Chapter 12

Wild took in every sight and every sound with curious intrigue. His second time on a car ride and his first time actually seeing everything, he kinda held like a kid in a candy store. He looked like one too, with his face pressed up against the glass as he took in everything that he'd read in books and seen on cartoons but hardly ever saw himself. Jon was confused at first, but remembering the kids' orgins... it made sense that he was so excited about things people like Jon took advantage of every single day. Elaine said to him once that none of the hybrids had seen the light of day before. It made him wonder how they got the essential vitamins and minerals that one got when outside. Jon wanted to ask, but he didn't want to ruin the moment for Wild. Perhaps at a later time...

They stopped at a Kwik Trip. "Stay here, I'll be right back." Jon left Wild in the car, moving to the back to refuel the car. Wild immediately recoiled at the disgusting scent of gasoline and covered his nose with his shirt in a futile attempt to escape it. Wild tracked Jon as he retreated to the building itself after putting the nozzle away. Wild looked around wearily. He was in the car alone in a place he'd never been. He was nervous. There were a lot of other humans around in their cars and on the streets. He didn't know their intentions. they might want to hurt him or kill him or- "Wild?" He jumped and looked over at Jon. He'd been so distracted that he hadn't heard the human coming. "I got lunch. I hope you don't mind gas station cheese burgers." Wild blinked and nodded. He wasn't going to be picky now.

They got back on the road again. Wild saw his first train and decided he wasn't a fan. Too loud. Too long. He saw lots of wooded areas in which he was quickly entranced. He saw housed of all shapes and sizes going through towns and suburbs and even rural farmlands. Wild saw his first animal hybrids. Moose chicken cattle, deer horses, fish goats. Wild didn't realize the world was filled with creatures like him. Not entirely themselves, just like him. Stange combinations of genetic code to make something better, but at the cost of what?

What were they to the humans?

Eventually, Wild dozed off much to Jon's relief. The journey was a long one. Michael Jonah made sure not to live anywhere near his operations. The drive would take a good couple of days. How the hell did this guy get to work every day..? Or did he even work every day? Wild probably didn't have the answers, considering he was constantly locked up in his room. He'd been so used to it that he never really wandered out of his "room" at Elaine's work. Jon was somewhat happy to give the kid his first taste of the outdoors... even if it was just a very long car ride.

They took a bathroom break on the side of the road. With Wild's animalistic features, bringing him into a public place would only draw attention to them. People liked their gossip. If their target caught wind... "I'm sorry I'm not normal, Mr. Moore..." Wild knew just as well he was the reason they were out here instead of with people. "Don't worry about it. It will be worth the trouble in the end, right?" He smiled at Wild, who looked away submissively. "I-I guess..."

"Wild. There is no such thing as normal. Remember that." Wild did look at Jon this time. "What does that mean?"

"That's up to you to decide, kid." He zipped up, ready to get on the road again.

Wild gulped down a beef stick in a matter of seconds. Jon wondered if it was the wolf in him that made meat so easy to consume. Maybe he was overthinking it, but he doubted it. There was a lot to Wild that he didn't know. He didn't know if Elaine knew. He didn't even know if Wild knew. Wild was a human. He probably didn't understand a lot about himself. Things a wolf would know that he wouldn't. It gave Jon a fresh perspective on the genetic modification of animals. How did they feel, having the traits of another animal forced into them? Was genetically modifying animals animal cruelty? It certainly wasn't illegal. There had been protests about it in the very beginning when the technology for creating hybrids was first invented. Those had been shut down, and the people had wanted something new. Now, having cat/dog hybrids as pets was a reality. Maybe the public should've listened, though.

Wild was living proof that things had gotten too out of hand.

They slept in the car that night. Wild couldn't, not right away. It was his second time seeing the stars. His first time seeing the whole galaxy. He stared out the window at the midnight blue sky, colored with greens and purples and lighter shades of blue with little stars sprinkling the sky like sugar. the moon was big and full, bathing the trees and the blacktop of the reststop with its pale light. It was beautiful. It was much too beautiful for him to miss out on.

Wild didn't either. It was dawn when he'd finally lost the fight to sleep. Jon let him continue to rest, too, it kept Wild more hidden while they looked for the target. Jon went through the drive-thru to get some breakfast burritos at Taco John's. Wild would be grateful once he woke up, hopefully. He also got them a couple of sodas from another gas station. This was the life of a man on a stake out. Fast food and gas station drinks, sleeping in a car, and constantly switching radio channels so the music wouldn't suck. So far, Wild seemed to be a pro.

Wild woke up to an uncomfortable feeling. Like he was too close to something dangerous. He jolted up, his cap tumbling off as his head and ears swiveled to find a threat. All he saw was Jon giving him a startled look. "Uh... breakfast is in the back, got you a soda too, hope you like Root Beer, and we are here, so you should probably put your cap back on. Wild blinked and grabbed his cap as he looked out and up. The building was tall, all of them were, but this one had statues on the side of it of Anubis, the first "hybrid."

How did nobody see human animal hybrids becoming a thing despite it being illegal as hell?