Joseph's tail flicked in agitation. His ears flattened, and he narrowed his bright green eyes on the slumbering form above him.
He had to be careful, or there would be serious consequences.
Joseph sank his claws into the soft wood of the table, and used all his might to pull himself - and the enormous keyring - onto the table.
He'd prepared for this. He'd been wanting to do this ever since he'd seen the glinting metal lying on the carpet a day ago.
He slowly dragged the keys behind him, wincing at every small noise it made as it bumped on the small dents in the wood. Regardless, he still got it over where the human could see it, and he sighed in relief. When he turned around, his eyes caught the moonlight glinting on a picture frame.
When studying it, he saw a man and a woman, hugging each other. The man, he knew. He was the one sleeping right before him. But the woman, he'd never seen before.
He turned to leave, but tripped over the keys. He tumbled head over heels, off of the nightstand, and landed on something. Hard.
He heard something crack, and he screamed, a tortured cry that ripped out of his throat, unstoppable and unrelenting. The pain coursing through his bones was so unbearable that he nearly passed out then and there.
"What?"
The loud, rumbling voice that shook through his body made Joseph's ears flatten to his head and made his tail wilt.
Of course, one stupid mistake would cost him his life.
The awe in the massive human's eyes was ever present, and he gazed down at the tiny being in front of him. The look in his eyes, though not malicious, still made Joseph cower.
"What a strange little creature." He whispered, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed. Joseph frantically tried to back away from the large limbs that landed right next to him. With a sharp click, his eyes were blinded by the sudden presence of the light.
"Hey, little guy." Joseph froze as two silvery-blue eyes looked at him. "What are you doing here?"
Joseph's tail stiffened unintentionally, and he whimpered, the pain from the fall still flooding through his body. He started crawling away, hands clawing the wooden floor for any sort of purchase. He had none, and it simply looked like he was scrabbling on the floor frantically.
"Oh, are you hurt?" The human inquired, voice lowered down quite a bit. Joseph refused to look at him, tears beginning to sprout from his eyes. He uselessly tried to scoot away, yelping every time his legs touched the ground. Even through his dark pants, he could see - and smell - the scent of blood.
"Ooooh, I smell blood." The man winced above him, and Joseph nearly screamed when he saw a giant hand sailing towards him. He whimpered, shaking his head adamantly, trying to get the human to stop. "N-No!" He burst out, and his tail quivered. The human looked at him with interest as he begged. "P-Please d-d-don't. I only w-wanted to h-help. Don't h-h-hurt me, p-please!" He closed his eyes shut as the fingers beared his trembling form even more.
He felt a soft something touch his head. He peeked up, and his limbs weakened. One single, massive fingertip was running through his hair. The man was kneeling on the ground in front of him, an impossible skyscraper of a creature, looming over him, covering him in his vast shadow.
"You're alright." The man murmured, gently patting Joseph's head again, lighter than Joseph expected from him. "I won't hurt you. Promise."
Then he scooped him up, slowly and gently, curling his hand underneath Joseph's broken legs. Joseph screamed at how much pain the fractured bones gave him, and the man looked distraught. "Hold on, I'll get you some medical supplies."
