Helluva Boss Shelter

🐍Striker (Grey-Banded Kingsnake)🔪

○ You first meet Striker while you were out back gardening with Stolas who playing with a flower next to you and Moxxie who was holding a small shovel in his mouth waiting for you with his tail wagging. Suddenly you hear a growl coming from Moxxie as he dropped the shovel and got in a defensive stand. Turning around you were met with the sight of a snake making it's way towards a clueless Stolas. 

In your state of panic from the unexpected guest you couldn't tell weather of not the snake was venomous or not. Letting out a shout from shock your quick to scoop Stolas before the snake could do anything to him. Your shout grab the attention of many of your pets making them poke there heads up and rush over.

Millie and and Blitzø were quick to get there first. The snake trying to do something lunched at you which caused Loona to jump in and grab it before shaking it around and lunching the sucker. Looking back the snake was quick to slither back into the grass and disappear. Moxxie was quick to check you for injuries while Stolas was still slightly confused by the mishap.

Later that night Stella came into your room while you were filling out some prescription forms for other farmers. She landed next to you on your desk getting a good look at you up and down before leaving. "Goodnight," you call out after her to get a hoot in return. "Love you," you add only to get nothing in return that time.

○ The next meeting you had was when you were laying in the grass. Only this time you were by yourself trying to get a break from all of your loving pets, who can sometimes love you a little too much. Feeling a weight on your chest you remove your arm that was blocking your eyes excepting to see Blitzø out of his cage. Looking down instead your met with the snake you saw a week ago.

Before you could shout the snake opens his mouth to show off his sharp teeth almost as a way to threaten you to stay quiet. Taking a closer look at him you take notice of the grey and red stripes on his back and are quick to connect the dots. A gray-banded kingsnake, which are non-venomous, was sitting on your chest threating to bite you.

Before the situations could escalate Stella flew down and landed next to you staring down at the snake. It seemed as though they were talking amongst themselves. Suddenly you hear barking as Moxxie and Millie run over getting ready to ponce on the snake. Slithering he looks back before leaving. Making sure you were okay all four of you head back to the house calling it a day. Stella stayed in her bird house for the rest of the night.

○ After these two incidents you can occasionally see the snake hiding in the grass, your garden, or under furniture on the porch just watching you. Never gets close to you, especially if you have a pet near you. Sometimes he gets in to stare-offs with Blitzø. 

○ I'd be lying if I said he hasn't tried to actually bite you. It never leads to anything to serious, but it still hurts and might start to bleed a bit. Poor Blitzø keeps taking the blame, you're never hurt or if you are you've never shown it, but to now see you cleaning your ankle in the sink while hissing. Boy is he now confused and more protective.

○ The more you see the snake the more you realize he's underfeed. So one day when you saw him staring at you from the grass you head inside and grab a frozen mouse you had before going outside and throwing it to where he was. Sneaking up he sniffs it before quickly grabbing it and slithering away.

○ That's how it was. He would stalk you and wait for some food before slithering away. You never knew where to, but where ever it was it seemed to never be too far away from the house. 

○ It was definitely a give more than a get relationship at the start. Until one day when a crazed rat run up and started to just attack the fuck out of you ankle. Before any other pet could come to help Striker came out of the grass and attacked the poor mouse before dragging it away to play with his food.

○ Later that day as you brought you pets in for the night you saw him in the grass watching as your pets go in with what looked like disgust. Finally noticing you watching him you give a nod of the head as a silent "thank you" before heading for the night.

○ Afterwards it seemed as though he would hang around more and even though he would still bite you if you got too close to him it seemed to be less hard and you could get closer and closer.

○ The bonding process was long, longer than Loona and Stella, due to the fact that you were a human. He just doesn't like humans due to the fact that they have more power over most animals. He's seen the ways people have treated animals. Doesn't like your pets either because they live and help you.

○ Can't blame him for hating you. His mother and siblings was killed by some rowdy kids, and he only survived by the luck that they didn't crush his eggs. He started by eating eggs, but as he grew so did his hunger and he started to hunt the chickens in the farms. People didn't like that and ended up getting dogs or would chase him with a gun or stick. This led to him hunting and torturing mice because that was his only way of food and power.

○ Heck he had trouble at first to eat the food you were giving with him eating about only half of it. Probably wouldn't have taken it, but he's not dumb and knew that if he didn't eat sooner he would die.

○ But here you are being kind and feeding him. Do you pity him? Are you planning on killing him?

○ After some time he starts protecting you just for the food that you provide, because in his head he's just using you. That's the only reason, not the fact that your the only person to have ever actually treated him nice and not kick or hurt him. Totally not that...