“This one looks sweet,” Sabastian pointed to one of the papers that was taped along the side of one part of the glass. “Six years old. Calico type. Calm and cuddly.”
Cool?
I glanced at the paper and then found the cat that he seemed to like. That one was fast asleep, not a care in the world.
Sabastian led us away when I had nothing to say, going to the next section. Once more, the cats in that one were lazy, sleeping creatures. Black and gray colored, which looked soft and fluffy.
“My parents had a cat or two when I was a kid. I wasn’t always a fan of them, but they were easy things to take care of. Dogs, too. My parents currently have a dachshund, who is pampered like a princess these days.”
“I never had pets,” I mumbled, letting him lead me to the next section. This one had younger cats, kittens to be more precise. A couple instantly ran to the window when it saw us, meowing and rubbing its body along the glass.
Now, these were cute.
My eyes tracked their movement, wondering if they were as soft as I imagined them to be.
A few kitty toys were scatted about along the floor, forgotten as the kitties found us more entertaining.
“That one,” Sabastian pointed to the orange one that was currently trying to paw at the window, “is good with other animals, like dogs. Loves to seek out attention. Four months old.”
“It’s cute.” All of them were. I almost let myself wonder if I could go in and play with all of them at once.
I squeezed my hand into a fist, letting my fingers dig into my palm to tamper down that thought.
Next, we rounded a corner, going to another door. Going through the door, I instantly understood why it had been there. The barking and whining hit me full force.
I couldn’t stop my eyes from going wide, looking at Sabastian. Out of all the places he could take me, why here?
“We can meet any animal you’d like to.”
Don’t let me do that,I thought, taking a deep breath. I’d want all of them, and dangling that option in front of me, then not following through, would be a whole new type of torture.
“Come on. Let’s go look.”
I had no way to fight the man, even if I wanted to. I let him lead me further down the hallways, coming to the first row of dogs.
No. that was a goat.
Peering into the first cage, half the wall was brick, the rest unbreakable glass, was an adorable little goat. It stood, staring at us, wagging the littlest tail ever.
“A goat?”
“Apparently so. That thing may be adoptable, but not allowed in our place.”
I almost laughed, because it was the cutest thing ever. Black and brown with some white mixed in. I wanted to pet that, if nothing else in the entire place.
“Oh, don’t you dare want that thing out of all the options in this place,” Sabastian huffed but didn’t seem too upset over that fact. I couldn’t stop but shooting him a glance that hopefully told him I would indeed like this pet, but also knew it wasn’t an option. Goats may be cute and seem sweet, but they eat things. And we'realso not the indoor type of things. His yard didn’t have shelter, and I highly doubt he’d let a grazing animal eat his blankets in the house.
“There is emotion in you. I see that amusement you hide.”
I turned away from him, halfway moving on to the next animal.
Maybe, if my life had been different, I’d be on a farm surrounded by all types of animals that I could pet and love. But I was a slave to the world I was born in. There was no way out for me or anyone like me. Once a slave, always one. In one form or another.
A few of the dogs weren’t in their cages, but the couple that looked big and scary. And fluffy.
The cream-colored one was huge, hair clumped and matted in places. His eyes looked sad, just like I always was. Sad to be held in a spot where there was no hope of finding love or a home.
Turning the corner, bigger dogs. Some barked, and some ignored us. They looked content, I guess. Not as sad, or as shaggy.
