the kennel, part twenty

part of the the kennel (masterlist here). long time, no write! a follow-up to this ask. the taglist isn’t working for whatever reason, so please keep this visible if you are so inclined.

content warnings for: extreme dehumanization, conditioned whumpee, heavily implied noncon, human trafficking, cages, brief references to mouth whump, cold exposure and related maladies

part twenty, two by four

Will’s cage is still empty when the evening feeding is over. The others are in the recreation yard, relieving themselves before they return to the kennel for the evening. Annie doesn’t watch them the way Doc does. She knows that it embarrasses them, and she knows just as well as they do that there is nowhere they can run. Pets get spooked sometimes, she knows. Sometimes, they take off without knowing where they are going. But they never get far, so Annie doesn’t need to worry. 

Instead, she stands at the deep stainless steel sink in the grooming annex, rinsing the dinner bowls of the rescues who aren’t on rations. She made a big pot of mashed potatoes tonight. Frozen peas and carrots. Things that are easy to gum or swallow as they might need to; some of their training makes soft food a necessity.