A lanky, dark red unicorn just past the verge of stallionhood sat hunkered below a car parked across from the quiet little store he’d been watching for quite a few days now, studying the oceans of fluffy themed merchandise that filled its interior. His mismatched eyes roamed across what hints of the store he could catch past the glass door as it swung open for a heavy set blonde and her young boy who shook and jostled her arm with every excited bounce. Fellow could hear the kid’s barely contained excitement about what an awesome fluffy he was going to get even from his spot across the street.
Fellow craned his neck back and forth as he peered past the pair and through the glare cast across the giant display windows, eventually making out the form of a familiar, dark skinned man passing by the counter and, hopefully, disappearing into the obscured room out of view. The feral didn’t waste any time whipping his head from right to left, checking the street before bolting out across its hot, dark surface. The stinging fumes left behind by the thousands of cars that used this path still made Fellow’s nose wrinkle despite the growing familiarity. It was nothing like the dirt and stone and grass of the forest he’d grown up in.
He tried to keep his breaths low and light to avoid inhaling the gasoline and rubber tainting the air as his hooves slammed against the safety of the concrete, a car rolling by seconds later as one of the occupants glanced down at the young stallion as his red and blue swirled eyes briefly met theirs. Once the sudden distraction had passed, Fellow would press himself up against the wall just beside the glass doors and carefully peered in. He couldn’t waste any time.
The canni quickly locked onto the massive, pinkish red stallion with a dark mane and friendly yellow eyes sitting behind the counter. He wore a polite smile, hooves neatly set in front of himself as he awaited the next customer. Fellow wasn’t sure of his name but from what he had seen it was hopeful that the charming cashier would be an easy mark to let him get away with just a tiny bit of food.
Fellow reached a cloven hoof into his mane to check that the messily folded wad of bills was still firmly tucked in place. One of the people he regularly visited under the bridge had said it was about fifteen dollars, enough to get something from the store but not much. With one last pause, he’d go through his plan one more time, get in, find the food, grab something small, and see if the money was enough. If it wasn’t, Fellow was pretty sure he could out run the fluffy behind the counter. A soft, squishy pet was hardly a challenge, even if the other stallion was intimidatingly large.
With a quick breath in to ready himself, Fellow would shove his hoof against the door which readily swung open for him with a friendly chime. The sudden flush of cold air made the unicorn falter for a brief moment before the cashier’s cheerful greeting prompted him forward. He’d keep his eyes firmly forward, brushing off the welcome in with a smile and a flick of his dark, bushy tail as the cannibal quickly turned the corner into an aisle brimming with brightly colored toys and away from the carefully watching eyes of the stallion behind the counter. Determination and anxiety pulsed through Fellow as music cheerful played above him. He didn’t have much time, a fluffy was one thing to escape or convince but he wasn’t sure he could escape the grips of something like a human.
Fellow would let his eyes wander as his nose led him, crossing over brightly colored toys of all sizes and shapes. A rainbow of rubber duckies, different lengths of tug ropes, block sets covered in letters and numbers Fellow had trouble naming, chunky puzzles with cheerful art of animals that vaguely resembled animals and humans, even a little rubber pig with a swirly eyed, sharp toothed fluffy printed onto its tag. Fellow would stop in his tracks, blinking as he processed what he’d seen before taking a few slow steps back to stare down at the art. One of his dark grey hooves would slowly slide beneath the glossy cardboard, lifting it to get a better look. A cannibal? He’d heard of cannibals living with humans but the idea still seemed so foreign to him.
Living with a human was completely unappealing to the feral. Even if it was dangerous he liked wandering and living as he pleased. Being stuck inside for the rest of his life only able to leave at the whim of another, never being able to hunt again, having to listen to a human, it all sounded like a living nightmare. The amount of fluffies he’d run into that told the exact same story over and over of their owner’s stifling control or the hurt and torment inflicted onto them had only confirmed his beliefs. Humans were best kept at arms length.
What was even the appeal of one of these things? The red unicorn would let the tag drop, moving to prod the side of the pig. It didn’t move, barely even making a little wheezing noise as he bapped it slightly harder this time.
“Yu am ‘pposed to bite it.” A sudden voice came from above the distracted stallion.
“O-oh!” With a small start Fellow would quickly pull his hoof back, tucking it to his chest as his head whipped upwards, finding the large pinkish stallion with his little blue tie looming over him with a helpful smile.
“Uh, y-yeah. Fewwow know dat.” He’d flash back a quick smile in return, eyes nervously flicking away as he shuffled backwards. With him this close, Fellow could catch a whiff of the giant, quickly identifying the semi-artifical smell of an XXL. He’d inwardly curse at that fact, fuckfies were more difficult to deal with than normal fluffies. This was fine, everything was fine. As long as Fellow could out run the other fluffy it’d all go to plan.
“Fewwow? Dat am nice name. Am Wucky! Am yu hooman neawby?” Lucky would curiously inquire, scanning the area for any sign of Fellow’s “human”.
“Yeah, yeah, dey am just widdwe bit behind Fewwow! Was, uh, towd to gwab fings?” Fellow would quickly snatch up one of the pigs in his mouth, hoping to convince the other to back off. He’d never get out with someone looming over him like this.
“Hm, otay. Weww if yu an’ yu hooman nee’ an-ee hewp, Wucky am awways wight obew dewe.” Lucky would point his hoof back towards the counter before using it to pat Fellow’s messy mane as the other gave a muffled response through the rubber filling his mouth. With that, the XXL would turn around and disappear out of the aisle.
Fellow let out a heavy sigh as his shoulders slumped in relief once Lucky was gone, his eyes then turning down to the pig. He contemplated the other stallion’s words, mulling over the odd tasting material between his teeth before clamping his jaws down around it. A squealing oink made Fellow jump and his eyes widened as the noise triggered a flare of predatory excitement. Maybe there was a reason to like these things.
The toy remained in Fellow’s grasp as he hurriedly continued on, coming to the end of the aisle. He’d quickly find himself standing in front of rows and rows of fluffies of all different sizes and colors, some curiously stared back at the feral while others were still hollering and begging for the attention of that same mother and her son that had entered ahead of the feral.
The dark red cannibal instinctively ducked back into his aisle at the sight of the humans but quickly realized they weren’t paying attention to him, instead staring and cooing excitedly at a decidedly adorable little filly as she dragged her body back and forth across the glass as though requesting pets. Her wings buzzed with excitement and her bright green coat was adorned with streaks of glittery blue hues.
Fellow watched them with cautious interest before quickly shaking off the distraction, deciding to keep close to the divider before ducking between shelves laden with different colored bags and plastered with images of fluffies and whatever healthy ingredients they claimed to contain along with some of the few words he could recognize. Fluffy, happy, ass combined with a handful more letters he didn’t understand. He wondered what that could possibly mean.
The little fluffy would scour the shelves looking for the perfect sized treat to snatch, constantly reminding himself of the time limit he was under. With little thought Fellow would snatch a large, green and white bag sporting the same happy cannibal attached to the toy now dangling by its tag from between his teeth, hardly even paying attention to the nearly thirty dollar price tag printed above the shiny, white rod the package hung from. The front had a small slice of clear plastic that revealed the dry chunks of meat safely stored within.
A hit of nervousness made Fellow meekly shuffle his hooves on the scuffed tile floor as he watched Lucky fiddling with a small sign set out on the counter, taking a deep breath in before slowly exhaling past the bag to try and summon as much confidence as he could in hopes it would cover up just how out of his element the fluffy was. A small bounce would enter his step and his tail wagged ever so slightly in a display of friendliness as the canni made his way up, dropping the bag and the pig so he could have a clear conversation with the XXL.
“Hewwow, Fewwow wan’ dis.” Fellow would declare, one hoof soon pressing against the front as he pushed up onto his back legs to present the crumpled payment in the other.
The cashier fluffy leaned to peer down at the soiled bills, his eyes flicking between it, to the two items sat next to Fellow, and then to the young, scruffy stallion himself. A tinge of nervousness crept into his chest as Lucky tilted his head to the side. Was he catching on?
“Dat nu am enough. May-beh yu shouwd just wait fow yu hooman to get hewe.” Lucky would suggest with the same cheerful customer service voice as earlier.
“Buh yu nu even wooked at it!” Fellow protested in confusion.
“Dat wook wike mostwy ones.”
“If nu am enough fow aww, can Fewwow jus’ get dah nummies?”
“Nu, buh yu can get dah squeaky toy.” Lucky responded, looking over the items one last time as he gave his assessment, “Why don’ chu jus’ wait fow yu hooman, dey can get it aww sowted out.” He’d once again insist.
Fellow dropped back to his hooves, his worry and unease growing with every moment he was delayed. The human could come back at any second. He quickly looked towards where the man from earlier had disappeared, finding a dark curtain hung across a small, blocked off area. The bright pink pig wasn’t necessary but the food…he needed that for the nearing cold times. With a grumble he’d glance to the door, the hard way it was then.
“Otay…Fewwow wait fow hooman.” The feral gave an agreeable smile as he tucked his money away and gathered up the acquired treats before stepping backwards. He could feel Lucky’s eyes following him as he leaned to peer out the glass door, pretending to look for his nonexistent owner while checking to see if the street was clear.
With no sign of much traffic he’d back off to fidget with a shallow paddling pool, cooing to himself over the sea life printed on it’s bright blue surface.
“Nice..nice pink weggie munstah obew hewe.” Fellow muttered to himself as he poked the line work of what looked like a very odd spider. All of its legs were weirdly wiggly and protruded from it’s…front? He was pretty sure that was the front since the back was bigger but it looked like the eyes were somewhere in the middle. Did humans even know what spiders looked like? The yellow and green shapes of fish were recognizable if not a little oddly shaped as well. Even the blue snake seemed a little off.
The second he felt the cashier’s gaze leave him, even for just the briefest of moments, Fellow would sprint from the stack of pools and slam his little body against the door. With a chime it slowly started to swing open as a startled yell left Lucky and the clattering of a teetering stool drove Fellow on, forcing his body through what little of a gap had appeared and burst out onto the nearly empty sidewalk. The pig let out pitiful honks as Fellow sprawled flailing into the concrete, losing hold of his loot.
“DeAndwedeweamshopwiftew!Gon’getdem!!” Lucky spewed the words out so fast they were nearly unintelligible to his coworker still in the hidden part of the shop.
Fellow scrambled for his items, his canines and lip painfully scraping against the rough surface of the sidewalk as he scooped up the items once again. His face scrunched as the edge of the plastic bag painfully dug into the corners of his mouth but that had to be ignored for now. Once the stolen items were safely back in his grip he’d bolt for the street as Lucky burst out of the shop behind him. A roaring blur of white forced Fellow to a skidding halt, heart leaping into his throat as the car blew past. Another burst of yellow followed just behind, forcing the feral to twist away from the crushing wheels and between those of another parked nearby.
“Hey! Get back hewe yu theif!” Lucky would demand as he pounced after the smaller fluffy, teeth snapping for Fellow’s dark tail as it disappeared under the front bumper with a swish. A long, drawn out squeal erupted as the pig squished and ground underneath Fellow as he forced his body through the gap between the parked car and the curb, soon bursting free into the light of the warm autumn day once again.
Fellow’s hooves pounded against the pavement as he darted down the sidewalk, swerving around a startled woman as she let out a sharp gasp, another indignant yelp following only seconds later as Lucky scrambled after the scrappy cannibal. The bright sun dimmed as he ducked into a cramped alley, his eyes darting back and forth for an escape as his breaths came out in heavy puffs. Heavy hoof beats and the persistent shouts and demands of Lucky kept Fellow’s gaze forward, past doors, and rain spouts, and trash cans, and stagnant puddles that pooled in the divots of the ground.
Fellow’s lungs were starting to burn but the slowly growing distance between him and his pursuer sparked a flickering hint of confidence. Thoughts rapidly flitted through the unicorn’s mind as he scanned the area for gaps or holes he could escape through, his darting eyes almost completely glazing over a small, jagged hole in a crumbling brick wall. He’d curve to the left, slamming himself to the ground to peer through the glowing hole of salvation just barely big enough for him. The perfect escape. Left, right, straight ahead, every way seemed to be nothing but a clear stretch of even more alleyway.
The pig squeaked and grunted once again as Fellow shoved his prizes through the hole before forcing himself after. Stone scraped through his fur, stinging against his shoulders as his back hooves scrabbled against the cracked ground. He pulled and wriggled and thrashed, inching his way to freedom as the desperate shouting of Lucky grew closer.
“Stop! Yu nu can take dose!” The echo of the cashier’s words sent jolts of panic through Fellow’s body as he mustered up what was left of his strength and threw himself forward.
Brick sliced messy, shallow cuts into his flanks as he popped through, relief flooding him only to immediately be doused by pain as a snout slammed through the hole and teeth snapped closed on his tail. Electricity shot up the unicorn’s spine as he was dragged backwards, hooves digging into the grimy concrete as sharp teeth gnashed at Lucky’s muzzle but it was just too far to reach.
“Wet go!” Fellow snarled, swiping at the tag of his pig for something to drive the driven XXL off as Lucky yelled something unintelligible through a mouthful of hair. He gripped the plastic ring in his jaws, whipping his head back to smack Lucky across the face with its bright, rubbery body. A series of short, sharp oinks would erupt through the alleyway with every hit across the cashier’s face, causing him to flinch and squeeze his eyes shut.
“Ack!” Lucky was suddenly forced to release the feral as the pig’s leg nailed him right in the eye.
“Fuc-” Was all Fellow could get out before he rocketed forward into the ground and his rear flew up at the sudden lack of resistance. Once the pain flooding through his snout had faded he’d stumble up, bouncing away from the hole as Lucky tried to shove his head back through searching for the smaller fluffy once again. His tongue ran across sharp teeth and his lips smacked as he made sure everything was still intact.
“Damn it! Give dose back, yu gotta pay fow dem!” The XXL pleaded, pulling away to begin pacing back and forth only to occasionally stop and peer in at Fellow.
“Nu, Fewwow need dis.” Fellow huffed back as he gathered his winnings and looked the other scrapes and injuries over. Once he was satisfied, he’d turn his attention back to Lucky, contemplating giving the cashier his wad of cash but quickly shot that down. Fellow knew he needed more than just this now dirty bag of fluffy jerky for the coming cold. A pet such as Lucky wouldn’t know what surviving was really like.
“Den yu shouwd pay fow it!” Lucky exasperatedly cried back.
“Fewwow found munies in dah twash, maybe yu find sum too!” Fellow vaguely encouraged the cashier as he gave a proud little flick of his tail and turned to leave, ignoring the frustrated insults Lucky would answer back with that followed after as they bounced off of the walls of this new stretch of alley.
____
Fellow watched the flickering glow of fire as he studied the three figures hunkered under the bridge, his pig clamped in his jaws as he slowly shuffled down the sparsely covered slope. The feral knew exactly how to carefully snake his way through the sparse bushes and jagged rocks jutting through the dirt even in the dark. Once he’d reached the flat ground at the bottom of the incline, a smug bounce would enter his step as he approached, his hooves eventually meeting familiar concrete as heads turned to peer at the approaching clip clop of proud steps.
“Eh? What’s that ya got there, Fellow?” Diego, a gruff older man with a greying stubble and an old, powder blue blanket draped over his lap asked as he leaned over. White hairs spotted his messy comb over and deep wrinkles lined his warm features. His arm extended, trying to poke at the coveted toy, “That a dog toy?”
Fellow would swerve away from Diego’s curious hands, forcing an indignant honk from his pig as he lifted his chin, making his way to a pile of fabric scraps and stuffing carefully patted out into a comfy ring next to Cammy. She was a young, mousy woman constantly lost in her own thoughts and always accompanied by Hector, a little dark grey, tabby striped cannibal with bright green eyes that constantly wobbled back and forth like he was always stuck in an earthquake. Fellow couldn’t remember ever seeing the two apart from each other.
“Hey, Fellow. We missed you yesterday.” Cammy softly greeted him, her doe-like eyes drifting over him for merely a moment before returning to staring off into nothing as she continued whatever day dream she’d been in the middle of.
“H-Hewwow!” Hector bounced and rocked in Cammy’s lap as he tried to peer down at the other stallion, eyes sparkling with wonder as he too eyed the pig, “Am dat-dat a t-toysie??”
“Ooh, seems the little one’s found ‘imself somethin’ special.” Smoke drifted past the cigarette pinched between Elana’s yellowed teeth as she let out a hoarse chuckle.
“Mmhm!” Fellow would reply with a little wag of his tail as he plopped into his bed, his legs stretching out in front of him with the pig proudly resting upon them as he immediately began eyeing the bottle of rum cradled in Elana’s lap, “Why don’ yu give Fewwow a widdwe bit of dat and Fewwow wiww teww yu aaaww bout it.”
“It better be a damn good story if yer wantin’ some o’ this.” Elana smirked at Fellow, wagging the bottle at him, “If not, Imma have to pillow you.”
“As if. You’d pwobabwy bweak yu hip, owd wady.” Fellow shot back with a mischievous little giggle. His grin would grow just a tad more as he heard Diego disguise a laugh with a cough, not wanting to attract Elana’s playful ire his way.
“You lil shit.” Elana swiped at Fellow with a snort, hardly even getting close to the snickering fluffy, “Get yer damn bowl.”
“Aweady hab it!” Fellow would slide a chipped little bowl out from under his pile of blankets which Elana promptly poured a quick splash of rum in. Nothing much, just enough for the pint sized predator. He’d scoop his bowl up in his hooves, pressing the rim to his lips as he drank up the harsh but familiar liquid that stung his nose and throat. Fellow would lick his lips as he leaned back in his pile with a self satisfied sigh, “Now, fow dat stowy.”
____
Cross over with @PonePone ‘s characters :3
