling around his leg as the air got hot and heady… Hot… Zane pulled back though reluctantly, panting from the heat. He looked around, blinking at the jungle themed enclosure, a sight he’s never seen before. How did he get here? He thought back for a bit. He was taken to a strange place three days ago and then he was hit with another one of their weapons… And now he was here. He gave a low moan of distress, feeling as if he was melting. Cole tensed at the distressed scent and sound the pretty creature made before shifting forward, urging him to sink deeper into the water. Blue eyes looked at him confused but he complied and sunk deeper until just his nose up was out of the water. It felt good against his fur so he was more than happy to stay there. Cole got out, knowing ponds were quick to heat up the more warm bodied animals inside it. He instead sat at the water’s banks, his tail flickering anxiously as he watched the beautiful creature to make sure he wasn’t getting worse.
Meanwhile, Neuro had chewed Griffin out to the bone three hours ago for feeding the avians corn on the cob and warned him if he messed up again, he’d fire him, boyfriend or not. Tox, Shade and Ash laughed at the glum Griffin at their place in the cafeteria eating lunch as he pouted, knowing he’ll be on the couch for a week for this.
“This is a new level of stupidity, even for you Griff.” Ash chuckled, wiping away tears from his eyes.
“Shut up.” Griffin huffed, shooting him a glare.
“But for real.” Shade says more serious now. “They might be part human and have the capacity to digest most foods we can, but they’ll eventually be released into the wild where they won’t get butter covered corn on the cob. If they get addicted to that kind of food, they’ll be in big trouble in the wild. You better watch yourself or else I’ll personally kick your ass too.” He threatened.
“Believe me yo, I’ve learned my lesson.” Griffin says, wincing as he remembered how much Neuro had yelled at him until he had a headache immediately. “This reserve stuff is harder than I thought yo.” He sighs, knowing he really has to watch what he does from now on.
“You only need common sense Griffin.” Tox says dryly and he shot her a glare.
“Griffin!” Said man lifted his head, looking to where Chamille was walking towards him, looking perplexed.
“Where’s Zane? He’s not in the empty tiger demi-human habitat.” Chamille asked, cutting him off and Griffin went pale quick.
“... Griffin. Tell me you didn’t lose the ultra rare, ultra endangered snow leopard demi human.” Ash says serious now, ready to bodily slam him if he did.
“Uh. No. I know where he is.” Griffin says and they relaxed some. “The problem is… Where he is…” He adds and they tensed all over again.
“Griffin. Griffin where the fuck did you put him?!” Shade asked with a growl, reaching across to grab him by the front of his shirt.
“In uh…” Griffin gulped. “In… Cole’s… Habitat…” He says sheepishly and there was a moment of silence before Griffin was tossed aside in favor of them all rushing off to the habitat, praying to whoever’s out there that Zane hadn’t passed due to overheating or worse, Cole, the aggressive, ready to be released Jaguar male hadn’t mauled him.
Ash got there first, peering in through the observation window. Immediately, he spotted the Jaguar gnawing on a bone then paled as his stomach dropped.
“Oh no.” Tox says, seeing the same scene.
“He actually ate him? But… I don’t see any blood…” Shade says looking around for any signs of it.
“Oh he’s alive. Thank fuck.” Griffin panted as he looked in and they looked at him puzzled. “There he is.” He pointed out the head in the pond Cole was gnawing his bone next to.
True to his word, there Zane was, lapping at the water he was in, most likely to keep cool. The group gave a collective sigh of relief.
“Alright. He’s alive and ok. But how do we get him from out there? Cole is passive to him but not so much us.” Shade pointed out.
“Yeah? Well I think the one who got him in there should be the one to take him out.” Tox says, throwing a glare at Griffin before heading off for her tranq gun.
“Tox is right. We’ll take Cole out first then Zane. You have to go in there before the sedatives fully set in though. Zane’s in the water. He’ll drown if we don’t at least keep his head above the surface.” Chamille says and Griffin scrubbed his face with both hands.
Cole watched the other creature as he lapped at the water he was in, looking bored as he crouched there. He idly gnawed at the bone from his breakfast, feeling as bored as he looked. If he didn’t need to stay in the water, he would gladly groom is pretty fur and mark him all over with his scent so everyone knew he claimed him as his. He was also curious at what other new sounds he could get out of him. He tensed once a familiar sound caught his ear, just as a dart lodged into his thigh. He was immediately on all fours, looking towards the high platform where the green haired human had shot him from. He growled, thick fangs on display as he rushed over to where she was but she had already closed the reinforced window out of his reach. Zane watched him curiously as he showed aggression for the first time. He looked more primal, more terrifying. Here was a male in his prime, snarling defensively at where the human once was. It was…
A low purr had the water around him rippling steadily. Attractive. But he understood the humans were encroaching again and rose up out of the water the heat that hit him, especially with the sun reaching him through the trees of the outside enclosure, was almost too much. Cole’s huff has him focusing on him and he mewed, gesturing with his head for him to get back in. Zane frowned but does so, his tail swishing underwater anxiously. Cole walked around the pond, pacing the length of the bank between Zane and the humans watching them through the strange cave he would have long dug out if there wasn’t super strong shiny vines keeping him just out of its reach. He paced, throwing them an occasional snarl once they moved unexpectedly. He had a feeling in his gut that they wanted his creature but he had already claimed the beauty as his own and he wasn't going to give it up, their sleeping spell or not. He could feel the concoction trying to pull him under but he declined to go down. He won’t. He refused.
“He’s not going down.” Tox says with a frown, watching him as he kept stalking back and forth.
“Give him another shot.” Shade told her.
“His dosage was already high. I don’t want to overdose him.” Tox pointed out and Shade frowned as he considered this.
“We’ll need to get him down to get Zane out of there. Give him another half dosage.” He told her and she looked him over before nodding then heading towards the platform.
“What if he doesn’t go down?”Griffin asked them.
“Then Zane would eventually succumb to overheating. That pond isn’t enough to keep him cool for long.” Shade says with a frown.
Cole snarled as he saw her again up there again, getting on his hind legs so he could swipe deadly claws in her direction. She retaliated by hitting him with another dart, the small needle sticking in his arm. He swatted it away but it had already done its part. Moments later, Cole was stumbling, the world spinning around him. Zane gave a yowl of of distressing concern and Cole turned to him, only to immediately collapse just before the water, barely able to keep his eyes opened. He saw the moment Zane was also shot in his neck now exposed from where he was raising up out of the water. He weakly reached out to where the white blur of Zane was, seeing him moving through the water before him. Zane ignored the heat of being outside the pond and nuzzled the other leopard, giving a low mew of concern as he did, looking around warily. He then licked at Cole’s face and ears as he struggled not to drift off, surprising the team watching them.
“No way…” Ash says in awe, watching the two interact. “Do you think then… That he might have made friends with Zane?” He asked Chamille who was the specialist in demi human behaviors.
“It looks like it.” She says in awe. “That’s a feat on its own. Neither of them are social creatures. This proves that they both have the capacity to socialize.” Chamille says then smirked as she crossed her arms.
“They’re just fucking picky.” She huffed.
“Then do we have to send him back?” Ash asked, disappointed.
“Not without seeing how he interacts with others of his kind which isn’t going to happen soon and they’ve already scrubbed their hands of him.” Chamille says as Zane also began to stumble before laying down next to Cole, panting heavily as his eyes began to fall shut.
Zane gave a soft, pitiful mew, his paw on Cole’s who was losing the struggle to stay awake. Cole only managed a comforting grunt, watching as his beautiful creature’s eyes slowly shut. He heard as the door opened, heard the crate being rolled over. He managed a growl at the human with strange red eye coverings and he tensed but realised that he couldn’t move. Griffin looked down at them, at Zane’s hand on Cole’s, at how close they seemed in these past few hours. Friends, huh… He lifted Zane up, lifting him over to the crate and set him down heavily before strapping him in. With that, he gave Cole one more look, his heart clenching at the almost heart broken look he gave Zane before he succumbed to the trans shots. He feels as if he's committing a crime.
"Hurry up Griffin! He'll overheat!" Shade yelled and Griffin only nods, pushing Zane put and away from Cole.
Chamille on the other hand took the time to draw a blood sample, curious as to how he managed to hold up from that much tranq dosage for as long as he has.
"Griffin." Neuro sighed as he rubbed his aching temple.
"Look, I really am sorry Oreo. I'm trying my best, honest I am." Griffin says, reaching across the desk to take his free hand. "I know I messed up- again but I'll do better. I’ll do things right. I swear!" He promises and Neuro looked at him with unimpressed gray eyes before he sighed again.
"The only reason you haven't been fired just now is because of the information we've gotten off of the incident. The hormone levels Cole had then was impressive. Chamille is still running tests.” Neuro says, interested on the results himself before fixing a glare at Griffin again. “Karlof will be back tomorrow and you’ll take on sanitary duties until further notice.” He says and Griffin bit back a protest to nod.
He rather scoop poop than be jobless and boyfriendless.
The day that followed was met with a lot of commotion.
Cole wanted his creature back, roaring up a storm and scratching at the door, looking for any way out to get to him, wherever he was. It was making feeding him very difficult. They had no choice but to throw the slabs of meat over the top of his enclosure but he didn’t so much as sniff in the direction of where the bloody slabs lay. Usually, he’d tear right into his meals but he has more important things to tend to. Zane had woken up without the other leopard in sight. It almost seemed like a dream if it hadn’t been for his scent clinging to him still. Now, he could hear Cole clearly not that far away and paced the length of his icy enclosure for some way out to get to him. Unlike most of his kind, he was far more clever, having a father like he had. The only way in and out was through the door on the far right. He walked over, inspecting the odd construct then at the small hole in the door.
He’ll have to keep an eye to see just what that is for. He blinked once the scent of raw meat wafted through. Looks like he doesn’t have to wait for long. He sat patiently, hearing a jingle then blinked once the door pushed open, seeing the source of the jingle there.
“Hey bud. You won’t eat me today either, right?” A pale man with strange eye covers asked him and Zane just sat there before he began grooming the fur on the back of his pawed hand. “Good.” He sighed in relief then headed over to the built in bowl in the ground, knowing Zane wasn’t the type to lick the blood off the ground like the others.
It made cleaning way easier. Zane took his chance while his back was turned, padding over to the door left open. He flexed his paw before carefully wrapping it around the hanging set of keys to silence the noise it was sure to make then- with a bit of difficulty- tugged it out. He padded over to where the human had just turned around after carefully emptying the contents of raw meat, watching as he jolted in alarm at his proximity before mumbling about ‘too close’. He crouched before his meal instead, sniffing at it as he listened to the human make a sound of confusion at his missing tool.
“Where is it? I could have sworn-” He gave a sigh of relief as he pulled out his keys from his pocket then locked the door on the way out. “But where did I put Gravis’ keys?...” He asked himself as he moved on to another habitat.
Zane turned his paw over, looking at the set of tools in his hand, seeing the specific one used for his area and purred low, his tail flicking back and forth. He’ll go to him soon. When the humans are inactive at night… He turned away from his meal, too anxious for the long wait for nightfall to pass to end to stomach anything. He gave a low call to Cole, hoping he could hear it and understand. Soon. Cole on the other hand did catch the sound, knowing immediately that it was his pretty creature but not understanding what it meant. It only made him more anxious. Where was he? Where did they take him? How could he get to him? Cole gave a low sound of desperation as his tail and posture drooped.
… Will he ever see him again?
“Neither of them have even touched their food. And it’s not the meat. I always make sure the both of them specifically have the highest grade of deer and sheep, freshly killed each day.” Shade told Neuro and Chamille as they, Tox and Ash had a short meeting about Zane and Cole’s behavior.
“I’m surprised. It looks like they’ve really kicked it off in that past hour or two they were stuck together.” Chamille says lightly, fiddling with the end of her purple hair as she thought.
“... I’m curious to see how they’ll interact together.” Neuro says, lacing his fingers before his mouth. “It could help open up the mystery behind Cole’s sudden hormone spike and identify these new ones we’ve never seen before. We could see how it affects Zane too. I doubt Cole is the only one displaying strange blood results.” He says and Chamille nodded at that, wishing she had enough foresight back then to draw a sample from Zane too.
“So? How do we do this?” Tox asked him. “Cole’s habitat is too hot for Zane to go back to and Zane’s might be too cold for him.” She pointed out.
“Not necessarily.” Ash says as he sat back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Cole’s fur is on the thicker end of the Jaguar’s cold scale and we did rescue him after Pororoca when he was all the way on the lower ranges of the Andes. It’s significantly cooler up there than on the Amazon Basin and the terrain is much rougher. I think he can handle it, just like I think Zane can handle a slightly warmer habitat.” He says and Neuro nodded his agreement.
“Then tomorrow, we take Cole to Zane’s habitat and document what we find.” Neuro declared and they agreed, taking their leave to prepare for then.
Neuro looked at the door as it closed then looked at a picture of he and Griffin together on his desk. Looks like that massive mistake is leading to an even more massive discovery. He could feel it just around the corner…
Zane laid curled up on his favorite slab of artificial rock, looking to be asleep from the outside eye but that wasn’t the case at all. The lights had gone out some time ago and he was waiting still, just in case a human was around before making his move. After another few minutes, he got up reflective blue eyes darting around the area before he padded over to the floor, getting up on his hind legs so he could use his pawed hands. He struggled for a bit, the keys jingling lightly as he adjusted and readjusted his hold, until he had gotten muscle memory back into his thumb. He slid the key in and turned, hearing the door click before coming loose. The sight of another door irritated him since he didn’t know which of these would open that one but if he was anything, it was determined.
Cole on the other hand laid by the pond, his gold reflective eyes staring sadly at the water’s surface, remembering his beautiful creature. He never even got his name… Did he even have one? Not all of their kind could speak like humans, and even less had names. He reached a paw out, dipping it in the water and watching it ripple. His ear twitched however once he heard a door open from somewhere but he dismissed it, too put out to work himself up. He wonders if he was alright… His head lifted however once he heard jingling really close by. Right at his door actually. He got to all fours warily. He wasn’t normally fed or visited this late before. Humans sleep in the night after all. He tensed once he heard that door swing open before the jingling continued. He flicked his tail anxiously, his body coiled tight and ready to pounce- But then, a scent caught his nose. His pupils blew wide at the familiar scent of his creature before he was rushing over to the door, pawed hands holding onto the bars on it before he gasped softly at the familiar blue eyes looking up at him.
He gripped the bars tighter, a low, desperate sound escaping him as he pressed himself closer against the door. Zane leaned up against the door, a low purr slipping out as he rubbed against the door but frowning. It wasn’t the same. He returned back to his struggle against keys and tried more of them as Cole scratched at the door with his claws. Finally, finally the door clicked and Zane pushed it open, not at all bothered when he was enveloped in a tight embrace, earth surrounding him as happy mews filled his ears. Zane purred, pressing himself closer to Cole, rubbing against him eagerly as Cole reciprocated. Cole butted his forehead against Zane’s lightly, his tail flicking back and forth happily as he closed his eyes and took him all in. Zane relished in his affection, ready to roll over and show him his belly at any second.
Zane could spend forever here in this moment- Actually, no. He couldn’t. Even though the night was significantly cooler than the day, he was getting uncomfortably hot. He pulled back and Cole let him go, though reluctantly. Zane took him by the hand and tugged him in the narrow walkway between the doors and he follows, letting him lead him into the long hallway Cole’s never seen before.
“Come.” Zane told him, pulling him along to where his habitat was while Cole tried to process that his pretty creature just spoke and his voice sounded amazing.
“Where?” Cole asked and Zane gasped softly, looking back at him with wide blue eyes.
He then smiled, pulling Cole along still.
“Here.” Zane says, leading him inside his opened area, the cool air hitting him like a breath of fresh air.
Cole understood then. Zane’s area was cooler because he couldn’t stay in the heat, like before. It was colder than he was used to but he was sure he could handle it. He let his pretty creature tug him over to a flat slab of rock and Cole pulled him down into his arms as he sat, content to wrap around him like this and never let go.
“Do you... Have a name?” Cole asked Zane, finding speaking strange and a little hard to remember after not doing so in so long.
He should have listened to his mother when she warned him to keep practice speaking. It was a critical skill passed down from those first turned.
“Yes. Zane.” He answers and Cole pondered on the name before giving it a try.
“Zane…” He says then smiled. “I’m Cole.” He murmured, nuzzling into his hair.
“Cole…” Zane says softly then shivered as he licked at his ear. “Cole…” He said again, just because he could as his tail coiled around the larger male, wrapping around his broad back, leaving the tip of it to flick against his shoulder.
“Mine.” Cole rumbled low in his ear and Zane blinked then turned around so he could look at him directly, now straddling his lap.
“Yours?” He asked, with a curious tilt of his head, knowing what the term meant.
Cole wanted to possess him as one would possess territory. The idea… Was appealing. Very appealing. But he wanted to make sure Cole himself knew what it meant.
Cole looked him over, at his vivid blue eyes framed by white lashes, at his pink tipped nose and soft pink lips, both framed by long white whiskers and spotted fur at the far corners of his face. He… Zane… Was really beautiful.
“Yeah…” He told Zane quietly, cupping his cheek with a rough, padded hand, brushing his thumb against his cheek. “Mine.” He sealed his declaration with a gentle nudge of his forehead against Zane’s.
“Then…” Zane says, just as quiet. “You’re mine too.” He purred quietly with a soft smile Cole returned.
He flicked his tongue out, licking the tip of his black tipped nose and Cole huffed out a chuckle, pulling him closer by the waist as the tip of his tail tapped at Zane’s arm from where it had coiled around him on its own. This place isn’t so bad now. As long as he got to stay by Zane’s side then he’ll make due.
“You lot sure are early.” Neuro says as he arrived to the main building for the rehab from the onsite apartment complex.
Their team was too small with too many demi humans to risk traveling hours away to the nearest town after all.
“You’re one to talk.” Chamille says with a smirk as she glanced up at the sky where the sun wouldn’t rise for another two hours.
“Oh? You too Griffin? Did Neuro drag you out of bed?” Ash asked, tucking his hands into his pockets.
“Not at all, yo.” Griffin says around a yawn. “I wanna see em together, you know? They got a kind of vibe that reminds me of when Oreo and I got together, yo.” He explained.
“... Well, the notion isn’t all that impossible. Look at Kai and Jay. They might not understand the concept but they’re as gay as gay gets.” Shade says with a shrug as Neuro opened the rehab doors.
“I told you not to call me that at work though. I am your boss.” Neuro huffed at Griffin, holding the door open so the others could walk in.
“Chill out Oreo. We’re used to you two.” Tox says lightly and Neuro’s cheeks coloured.
“Do you sleep with that?” Chamille asked, gesturing to the tranq gun Tox held, sure that it was locked and loaded.
“And what if I do?” Tox shot back at the purplenette.
“I’ll check to see if they’ve eaten.” Shade says as he turned off down their hall- only to freeze mid step. “U-uh.” He stuttered, catching Ash’s attention.
“What’s so shocking to have you-” Ash stopped mid sentence, the same shock and fear filling him at what laid ahead. “U-uh… Did… Did someone… Leave their doors open?” He asked the others as they walked over.
They all stood stock still, staring down the halls at the opened habitats. Neuro shot Griffin a glare but he immediately held his hands up.
“Wasn’t me Oreo! You took my keys, remember?” He defended and Neuro deflates, knowing that was true.
“Shut it Oreo.” Tox says before he could speak. “I’m the one with the gun here. And there’s only one of them we really have to worry about anyway.” She says, holding it defensively before starting ahead into the still dark hall.
“Shouldn’t we set off the alarm yo?” Griffin asked as he looked around carefully.
“No. An alarm is too loud and might spook them, make them feel cornered. That’s the last thing we want.” Neuro told him as they watched Tox’s back.
She came to Zane’s habitat- then deflated with a huff. They looked at each other confused but walked over carefully when she motioned them to come. They all blinked at the sight before them, surprised- even though they shouldn’t be. There, both big cats lay, pressed closely together, holding onto each other tight. Zane was fast asleep against Cole’s chest from what they could tell from Cole’s position with his back to them, his pawed hand thrown over the Jaguar’s waist. It was… A sweet sight to see. But the question remained… How did Cole get out and who opened their habitats opened? A low, irritated growl escaped the larger cat, his tail flicking irritably as he glared at them over his shoulder, his reflective gold eyes very effectively sending chills down their spines. Neuro quickly reached out and pulled the second door shut, using his keys to lock it tightly before they all managed to relax.
“Alright. Let’s lock up and find out what the fuck happened here.” Neuro announced and they were quick to agree.
“Hey, yo… Aren’t these Gravis’ keys?” Griffin asked, pulling them out of the now empty habitat.
“Yeah. I overheard them asking Paleman for them yesterday but he seemed to have lost them…” Shade says, looking at them in Griffin’s hand.
“I’ll check the security feed and get to the bottom of this.” Neuro says as they locked up Cole’s former habitat, the group of them following him to his office where he got to work accessing the security feed. “Well I’ll be damned.” He huffed as he looked at the screen, the others gathering around him.
“What?! Zane let them out?!” Ash yelled, shocked.
“But… How?!” Shade asked, baffled and Neuro chuckled.
“Demi humans are more human than we think, that’s how.” He told his team lightly. “I’ve always believed that was the case but I haven’t come across strong enough evidence. That is, until today. What most likely happened is that Zane stole Gravis’ keys from Paleman when he wasn’t paying attention then used it to free himself and Cole as we saw. Though it’s a good thing that they don’t seem interested in escape or else this would have been ugly.” Neuro says and Chamille chuckled.
“Well. Looks like we have a lot to learn from those two, don’t we?” She asked him.
“Yeah. We do.” Neuro agrees. “And it’s all thanks to one massive mistake.” He says looking at Griffin as he looked at the screen, terrified from the prospect of Cole being able to open doors.
Griffin looked down at him then then grinned.
“You’re very welcome Oreo.” He murmured, pressing a light kiss to the corner of Neuro’s lips who only smiled.
“Don’t push your luck, Speedy.”
(It’s been ages since I posted a whole fic on here, huh? Well! here’s this fluff without plot! I literally had no idea what I was writing, just that I wanted big cat bois. Hope you enjoy! I have to get back on the Move on Dragons movement now.)
