Continuation of previous chapter

Lin sat with his back against the wall, overseeing the dark latexes sleeping on their pillows. It had taken some time for them to settle down, even after realizing how limited Lin really was in how many he could pet at once. Most had patiently waited for their turns—which they always tried to extend when they got it—but ultimately, they'd all gone back to sleep.

Part of Lin felt pretty content about that. He found he didn't mind giving them some pets from time to time. However, it left a lot of other problems and questions as well; for one, he had only grown more tired as the petting progressed. He could use some shut-eye himself—preferably in a different room, but he was hesitant to leave the wolves' side. They'd been friendly so far, but would they let him leave? He wasn't sure what their rules were. He also didn't know if the other types of latex—such as the ones he'd encountered in and near the room he woke up in—were as harmless as these guys.

Lin barely realized that he'd closed his eyes. He slowly began to relax against the uncomfortable wall. Was it really going to matter though? Maybe he should stay here, at least for a while. There was food and water, and the dark latexes might just give him a tour around the facility if he asked.

Hm…

…

Something poked his leg.

He reopened his eyes. He'd dozed off…? How tired was he if he could fall asleep on a hard floor like this?

He looked at what poked him to see a dark latex pup rubbing its head against his calf. It looked up at him, wagging its ears and tail.

Lin sighed quietly. Kids…

He reached out to pet the pup's head, eliciting a content growl. This was kind of relaxing, at least. Even so, he just wished he could get some decent sleep. He was so tired…

One of the doors opened. A lone dark latex stepped inside.

"Oh, hey," Lin said, keeping his voice down as to not wake the others.

The bipedal masked wolf glanced in his direction. It looked rather…nervous?

It took a breath and released it in a haunting howl that made Lin's hairs stand on end. The chilling sound echoed through the room, waking the other latexes from their slumbers, their white eyes wide. Some joined in on the howling, morphing it into an oddly harmonious song.

The pup at Lin's side whimpered and trembled. It squeezed itself against him.

Then Lin noticed something just outside the door. A huge, vaguely humanoid silhouette.

His heart stopped. That could only be a latex. A very big latex…

The figure slowly leaned down, allowing its huge frame to fit through the door. Sure enough, it was a dark latex wolf—albeit one that was at least twice as tall as its peers. The other wolves fell silent under its stern gaze as it overlooked the room.

Lin was frozen, his eyes glued to the giant. He found himself futilely wishing that it wouldn't spot him.

Alas, it did.

The giant wolf stepped towards him. The smaller ones made way, allowing a straight path between it and Lin. Lin rose to his feet, back against the wall, gaze fixed on the tall latex.

Was running an option? He was still tired, and these things were fast. He doubted he could count on the others' help here…

The giant continued to glare down at him as it closed the distance. Lin suddenly felt very small as the enormous wolf towered over him like a masked shadow. Holding the beast's gaze, Lin pressed himself against the wall, as if hoping he'd fall through it.

The giant placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to examine his face. Lin gulped. The wolf's stern white eyes bore into his.

Silence completely overtook the room as the giant scrutinized every square inch of Lin's face. It took a glance at his messy hair and briefly placed the back of its hand on his forehead. It examined his face from the side, lightly poked his ears and ran a furry finger down the bridge of his nose.

Finally it stood up straight. It glanced to the others and gave a deep, threatening growl. They shied away, lowering their gazes in submission.

Lin tried to steady his breathing—in vain. He had a suspicion about what was going on. This giant—whom he assumed was the leader—wasn't very happy about the others letting a human stay here. And now it was going to take measures into his own hands.

It was going to have Lin transfurred. Turn him into one of them.

Lin inched closer to the nearest door. Maybe if he made a break for it—

The giant turned back to him, placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly pushed him towards the door, like a parent guiding a child. Lin stumbled forward, his final bits of hope dissolving.

Relax, he quickly told himself. I was scared of the other wolves earlier too, and they turned out to be friendly. This guy might just let me off with a warning.

He clung to that thought. There wasn't much point in trying to run now. He'd surely be chased down. If he cooperated and saw where this went, he'd at least have a chance of survival…

The giant silently led him further through the facility. The few dark latex wolves they encountered throughout the offices they passed immediately made way for them, their eyes cast down. One fearless pup walked up to them to sniff Lin's foot, but another latex quickly picked the juvenile up and backed away.

Finally they made it to a completely empty room. The floor and walls were coated with dark latex, and greyish crystals grew out of the ground. A massive chair sat before a set of computer screens with live camera feeds.

The giant led Lin to the center of the room. Leaving him there, it approached the giant chair and reached to something behind it.

Lin stopped for a moment when he saw what it was.

A mattress. With a pillow on one end.

He glanced up at the wolf, who gestured to the mattress. It wasn't big enough to match the wolf's size. No, it wasn't meant for a giant latex; it was meant for a human.

With a slight feeling of hope returning, Lin slowly approached and laid down on the mattress. He rested his head onto the pillow.

It was…comfortable.

The giant draped a blanket over him. It sat down on the ground next to the mattress and looked down at him, still sporting that stern gaze.

Lin let his gaze glide around the room. Those camera feeds… Why would a wolf need—?

He stopped. "You… You knew I was coming?"

It nodded.

"So you…got this?" He gestured with his head to the blanket. "Because you knew I'd stop by at some point…but then I didn't get past the others' sleeping quarters, so you went there to get me personally…"

It nodded again.

"You weren't mad at them because they welcomed me?" he realized. "You were mad because they didn't offer me a place to sleep?"

Yet again, a nod.

"Thank you."

It seemed to hesitate for a moment at that. Finally it gave him a light pat on the head.

Then it rose to its feet and strode away.

Lin watched it go. Once it was gone, Lin realized how heavy his eyebrows were and how comfortable the bed was. He cracked a smile as his eyes fluttered shut.

Sleep…