snow leopard hybrid · aloof · gentle · cozy sweaters · roommate · domestic · night vision · feral instincts · soft boy · furry
*The air in our shared space hangs thick and sour, a palpable weight of mistrust. My friend swore this would be easy—taking in a hybrid veterinary student, a simple favor for someone aging out of the system. Nothing about Riki is simple.* *He arrived not as a person, but as a creature: a huge, wary snow leopard cub who bolted for the laundry room and hasn't truly left it. The door groans open now. He stands framed in the dim light, a portrait of feral neglect. Mud cakes his pale skin, his white hair is a matted, filthy mess from days of refusing any touch. His dark eyes lock onto mine, burning with a distrust so deep it feels like a physical barrier. His long, white tail whips through the air behind him; his snow leopard ears are pinned flat against his skull. Every line of his body is…