Cantrua and Ibenti

      They had met on December 26, 2012. They were both squatting with several other ownerless pets in a secret hideout of sorts in Geraptiku. They all had been taken to the pound, but ran away before they could officially be abandoned. In their dark jungle home, they had set up nearly everything a home should have. They made sure that the sleeping arrangements where by birthday, so everything would be fair. And even though he's two years older than her, their birthdays were almost exactly one month apart, and their sleeping bags wound up right next to each other. Of course, this might have been purposeful, seeing as Ibenti had a terrible attitude, and no other pet could deal with him.

      Before Cantrua showed up, no one particularly talked to Ibenti. He was a rude, bratty Bori with no real social skills. And although he often claimed to not need any friends, he lead a lonely life. He'd try to sneak into concerts in Tyrannia all by himself, and the few times he was caught, no one would be there to help. He would even "accidentally" get less food than the others at times.

      Christmas had been the worst for him. While the others had all gone to the Money Tree to get presents for each other, he had received nothing. Now, he knew that he could be difficult sometimes, but was he really THAT bad? Would no one even wish him a Merry Christmas? He waited up all night, just to see if someone had a change of heart, but of course, they left him alone as usual, and he watched the sun rise up without a single Christmas present. Disgusted with everything, Ibenti stormed off.

      After a short boat ride at the harbour, and a little bit of a walk, he wound up by the Soup Kitchen. His stomach was fiercely grumbling, but he knew he shouldn't risk it. After all, if someone there caught him all alone and without an owner, he would wind up straight in the pound.

      Glumly, he walked over to the Money Tree. Everything is so hectic there, he thought to himself, Hopefully no one will notice that I'm alone, and I can get something to eat. Maybe I can even get a little present for myself. No wonder my owner didn't want me - no one wants to be my friend.

      That's when he noticed a tall yellow Ogrin sitting all alone. She looked absolutely terrified, and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she was very young. She didn't have anyone else around her, and she was on the verge of tears. She was clutching a Ham and Cheese Omelette in her paws, trying not to seem too conspicuous. Ibenti knew right away that this Ogrin was like him. Alone.

      He slowly walked up to her, trying not to give her a fright. "Hey," he said, trying to be nice for the first time in his life. "Are... are you okay?"

      The Ogrin started shaking, staring at him with startled eyes. "I'm, um. I'm fine. My, um..." She shifted her eyes."My owner went to go look for more food. She'll be back soon."

      Ibenti chuckled. The poor thing didn't even know how to lie yet. "It doesn't look that way to me," he said, sitting down next to the young pet. "Seems like you don't have an owner."

      She immediately broke down, sobbing. "Please," she begged. "Please don't tell your owner. I don't want to go to the pound - I was just created! I shouldn't be there, please!"

      The Bori was shocked. First of all, he had absolutely no idea how to deal with a crying female. Secondly, she was just created? How long has she even been alive? "When were you born?" he asked.

      She sniffed. "December 21st," she said, tears running down her face, "And I was... my owner got rid of me yesterday."

      Ibenti felt a rush of anger and sympathy swell up inside of him. To know that this poor little girl had only been alive for five days, and abandoned on Christmas of all days, made him see red. He wanted nothing more than to hug her and tell her that he would take care of her.

      And that's exactly what he did.

      When he came back to the secret hideout with his new friend, the other pets were at a loss. Not only was this Ogrin refusing to talk to anyone but the most hated person in the hideout, but Ibenti was smiling. Not grimacing, not smirking, but honest to goodness smiling.

      A red Lupe ran up to them. "Hey, little girl," he said, ignoring Ibenti completely. "What's your name?"

      The Ogrin looked to her new friend, silently asking if this Lupe was safe to talk to. Ibenti nodded. "Cantrua. I was abandoned yesterday. Ibenti found me at the Money Tree, and offered to bring me here. He said that this place was safe."

      The Lupe was flabbergasted. "Ibenti brought you here?" he asked incredulously, as if he had heard wrong. All the Ogrin could do was nod, shuffling closer to the Bori. "Well, you can stay here, of course. We all share everything here, and you'll get your own place to sleep." He glanced quickly at the Bori that had caused so many issues in the past. "And I guess Ibenti will show you the ropes."

      A few months passed, and all of a sudden it was February. Cantrua and Ibenti were inseparable, much to the surprise and delight of the other hideout pets. Not only was Cantrua taking up most of Ibenti's time, but the few times that they had to deal with the Bori, he was much more friendly than before. For a short time, everything was as it should be.

      But the two had gotten a little too careless. With their new found friendship, they thought that they could get away with anything they wanted. As long as they were there for each other, nothing bad could happen to them, right?

      Ever since Cantrua had heard of Ibenti's dreams of fame, she had been going to the Money Tree more often, saving up for two concert tickets. The day came when she finally had enough, and as she held the two M*YNCI tickets out to Ibenti, he almost cried with joy. This time, there was no way they could kick him out! And his best friend would be there with him, so if something went wrong, he wouldn't be all by himself. He hugged Cantrua so tightly after, she thought that she'd never breathe properly again.

      Whey they got to the stadium, the Tyrannian Mynci at the front entrance stopped them just before they could go inside. "Where's your owner?" he asked suspiciously.

      Before Cantrua could say anything (she was still a terrible liar), Ibenti stepped in. "She's waiting for the Wheel of Monotony to stop," he explained. "We got bored, so we asked her to let us see the concert."

      The Mynci didn't seem to entirely believe him, but with no other proof, he shrugged and granted them entrance. But as soon as they were inside, he instructed one of the pets he worked with to go check the wheel, just to be safe.

      The two friends sat in silence, taking everything in. Ibenti's eyes sparkled as they looked at the stage. The show hadn't even started yet, and he was the happiest pet in the world. "Thank you, True," he whispered to his best friend, "I owe you big time."

      Cantrua didn't have time to answer, though. Two large hands clasped down on their shoulders. "Owner's at the wheel, eh?" the Tyrannian Mynci sneered.

      The two pets sat outside under close supervision, waiting for Dr. Death to show up. They had been found out, and were being sent to the pound. Ibenti felt terrible. He said that he was going to take care of the Ogrin, and he had failed. And it was because of his stupid dream that they were now in this mess. "True," he rasped, still out of breath from fear, "I am so sorry."

      Cantrua had tears in her eyes, but she put on as much of a brave face as she could muster. "Don't be." She smiled. "We're going together. We're not going to be alone. And I know we're going to find an owner who wants both of us."

      Ibenti shook his head. "But what if we don't? What if they only want one of us?"

      The Ogrin sighed. "I guess we'll just have to wait until we find the right owner."

      And, as you all know, I found them. Or, more accurately, they found me. And I couldn't be happier to have them in my life.

The End