[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He wondered how old it was, and how big it would get - at the moment, it was big and strong enough to carry himself and several packs, but it seemed fairly young and utterly had almost been playful on occasion. A more pressing thought crossed his mind, however, and he tilted his head to one side as he considered the problem.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He wondered what on earth it was, as he had never heard of anything like it before, but more than that, he wondered what he would feed it.

"What do you eat?" He murmured, as he caressed its snout. "You turned down the salmonberries, and we haven't hunted, and I didn't see you eat anything we were gathering."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He tensed as a tiny rattegan rustled out of the hay pile and froze when it caught sight of the creature, but it merely sniffed at it before ignoring the tiny rodent, content to rub uts head against his hand.

Mystified, he rubbed it affectionately. "At the very least, you need a name" he murmured, as he felt his eyes droop.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He shook his head, to wake himself up, and yawned as he picked up the packs and bundles from the floor.

"Stay here pal, I'll be back later on - I'm only nearby. This is your home now, like the hollow tree? This is where you will sleep."

The creature sniffed around itself, then lay on its side and closed its eyes, a contended rumbling coming from its chest.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Cassus locked the stable behind him - to keep others out, he realised, as he was sure the creature was more than capable of smashing its way out, a thought which sent shivers down his spine.

He made his way slowly around the building, as the back of the stable met the back of his home, and knocked gently on his front door.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He smiled as he heard Ebele shuffling inside, and footsteps coming closer until the door was flung open and Borealis sized him in a tight embrace, tears falling down her face.

"I've been so worried - you were gone for days" she murmured, pressing her face into his chest as her arms wrapped around him between his burdens.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He wrapped his arms around her thin frame, and pressed his jaw against the top of her head, feeling his own eyes moisten.

"I'm sorry" he murmured; "there were some complications."

He stepped into the house without letting go of her, and reached down with one hand to fondle Ebele behind the ear and on the back of her head, being rewarded with a crooning noise.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"How are they?" He muttered, peering over her head at the bed as she assisted him to remove the packs and bundles.

She smiled slightly, as she leaned closer to him. "They've been just fine, waking up every so often to be fed but just fine overall. I think they missed you, though - especially the boy. They kept wandering to the side of the bed that smells like you."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She tensed, as if she had said too much, but relaxes when Cassus let out a chuckle.

"They'll certainly smell me now" he muttered, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he glanced at his green-stained arms. "I desperately need to bathe. Before that, though, there's something I need to show you, outside in the old stable."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Borealis tensed, but forced herself to breathe. K
She knew he wouldn't put any of them in danger, and she trusted that whatever he had brought back with him would be more useful than it was trouble, but it still set her on edge, especially as she could imagine what the stable would cost to rent.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She didn't realise she had spoken the last part out loud until Cassus soothed her.

"A jar of pricklevine every two weeks and it's ours to use" he murmured gently above her ear. "It belongs to our landlady."

She sagged with relief, then straightened with worry. "Does that mean you'll be going back every two weeks?" she whispered.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Cassua shook his head as he began to tease her hair apart with his fingers.

"No, I have a second jar with me and I'll get multiple on each trip. I might go back every month or so, though - depends what we need, what they need" he muttered, nodding towards the balls of fluff whose noses were poking out from the blanket.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Okay" she murmured, then stepped back gently. "Let's go see what it is you brought with you."

Cassus nodded, and put his burdens down before gesturing to the Roosken cages.

"Let's take them with us; it will be better for us all if they're not in here with us, and we can let them loose in the stable so they can stretch their legs."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Borealis nodded, and carefully grabbed one of the cages as he went to get the other. She had removed the eggs from both that morning, but she was careful not to jostle it to avoid the Roosken inside squawking and waking the pups.

"Ebele" she whispered, "look after them for a few minutes, ok? We'll be right back."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Cassus led her round to the stable, trying to keep the nerves off of his face and the stress making him feel much more awake.

The roosken were a gamble, if he was honest - either the creature would eat them, or they would benefit from the extra room, and he was sure he had seen some old structure in the corner that he could make into a nesting block for them.