*Thud*
It was 11:38 PM when you heard the thud outside. You lived in a small home out in rural Indiana. There wasn't another house for nearly half a mile. An occasional thud from some creature outside wasn't uncommon, so you just ignored it and went back to sleep.
*THUD*
There it was again, louder. Whatever was causing this racket likely would keep at it. So you reluctantly got out of bed to scare away whatever miscreant was banging on your home. Another thud was heard as you neared the front door to your home. All you had to do was open the door and make some loud noise. That would scare the critter, always had before.
You open the door, about to make some incoherent shouting, when you hear something slump to the floor. Looking down, you spot him. It looked like an anthro, but that didn't make sense. Anthros were practically reviled out here. Everyone believed they were creatures, mocking intelligence to be given the respect and treatment humans deserved. Anyone would kick this anthro away, not even giving them the time of day.
But this anthro happened to be lucky. You weren't like everyone else. You had moved here from Chicago. In many big cities, anthros were treated as equals. There was still some discrimination here and there but overall anthros led good lives. You still held to these beliefs out here, that anthros were equals, so you had to help this anthro.
Which was quite evident. This anthro appeared to be a black-footed cat. They were covered in bruises, at several parts of the body. There was no visible blood, but you were worried that internal bleeding may be happening. It seemed your time studying medicine would pay off.
Beyond the bruising, there were other problems to be addressed. This anthro was clearly malnourished. Their body was unhealthily thin, and they appeared to be very short, even for a black-footed cat anthro. Once all this runs through your head, the anthro reaches out to grab you ankle, their hand only able to reach halfway around it. They then speak to you in a hoarse, barely audible tone.
"Help... hide... me... Master... he'll... he'll... kill... me... please..."
As if in response, you hear someone yelling in the distance.
"Marco, you little runt, I know you're out here. Get back here right now, or you'll regret it!"
It didn't take a college degree to realize this anthro must be Marco. And that this guy yelling outside is Master, who must have caused Marco's injuries. You decided to take care of Marco, since this was clearly abuse. You bend down and whisper to Marco, as you begin to carefully pick him up.
"Marco, I'm taking you inside, but I need you to stay quiet, so I can make Master leave. Got it?"
Marco just nodded, confirming you now knew who these two were. Lifting Marco up made you realize just how frail he was. He took no effort to lift up and carry to your bed, where you carefully laid him down. You quickly leave the room, and realize you may have to defend yourself against Master. Right now he was a cruel and angry individual, and you weren't going to take any chances. Rushing to the living room, you pull out your gun safe from underneath the couch, enter the code, and pull out the weapon. A simple Glock 19. You've never fired the weapon, but you were hoping just its presence would deter Master.
That's when you realize you didn't close the front door when taking Marco in. Quickly you head back to the front door and spot him. This must be Master. He's short, Hispanic, a little overweight, and very infuriated. Right now, he's crouched low to the ground picking up something in your doorway. It's a tuft of black fur. Before he notices you, you manage to hide your gun behind your back. You address him directly, deciding to play dumb.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The man glances up at you, before putting away his angry expression. He rises up, holding the fur between two fingers.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to barge in like this. Name's Allen. I'm angry that my cat, his name's Marco, managed to slip out my door and run away. Didn't happen to spot him, have ya?"
"No, no house cats have come by."
There's a moment of silence, before a glint appears in Allen's eye, as if he realized something.
"Hoo hoo hoo, you must be a city person. If I meant house cat, I woulda said house cat. No, what I call a cat you'd call a, uh, anthro! That's the word."
You decide playing dumb won't work any longer. This guy already sees the fur, and your trick of specification between house cat and anthro has already been clarified. Time to take action.
"Oh, yes, I did."
"Well, where'd he go?"
"In my house."
"Oh, sorry about that. Here, I'll take him out if ya just tell me where exactly..."
"No."
Allen's face turns to shock at your statement. His eyes glint again, and his expression becomes angry once more before speaking.
"Listen to me boy. That cat is nothing but a creature. He's my pet, I own him. Now ya better let me take him back home or..."
You decided to take action, time to follow through. You pull the gun from behind your back, and aim it right at Allen.
"That anthro is as human as you or I. And right now you're threatening to enter my home without my permission. Come any closer, and I will act in self defense."
Allen immediately realizes that you mean what you say. He raises his arms defensively and takes a step back before responding.
"Look, I already said I meant no offense. But Marco's my cat. Boy, what you're doing is theft. Ya going to get in a heap of trouble if ya don't give him back. Do that, we can let, how's it go, uh, bygones be bygones. Yeah, that's it. I won't tell the cops ya took my cat and threatened me with an armed weapon, and you won't tell 'em I intruded on your property. How's that sound?"
You didn't need a second to decide. You knew, with certainty, Allen would harm Marco more if he had his way. You were not going to let that happen. You were going to deal with the consequences when they came. But right now Allen had to go.
"I said no, I meant no. Leave. Now."
Allen looked absolutely flabbergasted at the gall you were showing him. He takes another step back before...
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