Emilia found herself in the communal play area, explaining the new situation to the good stock, or rather the Good Fluffies. A ranking system that applied to all Fluffies residing in Entepott Fluffy Shelter, with this ranking affecting how a Fluffy would be treated whilst residing in the shelter and a sort of point system to move up in ranks or drop down.
Firstly, the four ranks:
- Good Fluffy
- Fluffy
- Bad Fluffy
- Shit Rat
Currently all good stock in the shelter were considered Good Fluffies and all bad stock were considered Shit Rats, but all future Fluffies that ended up in this shelter, would start off as Fluffy, and their actions from then on, would determine their rankings.
Emilia explained these rankings to all the Good Fluffies and as expected they all looked at her with confusion. Some made comments about shit being a bad word, while most others just gave her blank stares. She had expected as much and fortunately she came prepared with a simple chart.
The chart was crude. A simple table she had made in under thirty minutes, but it had all the key info and she did put some thought into the fact that she was making it for Fluffies. Simple design and wording. Use of arrows to understand to flow and pictures to reinforce that being a Good Fluffy was good and being a Shit Rat was bad.
It was a simple point system, but truthfully she knew that explaining it would have been complicated to these simple creatures. To move from Fluffy to Good Fluffy you had to do (3) Good Fluffy Things, but if you did (1) Bad Fluffy Thing, then you lost (1) Good Fluffy Thing and had to do another (1) Good Fluffy Thing, and vice versa. So Emilia just explained the way Zeri told her to.
âOnly do Good Fluffy Things so you can be Good Fluffies⌠foreverâ Emilia stated calmly.
The Good Fluffies all looked at her and nodded. Some gasped in amazement as though she had said something profound, whilst others looked at the chart, seemingly deep in thought, but none of them seemed to notice that obvious unfairness of the system. It had been purposely designed for Fluffies to fail easily and punish them harshly for undesirable behavior. Once a Fluffy had fallen to Bad Fluffy, it would require a great effort just to move back to Fluffy, and once they fell to Shit Rat, there was no coming back. That was it, and once they had completed their two week mandatory stay, they would join the queue for Fluffy meat processing.
Emilia had argued it against it. She had tried to fight for more leniency, because Fluffies were careless and emotional creatures who could easily make mistakes and do bad stuff even though they had good hearts, but annoyingly Zeri had a counter arguments. In terms of supply and demand, there was a high supply of Fluffies and low demand. In order to give the Good Fluffies in Entepott a chance, they didnât just have to be Good Fluffies. They needed to be perfect, and in order for them to be perfect, Entepott had to be harsh. It was annoying because Emilia knew Zeri was right, as Entepott wouldnât have been in this situation in the first place if everyone wanted a Fluffy.
Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the Good Fluffies, who was sat on his rump and raising one of his front legs. Emilia looked at him with a slight smile. Dark brown fur with grayish green patches. His mane and tail were a mix of brown and black. She recognized him instantly: Oakley, one of the longer residents of Entepott.
âYes Oakley?â Emilia asked kindly.
âEmi mummah, wat am Gud Fwuffy Tings n Bad Fwuffy Tings?â Oakley asked.
âIâm glad you asked, let me explain. â
Emilia produced another chart. A table that simply listed out all Good Fluffy Things and all Bad Fluffy Things.
| Good Fluffy Things | Bad Fluffy Things |
|---|---|
| ALWAYS listen to Hoomans | Donât listen to Hoomans |
| NEVER demand anything, only ask | Demand things, especially sketti or toys |
| NEVER make a fuss or tantrum when told no | Make a fuss or tantrum when told no |
| NEVER threaten Hoomans | Threaten Hoomans |
| ALWAYS treat ALL Fluffies kindly | Treat other Fluffies rudely |
| ALWAYS help each other | Never help each other |
| NEVER call others meanie names | Call others by meanie names |
| NEVER pick fights | Pick fights |
| ALWAYS make good poopies | Make bad poopies |
| ALWAYS thank their daddeh and/or mummah | Take everything for granted |
| NEVER call themselves a Smarty | Always call themselves a Smarty |
| NEVER call themselves Bestest | Always call themselves Bestest |
| ALWAYS love all babbehs equally | Have Bestest babbehs |
| Laze about all day | |
As Emilia went through the list, the Good Fluffies listened quietly. She noticed some of them nodding in agreement, whilst others said âyesâ with every point as though validating the points. Unsurprising as most of the behaviors listed came from observing the Good Fluffies and a brainstorm session between the three women about what separated them from Shit Rats. However, Emilia felt a sort of discomfort, as the list felt sort of dystopian. Telling Fluffies that they NEEDED to act a certain way or end up locked in a glass prison and forced to cannibalize each other, before ending up as food themselves.
However, she was quick to remind herself that this was necessary. The world was a rough place and tough choices needed to be made, plus the population itself had slowly been seeing Fluffies and more and more akin to vermin with each passing day, so the only way for these Fluffies to find a good home was to become absolute angel, and this was how.
Luckily none of them seemed to realize this, in fact they seemed to see this from a different lens. Not an oppressive set of laws, but rather a guide on how to be a good Fluffy and how to get a good home. Much too naive to realize that they these rules were designed to make them absolutely subservient to their owners and all the more vulnerable to abuse, but Emilia was quick to remind herself that subservient was a Fluffyâs intended design and thousands of Fluffies were abused everyday, so all she was doing was moaning for the sake of moaning.
Entepott was simply operating on a harsh truth and a harsh truth needed to be said.
âOakley, Coco, Sunflower, Petal, Noodle, Buggie, Reeses, Hip Hop, Wimpy, Mustard, Tanner, Nanna. If you hear your name, please step forwardâ.
Twelve Fluffies stepped forward. Seven stallions and five mares. Nine Earthies, one Pegasus and two Unicorns. An array of colors, with all Fluffies sharing one thing in common: Low chance of adoption. All full grown Fluffies, which had a lower chance of adoption, because smaller was cuter and that whole mentality that the Fluffy would develop a stronger bond with the owner if they were adopted whilst quite young. Plus it didnât help that these Fluffies had color combos, physical defects and mentalities that were deemed low appeal.
There were other reasons as well. More stallions, because of babbeh enfer connotations, even though most Stallions in Entepott were already neutered and more Earthies because why have a boring old abnormally tiny ponies when you could have one with a dull horn or useless wings. Emilia took a deep breath. She was being bitter, because this whole situation was annoying her and she needed to calm down.
âYou all stay over there and wait, while we bring all the other Fluffies back to their homesâ
The twelve Fluffies stayed next to the wall obediently, as Emilia, Ariella and Zeri brought the rest of the Good Fluffies back to their cages, then Emilia came back and sat down in the pillow area. She sat cross legged and told them all to come up close. She wanted this to feel more personal and caring, as she broke the news, and she felt a tinge of guilt as they all stared at her with their cute faces and big round eyes. She pondered how to say this. Delicately? Work up to it? Imply? Fluffies probably didnât get the whole double-meaning and bad news was still bad news, whether she told it slowly or fast, so she decided to rip the band aid off and get it done.
âIâm going to be honest⌠I donât think any of you are going to find a good homeâ.
The twelve stared at her blankly. None seem to register what she had said, but as half a minute passed, their faces began to change into horrified looks. Suddenly Coco stepped forward and began to tap on Emiliaâs thigh.
âCoco nu get gud housie!?â Coco cried out in a panic âBu Coco wan! Coco wan!â
Emilia nodded in agreement and gave him a sympathetic look
âI know Coco⌠but the truth is⌠The hoomans prefer Fluffies when their are still babbehs and a lot of them⌠Well a lot of them, especially the children⌠Uh⌠The smaller hoomans, prefer Fluffies with⌠Well⌠Prettier colors andâŚâ
Emilia paused. She felt guilt for saying such things and all the more guilty as she observed the reactions of the various Fluffies.
Coco, Hip Hop and Wimpy had started to cry, hugging each other tightly as they wailed.
âY⌠Y Emi mummah sa such meanine tings!?â Petal asked angrily.
âIt caw Noodle hab bwoken hown!?â Noodle asked with a look of horror.
Sunflower was running in a circle, like she always did when she was anxious.
âIb⌠Mustawd nu fin housie⌠Am⌠Am Mustawd gon be nummies!?!â Mustard asked in horror.
Oakley, Tanner and Buggie were seemingly calm, but the looks of horror on their faces gave away their true feelings on the matter.
Only two didnât seem to care. Reeses and Nanna. Emilia understood why. Reeses came from a happy home with an owner that truly loved him. Unfortunately she had passed away due to old age and with no one to care for Reeses, he was put in the shelter. Even though it had been months, Reeses could still remember his owner and it left him with what they call a âdownerâ personality.
As for Nanna, she was the oldest in the shelter and Emilia wasnât sure if it was age or because she had come from Fluffy mill, but seemed to find satisfaction just from watching Fluffies grow.
Emilia looked down. She felt terrible for saying this, but it was decided that it was best to keep their expectations low. If they knew that every person that came here was not looking for them, it would hurt less so to speak when they donât get picked. Hopefully it would also allow them to be focus on their new responsibilities. Still it did make Emilia feel bad and she stayed silent for a minute, as she let them get out all their emotions, but eventually she needed to call order and calm them down. This was not her only responsibility in Entepott today, and the sooner she got them adjusted to their new roles, the faster she could start working on her other tasks.
She raised her hand and waited for all of them to settle down. Fortunately they were all Good Fluffies. They were emotional, but also had greater self control and in under a minute, they were all quiet, aside from a few sniffles and whimpers.
âI know itâs toughâ Emilia said calmly âBut I need you guys to be strong. Other humans might not want you, but we do. Ella, me and I guess Zeri, we all need youâ.
Oakley stepped forward âEmi mummah nee Oakwey?â He asked with hope.
âYes! I⌠We need you⌠ALL of you, to help us find other Fluffies a good home, especially the babbehs. We need you to teach themâŚâ
âBu Coco wan housie!â Coco suddenly exclaimed âY dummeh babbeh get housies buâŚâ
âCocoâ Emilia scolded softly âCalling other meanie names is what bad Fluffies do. Are you a bad Fluffy?â
Coco looked horrified but shook his head with tears in his eyes.
âCoco nu am bad Fwuffy⌠Bu⌠Bu⌠Wan gud housie⌠N⌠Iz nut faiw! Nut faiw!â
Emilia nodded in agreement and she just felt so horrible. Telling these Fluffies that they donât get a nice home and that they need to accept that they can only help other Fluffies find a nice home. It really wasnât fair, and she felt like a monster for telling them this. Fluffies werenât meant to be put in positions like this, but Fluffies werenât supposed to be an overpopulated infestation species either. It was just a case of poor circumstances. With these Good Fluffies here simply because they lost the genetic lottery.
Coco was right, it really wasnât fair, and as Emilia stared at Coco, who had broken into tears again, she just felt so sorry for him. She pulled the Fluffy close and gave him a nice, warm hug, allowing Coco an opportunity to sob quietly in her shoulder, as he nuzzled her lovingly.
âI know Cocoâ she said gently âItâs not fair, but unfortunately⌠The world isnât fair. Sometimes bad Fluffies⌠Or even Shit Rats get to live in good homes, while good Fluffies⌠Live hereâŚâ
Here. Entepott Fluffy Shelter. Even as a Hugbox shelter, it was never supposed to be a forever home. A facility of cold, uncaring walls and floors. Row upon rows of glass boxes, with hundreds of Fluffies living in close confinement of each other. Cheap kibbles for meals, scheduled times for play and socialization with limited toys. Meanwhile there were plenty of Shit Rats out there, living in nice homes with all their needs and wants being met simply because they had nicer colors. It was really unfair and Emilia found herself shedding a tear for this injustice, but she knew she had to maintain her composure.
Most of the other Fluffies had gathered around her, looking at her with worried faces. Some on the verge of crying as well. They stared at her with their adorable faces and their big, round eyes, all looking at her for guidance and support. If she were to cry now, she would set most of them off and it would make the whole situation all the more harder. Emilia pondered what to say, and took as a deep breath as she calmed her nerves.
Placing Coco down, she pet the Fluffy gently, before staring at all of them and making a cute huff. She nodded and put on her best smile. She knew what to say.
âThe world isnât fair, but that doesnât mean we arenât going to try fighting itâ.
âEmi mummah am gib sowwy hoofies tu nu faiw worldie?â Sunflower asked.
âSorry hoofies⌠Yes! Thatâs right, me, Ella and Zeri all think itâs not fair that good Fluffies have to live here, while Shi⌠Bad Fluffies live in nice homes. Many humans think that all the Fluffies here are bad Fluffies and we want to show them that itâs not true. There are many good Fluffies, here that need good homes and we want them to see that there are many good Fluffies here who deserve a good home⌠And we NEED your helpâ.
The Fluffies all looked at her in surprise.
âEmi⌠Emi mummah nee⌠nee Noodwe hewp?â Noodle asked
âThatâs right Noodle I need your help, andâŚâ
âEban tho Noodwe hab bwoken hown?â
âEven if you have a broken hornâ
Noodle looked shocked by this, but then began to smile with tears in his eyes.
âNoodwe wan hewp! Wan hewp!â He cried out with glee.
His delight had begun to affect the other Fluffies, and some were beginning to look a little more optimistic and some were even looking quite excited. Emilia noticed this and quickly used it to her advantage.
âAnd not just Noodleâ she stated âI need YOUR help Tanner, I need YOUR help SunflowerâŚâ
âSunfwowew wan hewp! Wan! Wan!â
â⌠YOUR help PetalâŚâ
âPetaw wan hewp babbehs!â
â⌠YOUR help Buggie, YOUR help Oakley, YOUR help Hip HopâŚâ
âHip hop hewp! Hip hop hewp!â
â⌠YOUR help Wimpy, YOUR help MustardâŚâ
âMustawd hewp, bu⌠Bu nu am nummies!â
â⌠YOUR help Nanna, and yes YOU too Reesesâ.
Reeses who had remained in the sideline, whilst all the other Fluffies had clung to her, looked at Emilia in surprise.
âEmi⌠Emi mummah nee Weesesâ
Emilia nodded âYup! I need you too Reeses⌠And I NEED you too Cocoâ.
Coco who was still hugging her, began to hug her tightly as he made a loud sniffle.
âCoco⌠Wan hewpâ he stated softly âCoco wan hewpâ
Emilia smiled and the Fluffies all began to crowd around her, some climbing her legs so that they could hug and nuzzle her, while others bounced around excitedly. All of them proudly exclaiming that they wanted to help. It warmed Emiliaâs heart seeing such noble intent and she tried to grab as many of them as she could in a warm embrace. Some of them giggled in joy, whilst others made delighted squeals. It certainly did make Emilia feel better.
âYou all are REALLY GOOD Fluffiesâ Emilia stated joyfully âSuch good Fluffies, and I⌠I just love you all so muchâ.
Emilia had began to sob quietly with the biggest smile. These really were good Fluffies, and the Fluffies began to nuzzle and hug her tightly, exclaiming how much they loved her. Even if they had a low chance of getting a good home, Emilia told herself that she would do everything in her power to make sure that they at least had a comfortable life here in Entepott. Maybe not the best life they could have, but atleast a good life.
âWan gud babbehs tu get good housieâ Petal exclaimed
âHip hop am weally gud Fwuffy!â Hip hop declared
âWeally gud Fwuffy! Weally gud Fwuffy!â Sunflower and Noodle exclaimed in unison.
Zeri watched from the open door feeling both impressed and envious. Impressed, because Emilia had managed to turn a bunch of despairing Fluffies into a cheerful crowd, excited to help Entepott, in no less than twenty minutes, and envious because that looked like a really nice, warm hug. She definitely could go for a nice, warm hug as well, and would happily accept it as reward for working here, if it was on offer. Unfortunately she couldnât see an opportunity arising and she found herself resentful that those cry baby fur balls were able to get such a nice, warm hug from a cute girl like Emilia.
âHey slacker what you doing lazing aboutâ came a stern voice.
Zeri turned around in surprise to see Ariella looking at her with a cheeky grin.
âOh nothing boss, just wondering what a girlâs got to do to get a nice hug like thatâ Zeri retorted.
Ariella peered into the room and snorted with amusement.
âHah!â Ariella said with a laugh âSorry I donât trust you to give the Good Fluffies hugs and love, best I can give you a hug from shelter owner herself, Ariella Orisa, or probably a pat on the backâ
âOh gosh darnâ Zeri replied in a mocking tone.
âYeah I thought soâ Ariella replied with a grin âI understand, not much appeal for older lady hugs in this economy, right?â
âYeah, sorry just not in the market for that sort of thingâ Zeri replied in a sarcastic manner âIâm TERRIBLY sorry about thatâ.
Ariella snorted in amusement again and pat Zeri on the back hard.
âThere you got a pat on the back, now stop watching Emilia do her job and go do yoursâ.
âAye bossâ Zeri said with a grin.
Zeri quickly returned to her cart, bringing it to the housing area to pick up the Shit Rats on the menu for today. In truth, she definitely would have loved a nice, warm hug for Ariella, but she knew boss was just joking with that offer. Just a little bit of bants. She would just have to make do with some good old Fluffy abuse.
126 Shit Rats (85 adults + 41 young) with 14 serving from yesterday.
1 Fluffy = 20 fed
126 = 14 fed
125 = 34 fed
124 = 54 fed
123 = 74 fed
122 = 94 fed
121 = 114 fed
120 = 120 fed + 14 excess again
6 lucky adult Shit Rats, chosen for lunch service. Ariella had already instructed her on which ones to choose, the 5 that had refused to eat yesterday and 1 who had double portions.
As Zeri picked the Shit Rats for processing, she noticed a lot of complaining today. A lot of bored, hungry Shit Rats, who had started notice the difference in treatment between them and their Good Fluffy shelter-mates.
âY dummeh Petaw hab pway time bu Mawy nu get pway time!â complained a bitch mare
âSu hungwy! Gib Wocky nummies wite nao, dummeh hooman!â demanded a hell gremlin
âBestest wan pway! Bestest wan pway!â screamed a bestest babbeh
A lot of angry Hellgremlins banging their hooves on the glass wall. Bitch mares wailing. Runaways throwing tantrums. Such entitled, arrogant behavior. If only they knew the future that awaited them.
Zeri grinned with satisfaction, as she got the six chosen Fluffies. She was easily able to placate them, simply telling them that they were going to play and have all the sketti they wanted. That certainly made them more manageable and it was certainly amusing watching the six hold their heads up high and gloat to all the other Shit rats how they got these nice things because they were the best. Zeri was practically racing to the kitchen, excited to show them their new reality. Upon entering the kitchen, the Shit Rats were quick to cause a fuss.
âWewwe sketti!?â One Shit Rat asked in bewilderment.
âHungwy! Wan sketti!â A second Shit Rat demanded.
âY am hewe? Wan sketti! Wan pway!â A third Shit Rat exclaimed angrily
âDummeh hooman pwomise sketti!â A fourth Shit Rat screamed with indignation
âWan sketti!â A fifth Shit Rat demanded arrogantly
âSketti! Sketti!â Screamed the sixth Shit Rat lividly
Zeri smiled and took as step back as they whined and screamed. All six of them looking at her with angry eyes. Some were pouting, some stomping their hooves, whilst other threatened sorry poopies. All of them asking where their sketti was. Zeri stared at them silent with a smile. She was just taking in the sight of six arrogant idiots and just getting herself in the mood.
As she stared at them standing side by side, she noticed something. A slight size difference, with one of the Fluffies slightly larger than the other five. With it came a realization. Something that definitely needed to be brought to the bossâ attention, but it was not so important that Zeri needed to drop everything and notify Ariella. She could do it after cooking and she was already in the mood.
âTime for sketti!â She said with a grin.
The six looked at her in surprise, but their anger quickly turned to join.
âSketti! Sketti!â Four of the Shit Rats chanted.
âSu hungwy!â Another Shit Rat moaned.
âWewwe Sketti?â Asked the sixth Shit Rat.
Zeri pulled out a large metal crate and showed it to them.
âIn hereâ she said pointing at the industrial sink.
Zeri brought the cart up close so that they could peer inside and they all looked at her with understandable confusion.
âBu der nu skettiâ One Shit Rat said.
âDummeh hooman twickâŚâ
âThis is not a trickâ Zeri reassured âThereâs sketti in that sink. You just cannot see it yet, because you can only see it when youâre inside the sinkâ
The Shit Rats looked at her in confusion and one stepped forward.
âHow⌠How am sketti in swink bu nut in swink?â The Shit Rat asked with genuine confusion.
âHuman magicâ Zeri replied.
âOooohhhâ said the Shit Rats in unison.
It certainly seemed to make sense to them and brushed away any doubts, with all six Shit Rats willingly allowing themselves to be placed in the sink. It took them five whole seconds, before one of them finally realized that there was still no sketti even though they were inside.
âWewwe am sketti?â The Shit Rat asked.
âOh you donât see it?â Zeri asked, as she began to boil a pot of water and put on some latex gloves.
âNu see skettiâ Another Shit Rat replied.
âHmmm? Let me checkâ Zeri replied as she placed a knife and a large rubbish bin next to the sink.
She peered inside to see the six Shit Rats staring at her in confusion. All genuinely unable to understand why they couldnât see the sketti.
âThatâs weird. I swore there was sketti insideâ she said calmly.
The six Shit Rats looked around in confusion.
âHey do you mind if I pick you up?â Zeri asked one of the Shit Rats âYou might be sitting on the skettiâ
The Shit Rat in question looked at her with surprise, but nodded muttering a quiet âotayâ
Zeri picked the Shit Rat up and it did not question her. None of did, as she dangled the Shit Rat above the bin.
âWewwe am sketti?â Asked the Shit Rat she was holding.
Zeri shrugged and then she grinned. Before it could say anything else, she crushed itâs stomach atop the bin as itâs filth came spewing onto into the trash.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
The Shit Rat screamed and Zeri simply took in the delightful sound, especially as she felt itâs delicate ribs crush under her grip. A satisfying crack and crunch noise. She squeezed harder, watching as the filth turned into blood, then threw the Shit Rat onto the sink.
âY⌠Y⌠huw⌠ties?â The Shit Rat managed to ask weakly between labored breaths.
Zeri just grinned as the other five Shit Rats stared at her in horror, standing on their own waste. She knew this would happen, which is why she had them all go into the sink before hand. Easier clean up. As she reached out to grab them, one of the Shit Rats tried to bite her and Zeri let it. Itâs weak teeth unable to penetrate the latex glove. She used her free hand to tug on itâs lower jaw and with one quick pull, a loud CRUNCH.
ERGEHEHEGEGGHEE
This Shit Rat couldnât even scream, it could only writhe in pain as itâs lower jaw dangle about. She picked the Shit Rat up and placed itâs upper jaw on the sink watching at it defecated itself in fear. She tightened her fist with an evil smile she smashed it into the Shit Ratâs face, listening to the sickening crunch of his skull imploding as its teeth smashed against the metal sink and impaled itself upon its jaw.
Zeri let the Shit Rat go and it collapsed onto the sink without another word, allowing her to squeeze the remainder of itâs waste into the trash and slit its throat so that the blood could drain.
Four left.
Zeri looked at the four. None seemed to hold the notion that they could beat her and in fact had resort to begging.
âPwease nice wady⌠Nu huwt Fwuffies. Fwuffie am fo huggies n wuvâ One Shit Rat stated
âFwuffy sowwi!â Another Shit Rat exclaimed.
âNu huwties! Nu huwties! Screamed the third Shit Rat
âPwease nu hurties! Onwy sketti!â Screamed the fourth Shit Rat.
Zeri stared at the clock. She did want to continue playing with them one by one, but boss would most likely get on her case. She looked at the four and smiled.
âOkay!â She said with a grin âIâll spare ONE of you, you four have to decided which Fluffy I should spareâ
Almost immediately, each Shit Rat nominated themselves then all looked at each other in betrayal, shocked that their fellow Shit Rats had not picked them. They immediately began to squabble, and Zeri took advantage of the chaos.
âBeat each other up and the last one standing gets spared!â
She didnât even have to push them. Upon hearing that command, the four Shit Rats immediately started attacking each other, biting and kicking each other as they screamed insults. As they fought. Zeri picked two Shit Rats up and watched as they continued trying to punch each other with steely focus. Then she startedâŚ
BASHING
THEIR
HEADS
AGAINST
ONE
ANOTHER
Until there was nothing but blood and pulp in where their faces should have been. Meanwhile the other two were still dueling. Both so focused on their fight that they didnât even realize that they were the only two left. As Zeri squeezed the remaining waste out of the two she killed, she watched as the two remaining Shit Rats fought. It was honestly so lame, a lot of biting and pulling. She could not see the appeal of Fluffies fighting, but regardless, there was a clear winner: The only Shit Rat who had managed to get a meal yesterday.
âWonawd am gib⌠Worstest hoofies⌠Tu dummeh Fwuffyâ The Shit Rat stated between tired breaths.
Zeri picked up the losing Shit Rat, watching as it tried to resist her and squirm free amongst tired breaths. She squeezed itâs stomach as it screeched and then slit itâs throat on the sink, letting it drain like the other Fluffies, then she stared at the winner.
âWonawd⌠Am nu foebah sweepies?â It asked cautiously.
âYup! Can you dance little guy, to show me how happy you are?â
The Shit Rat began to smile with joy and got up on his hind legs as he began a little jig.
âYeah! Yeah! Go Ronald! Go Ronald!â Zeri cheered
The cheers seem to motivate the Shit Rat to dance even more intensely, all with the biggest dorkiest smile.
âUpsies?â Zeri asked
The Shit Rat practically jumped for joy.
âHuggies!? Wan Huggies!â The Shit Rat screamed.
âOkayâ Zeri said with a smile.
The Shit Rat had itâs fore legs raised towards her with the cutest smile. The vile parasite. There was no mercy for them. Shit Rats were only good for one thing and that was letting out pathetic cries of anguish as Zeri crushed its belly atop the bin and PURGED it of its entitled arrogance and the tainted filth that made up most of its body. ThenâŚ
SMASH
ITS
HEAD
AGAINST
THE
COUNTER
OVER
AND
OVER
UNTIL
IT
WAS
DEAD
The exhilarating rush of brutal abuse. Zeri grinned as she clutched the dead Shit Rat. God she loved this job. What was there to hate? Two eye candy co-workers and a task that involved showing noisy, arrogant Shit Rats how weak and pathetic they truly were. PURGING them of their idiotic entitlement. She let out a delighted squeal, then took a deep breath. Fun time was over. It was time to cook.
Ariella walked into the kitchen, just as Zeri finished chopping up the first cooked Shit Rats and watched as she distributed the meat into the feeding bowls. It still made her a little queasy, and still freaked her slightly seeing how happy Zeri was about the task, but that was because it was only day two and Ariella knew she would get used to it in a few more days.
âNice jobâ Ariella commented âThirty minutes to get me my first batch. Good time. Good timeâ.
Zeri smiled warmly, as Ariella placed the feed bowls on the cart.
âThe others are already boiling in the pots. I think fifteen minutes to get batch two ready, but thereâs an issue that we will need to address as soon as possibleâ.
âOf course there is, whatâs up Zeâ
âUm⌠So the six we cooked up today⌠The ones that didnât eat anything yesterday were kind of smaller than the one that had double portionsâ.
âI⌠uh⌠I donât understandâ
âLike think about it, boss. Weâre feeding our Shit Rats a bowl of meat a day, shared between two of them like itâs not a problem for the first few days, but what about a week from now?â
âOh⌠fuckâ Ariella said with a frustrated sigh.
She got what Zeri was saying. From three bowls of kibble a day to one bowl of meat, a significant reduction in food that was no doubt going to see the Shit Rats get smaller as the days passed, and if they got smaller it meant less meat to provide.
Ariella thought about it carefully. If the Shit Rats got smaller and provided less meat, then they would have more free space for the government to fill up. However, the new intake had a two week mandatory stay period, so during those two weeks, new Shit Rats couldnât be served and if they were already small once they were ready to be served up, then more Shit Rats needed to be processed for food and at this trend, there was a possibility that all new Shit Rats would eventually be under the two week mandatory stay period, meaning no Shit Rats to serve and a bunch of new Shit Rats that still needed to be fed.
Another headache to figure out and Ariella rubbed her forehead in frustration. She noticed Zeri looking guilty and punched her worker playfully in the arm.
âGood initiative Ze. Weâll need to fix this, but we should have a few days to think of a solution⌠Are you sure you donât want some old lady hug as compensation? I give a rough and horrid hugâ
âOh donât tempt me bossâ Zeri said with a grin.
Ariella chuckled with amusement, as Zeri went back to cooking the other Shit Rats.
She did feel lucky. Lucky that the two who stuck around were excellent workers with good initiative, but again it made her feel all the more guilty that she couldnât pay them. However, she was quick to brush away such thoughts. She needed to work and there was plenty that needed to be done. After feeding the Shit Rats, she would help Emilia feed the Good Fluffies. Then lunch break. Zeri and her do shelter cleaning, while Emilia did stock take. After that paperwork, while the two did cage cleaning, then feed the Good Fluffies their second meal. More paperwork and cleaning, and then a chance to brainstorm with the two.
Ariella pushed the cart out, and started distributing the Shit Rat meat to the Shit Rats. They whined and bitched. Moaned and complained, but Ariella blocked them out. She was too busy thinking of solutions and partly wondering whether this whole thing was worth it.
