"A zoo?" he whispered to himself incredulously. He looked up at Vok'Rul, mouth working silent questions. "I don't know if you know this, but I don't do well with animals," he eventually told the alien, face twisting into a disgusted scowl. His free arm started to pick at the cast on his other, nervously twisting the strands of plant matter between his forefinger and thumb. "Like, really don't do well," he stressed when the alien tugged him forward on the leash.

Nohkka was ahead by nearly ten feet, tugging on her parents and jumping in place. When the two adults noticed that Vok'Rul and he had slowed, they stopped. Much to the child's despair.

Viktor found his legs working again when Vok'Rul tugged on his leash gently once more. His stomach did flips. He felt like he was going to throw up his breakfast. The meat he had gotten earlier didn't seem so appetizing, now. It sat like a rock in his gut.

The outside of the building, which was a large fence, really, was illustrated with bright colors, mashed together to make passable animals that were found on this planet. While Viktor could admit that he was a little curious about the fauna of this place, he was not enthused to be walking into a place where he knew he'd likely see the species of the animals he had fought in the arena.

"If I freak out, it's your fucking fault, man," he moaned, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as they started walking toward the ticket office. He could hear the yips and chattering of the animals, and he worked his hand into the fabric of Vok'Rul's clothing, white-knuckled.

If he had thought their capitol/town hall building had been full of aliens, then this was ten times that amount. It was mostly children running around, pointing and pulling their parents; much like Nohkka was doing to Kac, now.

The alien manning the ticket station became flustered as soon as they noticed Vok'Rul, but Viktor was too busy looking into the zoo to pay attention. He shuffled closer to the alien, pressing his side against the alien's hip and leg.

"Kas tih, Kohgrash!" Nohkka's sudden voice in his ears made him jump, and he flinched under her hand when she reached up to pet him comfortingly, but she didn't notice.

"Not okay," he muttered under his breath. "Or whatever you said." He barely gave her a glance, steadying his gaze worriedly onto the crowds of aliens milling through the exhibit. If he didn't have a freak-out thanks to the animals, he was sure the noises of the crowds would do it for him.

"Tor'Rul," Nohkka said, hand still on his head and moving back and forth slightly. "Kohgrash ka ktish!" To him, she simply said, "kas tih," again.

Her hand left his held only to be quickly replaced by Vok'Rul's. He could barely suppress the surprised flinch that left him, too wired from the unfamiliar surroundings. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm down.

"It's a zoo, Viktor," he said out loud, sort of proud of how little his voice shook. "They're in cages. Secure cages. Very secure. Hopefully."

He looked up at Vok'Rul. The alien was a walking bad luck magnet. He consoled himself by remembering that the last few trips had been alright. It had only been the first trip to the school that had gone awry. Almost a month ago.

The adults finished paying for their tickets (or whatever they were doing, Viktor hadn't really been paying attention) and started their way forward. Nohkka stuck to his side for all of five minutes before she got distracted by the first exhibit they walked past.

Half-hidden behind Vok'Rul's legs and clothing, Viktor peered into the exhibit, heart thumping wildly in his chest. He didn't know what he was expecting, but small little bird-like creatures were definitely not it.

His shoulders slumped in relief, and he cursed himself for being so paranoid. Oorah wasn't here.

The exhibit was caged, top to bottom. Unlike his cell in the arena, this cage was made of shimmering glass instead of thick, metal bars. If Viktor moved even slightly, he could see a kaleidoscope of colors, twisting and weaving through one another on the glass. Inside the cage lie large trees, encircling one central tree that towered over them. The bark was purple, and the leaves were light pink, fan-shaped and glossy. Tall grasses lined the perimeter, some sporting flowers and others not.

But the main attraction of the exhibit was the small fluttering creatures. Their heads were bulbous, eyes wide and a little creepy. Their pupils were square, nearly filling their entire eye, which was inset into their faces. They had long, sharp beaks. They had a neck that resembled a swan's and a body to match. Their coloring reminded Viktor of a red macaw: red, blue, and yellow.

Macaws, however, were much, much cuter.

"What the fuck," Viktor said, feeling a chill going up his spine at the sight of those creepy bastards. "I wanna go home."

No one listened to him, though. One of the creatures started calling each other. The noise reminded Viktor of a garbage disposal. It seemed to pierce right through his skull.

Nohkka got bored of them rather quickly (thank God), and the group of five moved on. Each exhibit they stopped by made Viktor immensely grateful he hadn't fought these creatures in the arena. Hooved animals, long and grotesque, ran around in herds, leaping over obstacles in their exhibit that shouldn't be possible. Short and stocky canine-like creatures prowled along their perimeter, communicating with one another through yips and growls.

There were some cute ones, but they were few and far between. They had seen a small, rodent-like animal. It had huge cheeks, like a chipmunk when they were full. Its eyes were black and glossy, but just wide enough that they bordered cute instead of creepy. It had short, coarse fur and scurried around on two legs, like a lizard running away. Viktor had smiled at that one. At least all hope on this planet hadn't been lost.

But seriously, everything else here was just so ugly.

They had stopped by the species that Oorah hailed from, and Viktor had to bury his face in Vok'Rul's clothes to fight down the terror that had filled his body. Half of him wanted to go in and attack the beasts, just to prevent them from attacking him. The other half wanted to run as fast and as far away from them as possible.

Unfortunately, Nohkka was enraptured by the terrible creatures, if her gasps and shouts were anything to go by. Viktor was filled with adrenaline, trying to resist the urge to pull Nohkka back from the glass. His hands curled into Vok'Rul's clothing even more. His breathing started to pick up.

Viktor didn't protest when the alien hoisted him up in his arms and held him close. He was probably choking the poor guy, what with the way his arms tightened around his neck, but Vok'Rul didn't shove him away.

They left that exhibit soon after, much to Viktor's relief. His limbs were still trembling by the time they got to the next one, and his heart didn't stop beating sickly in his chest until three exhibits after that. He didn't fully relax until he could no longer hear the familiar growls echoing in his skull.

The view from Vok'Rul's arms was much better than the one he had on the ground. Both he and Nohkka had to peer through alien legs and tails, just to get a glimpse of whatever exhibit they were at. Oftentimes, there were empty sections available, and more often aliens moved out of the way with low bows when they realized it was Vok'Rul standing behind them.

But now that he was six feet taller than he used to be, Viktor could definitely see a lot more. He wondered if he could get higher.

He looked at Vok'Rul appraisingly, glancing over his shoulders and head. Viktor reached out to touch the small horns protruding off the top of his head. They weren't particularly sharp. Vok'Rul looked at him curiously. Viktor smiled innocently.

He started climbing.

He pushed himself onto Vok'Rul's shoulders, whose hold on him tightened fractionally. However, the alien was likely expecting him to go back onto the ground, not onto his shoulders. Viktor's world tilted as Vok'Rul bent forward slightly in an attempt to balance them both. He heard the alien squawk out his surprise.

"Stay still," Viktor told him, lightly kicking away the hand that tried to grab onto him. He perched himself on one of his shoulders, taking a moment to pause victoriously before swinging his leg around Vok'Rul's head to settle on the alien's other shoulder.

They almost fell over about three times before Vok'Rul finally straightened up. Viktor grabbed onto his head, leaning forward hesitantly. Once he confirmed that the alien's horns weren't going to shred his stomach open, he rested more of his weight on the alien. He grinned at the alien, pleased with himself.

"Earth custom," he explained imperiously, holding out his hand. The alien reached up to grab it, and Viktor bent forward to place it around his legs, holding onto the side of the alien's head to stabilize himself. The alien got the idea rather quickly, wrapping his large hands around Viktor's legs. Now he didn't feel like he was going to fall off. Success!

It was a little unsteady walking forward since Vok'Rul was so unused to the extra weight on top of his shoulders, but the alien quickly got the hang of it, and they were off. Rukka and Kac were giving them both confused and exasperated looks, but Viktor felt Vok'Rul shrug.

The teenager patted his head gratefully. Vok'Rul rumbled in response. Like a big cat purring.

Vok'Rul seemed to walk with a skip in his step. Viktor hadn't been up on someone's shoulders since he had been little, riding on his dad's shoulders instead. It took a little while to get used to it, and his fingers were digging into Vok'Rul's skull painfully, but when they got into a rhythm, Viktor soaked up all the advantages with eagerness.

He could see literally everything.

Vok'Rul towered over every alien they encountered. Most of them were two or three feet shorter than him. Viktor had yet to see one that was taller than him. And now, with Viktor sat atop his shoulders, the pair were almost comically tall. He wasn't able to look down unless he wanted to get a twisted sense of vertigo.

They went to the next exhibit, having to catch up a little with Rukka, Kac, and Nohkka. This exhibit was set into the ground, so deep that Viktor was sure that if anyone had wanted to jump in, they'd likely end up with a few broken bones. In the corner of the pit, as far from the aliens as possible (Viktor could relate), was one of the tallest animals he's ever seen.

It walked on its hind legs, hunched over enough that its front limbs were dragging on the ground. Despite that, they didn't seem to use them for walking. It had a long, thick neck to match an even longer tail. Its head was flat at the top, with small horns protruding from either side, curving upward. It reminded Viktor of a weird, bipedal giraffe.

There were a couple of them within the exhibit. Their calls were screechy and bellowing. One of them wandered close to the shimmering glass that separated the aliens and the animals, and Viktor got a better look at them. The pit, which had to be around 20 feet deep, only seemed to enhance their height. The alien giraffe's neck and head were clearly visible when it walked up to the glass. There were gasps and exclamations of surprise and awe as it paced the perimeter of its enclosure.

It was pretty cool, Viktor had to admit. Its coloring, unlike so many species in this zoo, was dull. It was a solid grey, with only some splashes of color - white and black - along its hindquarters and legs. Almost like an Okapi.

They walked through a couple more exhibits before Nohkka insisted on getting some food. It had been a few hours since breakfast. Viktor was glad he was on Vok'Rul's shoulders. He was pretty sure his feet would be aching by now. Unfortunately, the food was in a building, so Viktor had to get down from his alien's shoulders.

The leash had twisted awkwardly around Viktor's leg, and both he and Vok'Rul struggled to get it off, considering one was perched on top of the other's shoulders and wasn't able to use both hands unless Vok'Rul wanted Viktor to fall off. Rukka, much to Viktor's wariness (she had an irritated-looking expression on her face), had to step in and unwrap the leash.

"Tokka," Vok'Rul said cheerfully, lifting Viktor off his shoulders carefully. His feet met the floor a second later.

"Yeah, thanks," Viktor mumbled, ducking away from Vok'Rul's hand in favor of stepping into the building after Kac. The leash grew taut for a second before the two aliens followed in after him.

The restaurant was noisy, but noisy in a muted way instead of the blood-pumping cheering way of the arena. Utensils clicked against plates, whirring machinery whistled and groaned, and the low murmuring of grunts and clicks filled Viktor's ears. Not one to be slighted apparently, Vok'Rul reached down to ruffle Viktor's hair before he spoke to the staff member by the front door.

They spoke while Viktor looked around, admiring the scenery. The restaurant was very thematic, copying many of the enclosures they had seen on their way here. The way the walls were decorated, along with the lighting and the ambient sounds that were played from the walls, gave the impression that whoever was in the restaurant were the animals being goggled at. His eyes were following a small water feature, which had floating blobs of... stuff in it that reminded Viktor of lava lamps when Vok'Rul finished up with the worker.

"You always pull me away when things get interesting," he complained, following after the alien reluctantly. He had to look away from the water feature when he physically bumped into the back of his leg.

"Kohgrash," he heard Vok'Rul mumble. "Ne corfa."

"Not my fault. You're taking up the whole walkway, here," Viktor sniped back.

"Yeah, tell 'em!" someone behind Viktor shouted. He whirled around in surprise, finding an angry-looking man standing near a table with his arms crossed. He had three scars that traveled in tandem from his temple and disappeared under his shirt. His shock must have been visible because the man started nodding. "Yup, got these from one of those fucking dog things."

Viktor's face twisted to match the man's derision. He brushed his fingers over his sleeve where he knew the bite mark marred his skin. "I hate those things, too."

The man grinned, all teeth and barely any kindness. "If these aliens hadn't fuckin' abducted us, we wouldn't be in this mess, kid. Pets! What a crock'a shit!"

It was only then that Viktor noticed the man was standing next to a table of aliens that seemed too curious about their interaction to be anything other than worried owners. Viktor gestured to them vaguely, before saying, "You seem pretty alright with those guys."

The man waved his hand in dismissal, "They patched me up pretty good after that fucking dog got ahold of me. All the other aliens are freaks of nature."

Viktor frowned. He had never met someone so vicious in their hatred of the aliens and yet so hypocritical at the same time. Zach, Skylar, and Maeve had all been pretty solid in their points of view the last time he had seen them. Hot rage, all the way through. This guy, though... had Viktor slightly on edge.

Vok'Rul noticed all the noise he was making and looked back curiously, rumbling a "Kohgrash?" to him. The man snorted.

"Named you, huh? Bet you've just been living the life of luxury, kid. I'm surprised you're even still alive. They killed off all the kids and the old folks, y'know," the man scoffed, glaring up at Vok'Rul. The aliens behind him noticed the taller alien, and hastily gave a few bows. They didn't go unnoticed by the man.

Viktor's mind was whirling. Killing off people? That hadn't happened. Tammy, the woman in the shopping center, had told him they had died, yes, but hadn't said of what. Surely, Vok'Rul wouldn't have approved an order to kill people, would he?

"What, is that alien your leader, or some shit? Quit bowin'!" the man yelled at his aliens angrily. "This fucker probably killed millions of people! He's the one who abducted us!"

He was getting increasingly worked up, looking as if he were three seconds away from storming over and attacking Vok'Rul. The man stepped forward. Viktor shifted his stance slightly, mouth twisting into a frown.

"That isn't true," he replied hotly, hands clenching into fists.

The man laughed, eyes malicious. "Oh, that's rich. You really are some pet, huh? Protecting him? He'll probably throw you out by the time he's through with you, kid. I know what those scars on your neck mean." The man sneered, pointing at his throat. Viktor felt as though the world fell away underneath his feet.

"You don't know shit!" he yelled, taking a few steps forward, already throwing his arm back to punch the lights out of this guy. He was yanked back harshly by the leash attached to his back. "You don't fucking know shit!"

"Flakmna," he heard Vok'Rul apologize, grabbing Viktor around the arms. Viktor bodily threw himself out of the alien's grasp, tight though it was.

"Don't apologize!" he nearly screamed, chest heaving. The man was sneering at him mockingly, and Viktor saw shadows of the ringmaster in his scarred face. "This guy's a fuckin' idiot!"

Vok'Rul grabbed him more firmly, lifting him up and holding him tightly to his chest.

"Bye, kid," the man shouted. Viktor glared at him, the best he could over Vok'Rul's shoulder as the alien turned to take him away. "Have fun being a pet! He'll get sick of ya, real soon! They all do!"

Viktor fumed the entire way to the table. His jaw started to ache with the force with which he ground his teeth together, trying to keep a hold of his emotions. His nails were digging into his palms. Vok'Rul's claws were tight and nearly painful on his arms, and he knew the alien was probably embarrassed and irritated with Viktor.

He was dropped rather roughly onto the ground when they reached their table. Rukka, Kac, and Nohkka were already seated. Viktor snarled at no one in particular, tensing when Vok'Rul roughly took his leash and tied it around the leg of the table.

"Kohgrash, neyk," the alien quietly seethed at him. His voice was hard, tight with anger, and Viktor had never heard it like that before, least of all directed at him. "Koh frh. Koh!"

"Fuck you," he said, voice wavering with what was decidedly not fear. Vok'Rul was pointing at the ground, and it didn't take a genius to understand what the alien was telling him. He sat.

His stomach writhed with nerves, anger, and fear. He hadn't felt this bad since his first day in the arena. He tried taking deep breaths, but they weren't easily forthcoming, always catching in his throat.

Distantly, he heard Nohkka ask something of Vok'Rul, who responded with a sigh as he sat down behind Viktor. He twitched at the noise. The human sat facing away from the table, eyes flickering back and forth. He had no idea what he was looking for - he was probably just paranoid about that man.

That man. Viktor gritted his teeth, pushing his fists against his knees. There was just no way that Vok'Rul would've put out an order to kill people. It just didn't make any sense. Vok'Rul, who had never hurt him, despite all the frustration and troubles he probably caused the alien, killing innocent humans? It was almost laughable. He worried his lip in between his teeth, staring hard at the floor.

Who else, though? His mind whispered to him. He hadn't seen any other alien be shown the kind of respect that Vok'Rul was shown. If he really was this entire planet's leader, then he would've been the one to make the final decision on invading Earth, wouldn't he? The thought made him sick to his stomach.

He pulled his knees up to his chest, dropping his forehead onto them with a muted thunk.

Viktor had known. In the back of his mind, the thought had always been there. That he was the pet of someone who had uprooted everyone's lives on Earth. If they hadn't been taken from their home, the ones who had remained had likely had someone taken from them.

His brooding was interrupted when a server came over to their table. The hushed conversation that the aliens above him had been having slowed to a stop. Viktor pushed himself under the table, only stopping when the slack of the leash pulled tautly. Vok'Rul's legs moved slightly and Viktor tensed before he made himself relax, cursing himself.

The server went away after a while, and Viktor couldn't even appreciate the fact that it had a floating tray of food following after it, he was too upset. He edged as far away from Vok'Rul as he could.

He dropped his head back onto his knees, only glancing up when the server returned some time with the aliens' food. The scrape of utensils against plates and the soft murmuring of their conversation couldn't drown out the thoughts that were running rampant in Viktor's head, but he pretended that they did.

***

Vocabulary:

flakmna: sorry, formal (I apologize)

kas tih: it's okay

koh frh: sit down

ktish: scared

ne corfa: be careful

neyk: stop, no

tokka: thank you, thanks

tor': uncle, usually followed by the person's name