2

The feline was there for almost a week while Safari Joe captured his other specimens: all feral, one nursing young pups, some kind of small canine. The other two were different species of feline, one of which had a set of wings on it, its "fur" more like a combination of hair and feathers. The feline had never seen the likes. It wasn't happy, either, it kept making a strange keening sound.

Usiko, which was the feline's name, had tried to make friends with the little Plundaarian cub, but the child had been not been responsive; he seemed almost fearful. Of course he was, the feline thought, Plundaarian parents probably told their children the same thing about Thunderians that Thunderians told about Mutants, though the Thunderians were usually more accurate. He could see the cub was scared enough as it was, but the hunter kept telling him he was going to skin him, and that ticked Usiko off, but the cub did not seem to heed the hunter's words any more than he had Usiko's. Usiko, who had spent much of his caged time watching the child finally realized why. The boy was deaf. That would explain his bedraggled appearance and his wary attitude, the Mutants were not very accepting people.

"Well guys," Safari Joe boomed from his seat up front. The thick plastic partition was open, and Usiko could hear the hunter's annoying voice very well. "Almost there. Just a few more hours."

The feline was almost glad; except for a few hours every other day where he was allowed to run around in an empty room for some exercise, he was stuck in the cage, where he could only walk a few steps. And even then it taxed him because of the Thundranium. But he only glared at the hunter sullenly. He had a large bruise on his cheek from where the hunter had socked him with surprising strength and speed the one and only time he'd tried to take over the ship.

Safari Joe laughed and walked over to the cage. "We're about to arrive at your new home. Take off your clothes, cat."

"Say what? I am not taking off my clothes, you sick puke!"

Joe only laughed and took his rifle from the wall. "I said take them off." He considered, then turned to aim the rifle at the sleeping cub in the next cage. "You've taken a liking to this little rat. I could just as easily kill him for his pelt. Mutants are worthless. Now take them off."

He wouldn't! Usiko looked at the young cub, then sighed. Grumbling the nastier epithets from his home world, he stripped off his trousers, his boots, and his tunic.

"The shorts, too."

"What!? What, are you some kind of perverted--" He cut off when he heard the threatening click of the rifle and he closed his eyes. A little worried about why the human wanted him nude, he stripped off his shorts and threw them outside the cage with the rest, covering himself with his legs.

"That's better." Safari Joe looked him over for a moment, disappeared, then brought back a pair of spandex shorts and tossed them to the cat. "Here, wear these." As the cat gladly put them on, he continued. "The people don't come to see clothing, they come to see animals." Humans too, sometimes, he thought.

Usiko's face was red; the shorts clearly showed off every muscle and shape on his body. Glaring daggers at the hunter, he sighed and sat down. He was tired. He glanced to the Mutant child and realized he would probably be kept naked, as he was a little one. Probably eight or nine. But old enough to be embarrassed about nudity.

As the ship approached the final destination, Safari Joe looked back with a grin. "Coming up on it now, you miserable blighters." He grinned dangerously. "Your retirement home." He laughed and turned back around to pilot the ship in.

Part 1

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