The shelter was quiet at night, the hum of fluorescent lights buzzing softly overhead. Rows of metal cages lined the walls, filled with sleeping or restless cats, waiting for someone to take them home. In the farthest corner, tucked away from the others, two small cats sat together—though they were anything but ordinary.

A scruffy brown-furred cat with deep, knowing eyes stretched lazily on the blanket inside his cage, tail flicking idly. He could have left if he wanted to, could have shifted into his human form and walked out the door without a second thought. But where was the fun in that?

Next to him, a much smaller cat with fiery red fur was curled up tightly, his tiny ears twitching at every sound. Unlike the brown one, this one wasn’t so content with being locked up. His bright blue eyes darted toward the cage door every few minutes, as if contemplating escape. He hated being caged, even if he could break out anytime. But despite his frustration, he never shifted either. Being a cat just felt… better. More natural.

They weren’t friends. Not really. Just two strange cats stuck in the same place, both hiding what they really were.

But in a shelter full of ordinary animals, they only had each other.