Today was a day like any other for Julian and the first item on the metaphorical list, as always, was scavenging. Julian was a Neera, and being a Neera had its downsides… like being hunted by Nekos… But fortunately for Julian he had managed to find a house which was half Kangaroo, half Neko. Meaning the father of the family and the eldest daughter were Nekos. And the mother and youngest daughter were Kangaroos. On a good day, Julian would be noticed by the mother of the family while the children were at school and the father was at work. She would ‘accidently’ drop little treats on the floor for Julian and let him go on his way.

On a day like today however… Let’s just say things don’t always go according to plan…

Julian had just rounded a corner into the hallway of the Neko-Kangaroo family’s lavish home and could see the mother of the household just down the hall, he sprinted away from his predator as fast as his little legs could carry him, the predator being the father of the family. The mother was walking down the hall and pretended not to see the Neera; she walked straight past the darling little creature and swished her tail in the direction of the stairs. So that’s where Julian ran. The father of the family rounded the corner next and bumped into the mother, nearly knocking her down. Luckily for him, his cat reflexes kicked in and he managed to catch his wife. He then had to explain himself which gave Julian enough time to climb the stairs. Julian then ran down the hallway and found himself at a dead end. There was a door at the end of the hall, and Julian instinctively squeezed under it. He had never been upstairs before, so anything could have been on the other side…

Luckily for Julian, he had easily squeezed under the right door and was now inside a bedroom. He could see the leg of the inhabitant which occupied the room; it was hanging over her bed. But it wasn’t the black and white leg of a tabby Neko. It was the tan leg of a Kangaroo. Suddenly, Julian’s little ears could hear the sound of the father running down the hall. So, Julian quickly scampered up the leg of the kangaroo and jumped onto the bed. The kangaroo wore a pink tank top and denim shorts. The teen, who could not have been older than fifteen, sat up. She moved her long brown hair from in front of her sky blue eyes. She smiled at seeing the adorable little creature and removed her ear phones, which she was using to listen to the game she was playing on her smartphone. The Neko father suddenly burst into his daughter’s room and made Julian squeak in fear. He scurried up the bed towards the Kangaroo. He climbed the front of the kangaroo’s well-developed body until he was tucked away into her neck; he hugged it tightly, well, to him anyway. The Kangaroo, Blossom, moved both of her hands to the shivering Neera’s body and held him close. “Shh… It’s okay honey…” Blossom whispered, trying to soothe the little guy.

“Blossom, that’s the one! That’s the Neera who’s been stealing from us for weeks!” the father informed, still excited and pent up with the pride of a victorious hunter. The Kangaroo frowned at her Neko father. “So?” she replied.

“So?” the Neko chuckled. “I finally caught the little thief!”

“No. I caught him. And by the traditions of hunting, that means I get to decide what happens to the little guy, right?” Blossom replied, cocking an eyebrow at her father. “B- But… But I…” the father stuttered, his masculine pride flushed straight down the toilet.

“But nothing. I’m sorry daddy, but you’re not nibbling on this little cutie. So you can leave now”

“But…”

“Say bye to my daddy little guy!” Blossom requested, gently removing Julian from her neck and using her thumb to make the little Neera wave at Blossom’s father. Julian blushed because of how well the Kangaroo girl was treating him. The father huffed. “Fine. I’ll let you have this one…” he replied and left the room, shutting the door behind him. The kangaroo sighed victoriously and turned Julian so he was looking at her cheery face. “Hey little guy, I’m sorry about my daddy. He can be a bit cruel to Neeras sometimes… My name is Blossom, Blossom Rooth. What’s yours?” the kangaroo asked.

“M- My name’s Julian. Mrs Rooth…” the little Neera replied.

“Aww! Don’t be afraid little guy. I won’t gobble you up. I promise. And you can call me Blossom” she informed, still smiling at the little creature she held in her hand. She started to twirl the little guy’s mousey tail around one of her fingers as well. “Do you like it when I do that to your tail?” Blossom asked, pulling Julian’s tail a little too hard. The Neera squeaked in shock and whimpered from the pain. He cowered from the gigantic kangaroo who did him harm. “O- Oh no… I hurt you... Oh sweetie, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. I forgot how easy it is to hurt you little guys…” she informed, bringing Julian up to her face for a quick cuddle. He only whimpered more and tried to move away from the kangaroo. “Please honey, don’t be like this… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you… And I’ll never do it again. I’ll be extra super mega careful. ‘Kay?” Blossom had finally got Julian to stop struggling against her and managed to hold him against her cheek. She caressed the little Neera with the back of her thumb…

“O- O- Okay… yes…” he replied timidly.

“Sweet heart, are you hungry? Does my little Julian want something to nibble on?” Blossom asked cutely. She brought Julian to her lips and gifted him a friendly kiss which made the poor Neera blushed. He gave Blossom an adorable smile. “Yes please, Mrs Rooth” he replied.

Blossom cooed something fierce. “Aww! Honey you’re the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!” she informed, “And-call-me-Blossom!” she giggled, bouncing the little Neera in time with her words. The kangaroo stood, stretched and then made her way out of her bedroom to get some snacks for her new pet…