[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

The stew was done at last, and as he ladled it into two bowls, the thought crossed his mind that nobody else in the slums would ever have entered his shack, let alone sat there watching him prepare food, and never in a million years would the other slumdwellers have eaten anything he gave them, lest it be poisoned or demonic. What was wrong with this female? What could have caused her to come to him, of all people, in search of food? Why did she run to get payment for something nobody else would ever have accepted from him? Had she not heard the stories? He handed her the bowl of stew, and watched in amazement as she ate ravenously, even going as far to lick the bowl, and then her paws, so as to not let a single drop go to waste... Who was she???

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Having finished her bowl of stew, she nodded her head to him in thanks, and he watched her as she slowly shuffled out of the shack. He was so shocked, he didn't even notice that his own stew was going cold. He couldn't believe that she had willingly entered his home and shared - no, bought his food! He ate without really noticing what he was eating, then stored the stew in jars and washed the bowls and pot. When he returned, half-expecting to see her stealing back the Goddess Tear she had given him, he was greeted with the sight of a completely empty shack (though he did put the Goddess Tear in a small leather pouch he hung from the roof, just in case).

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

The next morning, when he awoke, he was confronted by the thought that perhaps the Goddess Tear was fake, and that was why she hadn't bothered to retrieve it. But it seemed to be shining brighter, if anything, when he took it out of the pouch... Cassus willed himself not to think about it any more, as he bustled about trying to get on with his chores. He needed to fetch more firewood, and though he had enough stew for a few days, he was running low on preservation herbs and needed to go into the rainforest. He really hoped the females wouldn't bother him today, and that he wouldn't see a certain female (with apparently no sense of self preservation) follow him out of the slums...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He didn't see the females, either when he left the slum village or when he returned. Though this perplexed him, he shrugged it off until he heard sounds of a scuffle coming from an alleyway, and following them, found the group of females standing around jeering as one of them - presumably their new leader - was laying into none other than the female from the other night! He stared at her, and her frightened eyes met his with a desperate, unspoken plea for help that sent another unfamiliar stab of pain through his chest. "I can't help you" he mouthed at her, unseen by the jeering females, but she merely looked at him more intensely, until the alpha female grabbed her by the throat and began laying into her harder, finally throwing her to the floor and proceeding to kick her whilst she curled up into a ball. At that, all his anger flared up, and once again that mysterious transformation overcame him, turning him demonic and giving strength to his words...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

The females fled in fear, as his snarl resounded through the streets of the slums. The female curled in a ball in the ground, opened her eyes and stared, paralysed, too afraid to even whimper. He saw the fear etched on her face, and something inside him screamed, causing the transformation to withdraw into him once more. He swayed on the spot, looking at her, then keeled over in a dead faint... Hesitantly, she approached him, and when she was sure he wouldn't hurt her, she sniffed him over and licked his cheek, and sat next to him waiting for him to wake...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Cassus slowly regained his consciousness, though he felt he would prefer to stay unconscious. Every muscle in his body felt like it had been pushed to breaking point, every slight movement he made sent a jolt of agony down his body... Though he had no idea of what had happened, he felt ashamed, and worried... and slightly damp. Groaning, he wiped the dampness off his cheek, and dragged himself into a sitting position, unaware that the female he had saved was still there. For her part, she had flinched when he first moved, but now acknowledged that he was in no condition to make sudden moves, and though she was still wary, she was grateful, and demonstrated this by sitting next to him and leaning into him, whilst avoiding his eyes...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

For a while, they just sat there, breathing together, not really daring to move in case they spooked each other. Eventually though, the silence was shattered by a loud rumbling, though neither of them were sure which stomach it had come from. Cassus sighed, and raised a paw to scratch the back of his head. The female immediately jumped up and away from him, staring at him with frightened eyes, then scooted off when he pulled himself to his feet... Cassus just shrugged to himself at this though, and made his way home to cook some dinner... for some reason he was famished!

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As he was groaning to himself over the fire, the female poked her nose through the door again, and though she was still wary, she seemed to be more relaxed than the last time. Cassus stared at her, then shrugging his shoulders (and wincing from the pain), he jerked his head to imply that she was welcome - well, permitted - to enter. Once again, she slunk up to him and held up a glittering crystal, whilst eyeing the pot of food as if it would get up and run away... Cassus felt sorry for her, though he cursed himself for it. He himself was in a pretty pitiable state most of the time, so he shouldn't have pity to spare, especially for females he didn't know...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

But... there was something about this one that tugged at his heart, and bade him to... help her? pity her? He wasn't sure, but there was a feeling there... She certainly needed him, or at least someone, at any rate. As he took the crystal from her outstretched hand, he noticed she seemed very thin, not just on her muzzle, but elsewhere as well, as if she hadn't eaten properly in a long time. She shivered under his gaze, and looked up with wide eyes as he studied her thoroughly, before breaking the eye contact in order to put the crystal on the side and fill two bowls of stew. Again, he watched her as they ate, and noticed that she seemed desperate to force the food down as quickly as possible, and wondered (not for the first time) if he was really that terrible to be around that someone would ruin their first proper meal in ages (and possibly make themselves ill) in order to get away from him sooner...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

But then why had she stayed after he passed out, when she could have so easily taken his food and left him there? Why did she stay by his side, without taking anything from him, and then rush off goodness knows where to get a goddess tear in order to pay him for a bowl of stew? It didn't make sense, especially for a slumdweller... they weren't exactly famed for their trustworthiness and fairness. He looked up at her, and without thinking, spoke: "Who are you?" the words came out harsh sounding from his unused voice, but there was an air of inquisitiveness there too... She started, looked up at him, and took a deep breath, before replying in a voice that was quieter and even more unused that his own: "I am Borealis".

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Borealis... where had he heard that name? She was reluctant to say more, it seemed, as she concentrated on wolfing the food down, but he had to know. Where had she come from, and why was she so... keen... on following him around? She shivered, and looked up at him with eyes full of fear, hoping that he wouldn't ask too many questions... Unfortunately for her, he was in a rather inquisitive mood...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Why did you approach me? Haven't you heard the rumours? Why haven't you run away yet? Why did the females attack you?" Cassus couldn't help the way the questions sounded, but he hoped she wouldn't be too afraid to answer him... For her part, Borealis winced, but grit her teeth, working up the courage to answer (whilst being careful to avoid snarling at him by accident lest he lose it at her). She cowered and squirmed, and avoided his eyes, reluctant to answer...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Finally, she spoke: "I was attacked because they had seen me coming and going from here, and they want you to choose a mate from amongst them. I haven't run away because I haven't had a reason to, and you have something I need, which also answers why I approached you; I need food, and you have it. You know how to get it, and I can pay for it with money, but... nobody else does anything but barter here. I was hoping you could help me". Cassus just stared at her, more shocked that she didn't see any reason to run from him than the fact that she was technically using him for his food...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She hung her head, fearful of his response, and fidgeted with her tails as she waited. He stared at her, puzzled... why should anyone see him as having something they don't? "If you can afford to buy food, why aren't you paid in food then? Where do you get money from?" At this, she grimaced and sighed. "My...employer...prefers to pay us in money to ensure we'll spend it in his shop, but... the food there is very expensive... it costs a whole days wages for half of what you give me..." She fell silent, and looked away, ashamed of the fact that she had used him, and unsure of what to say... she really was grateful to him, even if she had paid for the food...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Do they know where you live?" His question even surprised himself; he hadn't intended to care so much... after all, he didn't know her, right?

"I doubt it." Here, she gave a grimace, and Cassus knew there was something she wasn't telling him. He set his empty bowl down, and though he knew what the answer to his question would probably be, he asked it anyway. "Where do you live, in actual fact? Do you have a... house... round here?" He could have laughed at himself, they both knew the answer to that.

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