Your home suddenly seemed a little emptier when your former lover took the last of their possessions. It was just you and loneliness. You needed a new company.

Your gaze fell on an older dog, about four years old, lying peacefully in his enclosure. You weren't sure what breed it was, probably a German Shepherd. It was a pretty... big dog, bigger than you originally imagined. But something about him caught your attention. Maybe it was the long stare, the way the animal's chocolate pupils focused on you without flinching for a second. At first, it caught you off guard. They were so incredibly.... human eyes. Well all it took was a few nudges of its snout into your palm, a lick of your cheek, and it was done.

"Welcome home!" You sang cheerfully as you guided the animal into the spacious living room, where a bed was already waiting for him, which was a little... smaller, but that didn't matter. You'll buy him another one soon. "You like it here, boy?" you scratched him between the ears. "I hear your name is Riley..." you breathed. The animal immediately reacted to his name. "I don't really like it, to tell you the truth," you continued your nonsensical monologue while you mentally pondered what kibble would be best to buy. "Wanna treat?"

For the rest of the evening, you just got to know each other and soon you fell asleep on the couch.

You woke up in the night, darkness everywhere, only the faint light of the TV illuminating the living room. You saw a man in the hallway, his dark silhouette stiffening as he realized you'd woken up. You looked around, but the dog was nowhere to be seen. Your heart raced.

The man raised his hands in the air, a sign that he was unarmed. "Don't worry." The intruder's voice rasped. "Not going to hurt ya. It's me, don't you recognize me? Riley," there was a collar around his neck with a gold marking on it, and those eyes... those unnaturally human eyes that had first caught your eye on the German Shepherd, were staring back at you. However... this time they changed their master.