Jzera is adopted

Jzera is adopted.

I woke inside crystal.

At least, I thought it was crystal. The walls curved around me, clear and cold, shining whenever pale light rippled across them. I tried to lift my head, but even that was too much. My legs refused to move. My three tails were curled beneath me, numb and heavy, and every breath felt borrowed.

Shapes moved beyond the walls.

A high, singsong voice said things I didn’t understand.

A different, deeper voice answered in the same singsong way.

I could hear them. I just could not understand them.

A shadow leaned close enough to block the light. I stared back, hoping whoever it was would see that I was awake, that I was afraid, that I wanted out. Instead, the shadow tapped the crystal twice.

More voices joined them, these deeper than the others.

More meaningless sounds. More light. Then the darkness came again, soft and deep, and dragged me under.

When I opened my eyes the next time, I was in a pet shop.

I did not know the words for pet shop then, of course. I knew only that the room was enormous, crowded, and unbearably bright. Creatures floated inside glowing bubbles that bobbed near the ceiling. Children reached their hands through the bubbles as if the shining surfaces were water. They stroked feathers, scratched scales, and laughed when tiny animals chased their fingers.

I was not in a bubble.

I was in a cage.

It was barely wide enough for me to turn around. When I tried, one of my tails caught beneath my paw and another struck the bars.

“Ow,” I muttered, though all that came out was a small chirp.

No one noticed. No one ever noticed. I bet if I had a family like all these children, I would be loved too. So that was my plan: get out and find my family. They would love me. They would want me. They wouldn’t like me being kept in a cage. Even the pink animals next to me had each other.

The children wore dazzling clothes that changed colors as they moved. The animals were just as brilliant. One little beast flashed blue and gold whenever it sneezed. Another had silver wings and a purple crest. Beside them, my plain fur looked like dust.

Children stopped at my cage only long enough to wrinkle their noses.

They ran away laughing.

I pressed my nose between the bars and sniffed after them. Sugar. Metal. Flowers. Hundreds of strangers. Not one smell felt familiar.

I sighed and curled my tails close.

Words woke me. Of course, they were meant for the pink, fluffy poop-flingers.

I wasn’t expecting the brown-haired girl to stop and meet my eyes. She smiled and tilted her head toward me. Me.

More words, though they sounded sharp and not very nice.

The brown-haired girl didn’t like the words either. Her eye-caterpillars moved. Humans did that when they were thinking or mad.

She responded in soft words. I tilted my head. Her fingers moved and brushed the top of my head.

A deeper voice interrupted them. His hand landed on the brown-haired girl’s shoulder. I didn’t like that.

More sharp words from the pointy-eared one.

Deep words answered.

A lot of long words. Pointy Ears liked to talk.

Deep Voice was talking, but the brown-haired girl looked sad. I wanted to bite Pointy Ears.

More blah-blah sharp words. Did they do anything else?

The deep voice guy didn’t like those words either. I think he might bite the pointy ear girl.

Pointy Ears didn’t like what Deep Voice said and ran away. The brown-haired girl seemed more relaxed.

They started wording again. She seemed sad. I wanted to nuzzle her and tell her it was okay. I get sad too. And lonely.

The girl’s hand went still. For one hopeful moment, I thought she might open the cage. Instead, she withdrew her fingers.

I reached after her with one paw.

She saw me. I know she did, because her smile disappeared.

Then they left.

I waited for the brown-haired girl to return. I waited while the lights dimmed and the children vanished. I waited until the floating animals settled into their bubbles and the shop became quiet except for humming machines.

She did not come back.

I tucked my nose beneath my first tail, wrapped the second around my side, and laid the third over my eyes. My cage felt smaller than before.

Much later, footsteps woke me.

The short-haired man stood beside a clerk whose hair rose in stiff spikes. They were arguing.

The noises still meant nothing to me, but the man’s voice was familiar. He smelled like smoke, cold air, and dead trees. I backed into the corner as the clerk opened the cage.

A hand slid beneath my stomach. I kicked, twisted, and tried to bite, but I was weak from the cage. The clerk lifted me into an empty display bubble.

For one wonderful second, my paws touched the soft bottom and nothing blocked my tails.

Then I saw the needle.

I hissed when he poked me with it.

“Don’t look at me like that,” the clerk said. “DNA link. Store policy for adoption. If you run off they know who to call.”

The sounds changed.

They did not become clearer exactly. They became something inside my mind, as natural as scent. I stared at him.

I flattened my ears and tried to hide behind the man’s arm.

“Can’t you give her something to calm her down?” he asked.

“This is the calming version.”

Another needle pricked my side.

Fire raced through me.

I yelped, sprang forward, and landed against the man’s chest. He caught me before I fell.

“I know,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

You’re sorry, I thought. You weren’t the one jabbed with the needle.

The man held me up and smirked. “You, my little darling, are going to get me out of the doghouse.”

I must have looked confused because he laughed and snuggled me against his chest.

He sighed. “I’m Xavier, and we are going to your new home. To your new Mama.”

“Mama,” I liked that word.

“Thankfully she is not above bribery as much as she says she is.” He tickled under my chin.

We walked until we reached a new spot. I did not like it. It froze you, then made all your inside stuff want to come outside.

He must have noticed because he shifted me and pulled me closer into his chest. He was warm and the thump of his heart was soothing.

We walked some more, then sat down. A moment later, we shot upward, and I dug my claws into his shirt.

“Yeah, she didn’t like it either.” He chuckled. “Eve—your new mama. I hurt her, and I need the biggest favor in the world.”

I remembered brown eyes, gentle fingers, and the warm scent of cookies. I looked up at him. He smiled.

“Stay with her. Protect her. And maybe help her forgive me,” he said.

We walked some more and took more freeze rides. Then we entered a dark room. The lights clicked on. He took a deep breath, lifted me gently, and tucked me into a box lined with a soft blanket.

I immediately climbed toward the opening.

“You have to stay hidden,” he said.

I tried to climb out again.

“Only for a minute.”

The box swayed as he carried me. I dug my claws into the blanket and listened. A door opened. Voices rose nearby.

“What is it?” a soft voice asked.

“Open it,” Xavier answered.

The box lid lifted. It was bright, but there she was—the person who smelled like cookies. My Mama Eve.

“You got me the fox-thing?” she whispered.

I yawned and nuzzled against her. My mama, I tried to tell her. I sounded funny. No words, just noises. Well, that was bad. How was I supposed to tell them things?

Xavier leaned back. “You were obsessed with it at the shop. I figured it might balance out the whole,” he gestured vaguely at everything, “galactic abduction fiasco.”

She ran her fingers through my fur. I started vibrating. Was I supposed to do that? She didn’t seem to mind, so sure. Why not?

“I don’t know what to say…” she murmured. “I mean, you still suck for ruining my life, but this is… amazing.”

I shot a glare at Xavier. He ruined her life. Did he trap her in a crystal?

“So I’m forgiven?” Xavier asked.

“It’s a start,” she said, though her heart was beating really fast. “And I’m above bribery.”

“She’s a Morphanite,” Xavier explained. “Rare. White ones are almost never found. She can change her shape when she bonds properly.”

I can change shape. Cool. Umm… okay, how?

“Restella called her quaint,” Eve scoffed. “Restella is an idiot. She is perfect the way she is.” She lifted me into the air. “Yes, you are. You precious little bean.”

I vibrated louder. She seemed super pleased and snuggled me close. Yes. I liked snuggles.

“I ordered a house, bedding, and everything she’ll need,” Xavier continued. “Convincing Kyan was… not easy. He thinks pets are a waste of time.”

Sounds like he’s a waste of time.

Eve glared. “He’s wrong.” Then she softened. “I’ll take amazing care of her. I’ll call her Jzera, after my raid character. What do you think?”

I had a name. Oh, how cool! I had a name. Mama gave me a name.

Xavier laughed. “Pretty sure she loves it.”

Eve pressed her cheek to my fur. She was soft.

“Try to get some sleep,” Xavier said, heading toward the door. “It’s a long day tomorrow. Use the box as her bed.”

Eve clutched me closer. “She’s sleeping with me.”

Yes, please. No more box.

“Whatever makes you happy, silly Earth girl, who's above bribery.”

“Thanks, Xavier,” Eve murmured.

He leaned against the doorframe. He needed to leave. I wanted mama time.

“You’re not the only one who needs someone here,” he said quietly. “I need you too. We’re in this together, okay?”

I rubbed my face against her. She didn’t like what he said. It made her sad.

“Good,” he said. “Sleep.”

He left, and the door shimmered closed.

Eve activated her sleeping unit and floated upward while I tumbled weightlessly beside her, chasing my own tail in slow-motion somersaults. Eve giggled and gathered me against her chest.

“This isn’t as bad as it seems,” Eve whispered into my fur.

I vibrated more. I liked Mama Eve. I liked the floaty bed. I thought I could stay here and look for my family. Yes, that was a good plan. But I would start tomorrow. Tonight, I slept.