Ken forced his weary eyes open and found Jenny smiling down on him. He was no longer on her paw, instead resting in the palm of her hand.
�Where are we?� He asked.
�My apartment. It was starting to get dark in the forest and well my roommate came looking for me. We couldn�t just leave you there and it was too dark for you to walk back. So we brought you home.�
Jenny placed him on large silver plateau, which turned out to be a table. The salty taste of her paws still lingered in his mouth as the bright lights of this room forced him awake.
The room they were in was the size of a large warehouse. It had wallpaper and pictures on the walls. A large, and very bright, light fixture hung from the ceiling. Oversized appliances filled the room. There was a sink, stove, oven, refrigerator; a typical kitchen. At least one the size of his apartment building.
�Is this Ken?� Another macro asked as she entered the room. This macro was a cat furry, just like Jenny. She was totally black and wearing a miniskirt.
�Yes, let me introduce you.� Jenny answered and they both walked over to the table.
Jenny introduced Cindy, her roommate, to him. Cindy was also a college student. She was very polite and asked a lot of questions about his life. Her curiosity was understandable though, he could image what it would be like if he ever met a talking bug.
�Ken, I�ve got to run to the store.� Jenny said and then looked at Cindy. �Can you keep an eye on him for me?�
�Sure.� Cindy responded enthusiastically. She almost seemed like a little kid with a new toy. That made Ken a little uncomfortable.
Jenny took Cindy out of earshot and whispered something to her. They both looked back at Ken and then Cindy nodded. Now he was really starting to feel uncomfortable.
Once Jenny left, Cindy reached over and carefully picked him up in her hands. He was a little nervous about her, but she was very gentle with him. At first she probed him a little with her fingers, but soon just started to stoke his fur tenderly. Ken laid down and closed his eyes. Sure she was treating him like her pet, but it felt so good that he didn�t care.
�Would you like to go watch some TV?� She asked.
�Sure...� Ken purred as the tension in his back melted away.
Cindy managed to get halfway out of the kitchen and then stopped unexpectedly. She started to growl and Ken got up to see what was wrong. On the kitchen floor was a dog furry, normal size. It looked like he came out of small cubbyhole in the wall and now was frozen in his tracks. At the moment he just stood there cowering.
�Damn pests!� Cindy growled. Her ears shot straight back and she lifted her paw above his head.
Ken�s heart sank, �Cindy, Please don�t!�
She looked down at Ken, then at the dog fur, then back at Ken. As her paw hovered over the little fur, eager to stomp, she considered his plea. A moment later she put her paw down carefully next to the dog furry. She placed Ken on the ground next to him and knelt down.
�Alright Ken, I�ll let this one go.� Cindy said with a grin as her ears went back to their normal position.
Ken walked up to the dog furry, who was just a pup. The fur was curled up in a tight ball and shaking. He didn�t look like he had a lot of meat on his bones. As a matter of fact, his fearful whining could barely be heard over the loud stomach growls. Ken wasn�t sure if the he could talk or not. But after that awful experience, maybe he was just too scared to speak.
Cindy saw the same thing Ken did. A look of pity soon overtook her face. She got up, opened up the refrigerator, and produced a slice of meat about the size of a small couch. It looked and smelled like chicken, but Ken knew it wasn�t.
�Hey there little fellow, I won�t hurt you. Here eat something.� Cindy said in a soft sympathetic tone and placed the meat on the ground next to him.
The young pup slowly came out of his ball and looked up at her. He cautiously approached the meat and sniffed it. After checking it over thoroughly, the young pup ripped into his meal. He shoveled handfuls of it down his throat like it was going to be taken away at any moment.
Afraid he would choke, Cindy got a small saucer and filled it with clean water. She placed it next to him and watched the young fur eat for a while. Perhaps Cindy just learned the value of life for little furs, or at the very least for this pup.
However as Cindy watched over the young pup, Ken took a moment to take a closer look at her. Cindy was drop-dead gorgeous, just like Jenny, and had an athletic build. Her midnight black fur was clean and well groomed. But what really caught his eye was the necklace around her neck. It was missing a stone.
�Cindy what happened to your necklace?� He asked curiously.
She removed the necklace from her neck, placed down next to him, and replied, �When Jenny and I moved into the apartment, I lost one of the gems.�
�Oh, I�m sorry to hear that. I hope it doesn�t have any sentimental value.�
Cindy started to sob and seemed to be trying to hold back tears, �Yes, it does. This necklace is all I have left of my mother�. She was killed in a mugging when I was a kitten. When the police found her this is all that was left.�
Just then, she broke out into tears. �We never knew who my father was, so I was put in an orphanage. The necklace is all I had left��
Ken walked over and started to stroke the fur on one of her toes, �Oh my god, I�m so sorry Cindy.�
�Thank you. There was originally a matching set of gems in the necklace.� She said while pointing to the empty slot on the necklace.
The young dog fur, who had been listening to every word, abandoned his meal and walked over the necklace. He started to sniff the remaining gem.
�Let that alone!� Cindy growled.
The pup instantly jumped to his feet and ran.
�No, wait, I�m sorry� I didn�t mean to�� Cindy cried apologetically.
But it was too late, he was already gone.
Ken, who had been tempted to run also, said nervously �Cindy, it�s alright. You just need to learn to be a little bit easier with us.�
Cindy scoped him up in her hand and walked over to the living room. She sat on the couch and put her necklace back on. Over the next hour, not a word was said as she flipped through the channels. Finally Ken decided to end the silence.
�Are you going to be alright Cindy?� He asked sympathetically while patting her palm with his hand.
She looked down on him and gently began to caress his fur with her free hand, �I�ll be fine. It�s just that it has been a long time since I thought of the necklace or my mother. When I lost that gem, it almost felt like I lost her all over again. Oh and I was so mean to that poor pup. He�s probably an orphan too.�
�Cindy, it�s alright. Besides once that pup calms down he�ll probably come back.�
Cindy smiled, �Now I see why Jennifer thinks you�re so special.�
Ken ears perked up, �Jenny thinks I�m special?�
�Yeah, she thinks� Wait, what�s that sound?�
Cindy leaned forward and looked down. On the floor in between her paws was the young dog fur, barely standing. He was covered in dirt and whimpering. In his arms was a small Jew that matched the one in Cindy�s necklace.
�My god, what happened to you?� Cindy asked him, although she didn�t expect a response.
�I found your stone, it was in the dark place.� The pup responded and fell to his knees.
�You can talk?� Cindy replied and gently picked him up in her free hand.
�Your stone was in the dark place.� The pup said softy and pointed to a heater vent on the floor.
Ken looked up at Cindy, �Your gem must have fell into the ventilation shaft. Our young friend here must have found it for you. Now aren�t you happy you didn�t squish him?�
Cindy smirked and placed Ken on an end table next to the couch. She took the gem from the pup and brought him up to her muzzle.
�What�s your name?�
�Jimmy.� The pup replied weakly.
�This means a lot to me Jimmy. Thank you.�
�I understand, my mommy died when I was real young too.� Jimmy explained with a tear in his eye.
�Don�t worry, I�ll take care of you now.� Cindy said with a smile and tenderly began to lick the dirt out of his fur.
Ken sat back on the table and witnessed the whole heartwarming scene. This is the second time he had experienced one kind act being returned by another. He really didn�t want to disturb the two, but he just had to know what Jenny said.
�Cindy, what did�� Ken began to ask but was cut off by the sound of the front door opening.
�I�m home. Did I miss anything?�