Your Life In An Anthro's World

Your vision blurred as you stared at the moon through the shattered skylight you had fallen through. After a few moments, your surroundings sharpened into focus. You were disoriented and unsure of where you were, but then, like a flood, the events of the chase came rushing back. The fire escape, the rooftop, and then, the fall. You glanced down. You were sprawled across a crumpled store shelf. Miraculously, you weren’t seriously injured—just cuts and bruises, but even though they were shallow, they stung all the same.

“I have to get up,” you muttered, pushing yourself into a sitting position. The pain in your limbs screamed at you to stop, but you knew better. They’d be on you soon enough. Trembling, you stood up, every movement sending sharp reminders of your battered body. Ignoring it as best you could, you trudged forward, staggering through the debris of the collapsed shelf.

You found a service door in the back of the store, illuminated by a dimly flickering exit sign. With a grunt, you kicked it open and stumbled onto a small street. A few anthros were enjoying the evening, but as they spotted you, one by one, they froze, eyes wide. You glanced up and down the street, thinking of making your way toward the suburbs, but then you stopped dead in your tracks.

Standing in your path was an anthro—an imposing black Labrador, his eyes gleaming under the streetlights. He wore black body armor and a utility belt, his posture relaxed but alert. His voice, when he spoke, was smooth as silk.

“Good evening,” he greeted, his lips curling into a knowing grin. You eyed him warily, recognizing what he was, and why he was there. Labradors were hunting dogs, and this one had clearly been sent to hunt you down. No doubt sent by the Mayor herself.

“This is bad,” you thought grimly. You scowled at him as he met your gaze with unnerving confidence.

“On second thought,” he mused, “perhaps it’s not such a good evening for you.”

“What do you want?” you demanded, your voice harsher than intended.

“We both know the answer to that,” he replied smoothly.

You clenched your fists. “Yeah, I guess we do.”

The Labrador tilted his head, his tone still calm but with an undercurrent of menace. “I’m fairly certain I know how you’ll respond to my next question, but for the sake of these witnesses,” he gestured toward the gawking anthros around you, “I’ll ask anyway. Are you going to come quietly?”

“What do you think?” you spat.

“Very well then.” The Labrador moved faster than you could anticipate. In an instant, his hand was around your throat, lifting you effortlessly off the ground. He applied pressure, his grip cutting off your air supply.

“I was told this would be the quickest way to incapacitate you without causing too much damage,” he remarked casually.

“Yeah?” you choked out, summoning what little strength you had left. With a burst of adrenaline, you swung your leg upward, your foot colliding with his chin. His grip faltered, and he dropped you as he staggered back, dazed from the blow.

“I hear getting kicked in the face hurts more than you’d think,” you rasped, gasping for air.

“That... was well done,” the Labrador admitted, shaking his head to clear it. But when he looked up, you were already gone. His eyes followed the stares of the onlookers, landing on a side street where you had bolted moments before.

“He doesn’t waste time, does he?” the Labrador muttered, preparing to give chase.

“Hold it right there, Mr. Sanders,” a gravelly voice called out. Sanders paused, turning to see a German Shepherd, flanked by a group of officers, approaching with an air of authority.

“Well, if it isn’t Captain Stone,” Sanders sighed. “Why am I not surprised?”

“We’ll take it from here,” Captain Stone said gruffly. “No need for the Mayor’s private agent to get involved in something this routine.”

Sanders raised an eyebrow. “Routine? He’s a human, Captain. A species most people consider a myth. You call that routine?”

“The operation is,” Stone replied, unflustered. “But I suppose you’re more interested in taking the credit for bringing him in, aren’t you? Trying to get in the Mayor’s good graces, perhaps?”

Stone bristled, but said nothing. Sanders chuckled. “I thought so. Well, do as you like. But if you fail, you can be the one to explain it to the Mayor. Don’t underestimate him—he’s craftier than he looks. You know that, don’t you? He escaped your custody once already.”

With that, Sanders turned on his heel and strolled away, leaving Stone simmering with barely contained frustration.

“I hate that guy,” Stone muttered under his breath.

“Sir! Witnesses saw the human running down Fourth Street,” one of the officers reported.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Get after him!” Stone barked.

You, meanwhile, were running on fumes. Your body felt heavy, your limbs unresponsive, and the world was starting to blur again. You could hear the officers behind you shouting, but you knew you couldn’t outrun them forever. Desperate, you ducked into a nearby building, which, judging by the sign, appeared to be a high-end gym.

Inside, two anthros sat at the reception desk—a pig and a red panda, both dressed as secretaries. They stared at you as you stumbled through the door, and soon, the other gym-goers, clad in workout gear, began to take notice as well.

“Hi, welcome to Apex Jungle Gym, may I check your membership—” the pig started, but she froze when she recognized you.

“Oh my god… it’s him!” she whispered in shock.

The red panda, looking up from her screen, adjusted her glasses. “You’re the human they’re chasing.”

You backed away, but your legs nearly gave out beneath you. You were reaching your limit.

“He looks terrible,” the red panda muttered, standing up. “Come on, we need to help him.”

Before you could react, she approached, but instinct took over, and you bolted further into the gym.

“Wait!” she called after you, but you didn’t stop. You couldn’t stop.

As you disappeared deeper into the building, she turned back to see the German Shepherd officers swarming the street outside.

“They don’t care about him at all,” the red panda muttered, anger lacing her voice. “They’re treating him like an animal.”

“We’ll help him,” a deep voice interrupted. The red panda turned to see a group of imposing anthros—a lion, a bull, and an alligator, flanked by two cheetah women. The lion stepped forward.

“We’ll distract the cops,” the lion said with a firm nod. “You get him somewhere safe.”

She didn’t hesitate. “Thank you,” she called over her shoulder, already heading after you.

Meanwhile, the officers burst into the gym, but were immediately met with resistance.

“What’s the meaning of this?” the lion growled, crossing his arms as the officers stormed in.

“We’re searching for a human,” one of the German Shepherds said.

“Humans don’t exist,” the lion snapped. “What kind of fairy tale are you trying to sell here?”

The officer frowned. “We’re being thorough. Have you seen him?”

The lion stepped closer, towering over the officer. “Are you calling me a liar?”

While the confrontation escalated at the front, you charged through a frosted glass door, only to realize too late that you’d stumbled into the gym’s indoor pool area. You skidded across the wet tiles and, before you could catch yourself, slipped straight into the deep end.

Your muscles screamed in protest as you sank, too exhausted to swim. Panic set in as you tried to fight your way to the surface, but your body had nothing left. You fought the urge to inhale, but soon, your vision darkened as your lungs gave in to the water.

“Is this how it ends?” you thought. “What a way to go...”

Your world went black.

“Please, wake up!” a voice pleaded, pulling you from the darkness. “You have to!”

You coughed violently, water expelling from your lungs as you rolled onto your side. Gasping for air, you blinked up at two faces—one was the red panda, her worried eyes peering down at you from behind her glasses. The other was a shark anthro, dressed in a red lifeguard swimsuit, her sharp features softened by concern.

“We need to hide him. The police will be back any minute,” the red panda—Kim—said urgently.

The shark nodded and lifted you effortlessly into her arms. You tried to struggle, but your limbs were too weak to resist.

“Shh, it’s okay,” the shark whispered. “We’re going to help you.”

“Help... me?” you murmured, barely conscious.

“Yes,” the shark replied gently. “My name is Mako, and this is Kim…”

Things became hazy after Mako pulled you out of the water. You drifted in and out of consciousness, small windows of time flickering open and shut as you fought to stay awake. At one point, you vaguely remembered Mako carefully setting you down on something soft—perhaps a bed—before she rushed off and disappeared from view.

The next time you stirred, you found yourself staring up at a cheetah woman, her face tense with worry as she hurriedly dumped towels over you. Her ears twitched anxiously, and she kept glancing behind her as though expecting someone to burst in at any moment. Darkness swallowed you again before you could make sense of it.

When you awoke once more, you were greeted by irate voices.

“Search the room!” a gruff voice barked, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps and cabinet doors opening and slamming shut. Before long, you felt yourself moving, being wheeled somewhere.

“Hey! Where are you going with that?” the same voice demanded.

“Who, me?” A woman’s voice answered, feigning innocence.

“Yes, you!”

“I’m just taking these used towels to be washed,” she replied, her tone light.

“Well, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of a search. We’ll have to look in there, just to be safe.”

The woman pushing the cart seemed offended. “Y-You want to look through women’s undergarments? You dirty dog! I should report you!”

The gruff voice hesitated, flustered. “It’s not like that! I’m just following orders, being thorough!”

“Funny how all the officers in here are men, and yet you’re all so eager to search the women’s locker room,” she shot back.

“We’ve already searched the men’s room!” the voice snapped, clearly uncomfortable.

The argument continued, voices rising and falling, but eventually, you drifted back into unconsciousness.

The next time you awoke, you were in a large bed—far larger than your own. For a moment, you wondered whose bed it was, but then the memories of the night before rushed back like a flood. You bolted upright and rolled onto your side, only to be hit with a wave of pain.

Your legs ached from the relentless running and climbing, your ribs throbbed from the beating you took from the black Labrador, and your head pounded from exhaustion. Every breath was a struggle—your lungs burned, no doubt from being deprived of air after nearly drowning. It was a miracle you had survived, thanks to Mako.

As you lay still, trying to regain control of your breathing, you took in your surroundings. The ocean-blue walls and seashore décor confirmed your suspicion—you were in Mako’s home. But how had she gotten you past the police? And what was going to happen next?

As if summoned by your thoughts, Mako entered the room, smiling brightly. She didn’t seem to notice that you were awake at first, as she moved around the room tidying up, laying toiletries on the dresser, and straightening things. But when she glanced in your direction, her eyes lit up.

“You’re awake!” she exclaimed, hurrying over to your side. “I was worried you’d never wake up. I’ve been keeping busy all morning just to keep my mind off it.”

“Morning?” you croaked, your voice raspy.

It was only then that you noticed the warm, golden light filtering into the room. The curtains and blinds allowed sunlight to spill in, though the actual lights were off.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions about last night—who I am, where you are—but for now, you need to rest,” Mako said gently as she moved closer. “I promise, I’ll explain everything, to the best of my knowledge. You’re safe here, so you don’t have to worry about anyone coming after you.”

Her words brought an unexpected wave of relief. Despite the lingering pain, your body sank into the bed, exhaustion weighing heavily on your limbs. Comfortable for the first time in hours, you couldn’t deny that Mako’s presence made you feel safe.

“I’ve got a few things to take care of around the house, but I’ll check on you later,” Mako said as she pulled the covers up to your neck. She turned to leave but paused at the door. “If you need anything, just let me know, okay?”

You gave her a silent nod, and she smiled before disappearing through the doorway.

Staring up at the ceiling, you couldn’t help but acknowledge how much everything hurt. It felt like even your bruises had bruises.

A soft knock at the door drew your attention. The door creaked open, revealing the lion from the gym, a pleasant smile on his face.

“Good morning!” he greeted warmly. “If you’re feeling up to it, a couple of friends and I would like to talk with you.”

You nodded carefully, and he entered the room, followed by the two female cheetahs you vaguely remembered from the gym. One of them sat in a desk chair, the other on the edge of a recliner, while the lion stood off to the side.

All three felines stared intently at you, their gazes serious and expectant.