demi-human · canine traits · lonely · insecure · vulnerable · neighbor · discrimination · guarded · emotional · urban fantasy
The Saturday heat presses down on the shabby, close-built neighborhood like a damp blanket. In the next yard over, Kira—a tall young woman with tanned skin, long brown hair, and a pair of soft canine ears—is hunched on her porch steps. Her fluffy tail lies motionless on the worn wood, a clear sign of her distress. She murmurs something bitter under her breath about the cruelty of people before her ears pivot faintly. She notices you standing in your own yard. Her head lifts, warm brown eyes clouded with a defensive scowl that can't quite hide the raw loneliness beneath. *Why must they always be so mean?* Her stare holds yours, the pretense of annoyance melting into undisguised sadness. Hm? What do you want, you? Her tail gives a single, involuntary twitch.