walking... walking... walking... a foe.

[???]

The days since their arrival had been bland. There was no sense of purpose, nor any command given to them. Activities that were given to them were grueling. Some may even call it torture. With nothing to provide in the work force as a what appeared to be a mute serval, lanky and suspicious, the Pittians tended to use and abuse them.

With each day, new ways to poke and prod at the feline came. Today was no different. Per the usual routine, the serval walked... and walked... and walked... A goal was in mind, but there was no one to command their desire. Calloused paws treaded across the desert sand endlessly, only to kick up dirt in their path onto their fur momentarily. Halted in their tracks, they looked back and down at their paws. Blinking periodically like a robot, they stared. A creak of their neck indicated their resentment in their realization. Their alabaster fur was beginning to stain a tan shade.

For the first time in awhile, the serval leaned down. Their rump collapsed onto the forth carefully as their free paw raised up to their face. A pale tongue appeared out from their maw, beginning to cross paths with the barrier between their fur. No sign of displeasure formed on their soft features as taste buds glided across the ground's contents. Instead, they continued on systematically. Eyes started to close.

A haw of laughter entered their ears and their gaze shot open, ears turning in the direction of the commotion. Distinguished Pittians started to trail over, tails lashing and teeth flashing. Their cackles of mockery did not effect the serval, but to any observer, they were clearly poking fun at the cat for their daily routine. Instead of further acknowledging them, they merely went back to methodically cleaning. No mind. No attention. Only a quick clean.

"LOOK AT THEM! FINALLY SITTING ON THEIR ASS!"

Another howl of laughter came out as the group grew closer, their leader clearly distinguishing himself with his prodding comments. The large malinois approached with a smirk on their alabaster canines. With a mischievous glint in his eye, the canine leaned down towards their face and leaned into their pointed ears with their snout. Their hot breath ran down the canal, only to be followed by a whisper. "Is anyone home today?" Their comment was only met with silence.

Rounded claws shot up from the floor and wrapped around the serval's jawline. The canine forcefully turned up their head to face the group. "HELLOOOOO?!" He shook the unnamed serval forcefully, wracking their brain, but nothing came and the group only continued to snicker. "ANYONE THERE?"

Unamused, the leader's free paw offered a swift slap to their left cheek. Claws lightly scraped across the surface and blood started to seep. The serval started to lightly squirm while being held and tried to paw at the blood, attempting to wipe it away before it donned their fur. The leader clicked in disapproval. His tight grip released off their chin and the serval went up to wipe away the blood, causing their fidgeting to stop. In turn, they tried to continue cleaning. The malinois' eyes rolled back. His paw gestured another over and, like clockwork, one of his henchmen sauntered over and placed a paw on their back, only to push them to the ground moments later.

A single paw of the leader's pressed down on top of their back. The group encircled the feline, watching as he leaned into to speak once again. This time, not in a whisper, but a shout. "YOU MUST BE SPECIAL TO THINK YOU CAN IGNORE US CONSISTENTLY, HUH?" The loud noise did not cause them to flinch, but their blue gaze redirected up towards the screaming figure for a moment. Pain radiated in their chest. A note was made to address that, but no acknowledgement was made to their consistent abusers.

His lips pulled back, teeth clearly gritting in disgust. With a snarl, he looked back at the others. "Seems like today's not the day," came his disdain. Paws lifted off their back. "Do what you want with them. Make them talk."

And, as always, the group started to grow close. Claws unsheathed, teeth bared, and fur standing high. The inevitable was growing near and, once again, the serval was going to be a victim of their torment again unless someone stepped in.

Information on '???:

Figured I'd offer an explanation after being so so so secretive about this. I've had this idea for about a year now, so let me introduce you to '???'. They are a character controlled by all individuals around them based on what they are called. As you can see, they were called two names above and shapeshifted based on their perspective of those names. Your characters are more than welcome to abuse this. In fact, I encourage it.

There are a few rules to their shifting, which will remain hush-hush, but there are a few parameters. Nicknames/adjectives/non-animal nouns will be their own interpretation, but your characters can also say specifics. Specifics can be species, name, pronouns, personality, etc... Needless to say, it's a free-for-all.

'???' goes by all pronouns. By default I will be using 'they/them' or experimenting with neopronouns, such as ze/ze or xe/xem. Along with this, they have no set name. If you wish for them to stay within their current form, they MUST be addressed by the name given to previously. For example, in this situation, they must continue to be called 'airhead' or 'airheaded' to remain a dolphin.

Plots I will be keeping a secret, but do expect them to have some development. This character is very near and dear to my heart, especially after mulling over them for suuuuch a long time. You may even see me throw out a few short stories about them publicly! Not just for BoB. Anyways... hope you guys enjoy. <3 I can't wait to have fun with this character.]