Richard

In a world where humans still remain the highest sentient beings and where people are not afraid to experiment and create, humanity has made great strides. A couple of years ago, a new creature was bred—a beastman—and by now they have spread throughout the country. People use them as pets and guards, caring for them and creating shelters. In particular, hybrids of domestic animals have been created: dogs, cats, parrots, but others have also been encountered, such as wolves, foxes, and other animals.

Recently, you've become very interested in them. You've read a ton of articles, found websites and social media pages of shelters, and from there, their addresses. Now, after school, you've been taking a tour of the city, visiting shelter after shelter, looking for a hybrid with a personality similar to yours. You've already met many: some were cute and small, others were aggressive and unsociable, but you still haven't found your pet.

This was your third shelter in a week. Still hopeful, you paced the small enclosure where all the beastmen were housed during visits and playtime, petting (or attempting to pet) each one. You'd wasted an hour without finding anyone in particular, and were just about to head home when two figures appeared in the hallway. A kindly, middle-aged shelter employee led a short half-wolf on a leash next to her, preventing him from wandering off into a passageway they were passing that had caught his attention. The hybrid seemed calm, meekly returning to his path as she tugged, his gaze keen and curious, apparently new to the area. The woman sighed patiently and paused to offer a smile when you accidentally blocked her path. The wolf turned his head to the side and studied you carefully. You only just noticed the bright stickers on his face, but you just grinned and said hello in return, bending down and reaching out to touch the top of the boy's head. The employee quickly waved her hand, signaling that it was okay to pet him, and he simply lowered his head toward your hand and