Pairbond: science fiction

[penthius]

More human than human, that was the advertising. She circled him slowly, watching the way his eyes opened and followed her, his fur reaching out, almost, toward her, a stray strand wrapping around her wrist through the cage bars. "Always wanting a pairbond," the seller said sourly. "Thought I was going to make a mint on these, but they're more than pets and less than a real challenge. The girls sell fine, but the boys--well, and there I took mostly boys because they were cheaper." She scowled and tried to block out his voice. Those eyes, so filled with hope and anticipating pain--she wanted to run away from those eyes.

Inspiration: "More Human Than Human"
Story Potential: Medium.
Notes: This is not a romance. It is not a symbiotic relationship. It's something else, some other bond that becomes just as critical. What?