I closed my eyes, figuring there was no use in fighting the inevitable, and waited for the creatures to attack me.
Instead, I felt something rough and wet run up my cheek, sending shivers down my spine and leaving behind what felt like...
Saliva? Did one of them just...lick me?
I opened my eyes slowly to come face-to-face with something absolutely breathtaking. But at the same time, it couldn't possibly be real. No such thing has ever been discovered by science.
But there he was, the most beautiful tiger I've ever laid my eyes on. Deep black stripes crossed over gorgeous blue fur on his face and tuffs of white stuck off his cheeks like a tiny lion's mane. Mystical turquoise eyes stared back into mine with an odd sparkle, like he knew me; like he wasn't going to kill me and then eat me for dinner.
Maybe I'm seeing things?
That can't be a blue tiger, they don't exist.
And what's with that look in his eyes?
A soft but low chuffing sound left the tiger's throat as he moved closer to me, his head brushing against my shoulder before looking into my eyes again. It was like he was asking for something, and though I was freaking out on the inside, I tried my best to figure out what he wanted.
He continued these actions, a sound akin to a whine slipping from his jaws and becoming louder the longer I didn't respond. All I managed to do was get more confused and freaked out by the situation.
What the hell does he even want?
Maybe I'm dreaming?
I should probably pin--
"AHHH!"
A shiver ran up my spine and adrenaline ran feverishly through my bloodstream at the sudden rough and wet thing that ran up my hand. Closing my eyes, I calmed myself a bit before turning to find out who licked me this time. I felt something soft push into my now wet hand as I slowly opened my eyes.
Another feline laid beside me, shorter than the tiger, but still just as beautiful. Fur as gray as a mountain, covered in black rosettes and spots with eyes colored a misty gray-green. Long, fluffy tail swaying back and forth in content as it continued to rub his head into my palm.
Does he want me to... pet him?
Smiling and nodding to myself as the snow leopard almost knocked me over, I began to pet him, causing a low and quiet rumble to emit from his throat like a purr. Peace overtook my mind as I continued to run my fingers through his soft fur, almost completely forgetting about my surroundings, the creatures, and my broken leg.
Another something began to push itself between my arm and side, causing me to laugh. I turned my head only to gain a face full of soft fur, laughing again once I figured out it was the blue tiger. He softly set his chin on top of my head as I began to run my fingers through his beautiful blue fur.
Oddly enough, throughout the whole situation, I wasn't confused at all. It was as if I had known these two all my life. Like I grew up with them.
A few moments later I was almost completely surrounded by the soft fur of seven beautiful animals, each one just as familiar as the last.
There was the extremely fluffy wolfdog with heterochromatic eyes that took every opportunity he could to lick my face, taking extra care to avoid my right leg like all the others. When he wasn't licking my face, I continued to get lost in looking into his eyes. The left a pale blue like the full moon at twilight and the right a deep amber like warm, burnt caramel.
Then there was the proud fox, sandy blonde fur setting perfectly everywhere as he simply stared at me from his place on my left leg. He eventually curled up into my stomach and closed his gray eyes while I took every chance I could to pet his small figure.
A gorgeous white wolf continued to nuzzle his head into my neck in between the hustle and bustle of the others. Every once in a while his piercing yellow eyes would stare into mine. Emotion and affection sat behind his orbs, so much of it that it made me wonder if he was really an animal.
The odd-looking dog had to be the most energetic of the bunch. He bounced from place to place, his fluffy white tail non-stop wagging. Tan, white, black, and the occasional gray was splashed across his fur like an abstract painting and his amber eyes twinkling with excitement. Made me wish I could run around and play with him.
The last was a wildcat. Short, tan fur and pale green eyes with a gently swishing tail moved beside the fox after he was done giving my hand little kitten licks. Then he climbed up to my shoulder, claws hooking onto my hoodie and almost stabbing my stomach. Once he was finally comfortable, he purred in content against my neck with his eyes closed.
I've never felt so at peace in my entire life. It was like a lifetime's worth of therapy all wrapped into a single moment of calm content. Even if this did end up being a dream, I wouldn't mind staying in this moment forever.
Then my ears began to pick up on the smallest of sounds in the silence. It gradually grew louder and closer, becoming more identifiable all the while.
Footsteps...
And a voice...
Then the sound stopped, the jingling of keys replacing it. A decently loud click caught the attention of the seven animals, the creak of the opening door and bright light spilling into the room following after.
"Alright, time to eat guys," said an oddly familiar voice as the animals grew stiff. "And you better eat it this...time..."
A loud bang resonated in the empty space, the food being carried spilling onto the stone floor as the weight on me shifted, all animal eyes locked onto the shadowed figure at the door. The light surrounding the figure made it harder to pick out the details on the person. But from the shaking of the dark figure, it was easy to tell they were freaking out.
If I were in their shoes, I'd probably do the same, after all, it's not every day you see seven predators cuddling up to a human instead of killing it. Especially with the human not freaking out.
"Oh-oh my god," the person said shakily. "(Y/N), oh my god."
I froze, quickly realizing who it was at the door. Then all the bliss, peace, and calm was gone. The actual magnitude of the situation came and hit me in the face. I pushed back the panic, knowing it wouldn't help the situation, and looked into what I figured were the person's eyes as my vision adjusted to the light shift.
"Lynn?"
"Don't-don't panic, I'll get-get you out of this, I-I promise," she stuttered through the building tears.
Whipping out her walkie talkie hooked to her belt, she shakily spoke into it, tears spilling from her eyes as the person on the other side said they'd get help. By the time she looked back to me after putting away her walkie talkie, five of the seven predators had moved to stand in front of me. The other two pressed themselves into my sides, growls ripping from their throats.
A heavy aura of protectiveness hung in the air while Lynn stood helplessly by the door, shifting her scared and worried gaze from me to the five creatures baring their teeth at her.
Finally fixing her eyes on me, her lips quivered as she tried to say something as to divert her attention to something less frightening.
"How-how the...hell did you get...down here?" Lynn asked through her tears.
I hesitated for a moment, still in quite a shock as my brain tried to absorb what was happening.
"I fell through the ceiling," I finally answered, my head still filled with endless questions.
Why were they so kind to me...
And so beast-like with Lynn?
"You-you fell?!" my friend almost shouted, more panic and worry flashing through her hazel eyes. "Oh, god..."
Tears spilled like waterfalls down her soft cheeks as she stepped back and knelt down. Hair and hands covering her face, Lynn quietly sobbed by the door as the sound of echoing footsteps hit my ears.
Guilt was all I felt in that moment. I caused her to worry, I caused her to cry, and there was nothing I could do at the moment to comfort her. Did I even have a right to? Lynn could lose her job because of this; because of me. I could never live with myself if I was the cause of her dreams being crushed. This was her dream job; her dream life. How could anyone live with themselves knowing they crushed someone's dreams?
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." I whispered, tears building up in my eyes.
The animals beside me seemed to sense my sadness almost right away, moving closer to me and attempting to lick the tears away. But I paid them no mind, not even when the other five turned to join them. I was heavy with guilt and exhaustion. The bursts of adrenaline seemed to have finally caught up with me.
Everything quickly became muffled, as if someone wrapped my ears in cotton. The tears flooding my eyes blurred my vision as I felt someone pick me up. It was then that I knew the seven animals were knocked out and I was headed to a safe place.
Oddly enough, the moment that person picked me up, I felt cold and empty.
Tiredness heavily hit me as my surroundings faded to black. The last clear thing I heard before I fell to the mercy of slumber was a roar.
A lonely roar.
So lonely, it almost sounded like it was reaching out to something.
Almost like it was saying, 'Don't leave me, please don't leave.'