The small rat whimpered, looking out of his cage with big eyes. He had just been adopted again! He had been so happy when he saw the user look and him and take him out. He would be free again, he wouldn't have to live in a small cage anymore. But now, he wasn't so sure.
"I seems a waste. I'll go delete it," his new owner said, moving past her friend.
"If you insist," the friend said, moving back and shaking her head.
Suddenly, the rat was worried. He would be deleted? What happened when you get deleted? Did you just vanish? He was about to find out.
The cage was open over a large hole, and he was tossed down. He slid, clawing at the sides and trying to climb back up, but the sides were too slippery, and he landed on the bottom.
Blinking, he looked around, worried. He was in a large space, underground. A small group of pets were gathering, some missing paws and tails. Most were rats, though there were some rabbits and horses, and even some dogs. To his surprise, he even saw a Raven Dog.
'Who would delete a pet like that?' he thought, moving forward.
"Hello!" a small rat said, bounding up to him. The tip of his tail and one of his ears were missing.
"What happened to your ear?" the rat blurted out.
The other shrugged.
"We lose parts. The data banks, that's where we are, can only hold us for a year. Through that time, we lose bits. And by a year, we're gone."
The new rat nodded sadly, looking over the rest.
"What do you do here?" he asked.
"Oh! We have lots of fun!" a rabbit cried, bounding up. Her ear was the only thing that she was missing. "Come on, I'll show you the playground! And there's a movie theater, we can watch the artists making new pets. Also, we have a screen that shows us what's going on! Right now there's an Easter event. It's lots of fun to watch!"
Feel happier, the rat smiled. Maybe a year of happiness with friends would be better than forever of being sent to the pound, adopted, and sent to the pound again. So, he followed his new friends, excited to see what adventures the data banks held.