Newbies! (1/1)

Silence swept around the enclosure. The air was stuffy and it didn't help the restless creature barred within. How could it? Captivity was all it had ever known. Sniffing the air, its head tilted to the left a bit, eyes focused on the sudden amount of iron wafting through the vent as the trapdoor was opened for the first time of the day, Licking its lips, the beast backed away, looking at the floor, as per the typical. A large carcass fell onto the cold tile, crimson flecks drifting throughout the air in order to come to rest at its feel, a drop or two clinging to his bare skin as he licked his lips again. It crawled forward, mouth watering and jaws tightening at the prospect of food.     As It sunk its flat teeth into the beast, another shoot opened, dropping in some kind of vegetation, filling up the small bowl in the corner until the shoot closed. Blood dripping from his chin, he scurried over to the bowl and dropped his face into ti, scarfing whatever was given to him. Just as he did, a robotic voice came over the speaker.     “Subject: Reptile. Sit and eat with your hands.” The small beast, looking no older than a child, glared angrily at the ceiling, swallowing the food in its mouth before dropping its head, then picking it back up and continuing to eat. “Punishment.” The voice announced and in that moment, the beat cringed, dropping to the floor with a startled ground and a few spasms of his limbs. He shook as the surge drifted over his flesh, electrifying every molecule of his being, the scales on the back of his hands shuddering under the intense feeling.     “Enough.” The voice announced, and then the beast was left, twitching, gasping for breath and clutching its chest. He looked up to the intercom and a glare overtook his features, “Subject: Reptile. Sit and eat with your hands.” The voice repeated.     The creature made no effort to move, hating the robot screeches noisily flying into his room from the speakers, something that was a new experience, and obviously an unwelcomed one.     The voice repeated, “Punishment.” With this, the electrifying pains swallowed him alive.        “How are you today, Baekhyun?” The keeper called into the large metal cage, unlatching the door to step inside with a bucket. From the perch made to look like an old tree came the loud chirping, followed by the fluttering of the winged beast. Falling from the perch, wings flapping, Baekhyun appeared, a large smile on his face.  “What did you bring me? Is it nice? Does it taste good? Can I have it? Please? Gimme!”  He chirped, hands clasped together in front of him as he leaned over the keeper, peering into the box the keeper had in his arms.     The keeper laughed, leaning away. “You know how this works!” He laughed. “You aren't new here!”     “Do I have to?” Pouted the short bird, causing the feathers on his back to ruffle. “I find it... Demeaning.”     The keeper pouted as well, tilting his a bit as he walked over to the large feeding dish. “Where did you hear a word like that?” He asked, emptying the food into the dish, the cage suddenly reeking of sweet roasted seeds. “And you don't find your baths demeaning, do you?”     Taking some of the seeds from the bucket, Baekhyun made a happy sound in the back of his throat, knowing how much he loved the seeds of his diet. He was able to eat them only once a week and they were his favorite. “Well... On of  the human ladies said it when her little boy tried to eat like me one day. I don't know why, but ever since, I've been too self conscious to eat while the visitors are in.” Explained the bird before huffing and looking over to his bath dish. “Why would I find bath time demeaning? Is it wrong to bath multiple times a day? Or is it wrong to read in the bath? I promise I don't get my books wet!” He announced, finding himself quite distressed. “Why, Kibum?”     The other man shook his head, reaching over to pet Baekhyun's feather light locks of brown, and occasionally red.. “It's not, I was just making a point. Nothing is demeaning. You're here because you, yourself are an exhibit. You  teach people about your species, and they are breathless. You're a beautiful creature in its environment that is meant for spectators to appreciate. Whether you eat out of a dish, or read in the bath, it's part of who you are, so you shouldn't find it demeaning or let it bother you. You have no reason to be upset anyways... Do you know how many people walk through here and wonder if the museum would let them mate with you?”      dark scarlet blush painted the bird's cheeks and he popped another seed into his mouth. “The curators say I shouldn't mate aside from with another hybrid. Why would humans want me anyways? I'm so different from them.” He said, sitting down to turn on the water to the little sink below his food dish and watching it fill up before taking the cup hanging on the hook beside it to collect himself a drink.     Kibum laughed, stroking the teen's hair again. “Its because you're exotic. Birds are naturally beautiful creates and to mix one with a human and it only have the qualities of being a docile, beautiful creature, it makes them want to breed you.”     Baekhyun choked on his water and suddenly began to cough. Panic raced through Kibum as he reached over and began to violently pat Baekhyun on the back. “Breathe!” He commanded.     “B- breed me?!” Baekhyun sputtered, coughing fit subsiding a bit before he continued. “I'm a male, though!”     Kibum began to laugh. “It's not that way for humans. They don't look at the laws of nature for reproduction, Baekhyun. We look at how beautiful something is and that usually decides our desires to breed it. I know you think that means only a male and female should breed, but humans don't always copulate in hopes for offspring. Sometimes they just do it for fun!” He winked at the flustered birdie and this flustered him further as he shakily put his cup back on its little hook.     “I don't understand. What could be fun about breeding?” He asked. “I mean... I've never done it, so I'm not sure how it feels, but... should it really be so pleasurable that you would do it … just because?” He wondered.     Kibum nodded his head, patting Baekhyun's shoulder. “It really is. And some humans don't even care about copulation for reproduction. They copulate with members of the same sex in order to gain pleasure and establish intimacy... Or to claim their mate.”     Baekhyun breathed out a sigh of relief. “I understand claiming a mate with biological fluids. I don't think my species does that, at least I've never had the urge, but the books say that some creatures, like wolves, do it. They also mate to show dominance, but it's not really mating its more like... forcive... penetration?”     Kibum tsked and petted the boy's head affectionately. “There is a word for it in the human world. We call that rape and it's very bad. It can cause physical injury to the point of death and can cause severe trauma in the victim.”     “What's that word mean? Trauma?” Baekhyun asked, looking up with big innocent orbs of black. Kibum hummed a bit in an attempt to think before nodding to himself. “It's where you go through something very difficult to process and hard to forget and your brain can't fully wrap around it and it can cause permanent damage in your mental caverns. “What are mental caverns?” The bird asked, standing up to place his hands on Kibum's arms. “And have you ever had any trauma occur in your life span? Can you give me more examples.”     Key stepped back, the mostly naked teen falling after him, ruffling his feathers as he awaited his answers. “I don't know really.... It's just a phrase. A metaphor. For the way your mind works. But I've never really had anything traumatic happen to me. Some people find car accidents traumatic.”     “What's a car accident?!” Baekhyun pressed on. “Is it one of those big carriages I read about? Are they really fast? What’s an accident like with those?”     Kibum laughed and shook his head. “Write these down. I have other people to feed today!” He announced with a chuckle, scratching under Baekhyun’s chin with a grin. “I’ll be back tomorrow, so write them down and ask me then!” And with that, he left the enclosure, leaving Baekhyun to flutter back up to his nest on the perch, laying on his belly and returning to the book he’d been reading. He managed to glance at the large digital clock above the museum doors with excitement. Only an hour left before recess! He felt that maybe he should save his bath until recess was over. That way if anyone were to touch him, he could wash away their scent. The last thing he needed was something bothering his nose in his cozy little home.      An hour later, true to the once a week regulation, all the hybrids were released from their exhibits by the keepers. Baekhyun flittered down, his small stature fitting easily out the cage door and into the handler. “Hi!” He chirped, grinning excitedly.      The girl laughed, nodding to him. “Hello, Baekhyun. Are you excited?”      He nodded, stepping his rough feet on the floor, his talons making a strange noise, but he grinned nonetheless. “I really am, Irene! All the visitors kept talking about new exhibits! I wonder what they will be! Do you know? Is there any word? Have they told you who will be handling them?” He asked, his tail feathers twitching a bit in his rampage of questions. “I really hope we get more Aves beings!”         Irene just laughed, putting a hand in the pocket of her skirt. “But Baekhyun, we already have two Aves beings!”     Baekhyun pouted, closing his wings into his body. “But Kyungsoo is so… mean.” He said as a female voice came over the loud speaker.      “All exhibits and staff, please report to the main hall of the museum. Please proceed quickly and quietly. There is news that must be shared with everyone.” The speaker made a noise, signalling the end of the announcement and Baekhyun gave a cute squawk, turning to Irene with his hands in fists at his chest.     “That means new exhibits, Irene!” He exclaimed, brightening again before he was suddenly pushed aside, a tall being walking passed him with a quick “Move it, pretty bird.”     The finch straightened himself and looked to Irene before whistling a huff and jogging over to the taller creature and stomped into his tail and taking flight quickly, like a child having hit another and running away before trouble could ensue.     Only, trouble was a tall arachnid with a long black tail and nearly impenetrable skin. His hair was black, as it’s tail and stinger, and swept across its forehead with some highlights of auburn. Said male turned to face Baekhyun, tail curling in towards his shoulders, stinger on the alert. His lip curled into a sneer. “Yeah, stay up there, pretty bird.” The scorpion hissed, hands resting on the black pants around his waist, his second set of arms below that, resting by his sides. “Don’t want to be my next meal, now do you?”     Irene did not look pleased. “Minho! Control your exhibit!” She shouted to the wide eyed handler rolling his eyes at the scorpion. He approached, making himself known so as not to be stung. “Come on, Chanyeol. We have to go meet the new exhibits.”      His long black tail relaxed a bit and he smiled up to Baekhyun, showing off many teeth, hiding his paraglossa limbs behind flexible cheeks. “I guess we’ll just have to play later, hm Polly?” With that, he turned and looked to Minho, the duo trudging towards the main hall of the museum.     Baekhyun huffed and landed beside Irene. “My name is Baekhyun!” He shouted, hands on his thin hips. “Not Polly.”     “Whatever, Bacon.” Came the reply from his side. Kyungsoo, a Mexican striped owl, appeared beside him, wings tucked back neatly behind him. “No wonder he wants to eat you with a name like that.” He says, his pale face remaining stoic despite his wide eyes, which should be quite expressive.     Baekhyun grumbled beside Irene. “Go away, Kyungsoo. I want want to be the victim of your western jokes.”      Kyungsoo had a strange sense of humor, Baekhyun had learned. His ‘western jokes’ were on account that he was created and raised in the United States. Initially, in the museum, there were only four living exhibits: Aves, Reptilia, Amphibia, and Mammalia. Since its opening and its display of human hybrids to help the public study and learn about their animal counterparts, the Museum of Nature and Science had obtained four more. The museum had obtained Actinopterygii and Arachnida as well as extensions to Amphibia and Aves. Kyungsoo happened to be the extension of Aves -meaning his bird cage was only across the large room from his own, making Baekhyun the butt and ignored roommate of the owl.         But when Kyungsoo wanted to speak, nothing stopped him from doing so. “What do you think the new exhibits will be?” He asked, his handler trailing behind to speak with Irene. “I mean, obviously they don’t need another extension of Aves or Amphibia. What if we finally get rodents?” He asked, tilting his head before looking to the smaller bird.     Baekhyun perked up. “Rodents? Do you think the museum would really allow that? I mean, humans hate rats!”     The owl shook his head, shrugging. “Rats aren’t the only types of rodents.”      And that was all he said to the finch before moving back to speak with his handler. As the group approached the main hall, Baekhyun found his heart racing.     ‘No more scorpions.’ He silently prayed, racing into the room, Irene hot on his heels.