Feral - Hybrid!Taehyung x Reader

Chapter Ninety-Four - Raid Part Two

I'm back!! My computer literally shut down and wouldn't start back up so I had to send it in, but I got it back now, thank you for being patient!! <333

(I use members from ATEEZ and Pentagon in this chapter, pentagon are all children in this fic and ateez are all adults. Weird timeline I know, but go with it. And to clarify, the children aren't participating in the shelter's money making scheme, they're just held there until they're old enough. I know this idea is messed up but it was needed for the story, but I'd never write something like that. That's way too far. I don't support any of these awful things that I'm including in this story, but if the story didn't have a 'bad guy', there would be no plot. Thank you for understanding. <33 )

You sat cross-legged on the floor, keeping your voice low and soothing.

"Why can't you trust me Yeosang?"

"'Cause you're a human. Just like the others." His answer was cold and short, voice clipped. His ears were flattened on his head in fear and his tail flicked behind him, showing, even if he didn't want it to, how frightened he really was.

"But you saw me get Hongjoong out, right? The boy next to you, just there?"

"I know who he is. He's my best friend. I don't doubt that you'd take care of the dogs, maybe the cats. But tigers aren't as cute and cuddly and I'm sure no one wants to adopt me. So we get shoved to the side and abused. It's happened far too many times for me to let it happen again."

You thought of Soonyoung, the little tiger hybrid at the shelter that still was without a buddy in the system.

"If you take a chance, come with me for a few days, I'll bring you to the shelter that I work at. There's a little tiger hybrid there, his name is Soonyoung. He's been there for a few years, we've never treated him any differently from the dog hybrids there. If you come with me, you can meet him. You can ask him yourself, alone if you'd like, so that, even if I was mistreating him, he wouldn't hold anything back because I was in the room. But I assure you, no one mistreats him, or any other non-dog or cat hybrid there. They're already abused ridiculously by past owners, we want them to have a good life with us. Now this is your chance, your chance at a good life. Come on, I know it's a chance you're taking but what could be much worse than this? Being a slave? I want a better life for you and I know you want a better life for yourself. Just come with me and it's all over, you can start again like none of this ever happened."

The tiger's eyes had tears pooling in them by the end of your speech and he was shaking when you said your last words. He brushed away a tear that rolled down his face, looking at his tail that he pulled into his lap with a shaking hand.

"How am I supposed to trust you? I don't want to go back to this, please don't do this to me." He gestured around him to the cells full of hybrids who were much more eager than he was to accept your offer. A puppy in the cage next to Yeosang's, the opposite side from where Hongjoong's had been, reached through the bars, desperately trying to reach for your hand that laid on the floor of the cell. You scooted over to the side of the cell, holding up a finger to Yeosang as you opened the door of the other cell. 

The boy that hugged you shortly after was tiny, he could have only been three or four years old. You picked up the boy, coming back to sit in Yeosang's cell. He laid his head on your shoulder, gripping tight at your shirt. He had clearly been poorly mistreated, everyone in this sorry excuse of a shelter had.

Yeosang eyed you wearily, narrowing his eyes at the boy in your lap.

"See, you're nice to Hongseok, but he's a puppy. If you're gonna get me to trust you, you're gonna have to branch out a bit. How about you go for Yanan over there? The lion cub. Lion and tiger are close enough for me. Come here Hongseok." Yeosang held his hands out for the puppy who bounded over to the tiger happily, hugging him tightly. 

You hesitated for a moment to smile at the pair, "Are you two friends?"

Yeosang looked up from the puppy with a smile on his face, "They usually kidnap us and bring us here in groups. I was brought in with seven other adult hybrids. He was brought in with nine other kids. Groups are usually placed together, or at least in close cells. But, our cells were just the edges of our groups, and sometimes, he'd have nightmares. Couldn't sleep. So I helped him sleep, pet him through the bars. This is the first time we've ever gotten to be in the same cell as each other. 'S nice." Yeosang resumed running his hands through Hongseok's hair, hugging the puppy tight.

You stood, letting them have their moment and traipsing to the lion cub's cage. He stared at you with piercing golden eyes, weary and tired far beyond the level of a normal child. You unlocked the cage, sliding in and resting against the wall opposite him. You left the door unobstructed, you didn't want him to feel trapped.

"He said your name was Yanan, right? It's nice to meet you sweetheart. If you didn't hear me talking to Yeosang, I'm here to help all of you get out of here. What would you like me to do, what would make you trust me enough to come with me. I want you to be comfortable."

"Just don't move." He stood, somewhat tall for a child of his age. He walked over to your side, ears and tail flicking as he stalked to your back. You felt his nose at your neck, a long inhale before he crossed to your front. He crawled into your lap, nose once again prodding at your neck. He drew back, eyes staring conflictedly into your own.

"You smell trustworthy. Can't smell anything bad on you. But why do you want to help me?"

"Because, I want you to be happy. To live a happy life. If you come with me, then you can do that, you can play with all the other little hybrid kids. You can have three meals a day, and a warm bed to sleep in at night. You can be safe. That's all I want. For you all to be safe and happy. So will you come with me?"

The lion nodded, letting you stand and holding his arms up for you to carry him. You scooped him up, walking back to Yeosang's cell and holding your hand out.

"Well, tiger, you coming?"