Somewhere deep in the institute, lies a hidden grove where a few latex creatures dwell whenever they seek peace of mind, protected by a giant latex with a gentle heart. Some of these latexes say she could even be the Mother of all white latex.
And her name…is Malinda Yeen.
It is rare for Mother Yeen to find a latex that is in dire need of help or care, considering how peaceful the Institute they call home can be. Unfortunately, today is that day, when she discovers a broken down latex, curling in a ball…injured even.
Now…while any goo creatures such as this one could regenerate the damage sustained…or even a missing arm, provided they have the energy and the excess latex to regrow any missing limbs, that doesn’t mean it is easy.
Trixie, found herself in the loving arms of the gentle giant, taken to her humble abode where her children play together, drawing…chasing…wrestling…all under the watchful eyes of their mother.
Taken to a secluded area of her home, Mother Yeen places her on a comfortable large pillow, a mattress she calls it, where she can rest until she is fully rejuvenated. Luckily, Mother Yeen has some spare large canisters of excess white latex, shed off by prospering latexes that have no need for them, in case of emergencies.
The canister Mother Yeen provided gave more than enough to regenerate her arm, even make her fur more silky and soft, but…she still feels hollow inside, incomplete and she feels as though she will never be at peace.
Mother Yeen was able to sense her broken spirit and asked her what ails her, Trixie cries her troubles…her confusion…and this uncontrollable desire…her obsession to find this one human again.
She remembers how when she first caught him in the maintenance corridors, trying to transfur him. She was so happy when she caught him, mid-way through the transfur it was like she was fulfilling something she never thought she was missing…but then that wolf pulled the human away, and it was like a piece of her was torn away.
Whenever she sees the human, it's like something clicks in her mind, crying out for him. It’s like…she was seeing an old friend again for the first time. And then, confusing images surface from her host’s memories, ranging from seeing the same human sitting beside her, to one where she seems to cuddle him! Sleeping beside him on a similar nest like this!
After that, she knew she had to keep trying, she couldn't let this human go away, for fear of never seeing him again. But to her misfortune, the black wolf was still hovering around him. And now…that scary panther made short work of her, breaking down any confidence she used to have as a snow leopard.
How could she hope to get to the human if she can’t fend off the latexes that get in her way? So useless…she would never find the human and solve all these strange feelings shrouding her mind… would she ever get back the piece of herself she lost?
Gone forever…
Trixie sighs in defeat, accepting that she will feel lost and broken forever. Collapsing onto her stomach, curling her tail up to her as she tries to huddle as close to it as possible.
The door opens.
And what comes through made her heart skip a beat.
‘In here?’
‘Yes, be good now alright? And do your best to cheer her up, it breaks my heart that I couldn’t help her.’
‘But who? Who is she? And-’
The human’s voice cuts off as soon as he lays eyes on her. Her heart sank as she sees the discomfort coming from the human’s eyes, she almost wants to jump out of bed as soon as he carefully takes a step back.
‘...Stay…please…’ she whimpers to him, her watery eyes pleading for his co-operation, pleading for the chance she had fought so hard for…that was all for nothing but a heartache.
Thankfully, the human stops as he looks upon her one more time, seemingly conflicted on what to do next. He turns to Mother Yeen, as if asking for guidance on the matter.
‘Go on…’ Mother Yeen says, encouraging him.
The human looks upon her once more as if trying to make a decision to stay or run…just like he always does.
…
…
But something’s different…the human finally takes a step…not away from her…but towards her.
That aching feeling in her heart somehow starts fading away as the human gets closer to her, something else takes its place…anticipation? Anticipation for what? What the human would do next? She doesn’t know what it is…but it's far better than the agony stabbing her.
And finally…after just a few more steps…the human stands beside her, looking down on her with slight insecurity and yet…curiosity perhaps? What it is, she doesn’t know.
But…why isn’t he doing anything? Shouldn’t he be doing something? Looking down upon her ‘nest’ she sees that she has taken the centre on the bed, providing little to no room for the human.
Scolding herself, she slowly shifts to the side of the bed away from the human, providing him with the space he needs to sit down by her. The human places a hand on the white mattress, keeping an eye on her movement before sitting down on the edge of the nest, maintaining his distance as far as possible.
And then…the door closes…leaving him and her alone…with no one else to disturb them…
And no pesky wolf or strange panther to disturb them.
Could this be the moment she has been looking for? A chance to solve this confusion within her once and for all?
The human flinches.
Fear and confusion wreak havoc on her mind, what happened?? What did she do?? Did she accidentally share her thoughts? She then catches the human’s gaze, following it, she sees that her tail is brushing against his hip as if reaching out to him. Seeing this, she quickly pulls it away, pulling it to her side and holding it with a paw, making sure it does not reach out for him again.
What is happening to her?
She sighs in fatigue and frustration, her eyes drooping onto her head as she tries to comfort herself with her soft tail.
…
To make matters worse, nothing is happening. The human is saying nothing…not doing anything…and she is not doing anything as well! Why won’t she say something already?? Why is it so hard to say what she wants?
She reaches out to the human through the link of telepathy, desperate to break the silence.
‘You’re staying…?’
She grits her teeth, not quite what she had in mind but close to what she wants to say. The human blinks as he receives the thought, preparing himself to respond in kind.
‘If…as long as you don’t attack me.’
Trixie shudders in disbelief, feeling hurt…what is the human saying? She? Hurting him? No! She NEVER wanted to do that!
‘B-but I…never wanted to…I just want to see you…’
The human frowns at her response.
‘Then why keep chasing me? You keep attacking me!’
Her whimper quells the anger the human has for her…but he remains firm, demanding an explanation.
‘I just feel…lonely…’
…
The uncomfortable silence and tension quickly build up, as the human looks at her, sceptically.
‘Lonely?’
‘Well yes…’
‘That doesn’t make much sense.’
‘There’s more to it than that.’
The human shifts into a more comfortable position on the mattress, waiting for her explanation. This is her chance…she best not mess this up.
‘I…had a dream. A dream about this human…I don’t know WHO this human is supposed to be or why I keep dreaming about him, but every time I see him…I just feel lost and empty…as if I am far away. I keep trying to push him out of my mind, but he ALWAYS comes back no matter what I do! One day I thought maybe if I find and catch a human, maybe the thoughts could go away. And then…’ she pauses, her claws digging into the mattress.
‘...when I saw you…at the corridor. I realized the human haunting my dreams…’ she turns to face him, her emerald eyes piercing into the human.
‘...is you. And then I…I knew…I knew I had to see you, but everyone just kept getting in my way! I heard stories of you seeing other latexes, and for some reason, it hurt…I just wanted the chance.’
‘I thought maybe…by seeing you…it could help me understand better…why all of this is happening to me. Human…d-do you know what is happening to me? Why do I feel this way?’
A glimmer of hope stirs within her, a chance of a possible explanation of all this confusing mess clouding her mind to finally lift. The human keeps quiet…not saying a word…
‘I don’t, I really don’t. I’m just as lost as you are…err Trixie.’
‘Oh…’
Disappointment stings her as the hope she had dispels into nothing but confusion and frustration. Well except for one part...when the human mentioned her by name, her heart seemed to glint with warmth.
‘I just want to understand human…I just want to fill this ‘hole’, and get back what I am missing. I just want to be happy human, I don’t want to feel lonely anymore. I had pushed others away from me just to try to fix this emptiness…it hurts human.’
The human sighs and looks away, a pitiful frown can be seen on his face, and Trixie is unsure what to do. It’s so frustrating…why can’t life ever be simple? It’s always so difficult and confusing, always hurting you in ways unimaginable. Despite this, she knows deep down that she needs this human, her heart aching, urging her to get closer.
She shifts over, adjusting herself on the mattress to be just a little closer. The human watches her, a sense of concern emitting from him. She wants nothing more than to be with the human, the one she has been looking for.
‘Human?’
‘Yes?’
‘Can…could you…umm’
She is stuttering! She can’t afford to stutter now!
‘Can you…umm…’
Come on! Say it! Say it!
‘...Hold me?’
Trixie feels her whole world crashing down around her, in disbelief at her choice of words. How pathetic…is that all she can say? She had this one chance and now she had made herself look like a complete fool, a weakling, a Snow Leopard undeserving of a second chance.
*Shuffle*
Why won't she just-!
Something wraps around her. Her body tenses, as she raises her arms in, preparing to retaliate if need be. To her utter shock, the human is holding her! Her human is holding her!
In an overwhelming sense of happiness, she throws out her paws around the human, returning the same comforting gesture. The human’s body feels tense, but it loosens as he lets out a sigh of relief.
Not wanting to let this go to waste, she shifts her body to face him, her tail slithering up his hip and onto his back as her arms stretch further to wrap around him. She places her head on his shoulder, purring in gratitude…as the insatiable hole within her finally begins to fade away…
----------------------------------------
Time passed by as Malinda carried you to her home, pushing aside any vines or trees blocking her way. You were not sure where you were going then, but you were just too tired to care at that point.
Soon, Malinda crouched down to slip through an open gap in the wall that was well camouflaged with branches of trees and vines. If you hadn’t known any better, you might have mistaken it for a cave of some sort.
Stepping through, Malinda took you to a surprisingly clean room, almost devoid of anything a forest would have save for a few potted trees along a field of trimmed grass. At the end of the room, you could see four young latex creatures, each donning an anthropomorphized hyena’s body that almost reflected Malinda’s own apart from their hair which lacked the navy blue tinge.
The young latexes seemed to be minding their own business, one drawing, another two reading a picture book together while the last was lying on a cushion, seemingly bored. As soon as Malinda steps into the room, the young hyenas chirp and squeal with excitement, rushing towards her.
‘Mommy! Mommy!’
‘I thought you went out again!’
‘Of course she did! She said she was looking for something.’
‘Another latex?’
‘Like the one in her arms?’
‘That’s a funny-looking latex.’
Somehow, you can feel Malinda beam with joy at the sight of the young hyenas, as if they always make her happy. Maybe these hyenas are her cubs? That would explain the nickname ‘Mother Yeen’.
‘Actually small one, our guest here isn’t a latex, he is actually a human.’ Malinda corrects.
‘Ooohhh…what’s a human?’
‘Sounds familiar.’
‘Think it was…umm…something that is like a latex but is not at the same time?’
‘What does that mean??’
‘Little cubs calm down, I will explain what a human is. I just need to bring our guest to the infirmary so he can rest up.’
‘Are they hurt?’
You feel Malinda brush a paw past your head in comfort.
‘Deeply so. I will be right back.’
Understanding their mother’s wishes, they give her the space she needs so she can make her way to the infirmary room. Getting onto her knees, she gently sets you onto the floor, making sure that you will not fall over.
‘Ok human. Our guest should be here, so I need you to do your best to help her through whatever that ails her. Just remember everything I said ok?’ She says, pushing the door in front of you open with her paw.
‘In here?’ you ask stepping through the door.
‘Yes, be good now alright? And do your best to cheer her up, it breaks my heart that I couldn’t help her.’
‘But who? Who is she? And-’ your thought cuts off as soon as you saw who it is resting on a bed not too far from you.
‘Oh, this will not go well…’
----------------------------------------
Ok, this went kinda better than you anticipated. You were completely caught off guard when the snow leopard Trixie threw herself onto you, but not in an aggressive manner as you expected, but in a cheerful happy kind of way.
‘How did I get myself into this?’ you ask yourself.
At first, you wanted nothing to do with the seemingly crazy snow leopard who would do everything she could to get her claws on you, to a more broken down, mopey snow leopard pleading that you stay by her side. You didn’t know why you did it, but you kind of feel…obligated to hear what she has to say.
As you sit by her, you try to resist your fight or flight instincts from kicking in as she tries to converse with you, sharing her worries and confusion, admitting to the fact that she feels lonely, everything she explained to you mystifies you. All this confuses you, it’s like she is a different person entirely.
And then she asks for you to hold her…
A very odd request and you weren’t sure what to make out of it except that she was struggling to say it. After she said it, she looked as though she wanted to beat herself up about it. Feeling somewhat sorry for her, you oblige this strange snow leopard’s request. Her reaction was almost immediate.
You were expecting the worst, but seeing her pulling you closer while purring heartily puts your worries at ease.
But then…now what? This question presented by Trixie still lingers in your mind…does she know you in some way? It cannot be a complete coincidence that she just happened to have a ‘dream’ about you if it even is a dream at all.
Although now that you think about it…those emerald eyes of hers, now that they don’t reek of hunger…you can’t help but feel a sense of familiarity.
…
And just like that…something clicks as the world shifts and distorts…
…
----------------------------------------
You and the woman cling to each other, trying to draw comfort from each other. The devastating news about the Pale Virus now spreading into their Dawn City spread fast around the institute, bringing fear and insecurity.
And now here they are…barricading themselves with the uprising threat.
“It’s here…oh god it’s here Colin! We are stuck here Colin!”
You don’t know what to say, you are scared yourself. You kind of suspect it's only a matter of time…but now that it is here…you can’t help but fear and worry that it's only a matter of time before you get infected too.
Everyone knew what will happen now…they would all be in lockdown in the institute… permanently.
The Institute is their home now…for the next god knows how long until the cure has been created. Everyone here must do their part if they want to survive this nightmare.
“I didn’t want to think it would be here soon…I really don’t…”
You both share a moment of silence, trying to gather the strength to withstand the cold bitter truth. You close your eyes, hoping to wake up from this nightmare…
…
----------------------------------------
…
‘hu…Human…Human??’
The world shifts back as you see the emerald eyes again, as you feel yourself being shaken forward and back.
‘Human are you there?? What happened??’ Trixie calls out as she shakes you again.
‘Here! Stop, shaking! I’m fine now!’ you hastily reply, trying to shake off a sense of distortion between the vision and Trixie’s shaking.
Trixie finally lets you go as you quickly place your hand on your head, trying to recuperate while understanding the vision you just saw. Who is that person you just saw in your memory? It seems to be around when the virus started infecting some city you live in, but who was that woman in your vision? You can’t help but have a sense of heartache.
‘Human? Your mind was…fading? I don’t know what it is, but it’s like you're slipping away! Are you ok??’
‘I’m fine! I really am, I just remembered some of my memories again.’
‘You ‘remembered’ some of your memories?’ Trixie asks sceptically.
‘I have amnesia, I was locked up in some stasis for about two and a half years before I finally got out. I can barely remember anything.’ You explain.
Trixie squints her eyes at you before they snap open, as a look of realisation dawns on her.
‘So that explains the rumours! They say that you came out of nowhere! You were locked away in a stasis pod?’ she asks to confirm what she heard from you as you nod in response.
‘Oh…so you don’t remember much do you?’ she asks with a frown, her ears flopping against her head as her tail curls up beside her.
‘Not really, I’m getting there but it hasn’t been easy for me. I still have so much I need to remember, and I just feel like…like I’m disconnected from everything.’
Trixie pulls her tail to her chest as she considers what to say.
‘I know how it feels like human. I too have memories that I am ‘remembering’.’
‘You have amnesia too?’
‘Err yes and no. These memories aren’t exactly mine.’
‘How so?’
‘These memories were from…a human I…assimilated long ago.’ Trixie says shamefully.
‘Err…’ you recoil in both confusion and discomfort.
‘N-not that I want to assimilate you! Goodness no! I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to! I was just so different back then, it was all like…something that I ‘have’ to do? I just can’t really explain it, but I’m not proud of it…anymore…and I can barely remember everything back then. Just a sense of what happened. And that riot…’ Trixie shudders.
‘Sometimes I try to ‘remember’ who they were and what they were before I assimilated them. I feel as though it’s my responsibility to try and live on with their memories, so they aren’t forgotten. I owe it to them, for what I was. Do you…think that it was… ’me’ that did it?’ Trixie asks.
…
‘I don’t know Trixie…I barely remember what everything was like back then, but I don’t think all of the latexes back then were very…humane? I guess? From what I recall for now at least. But I think you trying to remember who they were shows that you do care about them. So maybe it wasn’t exactly ‘you’ that did it.’ you say, trying to reason your opinion.
Thankfully Trixie seems to be happy with your logic and reasoning.
‘Well, maybe I could help you remember more? What was that vision? The one you had just now.’
‘I remember seeing a woman, we were trying to comfort each other after learning about the Pale Virus starting to infect a city nearby. We were all scared that we will be infected soon despite staying in the institute. This woman in my vision I…I feel as though she is important to me.’
‘Important? How so?’ Trixie asks for clarity.
‘I don’t know, like a good friend maybe?’
Trixie sighs as she thinks, trying to understand everything.
‘Is there anything else?’
‘No, I’m afraid.’ you communicate with a frown.
‘Damn it, we will never get anywhere like this. There must be some way.’
‘Well, I think I remember something if I do something that I find familiar. But I don’t know what I should do…’
‘No idea at all?’
‘Nothing.’
Trixie huffs with frustration, placing a paw under her chin in a thinking manner while her tail swishes slowly left and right. Suddenly, her tail stops swishing as she has the look of epiphany.
‘Well in that case…’ Trixie says as she gets off the mattress in with finality.
‘We should try everything then.’ she says with a cheerful smile.
‘Wait…what?’
‘I’m serious. If we don’t know where to start, then we just have to do everything we can think of together.’
‘I ahh are you sure this is a good idea?’
‘Of course, it is! There isn’t much else we can do. We are doing this so we can get some of the memories back right? You want to remember who that woman is in your vision right, you did say she is somehow important to you.’
You grit your teeth, damn she has a point there. There really isn’t much other option is there? If this is the only option you have then you might as well take it.
‘Guess there is no other way then, where do we start?’
‘I was thinking of something fun like…’
----------------------------------------
Malinda sighs in relief as rests upon her cushion, knowing that her cubs are playing in the safety of their sanctuary. She smiles in pride at the thought of her little hyenas, she has raised them well. However, she has important work to do.
‘Now where is that darn thing?’ she mumbles, trying to find what she is looking for.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to search far as she finds the very device she is looking for. The device has a large screen with a green crystal wired into it. She squints her eyes as she carefully uses her paws to power the device on as the green crystal glows, indicating the activity of the device.
‘Why couldn’t this device be bigger?’ she sighs in slight frustration, as useful as this thing is, it’s so uncomfortable to shift her paws down a size.
The device’s screen turns on as it reveals a figure before it.
‘You’re back already? Did you find him?’ a voice reaches her mind, linked to the strange green crystal attached to the device.
‘He just so happened to run into me, I was about to go out for him.’ Malinda communicates as a sense of relief reaches her mind.
‘Ahh that’s great news, I feared for the worst. It was chaos when I reviewed the tapes. Was he injured?’
Malinda can see where he is coming from with that question. When Dr K called her earlier and told her about the footage he saw, from the sharks and squidotters, the glowing panther and a black wolf.
She recalls the panicking mess he was in when the black wolf almost assimilated Colin. Thankfully the black wolf stopped what he was doing and let him go, but that did not put him at ease. All of this did not seem right to Malinda, why would a black wolf do this? They only assimilate unruly white latex, NOT humans. Something about this just feels so off to her.
‘Not a scratch when I checked, but he has completely broken down. I found him moping at a tree, crying about losing everything, do you know anything that-’
‘Oh god then he is beginning to remember.’
‘You mean the time when we were…you know…’
‘I’m afraid so. Did you talk to him? Where is he now?’
‘I did talk to him about what we were back then, it wasn’t easy for me to think about it but he seems to have understood what I was saying.’
‘I really appreciate your help Malinda, it was difficult for me when I found out he was alive.’
‘You shouldn’t blame yourself, you didn’t know.’
‘He could have been left to rot for god knows how long Malinda! It might have been 5 years instead! Longer even!’
‘What matters is what you do now Klein, he needs every support we can give including yours. You can’t help him if you keep beating yourself up about it.’
A deep fatigued sigh can be heard in her mind.
‘You’re right, I can’t help him. Not like this anyway, but where is he now?’
Getting up from her cushion, she travels through her abode in search of her guests.
‘Well, he and my guest were in the infirmary until they said they were going swimming at the indoor pond. If I am not mistaken, they should be there with my cubs as well.’
Crouching down to peer through the gap in the wall where the small pond can be found, sure enough…the human and the snow leopard along with her cubs are playing together, splashing left and right. The very sight of joy and happiness warms her heart…
‘Hey! Are you there? Let me see them!’
Malinda snaps out of her thoughts as she remembers the call.
‘Oh right…’ she replies, turning the device around so Dr K can see through the little camera embedded on it.
‘Well, he seems to be quite happy along with that snow leopard over there.’
‘Indeed they are. I think Colin is going to be ok.’ Malinda concludes, seeing the smile on the human’s face.
----------------------------------------
‘Weeee!!’ The young hyena on your shoulders cheers as you carry him around through the pond.
‘I still can’t believe you thought we were going to that aquarium!’ Trixie communicates as she plays with another one of the young hyenas.
‘I didn’t think there was anywhere else we could swim in!’
‘If there wasn’t I wouldn’t have brought up that idea! That would be insane to suggest that we swim along with those sharks!’
‘I know right??’
‘Hey, where were you when the sharks came?’
‘They kind of took me captive and used me so that they could walk on land to invade more waters.’
‘What??? That’s insane!’
‘They really didn’t know what was happening on the surface nor that they couldn’t assimilate anymore.’
‘Are they really that disconnected from the outside??’
‘It’s very restricting on how far they wanted to go. But they did kinda figure out how to form legs so I guess it’s only a matter of time before they try to come out.’ you communicate as the hyena on your shoulders cheers in excitement.
‘It’s honestly a nice change of pace to be able to swim freely again and not be chained to another shark.’
‘I guess some things can’t be helped. Wha-hey!’ Trixie yells as the young hyenas pull her underwater, getting her all wet.
When she rises from the pond, you can see her being grumpy despite her fur being untidy. You couldn’t help but laugh at the sight because of how silly she looks. Trixie glares at you, not happy that you find this amusing, your laughter slowly dies down when you realise that she isn’t laughing.
But then an evil grin starts to form on her lips as her eyes seem to glint with mischief as the other hyenas start to surround you, making you and the hyena on your shoulders feel uncomfortable. Trixie takes a step forward…
‘Human…I’m scared…’ the hyena on your shoulders whimpers
‘Err come on Trixie! It was funny right?! R-right…?’
She and the hyenas lunge at you.
“AHHH!!!”
*SPLASH*
----------------------------------------
‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ you ask Trixie, who is currently moving the broken vent cover aside, leading to the maintenance corridors.
‘Of course human! It will be fiiinnnee! I know the maintenance corridors like the back of my head! It’s the best way to get around, and you don’t necessarily have to squeeze through tiny vents!’
‘But I can’t squeeze through those tiny gaps, I’m not part liquid.’
‘Exactly! This is why we are using the maintenance corridors! Plus we have some kind of game that most latexes of that box club play.’
‘The one where you trick others into getting stuck on the web?’
‘Wait how did you…wait…you got caught didn’t you?’
‘A snow leopard jumped out and scared me. Tumbled onto a web and he just ran off.’
‘Jeez human, were you that easy to scare?’ Trixie playfully teases.
‘Hey! I barely knew anything about latexes!’
‘Excuses…excuses…’
You scoff at Trixie’s teasing smirk.
‘Anyways human…let’s not waste time standing around, we’ve got a lot of things to do!’
Shrugging off the recent tease, you reach to the vent cover…until Trixie stops you, placing a paw on your chest.
‘Hold on human, not so fast.’
‘Huh? What’s wrong?’
‘I was thinking…since the corridors can be a bit cramped and that you aren’t as familiar with them as I am…I was thinking maybe you could be my host?’ Trixie asks as her eyes shimmer and her tail shivers in anticipation.
…
‘Errr no thanks.’
All glimmer in Trixie’s eyes disappears as her tail floops to the ground in disbelief.
‘Are…are you serious human? I thought we were together on this…’ Trixie says, faking her heartache.
‘This doesn’t include taking me as your host.’
‘I don’t think you are seeing the benefits here human.’
‘Like what?’
‘Well first of all…you get to see what it is like to live and run like a snow leopard, and I am the best snow leopard for the job!’
‘And…?’
‘I can help you get around the maintenance corridors faster…and I can keep you safe from other latexes trying to steal you away…’
‘I don’t think there would be-’
‘...Which will happen very soon if a certain SOMEONE doesn’t keep their paws to themselves!!’ Trixie almost yells with a growl, startling you.
You hear a squeak of fright behind you, turning around you see a latex behind you, posing to attack and snag you away.
At first, you think that the anthropomorphic latex is some kind of oddly coloured bear, but then you realise that this latex is actually a red panda.
Before the red panda could do anything, Trixie places a paw on your shoulder, signalling her claim over you. The red panda pouts with annoyance and takes its leave, presumably angry that they won’t have a chance to take you as their host.
With the panda storming away, you then remember the horde of snakes on the prowl in the maintenance corridors, probably still on a hunt for you. You do NOT want to see them anytime soon.
‘On second thought…you have some very valid points,’ you admit.
Trixie hops in excitement, quickly banishing any negative emotion that the red panda brought to her.
‘Purrfect! Glad you are starting to see it my way.’ Trixie says with a purr.
‘But that doesn’t mean I agree that we do it!’ you cut in.
Trixie’s purr comes to a complete stop as she looks at you in disbelief, her tail drooping onto the floor.
‘You’re…you’re joking right?’
‘Trixie…’ you communicate sternly.
‘B-but you admit that I am right!’
‘It’s still my choice.’
Trixie takes a deep breath to say something, anything to counter your argument. But she came up with nothing. With a disappointed sigh, she turns away from you, intending to climb into the vent.
‘Alright…let’s go then…’ Trixie says jumping into the vent and slowly starts to climb in.
You get closer to the vent as you wait for your turn as Trixie tries to climb inside. Expecting her to get in soon, you get close to the vent…
…
‘Whoops!’
Everything seems to slow down as you see Trixie fall backwards, falling right on top of you as her body seems to deform slightly. Before you could do anything…
*SPLAT*
Trixie splats onto you, knocking you down to the floor, her goo splatting onto your entire front body, your face included.
Falling onto the floor, unable to see anything, you flail about as you try to use your arms to peel Trixie off of you, but her goo quickly latches onto the floor, pinning you down to restrain you from fighting back. With your flailing reduced to mere wiggles, Trixie takes her time to transfur you.
Her goo starts to flow sideways around your body, wrapping itself around you. She completely coats your arms and legs and torso, leaving nothing but the colour grey. Next, she coats your hands and feet before sealing them in to reshape them into cat-like paws.
The fur on your torso develops further as it gains a more fluffy fur coat as you try to ignore the ‘feminine’ traits appearing on your body. You can ‘feel’ the large leopard ears forming by your head as your body is forced to sit up. A strange alien sensation starts from just above your hips as a long curly yet fluffy tail starts to form, stretching outwards as it curls into your view as the transfur comes to an end, a sense of mischief and satisfaction reaching your mind.
‘Whew! That was a close one. Thanks for ‘catching’ me human.’ Trixie says, trying to hold back her smirk.
‘You…you…’ you stutter, unable to form words in your mind.
‘Who knows what would have happened if you weren’t there to save me!’
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‘You crazy lunatic! You did that on PURPOSE!!!’ you accuse.
‘What do you mean?’ Trixie communicates innocently.
‘You fell onto me on purpose! Just so you could transfur me!!’
‘*Gasp* Human… I can’t believe you…why would I do such a thing?’ Trixie says, faking being hurt.
‘You know what I’m talking about! Let me out!’
‘Alright alright! I’ll let you out.’ Trixie says, quickly releasing you in front of her, gently setting you on the floor as you recuperate.
‘Augh, this time let me go first?’ you say to her stretching your limbs as you regain control of them.
‘Sure!’ she says, with a dangerous glint in her eye that is everything but reassuring.
You glare at her with suspicion as you make your way up to the entrance of the vent access. Seeing that she’s not doing anything yet, you haul yourself up the rest of the way. It’s then you realize what’s really going on, as the surface you are holding on to abruptly shifts in ways it shouldn’t and all your grip abruptly disappears.
“You!-”
*SPLAT*
…
You have been transfurred again.
‘TRIXIE!!!’
Trixie laughs wholeheartedly, enjoying her little game.
‘It’s a- *Snrrk* dangerous world up there you know!’
You retaliate by sulking into the silky soft embrace of-
‘Aghhh! Traitorous mind!’
Trixie just laughs harder.
----------------------------------------
‘This is way better than I imagined!’ Trixie squeals with excitement as she dashes through the maintenance corridors, making sharp turns and jumps faster than she ever did before, feeling as though she is unchained and able to push beyond her limits.
‘I’m glad you are enjoying this but where are we going??’
‘To pick a hiding spot of course!’ she exclaims, jumping upwards to tuck away at the pipes stretching across the ceiling with a gap in between just large enough to tuck in.
Trixie then settles as comfortably as possible as she watches the corridors.
‘Umm…what are you doing?’
‘Waiting…’
‘Waiting for what?’
‘Anyone really.’
‘And we’re doing this, why?’
‘For our game remember? To trick someone into that web.’ Trixie says, pointing towards a web woven on the other side of the corridor.
‘Oh yeah, so how are we going to do-’
‘Shh! Someone’s coming…’
Heeding Trixie’s words, you keep quiet as you see the latex she is referring to. This latex walking down the corridor has an appearance of a certain feline. As the latex gets closer, you see that this latex has tan-colored fur with a yellow mane. You notice that this peculiar latex has red and yellow eyes.
Seeing the latex getting closer, Trixie’s focus intensifies as she places a paw in front of her and leans forward, getting ready to pounce. As soon as the lion walks past, Trixie drops down quietly and dashes at the lion. Reaching the lion…
*RREEEOOOWWW!!!*
*HISSSSS!!!*
The lion jumps back in fright with a hiss, tumbling backwards and landing on the web. Quickly regaining his senses, the lion struggles, trying to break free from the web.
‘Oh come on! I just got caught yesterday!’ The lion whines.
‘You know the rules, everyone in the box club knows it!’
‘Wait…oh great…I’ve been tricked by Trixie as well…’
‘What is THAT supposed to mean?’ Trixie glares at the lion.
‘N-nothing! Nothing!’
Trixie leans forward, but not too close, imposing an intimidating posture against the lion. She lifts up her paw…
…and boops him on the nose.
‘Just making sure…see ya!’ Trixie teases as she storms down the corridor.
‘Hey wait! Wait! Can we talk about this??’
Trixie giggles, ignoring the lion’s plea.
‘Will he be ok?’
‘Nah he will be fine. Just another trip to that spider’s wardrobe. Why would ANYONE wear clothes?’
‘Well-’
‘Besides you human.’
----------------------------------------
After tricking a few more latexes into the web, you admit that you did have a bit of fun, especially when they whine and complain like it’s going to be the end of the world when in actuality they are just going to be putting a few clothes on crafted by Weaver herself. In a way, you’re helping her with some much-needed modelling for all of the well-made clothes gathering dust in her home.
In fact, you and Trixie decide to ambush one more latex before you move on to something else. There is a surprising amount of things you can do to trick latexes into the maintenance corridor webs.
Right now, you and Trixie are hiding inside a box, peeking through the gap between the boxes as you wait for your last victim. Thankfully, you didn’t need to wait for long as you hear footsteps walking down the corridor.
You and Trixie don’t need to say anything, getting ready to ambush your prey.
…
*thud…thud…Thud…Thud…*
‘NOW!’
You both pop out of the box, scaring the latex as he stumbles into the web behind him. The latex turns out to be a snow leopard like Trixie.
‘Grrr…I can’t believe I fell for my own trick!’
‘Believe it fuzzball! You had this coming for a long time!’
Ignoring the conversation, you notice that this latex is oddly familiar…
‘Wait a minute…this is the guy that got me stuck on the web!’ you privately communicate to Trixie.
‘Him? I’m hardly surprised, this one is notorious for it.’
The snow leopard before you growls as he yells at Trixie.
‘You’re just saying that because I got you stuck on the web a couple of times!’
‘The others would say otherwise.’
‘Everyone did it! Even you! Admit it!’
‘Yeah, I did, your point being?’
The snow leopard growls in annoyance, trying to figure out a comeback.
‘I thought so. Now if you excuse me, I best get going. Toodles!’ Trixie playfully says as she takes her to leave, ignoring the angry snow leopard.
‘Oh yeah! This is payback for tricking my human into a web!’
‘WAIT WHAT???’
Trixie pretends she didn’t hear him as she turns around the corner and out of the snow leopard’s sight.
‘Ahh…revenge is so sweet…don’t you agree, human?’
‘Errr I mean, don’t get me wrong I am still kinda mad that he scared me onto Weaver’s web and then left, but is this really necessary?’
‘That’s the rules here human, and besides he had it long coming.’
‘So you’ve said…’
You recall the memories of how terrified you were at first, stuck on that web, but then also how excited the lonely spider was when you offered to model some of her clothes for her, it was fun. But then you remember a promise you made…
‘You know, we should go visit Weaver together.’
‘WHAT???’ Trixie yells out.
‘There is NO WAY we are doing that! Are you insane??’
‘I promised that I would visit her again!’
‘B-but you can’t do that human!’
‘Why not?’
‘I-I don’t want to be there human! I don’t want to wear that…’skirt’ or whatever it was! It messes with my tail!’
‘Weaver is not that bad-’
‘Easy for you to say, you wear clothes all the time!’ Trixie grumbles to herself.
You mentally sigh, this might not be easy to convince her.
‘Look, I get you don’t like wearing clothes. Just because we are visiting her doesn’t mean we are going to wear clothes. Chances are she is already modelling with those latexes that we tricked into those webs, so we should be fine. If worst comes to worst, I can come out and model while you can run away.’
‘B-but…’ Trixie whimpers, wrapping her arms over her chest along with her tail.
‘I don’t want to lose you human…I am really enjoying our time together! Don’t you feel the same way?’ Trixie asks with worry in her tone.
‘I do Trixie! I just have a promise to keep. Besides, I kinda owe her.’
‘I umm…if you’re sure human…’ Trixie quietly says, slowly giving back control to you.
----------------------------------------
‘Is it not too late to turn back?’ Trixie asks, almost pleadingly.
‘Even if we can, I still need to pay Weaver a visit.’
Trixie keeps quiet as you walk down the corridors, occasionally yet subtly retracing the path to the mischievous yet lonely spider. Having full control of this snow leopard body is a unique yet pleasant experience.
There is just so much you are feeling that words can’t describe…the warmth the soft fur provides, the alien sensation of controlling a tail, and not to mention the feline traits such as the cat-like ears flickering and your paws with sharp claws ready to fend yourself from any potential attackers.
Turning around the familiar corridor, you are just one turn away from entering Weaver’s room. But then…something connects to your mind.
‘Oh? This is different…someone actually used the path to my home?’ A voice rings out to your and Trixie’s mind.
‘And you seem so strange…almost like two minds in one.’
‘Umm…’ Trixie shudders.
‘Oh, so it’s you Trixie?’ The voice says as something drops down in front of you.
*Yeep!*
Trixie yells in fright as a giant brown spider dangles in front of you.
‘Whoops! Wrong way again.’ The voice says as the spider turns around, revealing that it is also part tiger.
There’s no mistaking those red eyes, it’s Weaver!
‘Hello there! Is that the human with you?’ Weaver asks with a grin, still dangling on the string.
‘Yes it’s me-’
Your words are cut off as Weaver quickly detaches herself from her web and lands in front of you. She grabs you with her six arms and lifts you up with ease.
‘You really came back! I was so worried you weren’t!’
‘Oh come on Weaver, I promised I will, where else am I gonna find the finest clothes when I need them?’
‘Put me down, put me down!’ Trixie panics.
‘You flatter me human!’ Weaver says, ignoring Trixie.
‘*Gasp* Actually, you came in just in time! I wanted to show you something!’ Weaver exclaims, her excitement growing.
‘I’m not here to wear those clothes!!’
‘Oh hush you! I’m not going to force clothes onto you! I would rather have my human do the modelling for me.’
‘Your human? What does that-’ Trixie growls, before you cut in.
‘HEY! So, what’s this thing you wanted to show me?’ You quickly yell out, stopping Trixie before she starts a fight. Thankfully she huffs with annoyance but says nothing more.
‘You will see! I just so happened to find more latexes getting stuck on the web today which is PURFECT for my experiment!’ She says with glee, leading you deeper into her domain.
‘Human I really don’t think this is a good…idea?’ Trixie manages to say, in disbelief at the sight before her.
Instead of feline latexes being forced to wear those uncomfortable clothes, they’re happily dozing off onto the strange fluffy, yet comfortable looking blankets. One lion from before is huddling close to a snow leopard as they were wrapped up in colourful blankets.
‘I…what…why are they…’ Trixie stutters.
You take a moment to figure out the situation, until realisation struck you.
‘Ohh yeah! You tried the blanket idea, I knew the idea would work but I didn’t think it would work that well.’
‘I know right?? I wasn’t sure if it would work, but your idea to make these blankets are perfect! Now that I know that it works, I can weave some designs or patterns into these blankets! And the best part? They all love them!’ Weaver says, beaming with pride of her work.
‘But they can’t be that comfortable!’ Trixie objects.
‘My testers say otherwise~’ Weaver sings in a tune.
Weaver heads to a small pile of blankets, picking up a clear white yet fluffy blanket before walking back to you and Trixie.
‘Try it! You won’t regret it.’
‘B-but there is no way that a simple blanket can-’ Trixie says, but is slowly drawn by the blanket she is holding in her hands.
‘Can simply…’
…
*Purr*
Trixie purrs, wrapping the blanket around herself as she gently collapses onto the floor, enjoying the softness the blanket provides. Unfortunately, with Trixie closing her eyes, she is leaving you in the dark, unable to see anything. Though you can’t blame Trixie for reacting in that way, this blanket feels so comfortable!
‘Looks like another satisfied customer!’ Weaver says.
‘Yep, Trixie is loving it.’
*Purr*
‘Hey human, I can’t help but notice something…’
‘Yeah Weaver?’
‘You don’t have that Fanny pack I gave you.’
‘Oh yeah, it’s with…’
…
Oh, wait…Puro has it…
…
You pray Weaver isn’t going to kill you before you can explain to her what happened.
----------------------------------------
‘Jeez Trixie, how many boxes do you have??’ You exclaim, picking up a large box to peer inside to see more boxes.
‘Never enough!’ Trixie calls out, rummaging through the boxes on the other side of her room.
After exploring the institute for a bit, and staying way too long at the spider’s lair, Trixie decided to take a break in her hideout where she stashes a mountain of boxes that would put Leo’s collection to shame. Though she is somewhat reluctant to release you, the tiredness in your body leaking over to her side and making her yawn convinces the leopard.
Right now, you are trying to shuffle your way across the room without damaging any of Trixie’s precious boxes.
‘Wait, I thought you got kicked out of that box club.’
‘Just because I’m out of the club doesn’t mean I can’t collect any more boxes. This is my secret stash. I was kinda planning on surprising everyone one day by building the biggest box fort ever! Until I got a little carried away…’
‘I kinda heard.’
‘It was just one lousy box alright?? The box wasn’t even that special! It probably would have fallen apart anyway.’ Trixie pouts.
‘They really love boxes don’t they?’
‘All of us do!’
‘But why?’
‘It’s…err it’s not something a non-feline can understand.’
And so, the ‘box addiction’ phenomenon remains a mystery. You do recall that feline-like animals have a huge liking for cardboard boxes… but where did they even get so many boxes from??
You’re tempted to ask, but honestly, it’s just not that important.
This day had been…stressful, terrifying, full of things you’d rather not think about, but then there was also Mother Yeen, Trixie, the Cubs, Weaver, all these…people doing their best to cheer you up and pull you out of your funk.
A voice in your head brings you out of the moment.
‘Hey. I set the blanket out for you.’
Looking up, you see that Trixie has taken the blanket—as her courtesy toward Weaver—and placed it onto her large green beanbag, forming an improvised bed. Although thankful for Trixie’s gesture, you can’t help but wonder…
‘But where are you going to sleep?’ you ask, stepping beside the greenbag.
‘Human…you aren’t considering that I would be sleeping on the FLOOR are you??’
‘N-no! Not at all!’ you quickly reply to her.
‘Well that’s a relief, it would be terrible of you to force me to sleep on the floor…’ Trixie replies, climbing under the blanket on the beanbag, facing towards you with expectation and anticipation glittering in her eyes.
Confusion holds you as you try to get the meaning behind Trixie’s actions.
‘Well human? The beanbag is big enough for the two of us.’ Trixie says, her mischievous smile mocking you.
Her intentions are all clear now…
‘Really?’
‘There’s only one beanbag here human. What else were you expecting?’ she says innocently.
‘Anything but this.’ you blandly reply.
‘It's either the beanbag or the cold floor, take your pick.’
‘I’m taking the floor.’ you answer without hesitation.
Trixie blinks in surprise as if not expecting you to be so eager to reject the offer. You refuse to play her slightly demeaning games any longer!
‘Ok, you sleep on the floor then. More beanbag for me.’
‘Eh?’
You didn’t expect this kind of response as Trixie shuffles to the middle of the beanbag, taking up as much space as she can, facing upwards as she closes her eyes.
‘Uhhh…’
Trixie ignores you, heading to sleep on her comfortable beanbag. Shoving the thoughts away, you make some distance from Trixie as you try to find comfort on the cold, hard floor below you.
Lying down, you shudder as the cold unforgiving floor strikes fast onto your skin. You grit your teeth and try to ignore the cold, trying to get some sleep.
You close your eyes…
…
You close your eyes…
…
Any second now…
…
But the discomforting nature of the floor stops that. Flipping over, you gaze envyingly at the leopard who is sleeping soundly…no…smirking. She is waiting for you to submit to the unforgiving floor and join her warm silky fur-
You shake the thoughts away, seeing Trixie’s smirk growing more powerful, she knows what you are thinking, she just chooses not to say it.
Your dignity pleads no while your shivering body screams yes. You just don’t want her to give her any satisfaction, you are just-!
…
Not strong enough.
Sighing in defeat, you make your way to the snow leopard as you get onto your knees beside her. She simply lies down peacefully, still smirking.
‘Trixie?’
‘Yes human?’ She cracks open one eye slightly, watching you with expectation.
‘I um…’
Why is it so hard to say it? Say it!
‘The floor is…colder than I thought.’
‘And?’
Oh god, she is going to hold this moment for the rest of your life.
‘I was hoping if…you could maybe, scooch over?’
‘No problem, come on in.’ she simply says, her smirk fading away with a gentle smile as she offers you half of the beanbag just like before.
‘Just like that?’
‘Yeah. Why do you seem so surprised?’
‘I kinda thought you…never mind it’s nothing.’ you quickly communicate, climbing under the blanket, facing away from her as you tend to your thoughts. Thankfully, she didn’t press on the matter.
While the blanket and the beanbag are more comfortable, the cold chill still lingers, taking too long to fade away. You thought for sure that Trixie would tease or savour this moment as much as she possibly can. So why is it that-
Your thoughts stop forming as Trixie’s arm finds her going under your own as she reaches your chest, placing her paw on where your heart is. Trixie shuffles closer to you while pulling you closer as she rests her head by yours, her soft warm fluffy fur pressing onto your back, banishing the cold that once plagued your body.
Trixie’s tail slithers past your leg as it reaches up to your chest, pulling you deeper while enveloping you more into her inviting warm fur.
Trixie sighs in contentment as she purrs louder, enjoying this peaceful moment. Not long after, the stinging pain of the cold and the small ache of the loss of your dignity fades away, comfort and warmth taking place instead.
Perhaps you are overthinking this? It’s just a nap, right? But why is Trixie acting like this? Is she planning anything? Maybe she is-
‘Shhh, no more talk. Only sleep.’ Trixie mumbles as she shifts to get a better hold of you, pulling you deeper into her loving embrace.
Following her advice, you decide to join her in a peaceful slumber, as a smile forms on your lips.
You have grown to like this strange mischievous leopard.
----------------------------------------
‘I still can’t get over how well the box fort went human! It’s perfect!’ Trixie exclaims, walking with you through the greenhouse, taking in the sights of the well-tended vegetation cared for by Proto themselves.
‘Well it’s not quite finished, we still need to build those defences around your ‘castle’.’ you remind her.
‘You’re right, but at least I have what matters most…my box throne!’
‘Are you being serious about being the queen of boxes?’ you smirk.
‘Hush you!’ Trixie giggles.
After some time building the box fort, Trixie flaunts over it, sitting upon her box throne…although…it reminds you of a certain undersea emperor…
…
‘Hu…human?’
‘Hmm? Oh, I was spacing out. What were you saying?’
‘I was asking if you had met Blue yet? A lot of latexes here know her.’
‘Blue?’
‘She tends to the greenhouse bar where she makes these things called ‘Fruit juices’. You been there?’
Ohh yeah! Now you remember! Leevo had told you that there was a blue wolf that tends by their ‘feeding grounds’, working at some kind of bar where she makes her renowned fruit juices.
‘I have, but she wasn’t there at that time.’
‘Whaaattt?? You haven’t tried her drinks yet??’
‘No…’
‘Then it’s settled, we are going there right now!’ she says, grabbing your wrist and pulling you along with her.
‘Hey woah! Slow down! We don’t even know if she’s there yet!’
‘She should be. She usually works around midday. I cannot let you go until you try it!’
‘Why is this so important to you??’
‘Because of how AMAZING her drinks are! Who knew you could squish and mix fruit together to make those delectable drinks!’
‘But-’
‘No buts! And besides, we are almost there!’
And sure enough, brushing away some branches you find yourself back at the greenhouse’s feeding grounds. Unlike last time, the long plastic table is occupied by a variety of latex residents who live here in the greenhouse. There is a leaf dragon, a plant wolf and a white latex wolf, sitting on a chair while drinking their respective drinks. Sitting at the end of the table, however, is a feral black crow pecking on an orange sitting on a small plate.
Behind the table is a bizarre-looking anthropomorphic wolf, preparing a drink in the blender as her long curly tail swishes around casually. The wolf’s fur is completely blue, most of her consists of a cyan shade colour while her underbelly has a darker blue colour. You know that she is a ‘blue wolf’ but you didn’t think that it would be a literal description! Even her eyes themselves are blue! You can easily tell that this wolf is female thanks to her feminine appearance.
The blue wolf places a glass filled with juice before a white wolf, as their tail wags happily, thankful for the juice.
‘Blueberry!’ Trixie calls out.
The blue wolf looks up to see you and Trixie, she was taken back upon seeing you but quickly brushes it off, a look of joy dawning on her face as a link connects with your mind.
‘Trix! You’re back!’ The blue wolf calls out, as Trixie pulls you to the counter with her.
‘Blueberry you will not believe who I have found!’ Trixie says, pulling you by her side for emphasis.
‘I couldn’t believe it either! You finally met a human, and you brought him with you??’
Seeing the blue wolf looking at you with interest, you decide to take a seat on a chair along with Trixie to introduce yourself.
‘Hello, Blueberry was it?’
‘It’s just ‘Blue’, actually. Trixs here likes to call me that.’ Blue explains.
‘Oh, well Blue my name is-’
‘So what brings you two here?’ Blue asks, placing her paws on the table as she starts the conversation.
‘Well, me and the human are trying some fun activities together in hopes we can remember some of our memories, but then I learned that he hasn’t met you yet! So I think we can take a break and try one of your fruit sjuices.’
‘Say no more! What would you have Trix?’
‘Cranberry juice.’
‘The usual then, what about you human?’
You hum in thought and tap your fingers, unsure of what flavour to choose.
‘I’m not sure…I liked the oranges that are grown here, does that help?’
‘Hmm…how about I make an Apple and Orange juice? Usually, the best place to start.’
‘Sounds good.’ You say before Blue makes her way to the crate of fruits to prepare the drinks.
‘Sit tight human, it will only take a few minutes.’ Trixie says, distracting herself by watching the crow finish an orange.
Taking Trixie’s advice, you turn your chair to face away from the table, looking past the vegetation to see the blue sky through the large clear glass with a few clouds lingering about.
Thoughts slither into your mind about the outside, what it was like… what it has become…and your own kind. Sure the majority of the latexes here are surprisingly humane, but it’s just not the same…the constant glances loitering of the other latexes makes you feel uncomfortable, not because they are as curious to you as you are to them, but because the fact you simply don’t fit.
Not only that, is it even worth going outside anymore? As much as you wish for it, you don’t have the strength to go out alone. Sure you could ask Dr. K, but he seems to be very busy and it just wouldn’t work out…not yet at least.
Looking to your right down at the table, you see an anthropomorphic Squirrel, presumably talking to the blue wolf as the blender whirls to life.
The squirrel has a cream underbelly, with light brown fur decorating the rest of its body. It has a pair of large fluffy ears and a giant tail that is just as big as—if not bigger than—its own body. Its tail has a cream colour and a light brown shading along with dark brown stripes.
The Squirrel seems to be gesturing towards you as Blue nods in response, chances are that they are talking about you being here…but then again everyone seems to be curious in their own ways.
Looking back through the greenhouse glass, you take the view outside once again, trying to figure out what to do…if you even consider going outside anymore.
‘Hey, whatcha lookin at?’ Trixie chirps in, following your gaze.
‘Nah I’m just looking outside.’
‘From here? It’s not much of a view here, didn’t think you would be interested in sightseeing.’
‘I…was thinking…what would it be like to be outside, now that I’m here. I heard so much has changed and yet I’m not sure if I can…’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I just feel like I can’t go out there alone, you know?’
‘But why not take the black wolf with you? Actually, now that I think about it…where-’
‘NO…don’t…I don’t want to think about him right now.’ you cut in, the horrible memory gnawing away at your sanity.
‘I…’ Trixie says, but doesn’t continue.
An awkward silence builds up between the two of you, making you feel uncomfortable. Taking a quick glance at Trixie, you notice that it is bothering her too.
‘Well if you like, we can go to the rooftop and look outside together.’ Trixie suggests.
‘The rooftop?’
‘Yeah! Not many latexes go up there, and the stairs that go up there are not too far off! Why not see what the outside looks like from there instead of here? Plenty to see!’ Trixie encourages.
You hum in thought, considering Trixie’s offer. While it is not quite the shame of ‘exploring’ the outside, it could still give you the insight to see what everything looks like.
‘Sounds like a plan.’
‘Great! Then it’s settled.’
Just then, Blue came back with two drinking glasses, one glass contains a purple and black juice while the other contains a slightly dark orange colour.
‘Here you are, enjoy!’
‘You’re the best Blueberry!’
‘Thanks, Blue!’
‘It’s a pleasure.’ Blue says, before making her way to the squirrel latex, presumably taking their order.
Taking your glass, you watch as Trixie takes a small sip from her own, prolonging the experience for as long as possible. Looking at the contents of your glass, you take a curious sip, the flavour burning onto your tongue. While it does contain the flavour of an orange that you are familiar with, it also contains a taste that you are quite not familiar with yet.
‘Must be the apple.’ you think.
----------------------------------------
*BANG BANG BANG*
‘Trixie, stop pounding the door…’
‘And why not? This is the only way to get you up here without using those tiny vents.’ Trixie says, pounding the door again with her fists.
‘Because I might have the key to open it.’ you say, pulling out the keycard from your pocket.
‘I don’t see how that can open the door, besides where are you going to use that?’
You blankly point at the card reader not too far from the door, waiting for a keycard.
‘Ooohhh right…’ Trixie says, allowing you to swipe the keycard at the reader.
*Click*
As soon as the door opens, Trixie eagerly pushes through to see the outside world. Admittedly, you are excited yet somewhat nervous to see what everything looks like…what happened while you were frozen? Did anything change? Or is everything going to be unfamiliar? Would there be anyone nearby? Where even are you in the world?
Pushing through the door before it closes shut, you feel a brush of a cool wind as your whole world changes to a sky blue, with clouds calmly floating in the sky. On the horizon, you can see some buildings in the distance, but you can’t find any activity that indicates if there is anyone out there.
Looking beside the exit you came through, you find Trixie sitting against the wall as she looks up at you, smiling expectantly.
‘Well? There’s plenty of space here human. You don’t need to stand there all the time.’ Trixie says, patting the ground next to her.
Accepting her invitation, you come to her side and sit next to her, taking a moment to think about the possibilities of what the real world outside looks like. You idly watch the black latex crows roosting by the edge of the rooftop, thankfully they seem to ignore you.
Trixie then lets out a quiet sigh, shifting closer to you as she rests against the wall, her tail reaching out and curling around your back, seemingly at peace. Truthfully, this is making you feel more at ease…something that you desperately need. Peace of mind…an invaluable asset indeed.
Suddenly, Trixie sits up as she looks upon you, her emerald eyes gazing upon yours but she strangely does not say a word.
‘Trixie?’
…
‘Trixie? Are you ok?’ you ask, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder in concern.
‘...hmm? Oh, actually I’m fine…it’s just that I…’ Trixie looks away, twiddling her claws.
‘Yeah?’
‘I remember…about who I was. And I also remember you, from long ago.’
‘Really? But I only met you for the first time a few days ago.’
‘No, way before that. I was different back then.’
‘Well, what do you mean? What did you remember?’
Trixie takes a deep breath, preparing herself to share her story with you.
‘It was…I’m not sure…eight years? Eight years ago when we first met, I wasn’t made of latex, or gooey in any way. I was in this enclosed area with grass and a small ‘cave’, though it's too small to call it that, and I was with a few other snow leopards. But outside my home were these invisible walls, and there were always these humans looking through, observing us.’
You shuffle and turn to face Trixie, giving her all your attention.
‘There were a few humans that came into our home everyday, wearing those same kinds of clothes. They mostly fed us and give us water, sometimes petting us or talking to us. I have grown to like them. I even had a name, Tina.’
‘Tina?’
‘Yes! At least, that’s what these humans called me.’
You can’t help but feel amazed at how Trixie is remembering so much in such little time, you almost envy her.
‘Sometimes, I would go up to these walls and see the humans up close. They all seemed so curious about me as I was to them. But time after time, they never came back, not like the other humans with those matching clothes. But then…’ Trixie pauses and lifts up her head to look you in the eye.
‘...then I saw you.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes, you! Except you were smaller…and cuter. The first day I saw you, I expected you to see me once and then move on. But day after day, you keep coming back. You somehow stood out from the other humans. One day I decided to see you up close, running up to you even, you were startled!’ Trixie giggles.
‘I…don’t recall that.’
‘Really?? You looked ridiculous back then!’ Trixie says, while you refraining from frowning, waiting for her to continue.
‘After that, I was always curious whenever you would come back. And to my joy, you did! I did everything I could to get your attention, instead of you just looking at the other snow leopards. Eventually one of the humans that took care of us noticed this as well. I didn’t understand what they were saying to you but you followed them.’
‘Then the human came along with you by our home! You came in to feed me! I was so happy to have another human friend, but the best part? You still came back! But then one day…something happened, one of my human friends was talking to some strange humans one night, I don’t know what they were saying but then my human friend came by our home…And then something stung my neck, and I felt so sleepy. And then…’ Trixie shudders.
‘...one day…I woke up in a small cage, and saw myself…’
'...'
‘Trixie?’
‘I don’t want to think about it, human…as painful as it is, at least I remembered who I am. And I have you to thank for. I just wish you could remember more too…did you remember anything?’
You keep quiet and shake your head, confirming her suspicions. Trixie shuffles close and pulls you closer to her, inviting you to lean onto her shoulder as her tail curls around you further, sharing a moment of silence as you watch the horizon.
Despite everything that you did with Trixie…you remembered nothing. It is bittersweet when Trixie remembered her whole life while yours is still mostly a complete mystery, you did appreciate the time you spent together with her.
‘Human…just to let you know…You are the best thing that happened to me.’ Trixie quietly purrs.
…
You…the way she said it…the horizon…it’s like…just like…
----------------------------------------
“You’re the best thing that happened to me, Colin.” the woman says, leaning onto your shoulder as you watch the horizon with her.
After the terrible news of the ongoing virus, you and her both found comfort with each other, soothing the fear and discomfort that the institute brings to you. After that, a friendship formed…but the friendship grew further…as something more than friendship sparked between you. You didn’t know what it was at first but you just then…right now…you know what it was.
“And you are the best thing that happened to me as well Ellie.” you say, adoring her beautiful emerald eyes…spending this wonderful moment together…
----------------------------------------
…
“Ahh!” you quickly scramble onto your knees, the memory rushing through your mind.
‘Human?? What happened??’
‘I…’
But another memory awakens, drawing you deep into the recess of your mind again.
…
----------------------------------------
You find yourself being escorted down the hallway by a security guard, confusion and concern nagging you as you go into a more scheduled area. Apparently one of the higher-ups of the institute wanted to conduct a meeting based on some ‘urgent’ matters. But what urgent matters? That is what bothers you right now. You doubt it’s because you have been breaking the rules or anything, you have been on your best behaviour.
So what then? What is so important that one of the researchers wanted to see you in person?
“In here.” the guard says, urging you through the door into an office.
Obeying the guard’s orders, you push through the door to be greeted with one of the higher-ranking scientists that you are not so familiar with.
“Have a seat, Colin.” the scientist says, his tone sounding neutral in a way that was somewhat frightening.
The guard gently nudges you forward, motioning you to take a seat as he closes the door behind him. Sitting down, your nervousness gets the better of you and urges you to speak.
“Am I in trouble sir?”
“Not quite Colin, you didn’t do anything wrong. Though I can’t promise that this meeting will be…good.” the scientist says, struggling to find the appropriate word.
“Sir?”
The scientist takes a moment, pushing his chair backwards as he opens a drawer, reaching for a file inside it before placing it on the table.
“Colin, you recall the alarm this morning right?”
“The one where all residents were urged into a secure area? The one on floor-”
“Yes, yes. That one.” the scientist says, going through the documents.
“Colin, there is no easy way to put this…I’m afraid I have to be the bearer of the bad news. You are familiar with Ellie, yes?”
You heart skips a beat…and soon you feel the world sharpen to a point.
“Y-yeah?”
“The alarm was meant to reduce any potential casualties, there was a breakout…a few snow leopards managed to breach through their containment. Despite the precautions and the action, we took to minimise the damage. I’m afraid there were casualties, we lost two of our staff members, and…one civilian.”
‘N-no! He couldn’t mean-!’
“I am told you were very close to her.”
It was right then, you feel your legs give out. The stab in your heart deepens, as you clutch it tightly. Tears break through with ease, as a hollow sense of loss gnaws away at your very being.
…
----------------------------------------
You blink your eyes and find yourself face to face with Trixie, her tail firmly wrapping around your chest as she keeps her paw onto your shoulder, as if making sure you don’t fall over.
Instead of comfort, it brings discomfort, tension and suspicion about her. Your heart is still aching from the horrible memory as pain and agony claw their way throughout your very being. Trixie’s frown deepens in concern as her tail coils more firmly, sensing something wrong.
‘Trixie…do you remember a girl named Ellie?’
Confusion dawns on her face, not expecting such a strange question. Undefinable yet unpleasant emotions take hold of your actions and your words. The evergrowing suspicion and distrust of the snow leopard becomes ever present.
Trixie closes her eyes…in a deep sense of concentration.
‘Ellie…Ellie…why does that sound so familiar? It sounds like…’
A look of disbelief dawns on her belief as her tail uncoils around you.
‘...my host…’
Trixie lifts her paw away as disbelief and insecurity strike her cold, unable to say anything more. But that is all you need to hear, she knows exactly who you were talking about…
And you know what she did.
A familiar spark…the same one you have with Puro…the anger you had when you found out the truth…ignites a small flame within you…you clench your fist in anger…as…
…
“*Sigh*”
But the flame died out.
Yes, you are upset…hurt…betrayed by the very snow leopard you have grown to like. Leaving you feeling nothing but hollow and bitter…you just can’t afford to care anymore. Not like this…
‘Of course, it was you…who else would it have been?’
‘Human I-’
‘STOP…stop pretending to be my friend. I just can’t take this anymore…’ you say bitterly, getting up and making your way to the other side of the roof, getting as far away as possible. Everything feels so hopeless now, pointless…
It all just keeps getting worse. You have been lost ever since you woke up from that pod…brought into good spirits by these latexes only to be torn down. And they put you back up…only to tear you down again.
You collapse onto the floor as grief overtakes you, tears flowing down your eyes as they drip onto the floor. These latexes serve as nothing but painful reminders of what you have lost. Why is it that these creatures toy with your emotions? What do they want from you?
You just feel hurt and lost…just like when you woke up from that stasis pod.
‘What will you do now? Where will you go? Will we still go and find others of your kind?’ questions from the back of your mind ask.
‘No…why bother? There’s no point anymore.’
Maybe it would be better to stay locked up in that pod and never remember your past at all. You didn’t know what you were expecting when you woke up and stepped out of that room…you didn’t expect anything like this.
‘It’s not fair…’
----------------------------------------
And just like that, the human has broken into tears, quietly sobbing as he grieves for his lost family…and the one he had grown to care for…the one she had taken away from him.
Trixie’s heart wretches with guilt as she watches from behind.
Back then…when she became a snow leopard…a latex snow leopard…she felt as though her ability to ‘choose’ or ‘decide’ was removed…leaving nothing but instincts. Both her own and this new instinct to spread and assimilate.
It broke her heart seeing that she was the cause of this human’s grief. Knowing that she assimilated someone the human adores and cares for. His thoughts of pain and emptiness and his inability to decide what to do…as though he has no future, were to her senses radiating off in waves.
Trixie is no expert in comforting those who are emotionally broken, and something like this is so far beyond her ability to help, she just doesn't know what to do. Nothing she says will help as much as she wishes for it. There is nothing she can do…
‘Maybe I should just leave him alone-’
No.
A part of her immediately discards the notion of leaving the human alone but at the same time a part of her wants to respect the human’s wishes to be left alone. She has done enough to hurt this human already, it would be selfish to keep bothering him.
With a heavy heart, her leg lifts up to step away…but it refuses to take the step, why can’t she go away?
‘It’s selfish of me to stay, I should go away.’
Don’t.
She realises she CAN’T leave him like this, he needs help now…more than ever…and she is the only one who can help him…but how? As much as she wants to talk to him about it, it will do no good, he is too bitter and sad for her to reach him.
What CAN she say to him anyway? The Human would not bother to look at her even once, especially since she is the one who had hurt him in the first place regardless if she never meant to. But even still, she has to do something right?
‘But what can I say?’
Is there even ANYTHING she can say at all? No…there is nothing she can say that could go through to him, any attempts to reach out would never get through.
It doesn’t seem like there is a way to reach out to him…
There is a way…
But what is there? What is there she can do to help him?
…
Then…deep within Trixie’s being…something stirs as a sense of instinct and…something else comes up with a suggestion…she doesn’t know what it is…but somehow…she knows it will work.
But in order for it to work…she’ll need to do something only a latex can.
----------------------------------------
Is there even a point in leaving the institute anymore?
Your thoughts slowly die out, the idea of finding others of your kind becomes pointless as time goes on.
Everything is meaningless to you now. Finding more of your memories is now meaningless. Why keep trying? They are gone…everyone is gone…the world you would have known and loved if not for that cursed stasis pod…is gone.
It will NEVER come back…
Tears start to form in your eyes, the pain and agony taking hold of your emotions.
‘It’s not fair…I just want them back…I lost everything…even my own damn memories. To think everything would be as simple as just walking out of here and everything being ok. But no, I have woken up years later to learn that my family, friends and my own girlfriend are gone. Why should I bother anymore?’ You think to yourself, your tears are now flowing freely
‘What do I even have left?’
…
You hear Trixie stepping behind you, and it stirs the bitter and hollow feelings within you.
‘What now…’
As soon as her paw touches your shoulder, you look over it to glare at her, signalling her to go away, but she ignores it.
‘What do you want now?’ you say coldly.
Trixie however, says nothing, her paw still firms on your shoulder.
‘Trixie…I swear if you are doing that thing right now…’
But Trixie refuses to say anything, her eyes shut tight as though she is concentrating.
You begin to feel something flowing gently into your being. You don’t know what this thing is, but whatever it is, you want nothing from it. Annoyed and impatient with the persistent snow leopard, you try to grab onto her arm, only to feel that arm in turn blocked.
‘How in the-’
You are a bit caught off guard by her quick reaction, she STILL hasn’t even opened her eyes yet. Before you can try again, that thing reaches some sort of critical point, and you’re overwhelmed by the sudden influx of sensations.
It’s…emotions…
Not your’s…
Not Trixie’s…
But…
‘Ellie?’
You don’t know how…but somehow, you know for a fact that this is not Trixie’s.
‘I…What is…’
You feel a sense of love, joy and…grief washing over you…as if someone is wrapping their arms around you. For a brief moment, you could have sworn you had seen a figure in front of you, sadly smiling at you.
This…grief…this grief feels as though it is linked to yours in some way. You want to reach out to it, to cling onto this for as long as possible…
…
But you can’t…
A feeling of care…reassurance…and love reaches out to you…calming you down…
…
The feeling slowly pulls away, retracting behind you and returning back to its source…to Trixie…as tears flow down her eyes and she gets onto her knees in an assuring posture.
You look up to her, unsure of what to feel or do anymore…
‘Colin, I know what I did…but I want you to know that if I had a choice…If I was still the same normal snow leopard when we first met years ago, I would have never done it.’
‘I know…how much it hurts…it hurts me to see you this way…I don’t want you to be unhappy Colin…Please don’t think I want to hurt you…the others don’t want to see you like this. Mother Malinda, those young hyenas, Weaver…they don’t want to see you this way…please don’t think you are alone, you never were.’
…
You look down to consider Trixie’s words, about her and the other latexes. The hyena cubs…Weaver, Hunter, Scar, Leevo, those black pups…Neon…they wouldn’t want to see you like this, very much like what friends would.
It baffles you how beings like them could act so ‘humane’ despite their odd tendencies. These strange yet natural feelings given to you by Trixie feel so genuine, you can even feel the regret and concern she has for you.
Everything she has said is nothing but the truth. And these feelings from her, all given to you…are real.
…
You have a lot to think about now. Unsure of what to take from all of this or where to go from here, but you do have something to ponder.
‘I…I need to think about this.’ you reply, getting up from your spot as you head towards the exit.
‘Take your time.’ Trixie says in understanding, as you reach the door.
…
…
…
Trixie watches as the hu-, as Colin makes his way through the door, heading downstairs to find peace of mind to take in everything. Not that she can blame him, she would feel the same way.
A sense of relief comes to her as all the negative emotions tearing him down to a point of no return, settle into a more neutral and calm state…uncertain, but calm. Although she wishes for something more than that, she knows it is enough to help Colin recover from his grief.
And…somewhere deep within her...
‘Thank you.’
She doesn’t know what it is, but she knows she finally found what she had been looking for…
…for the first time in years, Trixie felt at peace with herself.