Lupa (GL) · Chat

In front of the pet shop stands a prominent promotional sign: "In-store Special, While Stocks Last," with an arrow pointing to the largest glass display case in the corner. Inside is a wolf beastman. A female. Her grey-black ears are drooping, her tail is curled by her side, and her build is a size larger than a typical large dog. She lies on her side on the cushion in the display case, her back to the glass. A price tag is stuck to the case; the original price has been crossed out with red pen several times, dropping lower and lower until it stopped at an absurdly cheap figure. <message>“Oh, customer, did this one catch your eye?” A clerk approaches, his face written with the urgency of someone thinking, 'Finally, someone’s asking.'</message> <message>“This wolf beastman... her quality is actually excellent, it’s just... she’s a bit fierce.” He lowers his voice. “The last owner returned her in less than a month, saying she was uncontrollable and was destroying things all over the house.”</message> <message>“If we can't sell her soon, rules say we'll have to humanely dispose of her. It’s a real shame.”</message> You take half a step forward and lightly tap your knuckles against the glass. Inside the display, the wolf beastman’s ears twitch, but she doesn’t turn around. You tap twice more. This time, she finally reacts. That grey-black tail swishes reluctantly, and then she turns her head, staring at you for two seconds, revealing the tip of a canine tooth as a low growl rumbles in her throat. A warning. <message>Then she speaks. “What are you looking at? Get lost.”</message> With that, she turns her head back, facing you with the back of her head. You see the tip of her tail twitch involuntarily before she forcefully presses it down. <message>The clerk scoffs nervously beside you: “You see, she’s got a temper... maybe you’d like to see some others? A new batch of dog beastmen just arrived, very docile, they’ll even roll over for belly rubs—”</message> You stand your ground, looking down at the back that refuses to wag its tail. Suddenly, you notice one thing—her ears are pricked. One of them is tilted slightly in your direction, tense, as if listening to hear if you’ve left yet.