The Society

Chapter 5

Jason didn't move.

Quentin had managed to soothe the human enough for Jason to stop struggling so he could take him back to his cage, but Jason didn't make a single noise. Ty was unseen until the end of the day, unsteadily sauntering back into the living room. He didn't speak a word to Quentin, or eat lunch leftovers; he simply plopped down on the couch, staring blankly as he watched tv; he didn't sleep that night.

However, after Jason's two small desperate outbursts, the human had gone mute. He didn't speak again, he didn't utter any squeaks or whimpers or grunts, nor eat nor drink nor sleep. He didn't even move from where Quentin had set him down, as the giant had found him slumped against the wall, staring blankly at the box of baking powder.

It was like a sudden onset of Alzheimer's disease-- he simply did nothing.

Quentin was unsure of leaving, but he had to go home and take care of some errands, so he was absent from the house for a while. Ty was slowly recovering and moving around the house again, taking care of his needs-- like sleep. Jason however, didn't budge. His back was to the rest of the world as he stared blankly, his eyes reflective with sorrowful cow-like eyes, as if there was no soul in his body anymore.

Ty often sat and stared at his human's backside, watching Jason's still figure with an unreadable expression. He would open his mouth as if to speak, but no words formed, so he'd close it and open again, repeating the pattern as though testing the mobility of his jaw.

A couple days later and Ty started bringing the human some parts of his meals, like some saved leftover bacon or even sugary things like cookies and even chocolate... but Jason never seemed to care.

On the third day Ty sighed and set down a small plate of chicken.

"Alright that's it, he's gotta come out," Ty grumbled, opening the cage door. But Jason didn't even react to that. Frustrated, Ty reached in and gently nudged him, this time getting the human to flinch and roll up in a weakly quivering little ball. Defeated, Ty sighed and pulled his hand out, staring at Jason before deciding that humans were the most complex pets to ever exist.

That night, Ty was watching a news report about the deluge that was coming overnight when it coincidentally started to pour, making the giant sigh and lay back against the couch back, eyes closed. 'Why, why must it rain so freaking much?' He laid there listening to the reporter drone on and on, until he almost fell asleep when the first of the thunder rumbled in the near-distance. He opened one eye, and then the electricity suddenly zapped off, shrouding him in darkness as the wind began to howl, and the rain poured outside.

"Of course," Ty grunted, getting up and trying to look at the time. To his irritation, the microwave had turned off too, leaving him with "00:00" for time. 'It's probably midnight anyhow.' Ty yawned and did a sleepy stretch before deciding to just go to bed, so he did the usual routine things before eventually crawling into bed. He gave Jason's shadowed cage a small glance, seeing that Jason was asleep and snuggled under his jacket.

'... at least he moved, even if just a little bit.' Ty closed his heavy eyelids with a tired sigh and turned over, listening to the heavy storm with its angry waves of rainfall and harsh winds. If a human were ever out in this weather, they would surely perish...

A few hours of dozing and Ty suddenly woke up again, finding himself still in a house with no lights or electricity, and the angry storm outside. He stared at the wall for a moment, then sighed quietly and turned over, trying to fall back asleep.

But then a large bang of thunder vibrated through the house, and Ty's eyes snapped open when he heard a whimper of fear. He quickly looked over at Jason's cage, and he was alarmed to see that Jason had long since cowered under his jacket, curled up under it and trembling with fear.