FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Ricky's life quickly adjusted to accommodate Eva. Caring for her, feeding her, and generally just gawking at her. Most of it was still raw surprise. The majesty of a life that was Eva still caught Enrique's eye at every opportunity. How could she exist? Where had she come from? Did she have any intents? Questions that quickly became background noise as he adjusted to her presence.

Curiosity did not merely stay in the realm of the dubious, but also the physical reality. Ricky stood by the garage door, where he patiently waited for Eva to scamper over to him. It wasn't something he had taught her to do, just something she had decided to do one day. She would do that hunching walk down the hallway and burst into a sprint in a more upright gait. Terrifying at first – it still was, a little – but he had gotten used to it.

Eva plopped her head on his shoulder and tapped the side of his head with her bony snout. There was a hollow knock every time she did. “Ricky, Ricky, Ricky," she said.

“I'll be back at the usual time," he replied. “Don't make too much of a mess, I'd like at least some time to relax when I get back, alright?"

And then came the next part. Eva deeply inhaled and pushed herself up against him. Her tapping turned to a nuzzling. Whatever cuteness it held was undercut by her all-too-human features rubbing themselves against him. It was all innocent, he told himself. Keep yourself focused. Ricky tentatively reached up to her back and patted her. She pulled away and barked.

“Homes relax car hear," she replied. Her intonation had slowly fallen into something feminine. Eva was truly a female. All the worse for him.

“That's about the gist of it, yeah," he said with a chuckle. “You know where your food is, so no overeating. You only get one sandwich, you know that."

“One. One. One." Her tail swished back and forth slowly, as if ruminating over that word. “One."

“You'll get the hang of it. Be good now, OK? I'll see you when I get back."

Rick stepped through the garage doorway and closed the door behind him. Not before peering through the crack to make sure she hadn't stuck her nose or a hand in the way, but her scampering off on the hardwood floor was easy enough to make out. Ricky rubbed his eyes and settled into his car, turning it on.

Now was the hard part of the day. The one instance he didn't have a distraction to pull his thoughts out of the gutter. It had been, what, a little under two weeks since he touched her? Ricky couldn't shake it. Yeah, he was lonely, but was he that lonely? Eva hadn't even prodded the issue further. Once they were done, it was as if it had never happened. Just a casual touch and she was happy. Ignorance was more than bliss.

She probably would've gotten mad if he denied her, right? What, so you're just gonna go with the whole “oh, yeah, she was asking for it" routine? Ricky shook his head and fiddled with the radio knob, channel surfing. It's not like she was just an animal, at the very least. She had needs, too, just in a different way. A way she couldn't exactly articulate. It meant nothing. It meant nothing? Was that better or worse? For him, or her?

“You're going to lose it, buddy. Keep thinking about this, you're just going to absolutely lose it," Ricky said.

He readjusted his grip on the wheel. So, then, if it meant nothing, either way, it was fine for him to get something in return, right? Ricky huffed. That little greasy thought had wormed its way into his thoughts far too much. You barely know her, she barely knows you. Even if the whole moral implications of doing anything with a monster weren't already so rough, you had to actually know her first.

What was it that woman Florence said? A cryptid would basically be like a huge scientific discovery the world had to see, or something like that. And you'd be screwing it. Stop, stop, stop. Stop thinking like that. Drop the issue. Ricky had some sort of duty, moral or otherwise, to keep his hands off of Eva. Not something you do with a guest.

So, if she wasn't a guest…

A car honked at Ricky, snapping him from another guilt laced thought trip. He pushed forward, pulling up onto the street where Alonso's mechanic shop sat. The only thing quick and easy about work was having a voice in his ear. Enrique turned into the lot and stepped on out of his car.

“Enrique, glad you could make it on this sunny Monday," Alonso said. He was sat in an old convertible, one arm out the window, the other fiddling with a gear shift.

“Yeah, I'm a real nine-to-five Joe now. What'cha up to today, huh?"

“What I do best. Fixing cars."

“That's more of a me thing, wouldn't you say?"

“Yeah, no, I keep you around for laughs, mostly." Alonso dismissively waved.

“Professional clown. Alright, I expect a raise, though."

“Wheeled in to escape the dog, did you?"

Again with the damn dog.

“You know, I wish I had a dog, just so I could bring it in and watch you freak out."

“No animals on the premises, I already have to deal with you."

“So now I'm a circus animal, hmm?"

“Crazy how you can just glide through promotions like that."

Ricky chuckled. “Alright, am I back on the redhead's car or have you already asked her out on a date?"

“Money's my priority right now. Can't take someone on a date without cash."

“Got me there."

“Head on in. Just check the brakes."

Ricky walked into the shop, enjoying the grimy, but fanned air of the shop. At least they had a fan, now. Industrial and straight out of the 90's. Practically brand new! He rounded over to the redhead's car. Ms. Veterinarian. She weighed heavily on his mind, too. Not like Alonso. More in the manner of asking her all sorts of questions about an animal she had never seen to sate his endless curiosity.

How do you even breach a topic like that? Uh, already kinda did, didn't he? Yeah, just went ahead and asked her how she would react to a monster in her house. Well, OK, how would you then railroad that into being a legitimate question about the monster's health? Intelligence? Origin?

Eva seemed to be a normal creature. But her eyes. That near constant stare of blank white. It made her seem magical, almost like they glowed. Possible it was just something he had no clue about, or an entirely new biological function that science hadn't even found yet. What if they weren't even eyes? What if they were just empty pits that had some hypnotic powers? Ricky shook his head. Probably not that far. Did raise quite a few good questions, though.

Enrique popped the hood on Florence's car. Vets apparently didn't get paid much, as it was a turn of the century sedan that had seen the years. Charitable years, clearly.

A whistle rang out.

“Hey, Enrique, she just wants her brakes checked before she heads off," Alonso said.

“Right! Just had to make sure you did solid work," Enrique replied.

Keep your head on straight, pal, Ricky thought to himself. He went to work properly this time, looking closely for any faults. It was a wonder this thing even had brakes. They were completely original parts. Ricky whistled.

_

Seconds, minutes, half an hour, an hour. Rick was able to immerse himself in his work reasonably well. Only a few unwanted instances of a wandering mind, which was good enough for him. It occurred to him that she probably shouldn't have been back in the shop so soon.

There was some chatter outside, with exaggerated laughter and engine revving. Florence must've been back, and Alonso trying his best to impress. Then a clack of heels toward Ricky told him that his work would be quickly interrupted.

“So what's the damage looking like?" Florence asked.

“Surprisingly, none," Ricky replied. “I thought your brake pads would've been rusted dust. Sure you don't want to upgrade?"

“Can't. Well, I guess I can, but it brings me good luck, you know?"

“A whole car is your lucky charm?"

“Something wrong with that?"

“I guess a rabbit's foot is out of the question for you."

“I'm more of a horseshoe gal, yeah."

“Oh, right, you were doing the um, thing with the horses. How'd that go?"

“I got my hand stuck in a rear end, then I got to see a foal running around, so I'd say a good procedure. Did run into a ditch on my way out, though."

“Oh, that's why you're back. Almost thought Alonso suckered you in with a deal."

“He's got a way with words, I'll give him that," Florence replied.

“Were any of those words pronounced properly? He has trouble with those."

“More than a few. I'm sure he'll pronounce the price right, at least."

“Well," Ricky pulled himself away from the tires, “nothing on the brake pads. So I guess whatever he did last is your updated expenses." He crossed his arms.

“Funny how horses pay for a car, huh?"

Ricky chuckled and nodded, looking to the old thing. This was your chance to ask her again. Bring up something. Anything. When are you going to get another opportunity to talk to a vet one to one? She owed you. Sort of. Go on, do it!

“You got a phone number?" Ricky asked. Not like that!

“Uh, well, yeah?"

“I mean, for your vet's office, that is."

“Oh! Sure. I've got these neat little cards on me."

Florence handed over her info. “All-together Pet Center". Odd name, but catchy. Ricky briefly wondered if she owned the place.

“You got a medical problem, or…?" Florence said. “I mean, for a pet, that is. Oh, right, you did get that dog, didn't you? She got all her shots? Any photos yet? Name?"

“Ah, let's just say I'm in the market for a pet is all. Figured I might ring up the one vet I know by name in case of problems."

“Anything in mind? I might be one of those oh-so-special exotic vets, but I still need a range to work in, you know?"

“Mammal."

“Mammal?"

“Mammal."

Florence furrowed her brow. “I can probably deal with a mammal. Let me know that goes."

“Right. Let me know how the date with Alonso goes, too."

“Oh, did he tell you?"

“I just guessed. You seem his type. Vet. Female."

Florence laughed. “Yeah, pet doctor and a woman. That should be good enough."

_

Ricky flicked at the card in his hand. He sat in his garage, still firmly stuck in his car. Wasted that one chance to ask a real question. Not like he could even settle on one. Alright, no more thinking. Eva was waiting for him. Yeah. He didn't have to just think about her all the time. Can't just appreciate her for being there? He stepped out of the car and opened the door.

Only, there was no Eva. Where was she?

“Eva?" Ricky said.

Something tapped in the distance. Ricky stepped around the corner to find Eva in front of the computer. Undulating was probably the closest word he could ascribe to the motion. Eva snapped to look at him, all the while she wiggled. He smiled, then frowned. Was she OK?

“You feeling alright, Eva?" he asked.

She came to a stop. “Right?"

“Are you OK?" he said slowly.

“Ricky! Ricky. Ricky. Ricky."

Just like that, whatever it was, was gone and she slammed into him with an awkward, pawing hug and nudging snout.

“Woah, easy! I'm happy to see you, too."

“Easy. Ricky. Easy. Right?"

“Right. Very easy. You been up to much? Having fun? You kept your promise of no messes, right?"

Ricky glanced about the room. While there was a couch pillow on the ground, nothing seemed to be knocked over or damaged. All in all, a good day, then. They pulled apart. Eva continued to watch him. He had to wonder if she was as curious of him as he was with her. Nowhere near as much, probably. Likely that she had seen plenty of humans, and he had only seen one of… an Eva. Ricky picked up the pillow on the ground and then went to see the damage in the kitchen.

A few crumbs lay on the ground, but largely there was no mess. An empty plate sat where Ricky left out her simple meal. She didn't complain, so that must've been more than enough. The fridge began to beep. Ricky tested the door, then realized that Eva was the source of the noise.

“Still hungry?"

“Still."

Enrique's widened, then he chuckled. Too many times he had fallen for that trick of the mind. He could say anything and she'd just spit it right back at him. Nothing preventing him from teaching her, right?

“Not that it'll get me anywhere," Rick said.

“Get that not. Not."

“Exactly what I was thinking."

Eva seemed pleased with his response, tail wagging all the more excitedly. Her head turned slightly. Her blank eyes made it hard to tell, but he was pretty sure she was still focused entirely on him.

“What's on your mind, huh?" Rick asked.

No reply. She still stared. Funny how she could be so cute and maintain that air of complete and utter mystery. Ricky reached out and gently tapped her bony nose. She pressed against his finger and huffed, letting a warm air blow across his hand. How would he even go about telling her the simplest of terms? The language barrier sat firmly between them.

“Do you understand a word I say, really?"

Eva huffed again. Maybe that was enough. Didn't have to make her know what he was saying. People talked to dogs, cats, and all sorts of things. Parroting could have been the extent of her skills, and that would've been enough for her. Nonetheless, a part of Ricky didn't want that to be true. There had to be more to this wondrous creature. This strange girl. She couldn't have just been a vessel waiting to pour out whatever she had been given.

“Alright, we're going to try something, so bear with me for a second."

Rick opened the fridge. Eva went back to the beeping and looked intently inside. They had to start with something simple. Yes and no. That was like the root of all languages, right? Probably. Something like that. It was easy enough in any case. He settled on some doughnuts for the test. Never actually bothered to give her a pastry like that, but it might work for his purposes. Ricky pulled out the box and shut the door. Eva was immediately upon the container, giving it a few quick sniffs before pulling away.

One chunk of doughnut was all he needed, so he plucked a piece free and held it up to Eva. Rather than take it, she carefully munched on the thing from his hand. Maybe gloves were in order, too. He shook his hand after she took the last bit of it. Eva made some guttural squeals and groans, all the while her tail slowly picked up its excited pace again.

It was a simple enough plan. Could work. Ricky picked up the box of treats and held them out to her.

“Yes?" he said as it came near her. “No?" he said, pulling it away.

Eva stared, head snapping from his face to the box over and over. He repeated the motion and phrases a few more times.

“No," Eva said.

Rick pulled back the box. “No?"

A pause.

“Yes?" he asked, putting it toward her again.

“Yes."

He placed a hand on the lid and teased opening it. “Yes?"

“Yes."

The lid opened.

“Yes? No?" he asked.

“No?"

He closed the lid.

“Yes," she said.

Back open.

Eva stared at the box. “Yes."

He tore off a chunk and presented it to her. “Yes?" he asked.

“Yes!" She greedily snatched the tasty bit from him and scarfed it down. “Yes, yes, yes, yes." Another chunk came and went.

They repeated this frankly bizarre ritual until one whole doughnut was gone.

“That should be good enough for now. Don't want to spoil your appetite."

“Yes."

Ricky shoved the box right back into the fridge. He congratulated himself for not taking a snack for himself, though he couldn't help but lick a finger clean.

“Yes," Eva said.

“No, that's enough."

“Yes."

“No, you had one, that's your treat for the day."

“Yes?"

“No."

Eva placed her hand on the fridge handle, giving it an awkward tug. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes."

“No." Rick shook his head.

Eva shook her head back. “Yes."

The two traded looks in a bout of silence.

“Yes?" she said.

“Fine. Yes."

Ricky gave her another small chunk of doughnut. Yeah, that hadn't gone well. She probably just thought that “Yes" was some sort of vocalization for food now. Eva happily ate up her new piece, making her funny noises all the way. Alright, maybe it was worth it just for that. He rubbed his eyes as he realized he would have to hide the treats away now that she knew how to open them.

“You've got to make a promise to me you won't eat up every sugary thing."

“Yes, yes, yes. Yes." She licked her hands clean. “Yes, yes. Yes! Yes."

Yeah, right.

_

The day rolled on casually as ever, though Eva did repeatedly ask for another round of “Yeses" for a good chunk of it. Currently, she sat against the bed, with her head plopped on the edge. Her spooky eyes latched onto the television along with Ricky. Having her mumble out whatever they were saying on screen added a much needed layer of entertainment.

At this point, it wasn't as though Ricky was really watching television, more just experiencing it through Eva. A while back he wasn't entirely sure if she could see the television properly. That was admittedly based off of what he heard about dogs, but it was a good a guess as any. It was clear she could actually understand what was happening on-screen, at least to a degree. Food in particular was of great enjoyment to her, and naturally anything she deemed tasty was remarked upon with a repeated “Yes".

During a lull in the action, Eva crawled up onto the bed. She looked to Ricky and crawled over to him, and then… onto him. One hand steadied herself on his gut.

“Careful, you can be pretty heavy," he wheezed.

Eva braced herself on the bed, then repeatedly pushed against his gut. Hopefully that wasn't her silent way of implying he should lose some weight. Ricky's eyes were drawn to her hand and face. He was acutely aware of her breasts as well. Small, but still incredibly prominent on his guilty and curious mind. She paid his gawking no mind, instead moving her hand to test other parts of his body with presses of the palm. Ribs, arms, legs, dangerously close to the groin, even his clavicle. She returned back to his gut and gave it a few more curious kneads.

Ricky wanted to come up with some amusing remark. Somewhat hard to think of one when a girl was groping at him. An animalistic girl. A girl nonetheless, really. Eva's hand pawed at his shirt, finding the hem of it and snaking it underneath to his bare stomach. Her wagging tail was slowly batting back and forth.

“Weren't we just enjoying the TV?" Ricky asked.

“We enjoying," Eva replied. “TV, TV, TV."

The little pawpads on her hands were cute. Her claws, however, almost threatened to slice at his core. Eva's head was focused squarely on Ricky's face. Her eyes were wide. If she had more skin to her face, he could better guess what was going on in that head of hers. Nonetheless, she seemed intent on studying his expression. To her, he must've looked like an absolute buffoon with all of his moving face parts. Alright, no need to get all touchy over expressions, he told himself.

While the odd display was enjoyable in its own right, it was still one Ricky couldn't really figure out. The fact that she seemed to brush up against the band of his pants didn't help matters. Then, she pulled her hand free, barked, and flopped onto her back next to him. Her eyes remained on him.

“Something you need, or…?"

Eva barked again, adding a squeaking whine to it. She arched her back, raising her stomach up. Oh, did she want the same? Ricky didn't let his eyes sit on her body for too long, instead adopting the same expression watching. Well, he did have to look briefly just to settle his hand on her. He spread out his fingers and carefully rubbed her stomach, back and forth. Eva began to squirm slightly, letting out a dribbling of squeaks and clicking groans.

The fur on her stomach was short, yet fluffy. Ricky barely had to delve his fingers into her hair to brush against bare skin. As they trailed lower, he brushed against finer and more plush fur that seemed to start at her navel and led ever lower. Despite that fluffy fur, it did little to hide her shame. Ricky pulled his hand further up. She had a surprising amount of musculature underneath the fur. Her time at his house probably wouldn't do those muscles any good. Maybe he'd have to try getting her to exercise, somehow. Regardless, he had to wonder how often she had to strain herself in the wild. Eva was, after all, still a wild animal. Before she arrived, she could have been fighting for her life. Or maybe not. She did harmlessly wander into his life with one smashed window.

“Where did you come from? Huh?" Rick asked.

“Where did you--" She let out another delighted whine.

Yeah, that's about right. If she could learn how to speak, who knew if she'd even know how to articulate where she came from. Maybe it was best if she remained a mystery. Made her all the more special, didn't it? She looked at Ricky and nodded her head down. He took another assumption and gently patted her head as well, brushing up against that stoic bone.

“Look at you, happy with two pats. Not a care in the world. But I guess I was happy with yours, too."

She seemed to squirm and hum more prominently if he bumped up against the base of her horns.

“Yes!" she said. “Yes, yes, yes."

So, not just sugary food, but whatever she found good in general? Ricky swallowed.

“Yes! Ricky, Ricky, Ricky. Yes."

Keep it innocent. Mind on track. Just petting her. Eva's just enjoying herself. No, he couldn't even pretend it wasn't awkward. Eva had only gotten better over time with her speech, and that meant she could swing her words with a hefty amount of emotion. Most of it had remained in that neutral tone, but occasionally she would dip into a more feminine sound, making it all the more uneasy on his mind. What worried him most was that she hadn't even bothered with any masculine intonation.

Ricky kept petting, mostly on autopilot, up until his arms started to tire. He pulled his hands away.

Eva tilted her head. “No," she said.

“No?" he asked.

“No." She hissed and grabbed at his arm, pulling it back into place.

The hiss came as some surprise, but he could tell she didn't mean any harm by it. “Yes," he said, with a smile.

“Yes!"

Ricky lay down next to her with a huff and gently rubbed at her stomach while he watched television. Almost forgot it was on at all. Eva turned to him, nudging her bony head against his own. Not the most comfortable position all things considered. Her breathing and general mannerisms had settled, making the experience far more tame. Hopefully taming his own thoughts, too.

“You're gonna turn into a couch potato if this is what we do all day."

“All day insurance claim auto buy. Yes, yes, yes."

“I guess I've got no real room to speak, huh?"

“Yes, yes, yes."

“You're supposed to be nice and say 'No' to those."

“Yes!" Eva nudged her head into his.

“Alright, alright. Yes."

“Yes."

“Maybe I should start teaching you some encouraging words. It'd beat repeating the television, at least."

“Encouraging. En-cour-aging. Teaching you some."

“That's a new one for you, huh?"

“Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Ricky chuckled. “One day you're going to look back at all of this and laugh. Maybe you're already laughing and I don't even know it."

Eva flatly chuckled in turn.

“You'd tell me if you knew what I was saying, right?"

No response.

“What if you're just really smart and you think this is all the funniest prank ever?"

Eva looked to him. Those eyes, despite being entirely blank, only carried innocence and naivete. Or he was naive himself, and was only harboring a dangerous creature that was waiting to snap. It wasn't unheard of. People would get exotic animals and quickly find that it only took one misstep for those beasts to default to a wild state. She was placated for now, but how long would it last? One day she could just decide she didn't want this anymore. And leave.

“Ricky. Ricky," she said, nudging into his head.

The worst part was, mauling him seemed a little less painful than her leaving. Maybe it wasn't fair to keep her here, but how could he not? The most special creature anyone had ever seen. So funny, so adorable, so elegant. Ricky looked to the TV. That could also have been loneliness talking. Not often you get a girl to sit in bed listening to every word you said, huh? He could put on any old trash on the TV and she'd be happy. You didn't want her to be a woman, remember? Yeah.

Girl or not, having her around wasn't something he was about to give up. Certainly not for anyone else's sake. Though, he might have to talk to someone else, should something go wrong. Florence, for one. He wasn't be above trying to help Eva, just that his own knowledge would get in the way of that.

“You wouldn't mind if I brought a friend over, would you?"

“Yes, yes, yes."

Eva pulled her head back, grabbed at his rubbing hand and rolled over. The motion tugged him up against her backside and wrapped his arm around her. The height difference made the spooning position a strange one, but Eva didn't seem to mind one bit. Her legs moved about before one settled on Enrique's leg, further entangling them.

“I guess that's a yes?"

“Yes!"

“Alright." Sorry, Florence, the monster on my bed didn't want you to come over for an examination.

Eva's tail hadn't stopped, still tapping at Ricky's hips despite it being smushed up against him. Nothing stopped her from attaining ultimate comfort. She was enviable in that way. From this position, he could easily smell Eva's unique scent. It was like marshmallows mixed with a hint of mint. A sweet smell that he had, much to his embarrassment, grown to enjoy. It was comforting, as well. Probably a factor of his mind associating it with being at home and cozying up to a large, warm pillow. Well, maybe not exactly a pillow, what with her bony physique.

Far too cozy. Ricky closed his eyes. Not like he was going to be able to move soon, anyways, might as well make the most of it.

Enrique quickly fell asleep, drifted along to a solid rest by Eva's presence. Not for long, however. A gentle stir from Eva brought him back from the depths of comfort. He looked to the TV, only to find it off. She had really gotten the hang of that thing, huh? Eva had resigned to her own deep sleep, taking long, drawn out breaths. Being so close to her, he could feel her lungs draw in each breath. Just from the sound, they must've been powerful. Large things that would've been able to draw in gulps of air at a moment's notice. Hopefully, they'd never have to be used so strenuously again.

Ricky settled himself back into the bed and listened to her breathe. He followed those deep tones, and back to sleep.

_

Enrique woke up with a stream of tingles rushing up his arm. He rubbed his eyes and winced, blinking to see that the day had crept to night without his notice. Eva was nowhere to be found, though her scent did linger on his sheets. Must've gotten bored of sleep. He stretched and rolled over onto his back. Shame, aside from the bloodflow constriction in his arm, that was probably some of the best rest he had gotten in a while. They should do this more often, he thought. Assuming she wouldn't take it too far. And assuming he wouldn't either.

Pulling himself from bed was a challenge. Enrique managed, eventually, and sat himself upright on the edge. His wallet sat on the nightstand nearby, with that little card from Florence. He gave it another lookover, and realized that her first name wasn't listed anywhere on it. Just a plain “Dr. Florence" was emblazoned across the front, along with the rest of her contact information. Maybe her first name just wasn't all that official sounding. He flicked it back to the nightstand, narrowly missing it. Damnit.

His phone told him it was only seven. “Still super early, then," Ricky said to himself. Then it was prime time to waste some time. He got up and waddled out into the living room, still working out the funny sensations running up and down his arm. Another hour or two on the computer before dinner oughta be good.

Enrique moved into the living room, where a curious plastic crackling caught his ears. It was coming from the kitchen. Naturally, there was Eva, fridge door wide open, hands crushing and clawing at the devious container holding her precious sweets. Her head swiveled back to look at Ricky, nearly a whole 180. It made his nerves jump, but he held steady.

“Yes?" she said.

“No. Not right now." Ricky walked over to her and plucked the box from her hand. “You must be hungry." Or just greedy.

Eva had no response, but she was grabbing at the air as if still manipulating the box.

“Let's just make dinner now, alright?"

Enrique placed the container back in the fridge, then put something else in its way, poorly hiding it. That might've been insulting to her intelligence, but he'd figure out a better measure next time. The freezer had his real prize, something he had been holding onto for a while. Ribeye! He pulled it out triumphantly, mostly for Eva's sake. She locked onto it and immediately set about sniffing at it. Her mouth began to snap at the air.

“Hold up, it has to be cooked first."

Eva lunged at it, sinking her teeth into the plastic wrapping around it.

“Stop. Please?" He could just cut around that part for her. Nonetheless, it struck a pain at his very soul. Enrique gave the thing a few tugs.

Eva tightened her maw.

“Please? No?" he asked. Another tug. “Eva? No?"

She perked up at her name, letting go of her death bite on the package. Some spittle remained on the surface, and it was blatantly obvious where her sharp teeth punched through. Cut it down the middle, he supposed. Eva grumbled, maintaining her stare on the slice of meat. Ricky quickly went to work on preparing it, before she consumed the entire thing in one fell swoop. The bite made it awkward to cut around, but he tried to make it equal. Or, should it have been in Eva's favor? She was the bigger one, after all. Consider it a little punishment for having a taste before him, he figured.

All of his preparation didn't stop Eva from hovering around him, pacing back and forth as he cooked. Fortunately, she had already gotten a handle on the concept that the stove was hot, so no need to worry about her lunging about it now.

“You did this to a lot of deer?" Enrique asked, jokingly. Only, it quickly stopped being a joke in his mind. “Just uh, let me finish it first, OK? You'll love it a lot more, I promise." He looked to her. “You know. Yes, yes."

“Yes, yes, yes," she said. A snap of the maw only drove home how hungry she was.

Ricky did his best to cook as fast as he could, stove willing. Cooking under stress was certainly a new one. He tried his best to block her view of the meat, as if that would somehow ease her voraciousness. She could probably smell it far better than he could imagine.

“Patience is a virtue," he said.

“Yes, yes, yes. Yes. Yes?"

“Yes. Soon."

Usually he'd spice up the meat a little more. Instead, he held back for Eva's sake. She could probably eat almost anything, but it was best to err on the side of caution. Didn't need her to be sick all over his floor, or in general.

After an agonizing half hour or so, the meal was ready. Hopefully it'd measure up to Eva's refined palate, and that it would be satisfying for her. If she wanted more, then, Rick would have to make a quick store run to satisfy her. Better than a beer run, right? Eh. He produced two plates from the cupboards and slid the bitten piece on one plate, and a more pristine cut on another. A few vegetables were added to his plate for some variety as well. He cautiously carried the meal out into the living room and set it down the table as he sat down. Eva stood nearby, mouth snapping.

“Yes. Eat," Ricky said. He held the plate up to her.

Eva, without a word, snatched the hunk of flesh from the plate and tore into it. She huffed and growled as every chunk disappeared into her maw. Whatever appetite Ricky had vanished. It was like she was eating for both of them. Within only a few violent bites, the slice of meat was completely gone.

“You good?"

“Ricky, Ricky. Yes, yes." Her tongue ran across her teeth as she let out a whine. Of delight, hopefully. She plopped down onto the couch and lay against him.

“That's good. Not often I get to cook. For friends, especially."

Eva hummed, seemingly satiated. Not that it stopped her from eyeing his own piece of meat. Yeah, you'd want her to look at your meat, wouldn't you? Dumb joke. He flicked on the television and tried to eat as quickly as he cooked. As much as he enjoyed Eva practically murdering her dinner, he wanted a bite, too.

“Not bad. I think that turned out pretty good, actually. I already got your vote of confidence, anyways."

“Pretty, pretty."

“Yes, yes you are." He smiled and gave her a few pats. At that distance he could see a few bits of meat that clung to her teeth. Cute and deadly.

Fortunately, Eva kept her distance from Enrique's treat, allowing him to eat in peace. As much peace as one could get from a monster like her leaning up against them, anyways.

“If you behave, I'll get you more steak next time, alright?"

She wagged her tail, as if to agree with the sentiment. Unlikely that she did, even a little. More like she was saying, “Sure, I'll just look cute and you'll bend to my whim." And he absolutely would. It was hard to actually set rules in stone when the thing you were trying to wrangle was both incapable of understanding you, and could easily break you. Have to ask nicely, right?

The lack of any emotion in Eva's face only made their barrier all the worse. Couldn't judge on a spark of intelligence in the eye, or a twitch of the mouth. Only an ivory wall and blank pits. Instead, he had to look at her closely. For a moment, his eyes drew to her body. The slow rise and fall of her chest, the wag of her tail. Minute motions in her form were all that he could gather. Sexuality wasn't all that permeated her form, that was just his libido talking. Frankly, it was a disservice to only see her in that light. Not that he could really deny his body, he would just have to control it.

“Ricky, Ricky, Ricky," she said.

“Eva, Eva, Eva," he replied.

_

Living with Eva only became more and more of a staple of Ricky's existence. She was still an impressive creature, but the “wow" factor of seeing her every day had been worn away and replaced with a simple delight of cuteness with touches of fear. And touches of another matter, that Enrique had failed to get a handle on.

Enrique stood in the workshop, flicking through his phone. He was idly looking at clothes and picturing Eva in them. Not sexually. Mostly. Just wondering if she would enjoy the garb. If she was going to get smarter and learn English, humility might've followed. Then what would that make him? The snake giving Eve the apple? Names weren't far off, but he'd better not think of himself as Satan.

“Wasting company time?" Alonso asked.

“No, just yours," Enrique replied. He hastily placed his phone back in his pocket.

“You're seeming a little… distant."

“Like I'd rather be anywhere but here?"

“Something like that." Alonso turned his head and sneezed. “And covered in fur."

“I think your allergies are just acting up."

Alonso tapped at his neck. “Got a little something here."

Enrique rolled his eyes and grabbed at his neck, only to pause and slowly pull back a trace of fur. Jet black.

“Snuggling up with your new friend often?"

Enrique had a pause as to what to do with the fur. He could let it flitter to the ground and forget about it, but some extreme paranoia overcame him for a brief moment, and he shoved it in his pocket. What if there was someone following him, waiting for samples? That would be the opportune moment to strike and make certain if he was harboring Eva.

“So, I guess that does confirm the whole dog theory," Alonso said. “No rabies, I hope."

“Yeah, I've got a dog." Enrique rolled his eyes. “Does the admission make you happy?"

“Something like that. I'm just wondering what you're doing with the thing."

“I just happened to find a good friend, is all."

“Why not find yourself a girlfriend?"

“I really don't need someone to sap my wallet."

“Not like you would know."

“Finally had that first date with Ms. Florence? First date in your life?"

“Soon to be a Mrs."

“You know, I got her phone number first, really."

Alonso furrowed his brow.

“Gave me her card," Enrique said.

“Right. You're gonna need that if you're keeping a mutt."

“Not going to try and steal her from you."

“I almost want to see you try."

“So you know I'd win out."

“No, I just don't want you to embarrass yourself."

Ricky chuckled. “Well, I hope it turns out good for you."

“Thanks. Not that I need it, you know." Alonso nodded.

“Of course not."

Enrique crossed his arms. There would be no chance he'd have any company over now, at all, he realized. Friend or something more. They couldn't exactly be trusted with Eva, not without years of trust. He glanced to Alonso. Well, Alonso would probably panic and run.

“Thinking about girls now, huh?" Alonso asked.

“Something like that."

“You'll find the right one, but before you do, you'd better get back to work."

“Something something boss makes a dollar."

“Yeah, I wish I was making that much." Alonso walked off. “Wouldn't have to take her to Texas Steakhouse for a date!"

“Could do worse!" Ricky replied.

Enrique sat in the aging truck he was assigned to and turned it on, listening for any hiccups in the purring engine. He looked to the passenger seat and tried to imagine himself some sort of partner. When was the last time he even had a date? He briefly imagined taking Eva to a fancy dinner, candles and all. He would remark how lovely she looked, and she would be making a meatgrinder look like safety scissors. Even if she did learn English, there was no guarantee she really had the capacity for much else.

That would be awful, for several reasons. There had to be something in that mind of hers. Something like her being unable to portray all that she had seen and experienced? Not to mention just being able to express herself. Speaking without intent would be no better than just having her never learning at all. Funny, he went to work to try and escape his thoughts about Eva. Must've been easier to think about her without her staring him down in the nude. She could very well be a telepath for all he knew. Eva was the mystery that kept on mystifying.

Ricky pulled out his phone and searched up some vague terms. Animal intelligence. Intelligence tests. Average predator intellect. He wasn't exactly getting anywhere with the pop science articles that came his way. He slowly revved the engine as he tapped through his phone. He'd probably have to bite the bullet and actually talk to an expert, or the closest thing to one. Florence probably didn't even have a clue how to gauge whatever Eva was thinking, but it was the closest lead, right? Maybe later. When he was more desperate.

How was it that she stumbled into his life, anyways? Of all the people on that street, or even in the city, what was it that drew her to him? Seemed like random chance. There could have been any number of people she just invaded on a whim. Ricky could only thank God it was him. No telling what other people would have done to her, or where she'd be now. Or, where those people would be now, had they taken a misstep.

The rest of Ricky's shift was more menial mulling and halting work. All of the questions he had conjured up only piled upon himself. It was then he realized he was desperate to talk to anyone about Eva. He supposed he could talk about her under the guise of that ridiculous dog thing, but it might've been awkward if he constantly gushed and queried about his animal. Eh, well, he'd certainly seen guys do that very thing, but he didn't need another awkward label to his reputation.

One part of Enrique wanted to push Eva forward, try and get her adjusted to life as something vaguely human, and another simply wanted her to enjoy herself. If she grew to adore the languid existence of humanity, great, but if not, there was no real need to. Though, he had to admit the former was likely just that level of guilt trying to adjust to the fact that he had already gotten to some level of intimacy with her.

Would it make it better, then, if she were on his level of intelligence? That would somehow make it a pre-acceptable form of consent? It's not like anyone knew. Admit you fucked up, and move on. Enrique slammed the truck door shut and walked over to his own car, giving Alonso a mindless wave on his way out.

It always came back to that, didn't it?

Enrique settled into his own vehicle and set out on his way back home. He considered briefly stopping at the store to grab a steak. Nah. That was best left as a real treat for the both of them. Moreso for her. Could be used as a reward, too. He'd just have to make sure she didn't get to it before he did.

Ricky pulled into the garage and headed on inside. Eva was already there at the door.

“Ricky, Ricky, Ricky!" she said.

“How's my favorite night stalker?" he asked.

She pulled him into that hug, rubbing her neck and head up against him. Ricky would have returned the gesture, if he didn't expect some injuries from the vigorous rubbing. And then just like that, she was gone, back to the bedroom. He checked on her real quick, finding her awkwardly splayed out on the bed, head crooked, staring at the TV.

Enrique decided to retire to the computer. It was hard to settle around Eva. He should've just taken her as the miracle she was, he knew, but… Reality had a way of getting him down. Whatever, time for a mind cleansing. The computer was already booted up, oddly. The only program open was a browser, with his own YouTube playlist at the end. Must've forgotten to turn it off, but convenient. He started it from the beginning and continued on with his planned mindless scrolling.

You've got the most amazing creature in the other room, and you're just sitting here and wasting time on the Internet?

“What, am I supposed to just stare at her?" he asked.

Better than this, right?

Enrique frowned. He glanced over to his room. Eva stared back, hunched over near his desk. He flinched.

“You are way better at that than you should be," he said.

Eva didn't reply, but she did make a strange whistling sound. She took a step closer and looked to the monitor. Her head bobbed. Her arms shifted back and forth. Enrique turned his head. She turned it as well. He paused the music. Eva came to a stop. She placed her hand on his and turned the video back on again. The ritual continued.

“You actually like it, huh? I wasn't sure music was--"

Eva pawed at his face, placing her large palm over his mouth. The message was loud and clear. That was for the best. Enrique rolled away from the computer, letting Eva go at it if she wished. She continued to gyrate in that funny way. It was like a mix of dancing and muscular spasms. One song came up, causing her to stop and click off of it.

She was definitely getting better at manipulating things. No longer did Eva jerkily yank the mouse around, but was able to push it along to a finer point. She must've been doing this while Ricky was away a whole heck of a lot more than he imagined.

“That was one of my favorites," he said.

Eva looked to him and huffed, creating a gentle whistling sound as she did.

“Alright, OK." He held his hands up.

Then the next song pulled through, and she was right back to her experimental grooving. The jauntiness of her body was proof enough that she was enjoying herself. Her erratic movements had Enrique smiling before long. To add a little more rhythm to the display, Ricky started tapping his foot along to the music playing. Eva snapped to look at the offending appendage. Right, shouldn't do that -- Eva began tapping as well -- or maybe he should continue. She quickly grasped the idea, following the general beat of every song that came her way. Those that she would listen to, anyways.

A few videos had actual dancing on display. Eva firmly watched those, loosely following the motions and adding her own quirks to the mix. Slowly, her regular hunched posture loosened, allowing her to more freely move her body. Enrique's amusement fell away into awe. It was sometimes hard to remember she was so massively tall. The creature of the night fell to the wayside, revealing an intelligent being enjoying and expressing itself.

The motions gradually shifted from stilted movements to something approaching human dancing. Swaying incorporated into her motions, adding a touch of sultriness to her. Enrique stared. His tapping fell to the wayside as he watched. Eva managed to incorporate her tail into the mix, adding a noticeable side to side that fell in line with her hips.

For a moment, Enrique wondered if this was all an intentional display. Only, this time, there was no little voice in the back of his mind to tell him that it was wrong. Perhaps somewhat silly having that line of thinking as she danced to thumping electronic music, but it wouldn't shake from his thoughts.

The light from outside had grown weary, casting an orange glow onto Eva. Her fur didn't reflect, yet her skull and eyes did, making them pop all the more, drawing Ricky's eyes to them. She had shifted her attention to him. Every motion felt as though it were directed straight at him. He told himself it was more wishful thinking on his mind's part. That was just part of the dancing she had eaten up and wanted to reproduce. Another part of his thoughts refused that.

Suddenly, the music came to an end, and it was all gone. Eva slouched once more, adopting that bestial stance. A disinterested glance was all she gave the computer. She moved over to the couch and braced on one end, languidly stretching all the way out. It took a moment for Ricky's mind to catch back up, bringing him back to reality. Eva gave him a parting look, then returned to his room, where the TV had been continuing to play all along.

Ricky looked over the list of music wondering if Eva truly enjoyed them, or just found it an amusing thing to mimic. Really, why did she mimic anything? It could have been used for hunting, right. He had thought about that several times before. Then all the motions? Couldn't exactly use that in the wild. Surely, then, it was all stuff she explicitly wanted to do. Then she stopped, out of boredom or disinterest or… She might've been expecting something in turn from him, maybe? He shook his head. Have to stop assigning every little detail to a higher brain function. Hell, he was just mindlessly scrolling earlier, probably operating at less mental activity than she was.

He looked out at the scenery around him. Eva could've been going stir crazy, too, being cooped up inside all day. Ricky sighed. It's not like he was forcing her to stay inside. She could've just as easily followed his actions and walked right out the door. Or, simply smash a window and get outside. Still, he considered having to take her somewhere to allow her to roam at least a little free. But, the question was where? And, if she did get a taste of freedom, would she even want to come back? There weren't any cooked steaks out in the wilderness, so that was at least one point in his favor.

Frankly, Eva's strange display set Ricky's planned afternoon of “nothing in particular" off balance. Right back to wondering what was possibly going on in her head. Curiosity got the better of him, and he checked in on Eva real quick.

There she was, sitting on his bed, in front of a pile of his collectibles and other knicknacks. Ricky swallowed. She held up a particularly priceless and flashy robotic warrior.

“Eva, Eva, no, no, no, no," he said.

She perked up at his outburst, but her grip remained firm on his Gundam. Ricky cautiously approached her, hands up. He delicately plucked the mech from her hands and examined it closely for any sort of damage. Rather than dwell on his interruption, she merely picked up another figurine, this time her namesake.

“No, please, I just--" His mind went through a million different excuses as to why she couldn't touch his items, and realized each and every one of them would be lost on her.

“Yes, yes, yes," she said.

“No, no, no," he replied.

Ricky carefully took her next object of interest and placed it in the pile. His hands hovered above them, making a poorly devised shield.

“These are very important to me. Important. Like you, just, you know, plastic, and small. Im-por-tant."

“Important."

“Right. So that means that you don't touch them."

Eva looked to him, then reached out for one. Ricky placed a hand in her way, and she would move around it. The little game would continue, with Eva picking up speed with every attempt. Her breathing grew excited and her tail loudly slapped against the bed. She slipped a hand past his, grabbing at a figurine. Eva immediately burst into a croaking laughter, punctuated by low whistles.

“Ricky!" She dropped the thing back in the pile.

Enrique winced at the clatter of plastic.

Eva raised her hand again, moving it about. “Ricky, Ricky!"

He put on a weary smile and sighed. “No, please. I'm asking nicely. No, no, no." Enrique pushed the figurines to the side. “No."

“No?" Eva tilted her head, then looked to her objects of fascination, then back to Ricky.

“No."

“No," she replied.

“Right. No."

Eva's excitement wound down. Enrique grabbed his figurines and set them back on the shelf, right where he remembered them being. Was it alphabetical by series, or by enjoyment? He had a picture somewhere. For now, anywhere was fine, as long as they were in the right place. Eva stood nearby, watching Enrique file them all back in their proper place. When he was done, she raised her hand up to one and looked to him.

“No," he said.

She remained like that a little longer, then slowly continued.

“Eva, no."

A little further.

“Are you trying to push my buttons here? I said no." He placed his hand in front of hers.

Eva huffed accompanied by stuttering croaks. She was either wildly amused or annoyed. It was like he was a real pet owner now. Enrique was about to turn away, but couldn't help but pose the figurines properly again. And maybe rearrange them, make them look nice. Now, where did he place his Zaku?

_

The search for Eva was a difficult one. An Internet search, that is. Enrique returned to his computer after making sure all of his models were in place. While there were plenty of monsters that vaguely had her anatomy, none gave Ricky any concrete sort of answer. Not that he really expected a monster search to really yield any good results. If it were so easy, everyone would have an Eva of their own. Or a guy version. Evan? They'd probably look like Eva, just with a little less curve and an amusing dangly bit. He already had his reservations about Eva's own parts bouncing every which way. Ricky did not envy whoever took care of a hypothetical Evan and his own bouncing.

Mostly, the results were the usual tinfoil hat types that claimed to have seen bigfoot years ago, or people practicing creative writing and getting too into the details. Made sense. Enrique wasn't going to take photos of Eva and post them online. Might be somewhat funny, admittedly, but not worth it in the end. It was almost a shame. Who wouldn't want to show her off? Out of all the things in his life, she was the most special. Ricky shook his head. Anyways.

Thoughts naturally returned to Florence and her possible practice. But what would she say if Ricky brought Eva in? Would she have a panic attack? Would she immediately call the police? Not like he could really blame her. What about Eva, too? For all he knew, he was the only person that she decided not to violently tear apart. Eh, probably putting himself too high on a pedestal there. Then, all the animal smells on Florence could put Eva in the wrong mindset? Enrique furrowed his brow. Why was he trying to theorycraft scenarios where the two would assault one another? Made some sense, at least. He had to make sure absolutely nothing would happen.

Should Eva get into trouble, that would only bring this whole thing tumbling down. Ricky would have to flee with her to somewhere remote and live out his days in secrecy. But, was he really willing to give up his whole cozy life for her? He knew her for a few months at best. She seemed to like him, sure, but was that enough? Was the special nature of her sitting on his bed really all that astounding that he would throw everything out for the sake of her freedom? Not even freedom, just sticking around with him in whatever hovel he managed to scrape together.

Ricky adjusted his attention to the more ridiculous side of his search, blocking out whatever tumultuous thoughts he was just having. Monster girls dominated a lot of the search results as well. Appealing, to some degree. Not that he was looking for them. Of course, he was somewhat steeped in that eastern aesthetic and had a soft spot for the over-sexualized representations. Yet, after Eva had moved in, he had to say they lost some of their charm. A matter of tasting the real deal. Taste, hopefully, being only metaphorical for now.

“Ricky," Eva said.

Enrique's nerves jumped, but he kept himself steady. Nice. Eva was behind him, peering over his shoulder, or, at her height, more like towering over it. Naturally, she was looking at the screen, taking it in. Some embarrassment stirred inside him. She didn't really know what she was looking at, so there was no need for him to get worked up. Her gaze was more subdued than other times. Uninteresting to her, maybe?

“What's up?" he asked. “Everything OK?"

Eva paced around his chair, back and forth from either side of him. Her head swiveled, remaining focused on the computer monitor. She let out a few clicks as she moved. Her whole body seemed geared to hunt now, stalking the offending images.

“Sleep? Ricky sleep? Screen sleep?" she asked.

“Uh, no sleep," Ricky said. He shook his head. “Awake."

“No sleep?" She stopped her pacing and raised herself up a little from her hunched posture. “Eva, yes, yes, sleep?"

Enrique opened his mouth and promptly shut it. Whatever he said had a chance of implying all sorts of bizarre things to Eva. He deflated. Not enough effort had been put on his part to teach her, or any. The language barrier was supposed to be torn down, but now he had really only shifted how obtuse it was. Only random chatter was all he offered, lazily hoping she'd pick it up like a child.

“We really need to get you some books or videos or something."

“Sleep?" She shook her head. “Eva, sleep?"

“Better not be sleeping through it."

“Sleeping. Through." She tilted her head. “Through, Through. Through. Ricky, Eva, sleeping through." Eva bobbed, tail picking up speed.

The excitement pouring from her worried Ricky somewhat. Sort of like an excited dog, he was worried she might decide to pounce on him at any moment.

“Easy, easy." Ricky stood up. “Let's just take it easy."

Enrique held up his hand. Eva stopped her excited bouncing, forcing her head into his hand, nudging up against it. She was humming something, either randomly or a tune he couldn't pick out. It was interrupted by her own strange laugh, and she brought up a hand to Ricky's own head and pressed against it. He let out an amused sigh.

“Ricky, yes, yes," she said. Her jaw started to gently clack, repeatedly biting at the air. “Yes, yes." Eva's hand drifted downward, across the side of his face, and her gentle, but deadly fingers prodded at his lips. Sharp claws brushed over soft skin. Her clattering increased, loudly knocking her jaws together. “Ripply crush."

“Ripply—?"

Eva pressed her snout up against his lips, rubbing them haphazardly together. She twisted and pushed her head as she did so, continuing her humming. Enrique was flabbergasted at first, completely unsure how to react. Close proximity to her mouth paired with her glaring excitement gave him pause from pulling away. He gathered what the gesture was supposed to be near instantly, and despite its crude nature, was working on him all the same.

After much fruitless mashing, kissing gave way to a slow licking. Eva's eyelids closed. Through a mix of her dark fur and the dim light, it made it seem like he was being prodded at by a skull. Fear washed out arousal and embarrassment. Then they came flooding back in as her eyes popped back open. Enrique's heart began pounding all over again.

What felt like an eternity probably wasn't even a minute as Eva pulled back. Enrique composed himself and wiped his face against the sleeve of his shirt.

“Alright, OK," Enrique said. He nodded over and over. “OK. We need to fix this."

“Ripply," Eva said. She touched at her teeth. “Ricky, yes, yes." With that, she grabbed at the mouse and moved it about in the air, getting nowhere. She grunted and tossed the thing to the ground, opting to turn off the computer instead.

It took Enrique's mind a moment to catch up with the situation. “Hey! No! Eva, no."

Eva perked up, ears swiveling toward him. He grabbed his precious hardware off the ground and set it gently back down on his desk. It was honestly a wonder that nothing in his house had been obliterated. Aside from the original window, that is. He looked to Eva again, his mind hitching on thoughts of their kiss. No, no, no, he wasn't going to get all flustered now. He had something to do. This was important. If there was anything he was going to impart on her, it would be something positive. Not how best to eat a pizza. Real language.

Ricky grabbed a chair and set it by his own, then grabbed Eva by the hand and sat her down in it. She grabbed onto him in turn. Naturally. Everything was a game to her. Eva was enviable in that way. Enrique gave a gentle tug, but she didn't budge on it. He accepted his fate and resigned himself to his seat, holding her hand. Turning the computer back on, Ricky wondered how exactly he would try the whole “yes and no" thing this time. Food clearly didn't work. Should it be like teaching animals?

“You already know what 'yes' and 'no' means, don't you?" he asked.

“Don't you?" she said.

Sometimes, he wished she really was mocking him. Well, she was, just not maliciously. Then again, he couldn't be sure even of that. Eva took to playing with his hand as she waited, prodding at it and moving it around. Typing one-handed wasn't something he was all that bad at, as much as he hated to admit it. He went with pets first, as demeaning as that was. Eva wasn't dumb, but surely this would make it easier.

One problem with trying it the animalistic way was that all of the instructions suggested some kind of treat to feed. Yeah, no, that didn't work out too great, last time. How about just a pat on the head? Would that suffice?

“We're going to try learning, alright? Will you give it your best shot?" Enrique asked.

“Ricky, Ricky, Ricky."

“I guess that's about as good as it's gonna get, huh?"

“Huh? Ricky ripply touch touch." She giggled in her funny way. “Computer, yes, yes."

Indeed. Ricky's search wasn't all that promising anyways. Seemed ludicrous that animals really couldn't understand yes or no. If that was the case, then even this training might've given the wrong idea and given her some other bizarre concept of either word. Assuming she wasn't on that level, of course.

Another tidbit of info told him that animals usually understood tone. That made sense, and Eva would've been no stranger to that, right? Right? Enrique looked to her. A bad tone for no, good for yes? Maybe the doughnut thing would work after all. Just had to avoid fattening her up. Enrique looked to Eva as she batted his hand back and forth. Her attention snapped to him.

Enrique pictured delivering the bad tone. Imaginary Eva would flatten her ears and whine. C'mon, he couldn't do that. It was hard enough leaving her alone sometimes. This would be worse. He rubbed his eyes. It had to be done, though. Boundaries had to be set, words had to be taught. Especially if he wanted all of his media memorabilia in one piece, or his computer, or his other electronics, or even his own body.

“Ripply?" she asked. Eva brought her head near his, poising to mash his lips against her sharp face once more.

This was the opportunity he needed.

She already had that word embedded in her vocabulary, there was no undoing it. Just give up now. Enrique stopped himself. No. He wasn't going to let her down on this. Let her down? It's not like she needed to know this, you just wanted to get closer to her. And was that so bad? To get closer to a new friend? His libido stopped him. Friend? He shut his eyes for a second and forced his brain back into line. This was his friend. Eva was a friend.

“No," Ricky replied. He tried his damnest to be polite about the way he said it, but add an edge of negativity to it. “No ripply."

Eva blinked. Her head eased back. “Ripply." Then back into place.

“No."

Eva didn't exactly have the negative reaction he feared, but the slight hesitation on her part still made him feel a shred of sadness all the same. That was for the best. Rip off the bandage. Set your spaces. You're a man, aren't you?

“No?" she said.

“No." The elongated enunciation was getting ridiculous. All he could do was hope it was getting across to her. Ricky paused before adding some pullback to it, driving home that another kiss wasn't happening today. Perhaps… not today. “No," he said to himself. Though, that wasn't the end of it, was it? There would have to be a “Yes" to this lesson, eventually.

Eva looked to him, head swiveling left and right to let both eyes get a good look at him. Or, no, he must've shook his head while saying the word. She repeated the motion a few more times.

“No," she said. “Ripply. No." As if testing him, she reached forward again, nudging him on the chin.

“No," Enrique said. He rolled his chair a little backward.

Eva had no trouble keeping up with him. She had more height to spare and lean forward.

“No. Eva, no."

Eva merely crawled onto the ground when she ran out of torso to extend. Every step forward was another two back for him, until they were doing ridiculous circuits around the living room table.

“Eva! No!" he said.

The monstress managed to back him up into a corner. Enrique sighed and quietly chastised himself for being outsmarted by Eva. She placed her arms on his lap and reached forward again. This is the part where you put your foot down, pal. Ricky put his hand on Eva's head, holding it in place. She halted, which was good. No doubt, if she really wanted to, she could smash through any feeble force he put up. Eva did, however, nudge up against him, testing his mettle. He remained firm.

“Ripply. No," she said.

“No."

Eva blinked. Her tail made a few slow sways. Then she plopped her head on his crotch and let out a deep sigh. Ricky tried to ignore the slight pressure at his groin, instead opting to move onto the next part. Rewards.

“Good girl!" he said. “Very good." Ricky gently pat her on the head and rubbed up against her horns.

Eva responded with a series of chirrups and crawled further upward until they were face to face once more. “Ripply?"

“No." He pulled his hand away, turning his head. “No ripply."

“No ripply," she said. Eva pulled back as well.

“Good girl. Yes pats. No ripply. Yes. Pats."

The rewards returned full force.

“No ripply, yes pats." She repeated the words, changing their intonations, pronunciation, and even the pause between each word.

Ricky wanted to reinforce what she was saying and repeat those words right alongside her, but frankly he felt ridiculous enough trying to do this entire thing. Almost felt like this lesson was patronizing. People had to start somewhere, sure, but it felt so rude. It's not like he could actually use iconography for these abstractions, though. Human emotions and gestures were alien to her, at least on the level of expression.

Just have to accept that Eva needed this, he told himself. If she was capable, of course. Being tossed into the human world like this meant that she should be at least prepared to understand what was going on in it. Leaving her in blissful ignorance might've been good, sure, but it could've harmed her one way or another.

That little moment of paranoia Ricky had back at the shop was probably for the best. Eva could protect herself, and teaching her would only help with that. God forbid any strange people catch wind of who she is, or is already on the hunt for her, she could at least understand what might've been going on. Or maybe he was overthinking the entire thing. Brute force might've meant that it was irrelevant.

Whatever. Maybe this whole thing was just excitement getting the better of him. Ricky might've just been teaching a fantastical parrot and rejoicing when she threw a word back at him. She seemed to have gotten “No" somewhat down.

“Ricky, Ricky, yes pats. Yes pats. No ripply. Ricky ripply. No Ricky ripply. Yes, yes? Yes pats." She paused. “Yes, yes pats. Pats yes, yes. Yes."

“Yes pats."

“Yes, yes pats?"

“Yes pats."

Eva paused. “Yes pats." She followed his ridiculous and long drawn out way of saying it.

“Good job!"

Ricky continued with the rewards up until his hand started to tire from petting her in such an awkward position.

“No ripply," she said with a huff. With that, she immediately got up and walked off.

“Wait! Hold up! We still need to try a few other words, at least!"

Eva stopped and looked back at him, nearly turning her head the 90 degrees. That would not ever lose its creepiness. She seemed to scan him, then skulked back into his room. Right back to TV, no doubt. Well, she was human in that way, at least. Didn't find school interesting whatsoever. Fine, back to square one.

Ricky followed Eva after procuring some doughnuts, hiding them out of sight behind his back.

“Would you please come back with me? Follow?" He beckoned her with a hand. “Eva follow Ricky?"

Eva was currently prone on the bed, head at the very end of it, staring into the TV. She gave him but a passing glance. And now the big guns. Ricky presented the plastic container. Eva's head perked up, her body soon following.

“Eva follow Ricky," he said.

“Yes, yes. Yes, yes!" she said.

Ricky took a step back, just to let her know she had to come get it, and she got the idea fairly quickly. Eva stared and slowly put a hand onto the ground. Ricky gave the prize a shake. Ears swiveled, locking onto the noise. He took another step back. Eva's other hand joined the first. Then, he spun back around and stopped just around the corner.

A series of loud thumps rattled the house, then the sound of nails on wood. For a split second, a pang of fear hit Ricky. He should've moved. A step was all Enrique could manage before Eva wrapped her arms around him. She was heaving and letting out her strange little giggles.

“Yes, yes! Yes, yes! Ricky, yes, yes." Her hand came upon the box, crushing it. “Yes, yes!"

It took a moment for Ricky's mind to ease off the panic of fight or flight.

“No," he said firmly.

Good thing Ricky wasn't looking at her. No doubt she was staring daggers into him. Heck, he could feel it. She wouldn't hurt me, he told himself. And he quietly said it again, just for good measure. Eva gently shook the box. Ricky pulled it from her grasp, narrowly dodging another grab at it.

“Ricky," she said.

“Eva," he replied.

Enrique wriggled out of her grasp and retreated to his computer. She was already right next to him, trying to grab at the treats yet again. Ricky pointed at the chair opposite to him.

“Sit," he said.

Eva looked at the chair, then back to him. Another grab at the box.

“Sit, please, Eva," he said.

Nope, still trying to grab at the box. Guess that was something she had to learn as well. Ricky held up one hand to feebly hold back Eva while the other set down the box. He stood up and gently grabbed Eva by the shoulders. She stopped her ravenous attempts, now curious or maybe baffled as to why the tiny man was manipulating her. With some nudges, she was manipulated into the chair and sat down patiently, likely a mask for her chance at some doughnuts.

“Sit," he said, doing much of the same.

“Sit," she replied.

“Good."

“Good. Yes, yes?" Her hand reached out.

“No."

Eva retracted her arm slowly. This was going to take forever. At the very least, she seemed to be grasping “yes" and “no". Grasping a little too much of other things, as well. Ricky did the obvious thing and simply searched up how to start teaching English. For beginners. Only problem was that most, if not all, sources usually assumed proficiency in another language. If Eva did have a language, it sure wasn't structured like any human ones. He could've fallen back on treating her as if she were a pet, but… Better try it as if she were an intelligent creature first.

If he was going to start with learning English, it'd have to be with generic objects, right? She probably already knew television and computer since not only had she used them all the time, but Enrique himself probably didn't shut up about them either. Hard not to notice and associate the words of the giant flickering picture boxes. What did she even get out of television or the computer? He looked to Eva. Maybe same as him, looking out at an interesting world from a distance.

Enrique ran through a few generic words with Eva, getting her to repeat them. Pronunciation was spot on, of course. She had no issue sliding into any consonant or vowel that came her way. That cut down the learning time, but it was hard to tell if she was actually learning anything or repeating for the sake of repeating, as she always did. Could ask, but how? Might as well try with one of her favorites.

“What's this?" Ricky asked, tapping on the monitor.

“What's this?" she said back.

“No. What is this thing?"

“No?" She tilted her head.

Ricky pursed his lips. Switch tracks. “Television?" he asked.

“Computer!"

Ricky pointed off at the television. “Computer?"

“TV!" Eva rattled and croaked. “Ricky, Ricky, Ricky."

“Good girl!"

“Good girl. Eva good girl!"

The sudden success of the situation was somewhat undercut by his realization that Eva probably thought he was an idiot, assigning those names incorrectly like that. Enrique chuckled. Well, making her feel all the smarter would hopefully only help her along.

“I gotta wonder what you think of me, sometimes. More than a feeding hand, maybe?"

“Ricky, Ricky. Car yes, yes?" She snapped her mouth shut.

“Fine, you get one piece. Guess I am just the hand that feeds. Nice hand, I hope."

Eva grabbed at his hand and closed her mouth around it as soon as he produced a chunk of the treat. She didn't apply enough force to cause any damage, but Enrique could feel every pointed tooth on his tense skin. Eva's tongue wormed around his fingers, seeking out her prize and stealing it away from him. Didn't even need to chew, she simply swallowed. She lingered a while longer on his hand, licking up any sticky remains off of his fingers, bobbing and weaving around his body. Once satisfied, she returned his hand to him with a happy bark.

Ricky's hand dripped with saliva. Every strand of it slowly sliding down his arm. No, this wasn't happening. He retreated to the kitchen and vigorously scrubbed away at himself.

“Somehow managed to make that feel naughty," Ricky mumbled.

“Naughty?" Eva said.

Ricky flinched. She heard that? “You don't need to learn that one, trust me," Ricky called out.

“Naughty, naughty, naughty, naughty."

Of course, the one word she latched onto the most was one he didn't enjoy. After washing his hand, Ricky came back to find Eva forcing all of the remaining doughy treats into her mouth. She looked back to him, mouth absolutely crammed with food. A few muffled words dribbled out of her mouth that were probably “Yes, yes."

“C'mon, Eva, I said no, didn't I?"

Eva tilted her head back and horked down the rest of it, gagging and groaning as she did. It was impressive, amusing, and gross in one package. She let out a content sigh when she was finished. Though, Eva couldn't leave well enough alone. The box was assaulted by her tongue, picking up every scrap of crumb and sugary goodness it could. Ricky pulled it from her hands.

“Yes, yes?" she asked. Her tongue snaked out of her mouth, lapping up along her teeth.

Were she able to, Ricky could swear she would have a big, dumb grin on her face. Whatever annoyances he was feeling crumbled to dust as he took on a similar goofy smile.

“You know, I'm supposed to be angry with you."

“Eva, Ricky, yes, yes. Car plenty."

“I was thinking the same thing." Whatever that meant. “Should we get back to teaching?"

Eva opened her mouth, showing off her impressive jaws and their range of motion. A little squeak and sigh confirmed that it was a long yawn.

“Well, no wonder you're tired." He held up the box. “Eating all of that is going to put you in a sugar coma."

“Yes, yes?"

“Yeah, I'll be honest, a sugar coma sounds good right about now."

Eva yawned again, almost as if in agreement. No need to push it on her if she wasn't enjoying it. For now, anyways. Or maybe he should have, just to get back at her for downing a whole box of sugar. Or, or, just teach her portion control. If that was possible. Hard to tell just how much Eva really needed to eat. Another yawn.

“Alright, fine. For today, we'll stop, but we're getting right on it tomorrow. You got it?"

“Stop tomorrow. Fine," she replied.

“You'll get there."

“Get there. Get there. Get there."

“Alright, come on." Ricky took her by the hand, prompting her to stand up. “You're free to go." He raised his hand to present the way. “Get back to slacking."

Eva scampered on her merry way back to the bedroom. Not the most well deserved rest, but he wasn't going to complain. Instead, Ricky picked up the discarded box and tossed it out, making sure to wash his hands again right after. That cutesy demeanor stuck in his head. This was going to be a tough job. He scrubbed at his hands. If Eva did pick up English, would her curiosity only magnify? Sure, she had television and the Internet at her fingertips, but it wasn't like she really grasped them without context. Context gave way to questions, and questions to answers. She might not find this little world all that interesting anymore.

With an alien mind, it was hard to say what Eva might make of her situation. Yeah, he knew this was a cozy life. How long did a cozy life last, though? Would it make her want to achieve something greater? Ricky shook his head. It's not like he was that Prometheus guy handing fire over to primitive humans, or, God forbid, the snake with the apple. He was overthinking it. She was going to pick it up sooner or later, with or without him. Ricky just had to be happy it was him and not anyone else. Unless someone else was more capable. He shut the sink off. Not likely.

The computer called over to Ricky's sense of procrastination. His sense of responsibility managed to win that wrestling of attention. They skirted their teaching time, as poorly thought out as it was, so the very least he could do was try to talk to her more often. So, Ricky pushed himself back into his room and sat down next to Eva. Naturally, she was sprawled in an awkward position, legs off the bed and her head set sideways to look at the TV. She gave him a glance, then right back to the television.

“Ricky, Ricky," she said. “Tomorrow get there. Yes, yes."

“What'cha watching?" Ricky made sure to look at her, directing his words toward her.

“What'cha, what'cha, what'cha. Bright outside? Careful."

Ricky looked to the screen. A picturesque forest landscape was on display. The colors really popped on his screen, nice. The real thing was probably more Eva's focus. Bounding through the forest and enjoying all the sights and sounds. That was probably something Ricky should've indulged in a few times a year, too.

“You wanna go to a park?"

“Park your car. Car. Ricky, Ricky."

“That's definitely something you could do there, sure. But you're supposed to walk around, too."

Eva perked up as the screen changed, her eyes widening. Something told him the majesty of color television wasn't her focus. No, definitely not. There, a brown smudge in the distance, shrouded under wavering bushes. A deer. Eva started to chatter her jaws together. She crawled up onto the bed with her head and shoulders hunched low. Palms spread out wide onto the frame.

“That's not actually there, you know that, right?"

Eva kept chattering. At this rate she was going to smash into the TV.

“Eva, look at me, please."

That hollow snapping was her only response. Ricky stood up in front of her. She smoothly leaned out of the way to see the screen again, now planting a palm on the ground as her rear legs settled into position, ready to spring into action.

“Eva, please?" He stood in front of her again, only for her to lean the other way.

Then, she plopped back into the bed, without so much as a noise. Still, she was leaning to look at the TV. Ricky glanced back to see the scene had switched to a wide sweeping view of the ocean. Thank God for the deep blue. He joined Eva again, though making sure his hand was on the remote at all times. Might wanna block this channel later.

“We might have to get you a leash if I take you outside." Maybe a bad idea. If anything, that would only send him skidding across the ground if Eva chased after something. And… Imagining Eva in a collar. The addition of any accessories, no matter how minute, only exacerbated her nudity. Ricky swallowed. No need to picture that now, or at all. Come on. “Or at least a promise you're not going to run off without saying goodbye."

“Promise a run. Car park?"

“Not a car park, a park-park."

“Park-park? Yes, yes?"

“I gotta choose my words more carefully."

“Careful, Ricky, wouldn't want to hurt yourself," Eva replied.

Ricky swallowed. As much as he wanted something genuine, that was probably something she just casually picked up on… Maybe? It spooked him all the same. Her mimicry had adjusted from straight up mimicry to crafting her own voice out of bits and pieces.

“Can't you say something nice?" he asked.

“Ricky, Ricky." Her tail slapped against the bed.

“Well, thank you."

“Thank you, too," she said.

“Didn't know you got so polite. Maybe TV is doing better for you than I thought."

“TV better you didn't."

“Maybe not always. What's your favorite show on here? The way you speak sometimes, I'm guessing it can't always be nature."

“What's your favorite show on here?" she said.

“I asked you first, Eva."

Eva merely looked at him with a tilt of the head, as if she had actually asked a question.

“Alright, fine," he said. “I guess I'm a sucker for watching all of those old shows on the science channel. Stuff like that 'How-it's-made' show. Probably the only good thing that airs on it anymore."

“She blinded me with science," Eva said. Despite being a lyric, it lacked any sort of sing-song to it. “Sucker."

“Man, they really do show everything on TV, huh?"

“TV!"

“You know, I almost wonder how you'd do at a game. You seem to have pretty good control on the remote."

Ricky handed her the magic wand and she was already tapping away at various channels. Her usual ritual of repeating words was shifted slightly, now vaguely responding to whatever was said on television. Patterns must have been easy to pick up on. Though, it didn't seem to have a directed meaning, not like when she slung together strange verbiage earlier. Ricky smiled. She was trying to say something before. That must've been some sort of proof, right? “Wishful thinking" popped in his head. No, she was a smart creature, and soon enough, they'd be talking about all sorts of things.

“I think therefore I am, right?" Ricky said.

“I am not," Eva replied. “Not, not."

It'd take a little longer, probably.

_

The next day, Ricky paused as he sat in his car. There was something he had to do, right? Before he went home? Before he wasted the hours away? Right, a park. Ricky pushed the car into drive and paused again, realizing he hadn't ever actually bothered to visit a park. If anything, this would probably be better for him than Eva. He shifted back into park and scrolled through his phone.

“What's the hold up? Usually I can't even stop you from speeding off," Alonso said. He strode up to Ricky's car and rested a hand against the driver door.

“Planning a getaway. Just wanted to check out the park."

“Need a place for the mutt to run free?"

“Something like that."

“Would do you some good, too."

“I'll let that comment slide."

“C'mon, you've got to look out for yourself, I'm just being a good friend."

“Hey, now, I didn't say anything when your gut was hanging out while talking to your lady friend."

Alonso reflexively smoothed out his shirt. “No way I'm heavier than you."

“No, but you sure bought it for a second." Ricky chuckled.

“Alright, get on out before your suspension breaks."

“Right, see you later."

Ricky pulled onto the main road, following his phone's shrill instructions. The route he was being taken on was new, pulling him onto unfamiliar roads that threw his auto-pilot driving habits for a bit of a loop. The urban sprawl thinned out, allowing nature to breathe in a few spots, eventually giving way to more greenery and eventually, whole forests. A nice change of pace, really. While the trees were endless and repetitive, Ricky had to admit they were better than constant advertisements and moronic pedestrians.

Directions funneled Ricky into a turn onto a smaller road, leading directly into a national park. Oh, damn, that's right, these needed cash to get into. He fumbled with his wallet and managed to pull out two measly dollars, just barely enough for the fee. A ranger greeted him at the little entrance gate. That might've proved bad later, when he brought a monster in her own personal limousine.

“Afternoon, sir," the ranger said. “How's it going?"

“Good, I guess. Great drive, nice looking park. I've got no complaints." Ricky shrugged and gave a pursed smile.

“Primo time to head on in, too, hope you enjoy." The ranger took Ricky's hard earned cash and handed over the little slip of paper confirming he wasn't just freeloading.

“Say, I got a quick question. Are there any deer in this place?"

“You're going to find deer just about everywhere except in the far west of the states."

“Right, right. I guess I should've known that."

“Well, right now there's a lull in the population, a little earlier than I thought, but if you're still on the lookout, shouldn't be too hard to spot one. Just, you know, respect their space."

“Oh, wouldn't dream of bothering them. I'm walking in on their living room, have to be nice at the very least."

The ranger chuckled and nodded. “Free to head on in."

“Alright, have a good day."

“You too."

Ricky watched the winding road for any possible spots he could… Not necessarily sneak into, since a park was free range, but definitely slink into unseen. Off the beaten path. Park hours must've stretched into the night, since they proudly advertised camping space, and the tiny added fee for it. Camping with Eva would be something else. As fun as it sounded, there was a real good chance she would stumble onto someone else and terrify the living daylights out of them, or worse, get herself injured in the process.

Winding paths lead him all throughout the park. Just when Ricky thought the road would end, it would curve just behind another bend of green and continue onward. Roads split into more roads. No wonder people got lost in these things all the time, he thought. Take the wrong turn, and even he'd end up running circles in here. As he moved, he imagined Eva bounding through the foliage, over overturned trees, around rocks, and dashing through shrubs. Then she might stop as she heard a sound, coming to a dead halt.

How would Eva operate in the daytime? She was pitch black, darker than a midnight sky. While at a distance she may be mistaken for a shadow, it would become clear to any creature that the dark blur was a beast. Black bears got along well enough, but black bears were also known to science. Whatever manner of animal Eva was, they were hidden well enough to be an obscure creature. Caves? She could return to a cave at daytime. Might explain why she stuck around his home. It was a modern cave. With doughnuts.

Ricky came to a stop at the side of the road and stepped out. The place was nearly silent, with only distant insects and bird cries to echo through the labyrinth of trees. Not far from him was a pond, separated from him by wild land, and even more trees past that. A lot better than it appeared on TV. A lot more lonely, too. There was a freshness to the air that he hadn't felt in quite some time. Eva really deserved this, even if she might not want it.

Deer had a lull this year, huh? Might be somewhat safe to bring her out, then. Who knew what smaller animals lurked in the bushes, but one could easily bury a squirrel or a rabbit. Not so with an entire deer. Most might blame any mauling on a bear, true. Not a risk he wanted to take. It was possible that it could draw unwanted attention. There could be any number of shadowy individuals out to get Eva. Paranoia, sure. Though, Eva pretty much confirmed any wild conspiracy theory could be true. A parroting monstress from the woods? Anything was possible. That included anyone hoping to wrangle her.

Enrique leaned up against his car, leaving the door open in the off chance that slamming it shut would somehow shatter the scenery. It could pull a small camper, easily. Though, that would leave the problem of Ricky being in very, very close quarters with Eva. Basically a setup for a fantasy he would rather keep under lock and key. Don't even think about the creaking suspension, buddy.

Heck, this whole experience would be new for him, too. When was the last time he went camping? Not ever. Not even when his little boy scout troop had a sign up for it. Parents wouldn't let him. Not that he held a grudge about it. Ricky was an adult, now, and he could do all the things he had always wanted, including enjoying the great outdoors with someone else.

_

“Eva? I got some more treats for you," Ricky said. He shook a bag of beef jerky, which was probably OK for her to eat. He at least made sure to remove the silica packet before she decided to eat the bag whole. “Eva?"

Ricky walked into his room to find Eva there, buried inside of his closet with only her rear end visible.

“I guess that was inevitable." He shook the bag again and opened it. “C'mon, over here, I got treats."

Eva pulled out of the closet with a red shirt stretched over her form. Ricky chuckled, which she quickly returned with her own gasping laughs. There were some holes in the collar, likely where she had trouble getting her horns over. He always had more. Not a big deal.

“Trying out fashion, huh?"

“Latest summer fashion!" she replied.

“I'd say you need pants to go with, but they probably wouldn't work with you. Shorts, maybe?"

While Eva had a smaller chest, it was blatantly visible with how the garment strained to fit to her body.

“Ricky, Ricky. Yes, yes?" She moved over to him, already sniffing up his hand, and then the bag. “Yes, yes. Yes, yes!"

“Something like that. I figured you would want to try one." Maybe toss it in the air? She could probably catch it. Better not. Ricky dug around in the bag for a larger piece. His thoughts hitched, not wanting to go through the weird process of a hand to mouth cleaning. Maybe table manners could come after the speech. It would certainly be hard to explain to her why mashing her face into everything wasn't good. Now that he thought about it, she might think it was weird even she did understand English. Nonetheless, the ritual commenced, as Eva latched onto the treat.

“Ricky, Ricky," she said, mouth full of hand. Her tongue remained on his appendage, so, was that all a contraction of the throat to make that sound? Each syllable vibrated inside of him, almost like it was working up through his bones. She ate up the piece and pulled back, letting her tongue slither in and out.

“Not too pepper-y, is it?"

Eva continued the licking motion.

“Let me get you some water." He looked to his hand. “I'll need some water, too. Save a couple of pieces of jerky for me, OK?" Ricky set the bag down on the bed and retreated to the bathroom. It really was a wonder that not everything in his fridge was coated in her spittle. Enrique shook his head at the thought, catching sight of something at the edge of the tub. Was that his underwear? Did he really forget to bring that in with him? He glanced to the doorway. Or was it her?

Ricky dried off his hands and picked up his laundry. The familiar sound of nails on wood caught his ear and he looked to the doorway. Eva gripped the side of the doorframe and stepped into view. She looked into the living room, then back into the bathroom, locking eyes with Ricky.

“Finished the treats already?"

“No car."

“Right. I'll have to figure you out eventually."

Eva stepped into the bathroom, making it feel all the smaller. She looked to the garment in his hand and drew her nose to his shoulder, giving a few sniffs before continuing down his arm and landing on the bit of fabric in his hand.

“Eva—"

She nudged her nose into his hand and gripped at the bit of laundry with her teeth.

“Oh, come on, that's dirty clothing."

Eva didn't relent, tugging at it more. Ricky gave a pull back, only Eva to yank harder with a huff. The tug of war was lost, with her claiming her prize. It dangled loosely from her teeth while she sniffed. Enrique frowned.

“Really, you shouldn't be doing that. It goes into the closet, with the rest of the pile." Saying that out loud, he realized how messy that sounded. Probably a good time to get a hamper. He reached out, only for Eva to move her head backward. “It's dirty. You've heard that word, I know you have."

“Dirty girl," she replied, all without moving her jaw.

“No, no, not what I was getting at." Ricky shook his head.

“No?"

“No."

Eva raised her chin and tilted her head, looking down at him with one errant eye.

“No," she replied. Eva grabbed at the underwear and, rather than hand it over, held it closely to her chest.

“Now you're just making it worse." Ricky sighed.

Eva sniffed the air this time, zeroing in on something. The underwear dropped to the ground. She swayed forward, bringing her nose back to Ricky.

“I'm not giving you any of my clothes," Enrique said. “If that's what you're thinking."

Her bony nose traced down the side of his arm once more, this time, swerving to nudge at his abdomen, poking at his gut. Enrique raised his hands in surprise. He had little recourse in the cramped bathroom.

“Don't you have treats to—"

Eva maneuvered her nose under his shirt, and managing to pry open his pants a small amount. A warm breath blew across his groin, followed by several heated pants. Enrique let out a hitched gasp. Eva paid him no mind, proceeding whatever primal thoughts she had in her head. Warmth invaded the rest of Ricky's body, burying any coherent thoughts that wanted to stop this. His eyes hung on her next movements, looking at the gangly body laid out before him.

You should stop this. It was all curious, mindless behavior on her part. “But," said the other part of him, “she had only just denied you something else. Eva knows what's going on." As if affirming his troubled mind's argument, Eva eased onto her knees, hands at his hips. Her tail was at full attention. Just let this run its course. She'll get bored and leave, and it'll become another thing you try not to think about.

Only, every agonizing second that passed confirmed that this wasn't ending any time soon. Eva's nose poked and prodded, easing further into his pants. There was one word he knew would catch her attention, if only for a second. All you would have to say is “No" and she'd probably pop up her head. That's all. Ricky swallowed. His cock stirred, hardening from a mixture of her hot breaths and the dirty thoughts that were already playing out in his head. This is what you want, isn't it?

Something wet and warm prodded at his groin, dangerously close to his penis. Ricky's breathing picked up. Eva's ears swiveled, no doubt listening to whatever noises she could squeeze out of him.

“Eva," he said.

One word, that's all it took. He took a deep breath, unable to steady is hammering heart. Eva had found whatever scent intrigued her most. Just so happened that it was down there. She wanted whatever was there, and his reactions likely only emboldened that response. Large hands with slender fingers snaked into the band of his pants. She didn't know how to remove them, so she took her own path. With her nose jammed into his pants, it made it all the easier for her to slide down his pants. Cool air met his erection, causing it to twitch. Eva moved her body closer, forcing him onto the tub's edge.

Nothing separated them now. He was bare for her enjoyment, and, as much as he refused to admit, his own enjoyment. The words caught in his throat. Ricky's plagued mind wouldn't dare interrupt his deepest fantasies, certainly not now with Eva as the instigator. Her eyes stared at his cock, only intensifying the arousal that yanked at his nerves. A deep, pulsing groan came from within Eva and rattled through Ricky. She knew exactly what was going on.

Hardened bone pressed up against Ricky's penis. By no means something he would have usually lauded, but the longing building up inside him was too much. That deep groan came again, creating an odd jolt of pleasure in his groin. Her wet muscle slithered out from sharp teeth, pressing up against him. Enrique sighed. Eva did the same, blowing a heavy air across him. She spent some time probing at his member. Had she done this before? Had she learned from elsewhere? Those questions faltered as soon as her simple touches turned into full on licks.

Enrique had seen and felt it before, but only now did he realize just how massive her tongue was as it slid over his cock. Every little bump pushed up against the side of him, slathering it in spittle. His legs spread out, unconsciously allowing her even easier access to treat him. Warming palms were set on the cool edge of the bathtub, adding the only chill to his body as the rest of him was engrossed in the burning that only seemed to grow with every second.

The imposing yet beautiful monster set before Enrique was practically begging to be touched. What little remained of his conscious thought process, however, couldn't bring itself to touch her. This was her doing, and goading it on would only prove that this was all his doing. A flawed logic, he knew that much. It was all he could cling to in this one moment of vulnerability. Lust had gotten the better of him, and he could only minimize its damage.

Eva seemed enamored with his erection, playing with it and running her tongue round and round its base. Occasionally that interest would slip, and she would look back up to Enrique. Her eyes were blank, sure, but somehow they conveyed a spark of lust in him. She was watching his expression. Eva was an observer of reactions, and some part of her wanted to make him feel good. Or so his drunken mind told him. They were blank orbs that made his breathing all the more labored.

The probing tongue that wrapped around his cock had shifted underneath his shaft, pressing up against the roof of her mouth, just enough to gently suckle on it. Enrique gasped, hands tightly gripping the edge he sat on. Sharp teeth played at the base of his cock, mixing a zap of fear along with his arousal. Eva's sucking grew harder and harder as her tongue rubbed up and down the length of it. He groaned, legs tightening. Eva's eyes were focused squarely on him, boring holes into him.

An orgasm hit Enrique. He kept his hips as steady as they could be, leaving him a jittering wreck as the first rope of semen shot into Eva's mouth. She rumbled. Enrique groaned again as another rope shot out. Again, Eva responded with a deep grumbling, forcing a bubbling of semen to spatter onto her tongue. Her licking came to a halt, allowing Ricky to catch his breath.

Eva pulled away from his hips and sat on her knees. Even now she was a hair taller than him. Ricky searched for the words in his mind. Sorry? Thank you? We shouldn't do this again? This is wrong? His dick twitched, stymieing his words. Eva tilted her head up and slowly worked her jaws. A string of semen dribbled out from her deadly maw, dripping onto her shirt and across one breast. Reservations had disappeared.

“Ricky, Ricky, Ricky," she said, lowering her head back down. “Yes, yes."

He couldn't respond. All he knew was that he wanted more, despite his body urging him to calm down. Even now, his erection felt overstimulated. Eva lingered in her position, silently licking her maw free of any traces of his seed. She enjoyed it, no doubt. Her head swayed from side to side, eyes on him. Was she waiting for his approval? She didn't before. Or maybe, she was waiting for that special “No." Ricky swallowed.

“Eva, I…" He let the words trail as his vision settled on her stained breast. Impossible to commit, as always.

“Ricky."

Eva leaned forward again, wrapping his slick erection back in that warm drug he wanted so badly. He let out a long sigh, one of pleasure and resignation. At first, overstimulation plagued each lick, but soon enough he relaxed back into Eva's touch. Wanting more, he leaned back ever so slightly. As he did so, Eva settled on top of his leg, continuing her work. Ricky was momentarily confused until he realized she was grinding up against him, huffing all the while.

Now Eva's tongue was all the more fervent, in-tune with her own rapidly increasing thrusts against his leg. A dampness grew on his leg, showing her blatant arousal. It was bestial as can be, striving for that raw pleasure up against any surface. Not just any surface. Him. Eva knew this was for pleasure, and she would enjoy herself in turn. Ricky seriously considered returning the favor, but smothered those thoughts. That would be overstepping some arbitrary boundary. Not as if he hadn't already blown past all of his own emotional lines here.

Despite coming off of his first orgasm so soon, Eva's ravenous licking pushed Ricky close back to the peak yet again. Added sensitivity had him shaking more often than he cared for, but Eva paid that no mind, wrapping, twisting, and rubbing every part of his erection, as if wiping it clean of any sticky remnants. Her own wild humping only grew in intensity as well, from a slow grind to more of a thrust and rub. Whines and groans filled the small confines of the bathroom, echoing back at them. They were lost in pleasure.

Another orgasm slammed into Ricky. Eva pulled back and steadied herself on the tub, one arm wrapped around his leg, forcing it harder against her. His first rope of semen landed on her face, the next twitching shot spurting across her back. She huffed and gnashed at the air, leaning forward and bracing her head on his neck. Ricky nearly fell backward, having to steady himself against the tiled wall. They heaved and sighed together.

Eva slammed against his leg and let out a low whine interspersed with deep grunts, then came to a calm stop. Her powerful lungs drew in heaps of air as an arm wrapped around him.

“Ricky," she said.

_

“I'm really sorry, Eva. Really," Ricky said. He rubbed a warm, wet hand-towel against her fur, trying to scrub out any embarrassing remains of his mess on her. “I should've…" Not done it at all? Aimed elsewhere? What's done is done. “Sorry."

They stood in the kitchen, where Enrique quietly chastised himself and went back and forth between the sink and Eva. Surprisingly, she stood still for his grooming. He half expected her to bolt back to the bedroom and rub the mess into the sheets. Eugh. There was already one ruined fabric. His eyes flicked to the torn shirt on the floor. Didn't need more to throw out.

Eva didn't seem to mind the cleaning, in fact, the warm towel seemed to delight her as she chirruped with every touch. Nor did she have any lingering regrets over their little incident. It didn't do much to settle his guilty conscience. How could he do that to a wonderful girl like her? Well, she did it, first of all, but he let it go through. Possible she wouldn't have stopped even if he said no. There he was, building up all the little excuses in his head as to why he wasn't the bad guy.

“How about we get you a treat to make up for the whole thing?" he asked. Just the word “treat" was enough to remind him of Eva licking her jaws clean. That was going to be impossible to get out of his head.

“Treat yourself," she said.

“I already kind of did."

Ricky brought the warm towel to her head, going over every nook and cranny on her stoic features. The skull-like visage might've been unnerving at first, but really, she was quite cute when one got used to it. Or maybe that was just him. Few people would likely adjust to a skull staring them down at nearly every waking hour. The sharp and short horns added a touch of adorableness to her. It was almost like she was made to be scarier and hadn't quite grown into it yet. Would she have gotten bigger? She was already massive.

“I've been looking for a place where you can run around in. Does that sound fun?"

“Did you find it?"

“I did."

“Finder's keepers."

Enrique smiled. “Something like that, yeah. We could go camping there. Just for a night. I figure you want to feel the grass and trees. Smell the wild again."

“Smell the roses."

“Right. Though, I don't think there are any roses there. You'll have to be on your best behavior if we do go."

“Best behavior in any roses."

“You know, I'm sure there's a wise saying that could be pulled from that."

“Wise. Wise. Wise." She nodded.

“Living in the woods probably gave you a lot of experience. More than me, anyways. Knowing how to clean a carburetor isn't going to help you in a survival scenario." Enrique tilted his head. “Well, not unless you were driving away from something in a car."

Eva tilted her head, following his own. “Away in a car. Car park."

“Sure, you bring your car to the park. Also, a little camper. It's like a car, but it goes in the back and sort of like a bedroom. Uh, like a bedroom outside."

“Camper car in a bedroom."

“Yeah, see, you're getting it. Would you like that? Might be a little cramped, but it'd probably be fun."

“Camper car."

“I'll take that as a yes for now." Eva would most definitely make it known if she didn't enjoy the trip. “I'm sure you know how cars move, so it shouldn't be too scary."

“Car move." She bobbed her head from side to side.

“Hold still, I have to make sure you're clean."

Ricky went back to work scrubbing her down. Honestly, he probably should have given her some sort of bath a while ago, but he wasn't quite sure how she'd react, and at her size, that'd only end up with water absolutely everywhere. There was also the matter of her own scent, which was an oddly sweet, fluffy smell. At times it was like he was cuddling up to a large scented teddy bear. With fangs. He vaguely knew that oils on fur helped to protect some animals from disease, so paranoia kept him from scrubbing her down. Except now, when his embarrassed mind pushed him into action.

“Really, I'm sorry. You know I'm sorry, right?" Ricky held up his other hand to the bottom of her chin. “I'm not sure I have enough money for all the steaks to show how sorry I am."

Eva relaxed into his hand, resting her head on it. Ricky gently rubbed her chin as he finished up the last of his cleaning. If he was going to care for her, he had to keep a level head. Taking her in was his doing, for the most part, so responsibility was placed solely on his shoulders. He looked to her gaze.

“Yeah, like I can do that," he mumbled.

With a nudge, Eva pushed his hand out of the way and lay her head on his shoulder.

“Tasty, tasty, tasty. Ricky."

There was a pause as that sizzling embarrassment crept up on Enrique. No need to worry about that, keep your head on straight. Unfortunately, his mind wandered right back to what had happened earlier. She had gotten more than just a taste from him. He rubbed his neck and looked away.

“I probably don't taste too good."

Ricky dropped the rag in the sink and sighed, wrapping his arms around Eva. If he couldn't apologize in words, he could at least do it with actions. Keep yourself focused on her. She returned the favor, bending her large arms around him. It was funny how large she was, and yet how gangly and skinny she seemed. Two extremes mashing into one another, just like the rest of her. Eva was a magical mixture of all the oddest things to make a wonderful girl.

Back in Enrique's mind, a little voice was telling him he was pressing up against her breasts. That didn't matter right now. He didn't care. This was a moment of apology. He ran his hand up from the back of her neck, and down her hunching back. Every stroke, he added a scritch at her scruff, which she delighted in.

It wasn't long before Eva was doing the same to him, forcing a chuckle out of him. Knife-like claws teased at his neck, but she was more than gentle with every stroke.

“We should do this more often, huh?"

“Ricky, Ricky."

“Eva, Eva."

Probably shouldn't play with her words. Too cute not to. She deserved something extra after his mistreatment of her.

_

“You want to what?" Alonso asked.

“Borrow your camper," Ricky replied. “Just for a day."

“Why the hell would you want to do that?"

“Is that a no?"

“Are you kidding me? I would love to have that thing off my yard."

“Why do you have it, then?"

“I had that moment when you turn 25 and you think you need to do something interesting with your life. Yeah, kinda hits you hard."

“Jeez, that's rough."

“Don't say it like that. I had my fun with it."

Ricky rubbed his chin. “So I'm guessing you want to look presentable for Ms. Florence."

“Soon to be Mrs.--"

“Yeah, I get it." Shouldn't have brought it up. “Look, I just need it for a park getaway."

“And the dog?"

“Yes, the dog is coming with."

“Then you better scrub the thing down."

“The camper or the dog?"

“Both."

“Way ahead of you."

“Great. We can nab it after work, if your clunker is up to the job."

“If there's one thing it can do, it's lug around the shattered dreams of an aging man."

“Alright, you didn't need to go that far."

_

For once, the day actually dragged on quite a bit. Ricky had come home and settled in, with Eva right by him, staring down the television. His thoughts were squarely set on the evening. The aging camper in his garage was going to be his present to Eva. Only problem was, he wasn't exactly how to broach the topic with her, or if he even could. She had never been in a moving vehicle. Would it terrify her? She might've just thought of it just like the television, a window into another world. No, she'd definitely feel the motion of the thing.

“How would you feel about going to the park today?" Ricky asked.

Eva lay prone on the bed, facing toward the TV. Her long body was barely contained on the mattress. She looked to him briefly and then right back at the TV. Address her directly.

“Eva, how would you feel about going to the park today?" he asked.

“Ricky park Eva car, car?" she asked, looking to him.

“Something like that, sure."

“Something is nothing."

“If you say so. Look, how about I show it to you?"

Ricky stood up and rounded the bed, giving her hand a gentle tug. Eva tugged back and let out a few gasps. Ricky shook his head and took the rest of her arm, tugging again. He half expected her to slam him onto the bed, but surprisingly she seemed to have gotten the idea and stood up.

“Thank you. Good girl," he said.

“Good girl!"

Straight to the garage, Ricky presented the mini-room on wheels. It barely fit, thankfully. He would need it indoors to make sure he could get Eva in and out of it without being seen. She approached the thing and circled it, patting it down as she did so. Immediately, she took interest in the windows, using her long legs to easily peer inside of them. That would have been absolutely terrifying seeing from the inside. Speaking of the inside, he moved to the door of the thing and swung it open. Eva perked up and scrambled inside, with Ricky following.

The interior was sparse. Pretty much only a small bed built into the rear of the thing, and an oven to vaguely mimic a kitchen. Ricky had the foresight to disable it, meaning she could fiddle with all the knobs to her delight.

“So? You like it?" he asked.

Eva plopped onto the bed, patting it down. The whole camper shook with her impact. Not satisfied with her initial investigation, she flipped onto her side, awkwardly cramming herself into the small space. Her head rubbed into the bed, along with the rest of her. Almost like a cat trying to get itself comfortable.

“Like a like, like. Ricky, Ricky," she replied.

“That sounds good to me." He walked up to her and gave her a few gentle pats. “So, this thing is going to move, OK? But I'll be right upfront, driving the whole time. You know, in the car."

“Ricky, Eva, car. You know. Car."

“Yeah. So there'll be no need to worry."

And at her size, there was more for him to worry about than her. If she decided, she probably could have easily slammed into the side of the thing and sent the camper swaying across the road. Ricky stopped himself from frowning. Didn't need to worry Eva. Still, he'd have to take it slow, and probably take a quick stop to check on her.

“You're a tough girl, right? I'm sure riding in a trailer will be fun."

“Tough girl riding a fun trailer, right?"

“Yeah, yeah. That'll be you. Just don't let the cops know you're inside. That's illegal, after all." A joke, but he had wondered if anyone would see her. The windows should have been tinted more than enough to hide the white of her face.

“It's the cops!"

“You'd definitely be the best lookout."

There was also the matter of making sure she wouldn't get lost if she decided to scamper toward something. Ricky stepped out and moved to his workbench, where a large collar sat. Did he really buy that? Eva ran out and stopped just behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. Somehow that made it more embarrassing.

“Uhm, here's a gift for you," he said.

Ricky picked the thing up and turned around. Eva tilted her head. He carefully raised the collar to her neck. She pulled back at first, but let him approach. He clasped it around her neck, freezing to check her reaction. Eva scratched at it, and tried bending her neck every which way to see it.

“It's a collar," he said.

“Collar."

“Right. And its got your name on it on the front. Come, look." Ricky guided her to the bathroom to look at the mirror.

“Eva" was emblazoned across the front on a shiny metallic gold plate, contrasting nicely against the collar's red. Ricky had spent more than enough time fretting over whether or not he should actually put that on there. Eventually he had decided that if she had a name on her collar, someone might hesitate to attack her. Not the most flawless logic, but it was something, right?

Eva shifted her torso, allowing her to prod and gawk at it.

“Is it pretty?" he asked.

“Pretty! Pretty girl. Eva, pretty girl," she replied.

“Yes, yes you are."

She really was pretty like that. Enrique's eyes moved from the mirror back to her. An adorableness that couldn't be matched by anyone else. She was Ricky's special girl. Well, not his per se, just… She was cute. The lightness in his chest seemed to agree. Ricky swallowed.

“It's for your safety, even if I know you're a strong girl and all," Ricky said. He tried to add a softness to his words. “I'd hate to lose you."

“Strong girl, good girl," Eva replied.

“Yeah, I guess I shouldn't worry, huh?"

“I'm worried about you," she replied.

“Well, no need to worry. I can take care of myself."

Eva returned to rummaging through the camper, while Ricky pictured how it would all go down. Best to leave a few snacks for her in there. And by snacks, he meant whole chunks of meat. Driving slowly would probably be best, too. Traffic would be the same old mess near home, but as they got closer to the park, it would ease up and he could take it slow. What if she tried to fiddle with the door handle? He'd just have to lock the camper and hope she didn't figure out how to unlock it. Ricky felt kinda bad that he was essentially trapping her in there. Hopefully the outside would make up for it.

This was either a great idea or a terrible one. All that Ricky knew was that it had to be done, for both of them. Eva peeked out of the camper doorway. He could almost picture a mischievous grin on her face, prompting him to smile. She gave him a few gasping laughs and disappeared back inside.

_

“She's fine, she's fine, she's fine," Ricky repeated to himself.

He was in the slow and tedious process of hooking the camper to his car. Normally it'd be far easier, but for once, he had valuable cargo that he wanted to keep safe. Eva didn't rock the thing violently, so everything should be fine.

“Eva, we're going to start moving, OK? I'm going to be with you the whole time."

There was a grumbling reply. He knew that sound. Already tearing into her first chunk of meat on the trip. She'd be fine. Ricky gave the connection a few four, five, six, maybe even seven checks, then headed into the driver's seat. He let out a long breath and started the engine. A press on the pedal, and they were off, with the garage behind them closing, almost as if sealing the deal. Maybe he should've gotten cameras for her. Oh well. This would be a quick drive.

The night was actually quite pleasant. Ricky wasn't sure when the last time was he went out so late. Even with all the light pollution in the sky, there were a few twinkling stars he could make out. There was no hum of the city. No screeching of cars. He should've done this before.

Winding roads out of the grimy suburban area had finally led him to more distant, wild roads, on the path to the park. As much as Ricky was enjoying the drive, he couldn't stop himself from glancing into the rear view mirror every minute or so, praying Eva was OK. It bothered him that she couldn't hear him, as right now, more than anything, he wanted to reassure her more than anything.

They delved more into the wild, soon losing sight of buildings altogether. It was just rows and rows of trees, and lonely signs glowing in the shine of his headlights. Good thing they were there, as he only had a vague understanding of where everything was. Naturally, for once, Ricky didn't want to be on his phone as he drove. Phone directions would have just ruined the experience anyways.

The sign for the park emerged from the darkness. Perfect. Ricky rolled on into the park and, having remembered to bring cash this time, left his payment for his getaway in the box. The entryway parking lot was empty, but he knew further in there'd be a scattering of people. Ricky would just have to pick the furthest and most isolated point, if at all possible.

What did Eva think of all this? She could see out into the wild now. Was it exciting? Frightening? Maybe she had wanted to get away from all of this for a reason. If that was true, then there was no harm in immediately packing up and going home. Hopefully she'd love it. Not too much, though. Just enough to have her taste for the wild again and return comfortably home.

Slow driving made the trek inward somewhat unnerving. Now that he knew Eva was a real creature, who knew what others lurked in the dark? More of her, even. Some might not have been as cute as she was, either. Those shadowy figures could've been watching the two now. Ricky tightened his grip on the wheel. He would be woefully outmatched. Still, he would try, right? Right. Anything for Eva.

A few distant camps caught Ricky's eye, forcing him to drive onward. Road after road after road. He took various turns to further worm himself into the woods. They just seemed to go on forever. He didn't see any more camp lights, so this spot should have been good. Eva likely would have been tired of this by now, too. Enrique pulled over and took a breath, then stepped out of the vehicle and approached the camper. It was later in the night, they could probably stick around outside without any snoopers.

“Eva, we're here," he said. He opened the door and peeked his head in. A small light above illuminated the rinky dink room. Eva lay on the bed, all of her jammed into that small corner. She idly wagged her tail. “Sorry about the ride." He stepped in and shut the door behind him. “You're gonna love it, really."

Eva mumbled out a few words he couldn't make out.

“Sorry," he replied, giving her long strokes across her fur. “I see you enjoyed your steak, though."

“Car park. Car park. Car park," she replied.

“Yes, that's what we're doing. Here, look." He pulled on her hand. “C'mon, you're gonna want to see the outside."

Eva huffed and stood up, following his lead. Ricky tried to open the flimsy door as grandiose as he could, revealing the dark outside. She let out a few clicks. Ricky went down the steps and beckoned her on out. He held his breath. Eva sniffed the air and jumped down onto the ground. Were it not for the camper, she would have completely morphed into the dark. Her blank eyes almost glowed in the scattered moon and starlight.

“Well? How do you like it?" Ricky asked.

“Like it? Like it? Like it," she replied. Eva stretched to full height, then back down to her hunched position. She nodded and sniffed the air again. Something told Ricky that wasn't an agreeing nod, more of an excited one. Good all the same.

“Just don't go too far, OK? I don't know where--"

Eva sped by him, bounding toward a nearby tree and immediately scaling the thing. Ricky could only watch her powerful form effortlessly crawl upward. This was her environment. High up above in the leaves, she let out a few loud clicks and jammed her claws into the bark, seemingly in tune with her clicking. Ricky could only barely make her out now. Mostly the stark white of her head even hinted at where she was, the rest of her had been consumed by the dark. Cuteness had peeled away to reveal a more bestial form.

The strange ritual continued for a minute longer before Eva turned right back around and climbed downward, head faced toward the ground. Near the middle of the tree, she stopped and bent her back upward, supporting herself with long arms as she scanned the forest. Ricky listened for anything. Only silence greeted him. Eva slunk back to the ground, where she crawled right back to Enrique. A spark of fear struck him, seeing her on the ground like that. She snapped back up to attention and nudged him with her nose and a hum. All of that worry melted away.

“I knew you'd like it," he replied.