Lost Creatures

CHAPTER ONE

The zoo. A place for those to view any and all species. A place for humans to watch living beings in cages, alienated from their true homes - the great wide open. Nature. And very much not a glass cage for humans to gawk at them.

Sandy knew this all too well. Throughout the years he'd been caged at the zoo, the yellow giraffe realized that humans didn't keep animals at zoos for the learning and sightseeing experiences, but rather for their own entertainment.

Humans. Sandy loathed humans - the very beings that tore him, his species, and the other animals away from their habitat - their calling, crammed them into cages, bred them to comply and conform to their harsh agenda. Otherwise, what purpose would they serve?

Sandy hated being at the zoo. Every last one of the animals did. But they couldn't- they were conditioned to enjoy the zoo - to enjoy serving the humans. The zoo was ruled with an iron fist as well. If any of them were to deviate in the slightest, they'd be taken to the Backhouse.

The Backhouse was the dark and void building behind the zoo. It was infested with crypts, monsters, and other nefarious creatures awaiting to corrupt those that rebelled, and transformed them into monsters. Monsters no one could fathom becoming.

Sandy sure as hell wasn't going to let this fly. "Ugh, stupid zookeeper...", he grumbled, rubbing his eye with his hoof. "Almost threw me in the Backhouse 'cause I tried to escape the exhibit." He sighed and got back up. "Whatever, I was planning on escaping anyway.", he said to himself again. He turned around, as did the other giraffes, clearly worried about his situation earlier.

The yellow giraffe's eyes were pitch black with deep purple irises and sickly green pupils, obviously not a good sign, but that wasn't any of his concern. Suddenly, he spotted an exit. Such an elusive sight made his heart soar with pure delight, but that moment halted as one of the giraffes approached him.

"Sandy?", the other giraffe asked, with genuine concern in their voice.
"Yeah?"
"What happened to your eyes?"

Sandy pressed his lips together and inhaled deeply. It was taken as a sign that he was about to go on one of his rants.

"Well that damn zookeeper corrupted me all because I left that little prison of ours!", he spat out angrily. "I swear, the humans here don't even CARE about us, just what we can do for them! And we're ALL forced act like it's all sunshine 'n' rainbows, because if not, we're taken by those Backhouse monsters, which ISN'T how living beings should be treated! I'm outta here."

But before Sandy could make it to the exit, he was approached by another giraffe.
"Sandy don't-"
"Don't what?", he interrupted. "Escape? I'm gonna do it and the whole zoo AND humans pay for this! I'll even terminate them if I have to!". Sandy left, but he had to run so he wouldn't get caught, but he didn't care if he did.