Petshop of Horrors: The Next Generation
When people step inside Count D's petshop, they are more than willing to bargain with what pets they get and after the strange incidents that happened in the last eighteen years, pets from the shop become more like us, people see them as human but still they are creatures of mystic abilities through.
Some have fallen in love with their masters and soon a new generation is born, hybrids of both human and animals.
Half human, half-animal, they are the race that has come to being thanks to him…
Chapter One
Serena was dreaming she was flying in the open sky, her wings spread and soaring higher than any bird or person able, floating towards the heavens and feeling no need to wake up from this wonderful vision.
Unfortunately her mother came in and started calling for her, ruining her chance to get some more Z's and thus ending her sleep.
"Serena, time to wake up. Serena Night Winston, don't make me come up there young lady. I'm giving you to the count of three, one…two…" Serena opened one crystal blue eye and saw the sunlight coming through the open window, landing gracefully on her back and made her wings shimmer beautifully while she stretched them to their full length. She yawned and leaned her body out in a cat-like pose, hearing the pop of bones setting in place and her wings flapping in and out.
"Ok Mom, all right I'm awake jeez just give me ten minutes." She muttered as she looked over the edge of the tree house that she and her father built for her when she wanted to spend most her time in the greenhouse instead of indoors. She started searching for her clothes that were there along with a few things she tends to keep even though her mother insisted she was better inside with her other stuff.
"Come on where are they, I know I put them in here last night." She searched frantically around her room, scattering leaves and flowers and other trinkets, looking for her attire..
P-Chan, hearing his mate come in and looked down from the high top of his own nest and fluttered towards her.
"Morning P-Chan." Angelica Winston said to her love. He smiled and nuzzled in her neck, happy to see her again. She loved when he did that. She loved him so much, her loving pet, her lover, husband and father to their child.
A lot had happened the strange past few years. How did this happened, it was exactly eighteen years ago…
Before when her father had forced her into an unwanted engagement, she had tried to find a suitable mate for P-Chan. The Count brought the bride for P-Chan, P-Chan didn't like her and the bride didn't like him either so he took the bird back but still Angelica paid for what she had offered in the first place.
She felt sad that P-Chan didn't like the bride but she felt a great weight lifted from her chest as well. Why she didn't know.
Six months after, Angelica had only four weeks to prepare before getting married to the older man. She dread at the thought. The man was a complete bore, self-obnoxious, rude and only cared more for the benefits of the company and probably would treat her as a trophy wife when they got hitched.
He was a complete bastard to put it shortly.
He was nothing compared to…P-Chan.
Sweet, kind, beautiful, loving P-Chan, everything she could only ask for in someone who would love her for her and not for some damn business associations arrangement.
His voice soothes her spirit and heart and she wish she had given him the mate and family he deserved. He should have a better life. She wished she had a better life. "Oh P-Chan…"
Two weeks left when sudden news came to their household. Angelica's fiancé was dead, killed, mauled by some animal of unknown in his apartment.
Relief filled her
heart as she was not to marry the guy anymore but dread came to as
she wondered what kind of animal might have killed him.
The only clue the police said when they came was that some animal with claws and…feathers were found at the scene.
No it couldn't be, she thought as she headed to the greenhouse. She ran straight in and saw P-Chan, sitting on one of the many branches of his trees, singing lovely as always but she noticed something on him.
His claws were dripping red. Dripping blood.
Oh no, he did, he really killed a man, he killed someone. She stared in wide horror at her pet, thinking what he had done.
P-Chan fluttered down from the branches towards her. She stepped back.
"P-Chan, why, why did you do that?" She was shocked more than she was afraid and asked again, "Why did you kill him."
She had expected no answer as she sank to her knees and looked at the ground beneath her. P-Chan came to her side and suddenly his voice, he had a voice came crystal clear to her like his song.
'Lo…Love…you…'"What?" She couldn't believe it. Her P-Chan was talking to her. "What did you say?"
'I-I Love you. You…Angelica.'
He loved her, P-Chan loved her.
She knew it seem hard to believe that a pet could fully love a human but did a heart matter whether inside a beast or human to feel love. Her eyes were brimming with tears and before she knew it, she embraced P-Chan close to her, "Oh I love you too, P-Chan. I know I didn't want to marry that man, I never did. The only one I feel that I ever love is you, P-Chan. You."
P-Chan's arms went around her and tighten as he carried her up in his arms and up to his nest. A nest that he built for the two of them. His nest smelled of him and the flowers that he left for her liking.
"P-Chan…" She whispered as she cuddled closed to him, feeling the feathery touch of his wing enwrap them as sleep came over them and dreams appeared.
In her dreams, she saw Count D, coming towards her, carrying an incense of some strange aroma in his hands.
Exotic, intoxicating, so unique…and then she saw her P-Chan coming towards her and she saw his form as of a human.
P-Chan, she would stared at him and he gazed deeply in her eyes before he began pressing light kisses on her face and her body, her whole being feeling alive with his touch and every night he would bring her in a world of beauty, music and love…
This was true paradise for the two of them.
Everyday for the past few months, everything they did was the same, Angelica did her normal routine, pretending nothing out of the ordinary, head to the greenhouse and sleep with her beloved.
The nights filled with beautiful music and before she knew it within the last month of fall, she was carrying his child.
Very strange it was.
But how, that's impossible, he's a bird and she, they, it was unable to happened unless in her dreams it did…
The results provided from the pregnancy test and the doctor's examination had spoken true when she went to visit after having her first case of morning sickness and unusual sleeping habits.
She was pregnant but she could never tell how it was possible to begin. She tried to keep her secret but somehow the household knew and one family member wasn't too please to hear that she was carrying a child that could well tarnish their name if word got out to the media, leaving them in ruin.
Her father had wanted to know who the father of the baby was and she told him she couldn't tell. She ran right to the greenhouse where P-Chan was but her father followed her in, locking the door behind.
"Young lady you
tell me who that boy is or I swear you'll be disowned right this
second!" Her father was angry and she was too, at him for not being
a true father at all, for not giving her the love and support or
concern a real parent was suppose to.
All he cared about was his damn company, his girlfriends and the money he made.
But not her, his own flesh and blood daughter. The only time he would ever was when his companies' reputation was at stake and she was to blame for.
Her hand curled into fist and she yelled, lashing out her anger at last to him, letting him know her true feelings behind everything towards him. "I don't care! You hear me, I don't care anymore what you have to tell me. I not one of your employees, I'm your daughter, your daughter! I have my own life, so stop trying to force me into something I don't want like that stupid marriage you tried—" But she was cut short when his fist connected to her cheek and she was knocked to the ground, her hands moving quickly over her stomach, protecting the unnoticeable bulge there of her baby.
"…You're just like your mother. Your mother was always hounding after money and she didn't turn any better and landed me with a spoil brat! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree as they said and they were right. You're no better than your bitchy mother!"
Soon his legs were kicking her and Angelica did the best to cover herself from her father's blows. She feared he would hurt the baby.
P-Chan's child, their child. She didn't want to lose it. She didn't want to lose the one thing that she had created with her lover, the only thing that made some purpose in life meaningful, to raise a child conceived by their love.
I won't let them take you away from me, I won't let you!
A sudden noise
caught their attention, a horrible squalling that made it sound like
the scream of a thousand knives scratching against glass. Mr. Winston
turn to see a man, no a man with huge wings was coming at him with
such speed knocked him to the ground.
Before he had time to defend himself, P-Chan's talons were rendering inside his flesh, cutting him open, his blood squirting out and staining the ground and the windows while P-Chan continue to slice him open, tearing chucks after chucks of the man that dare hurt his mate.
Winston was screaming at the top of his lungs before he was silence forever with P-Chan bent down and tore inside the man's fleshy throat.
Angelica had watched the whole thing in horror, watching as blood soaked her beloved P-Chan all over with her father's blood. "P-Chan…why?" Tears were falling down her cheek.
"He was doing it to protect you Miss Angelica." Angelica looked towards where she heard the voice and saw D walking over to the two. He stared at her father, or what remain of him and then looked back at her. "When one's mate is being threaten, it is up to the other to protect that mate and their child. P-Chan did it for you and your baby."
P-Chan walked slowly
over to Angelica and lifted one claw to touch her face.
'Ang-geli-ca…you…baby…al…riht…sorry…forgive.' He
asked sadly and tears dropped down his face but Angelica wrapped her
arms around P-Chan's neck and brought him closer.
"Oh P-Chan…P-Chan…" Their tears mingled down their faces and Angelica pressed a light kiss on her love, tasting the saltiness of the tears.
They were unaware of the Count's doing as he cut his wrist and poured blood all over the body. Soon leaves and vines started appearing and were wrapping around the pieces. The remains started disappearing in the foliage until nothing left but a patch of newly grown flowers in their place. Count D looked over to the couple.
"Tell your servants that your father went on a trip and that he would be gone sometime and when it comes that they or his company suspect, a letter will arrive, announcing his sudden disappearance and that his body was not found."
Angelica looked at him disbelieving. "But Count I'm not sure, I mean how do you know when they'll suspect and why are you helping us?"
Count D looked at the two and gave them one of his mysterious smiles that gave the aura of his strange and alluring waves.
"I'm doing it merely for the sake of your child. I don't know why but soon newborns, mixed with human and animals shall be brought to this world, bringing mystery, strangeness and wonder to this world." And the Count walked out of the greenhouse, leaving Angelica wondering at what he said. She patted her stomach lightly and taking in his words while looking to her lover and mate.
Her child, a hybrid of the two, human and animal…mortal and beast…
"Mom, hello, Earth to mom! I'm coming down so look out below!" Angelica was brought back to reality when she saw her daughter flying down from the high tree she slept in. It was a high jump, about five feet from the ground.
P-Chan could have flown down easily but Serena prefer to glide softly down, her wings flowing in the wind. Angelica scowled.
"I wish you wouldn't do that. You can easily break your neck if you keep doing that, that's why there's a ladder for you to climb down from…" Serena turned and looked at her mother. She had a lot of her features, face and body but had the blue eyes and fiery red-gold hair of her father's.
"But where's the fun in that. I can pretty much get down using my wings you know…" She had her mother's cocky attitude also. Angelica sighed before handing the basket to her daughter who took it and picked up an apricot and took a large bite of it. "Better hurry, Alfred has the car waiting to drive you to school."
Serena rolled her eyes. School big whoop. She didn't see what the whole deal was, just a bunch of brainless teachers and another year of it before she would head off to some college and probably do the same like that. She wished she had summer again but she sighed as she took two more chucks of the fruit then threw the seed in a pile of leaves before kissing her mother and father goodbye. "See ya later." She said as she walked out the door.
P-Chan and Angelica watched her go and P-Chan started singing softly to his bride.
"I know P-Chan, I know…she's in high school now and I just can't believe that our child is like a bird, a bird that's growing out of her nest and will be flying out of her own." She grasped her love's hand and felt him gripped hers gently, watching their baby bird flying out to the world of humanity.