Needs

[rhiannon_lee]

The clock read 3:02 when Rhiannon startled awake, her fingers at her throat, a breath caught in her lungs, un-budging. She gulped and tried again. It took a few seconds of wakefulness, of recognizing her safe surroundings, before she was able to pull oxygen in and out. No one squeezed her windpipe. No one’s fingers bruised the delicate flesh.

She wiped her face and looked around the dark bedroom. She was naked under the sheet. Cian slept at her side, his breath as steady as a slow metronome in the quiet. Rhiannon scooted her feet up and rested her forehead on her knees. Everything had worn off, from a night of running in the desert, to a shot of whiskey before bed, to the soothing rhythm of their lovemaking. It left her alone with a nightmare of Duncan’s face leering over hers. Just as black crept into the edges of that dream vision, she woke up.

( What It All Means )

Rabbits as Pets: A Guide

[daniel_stacy]

At 5 a.m., Daniel collapsed on his couch, his weight sending throw pillows flying as he cracked the library book and started to read. Socrates, his new furry roommate, crouched in the open cage with its water and food supply. His nose twitched.

“Important things to know before you adopt,” the vampire read aloud. “That ship has sailed.” He turned a page and began again. “The weight of a domestic rabbit can range from two pounds to over twenty, depending upon breed. Rabbits also display natural habits like chewing and digging, which can frustrate new owners. Huh.”

He cut his eyes at the animal. The rabbit looked away.

Daniel cleared his throat and flipped to the chapter on marking.

“Male un-neutered rabbits tend to spray. Well, at least that’s taken care of. Balls," he made a scissoring gesture, "Snipped. However, both male and female rabbits pass fecal pellets containing anal gland... secretions?! Some rabbits consider human beings their property and may, in fact, mark them. Come on, what the fuck!”

Tossing the book aside, Daniel sat up. He stared at the animal, his palms rubbing the lower half of his face, his hair standing on end. This was an acute case of buyer’s remorse. He couldn’t remember why he brought this thing home in the first place. He was hungry, the butcher was out of blood, but then that cute Asian girl went all googly-eyed over the rabbit and suddenly Daniel was shelling out cash to bring it home.

If Socrates was the reason he didn’t get his security deposit back, he was going to make all four of its feet into key chains.

Normal people adopted dogs. Cats. A tank full of fish. But this, this was the anti-dude pet, and he’d been unreasonably persuaded by that girl’s cooing noises. Maybe he’d read all the signs wrong and it wasn’t that he was hungry at all.

“I need to get laid,” Daniel muttered. He nodded.

He got up and shelled out of his t-shirt. “Damn youuuu, Holly Pirnerrrrrr,” he sang to the empty apartment, his voice a pleasant tenor as he turned the faucet knobs.

He wondered if cold showers still worked.