[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Borealis shuffled her feet, and refused to look him in the eye, but Cassus knew the truth already. "Where do you sleep?" he asked, with the feeling he wasn't going to like the answer... he was right.

"There's always rubbish lying around, so I tend to build a bed wherever I am out of whatever's there... Sometimes I hang around here. That's what made me think to ask you about the food... I smelled it when I was here a few days ago..." Cassus frowned, and looked down at his paws...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Cassus debated with himself over what he should do, especially since she wasn't his responsibility, but he knew inside that he had already made his mind up, and sighed as he resigned himself to his fate...

"Do you want to live here?" he asked her, groaning internally as he braced himself. He didn't like it, but he couldn't just leave her out there like anybody else would have left him...

"Here?" she blinked, and cocked her head to the side, as if she didn't understand what he had said, before scowling at him. "Thanks, but I don't need charity... I can pay for the food, if you're willing to let me, but I can manage on my own" and with that, she got up and left him sitting there, angry that she had been so ungrateful...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

After that, he didn't see her for a while, and though it niggled at him, he shrugged it off as her still being difficult. It wasn't pity that had made him offer her his home, though he couldn't exactly put his finger on what it was...

He was thinking this whilst out gathering mushrooms in the rainforest, when he picked up the scent of a familiar female. Following it into a cave, he was appalled when he found Borealis lying there unconscious, looking like she had been battered and left to die, with cuts and bruises all over her, and her left eye so swollen it stuck out from the side of her face like a golf ball... She smelled him, even in her unconscious state, and turned towards him as he gently picked her up and cradled her in his arms to carry her home...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She was so light, he could barely feel her in his arms... he growled as he felt her bones through her clothes, and scowled at the thought of her stubbornness. Why hadn't she come to him, at least for food? And who had done this to her? And why?

At the sound of his growl, Borealis whimpered and flinched slightly, and he quietened, feeling unknown feelings stirring in the pit of his stomach. His heart twinged when she laid her paw on his chest, and he cradled her closer, feeling her heartbeat mingling with his own. She snuggled closer still, and though she was unconscious still, breathed a sigh of relief as the familiar smell washed over her...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

It made him furious, and he couldn't fathom why. This female was nothing, nobody, nothing to do with him, yet he couldn't seem to shake her off... she somehow got under his skin. He got her to the shack, but when he went to set her down, she whimpered and clung to him with unexpected strength, so he sat against the wall and cradled her in his lap, fighting down the urge to kill those who had hurt her...

Borelia hurt all over, but felt a soothing presence set her down on something warm and soft, and two strong arms cradling her close. Her mind was on shutdown, and all she needed was to feel safe, so she sought comfort by clinging even closer to her mysterious saviour...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Her clinging like that did unusual things to Cassus' breathing and stomach... if she weren't in the state she was in... But he couldn't think like that; after all, he barely knew her, he reasoned. He slowly slipped off to sleep himself, holding her close, surrounded by her scent...

Borelia passed out, her paws going limp, her breathing evening out. Had she been awake, she would probably have wondered at the winged shadow on the wall, or the way she was being held so tenderly...

The two of them slept, and hearing her whimpering in his sleep, Cassus made a promise...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Borelia groaned, and tried to sit up, but her muscles were just too weak; she couldn't even open her eyes. Her head pounding, she was shaking and sweating as she was engulfed by pain, yet she felt a cool, soothing rag on her face and neck.

Cassus was severely worried; she had a fever, and although he had things to help, she needed to be awake to eat them. He had a pot of soup on the fire, simmering away, and the jar of medicine... Finally, he picked her up, carried her quickly to the river, and dived in with her, making sure to keep her head above the water...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He didn't notice the funny looks the other slumdwellers gave him. He didn't notice the coldness of the water, or the fish (for lack of a better word) that practically jumped out of the river to get away from him. He didn't notice the black aura that surrounded the two of them, healing her as it had healed him. All he noticed was how beautiful her eyes were, and that they were open...

Borealis opened her eyes, and froze. Though he smelled the same, he was surrounded with a dark aura and his eyes had turned red. She whimpered in fear, and though she was feeling better - and completely drenched - struggled slightly before beginning to weep...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Cassus frowned, as he noticed her tears. Though he had felt her try to struggle, he couldn't understand what had caused her to cry. He didn't want to make things worse, but didn't want to let go of her either, for fear that she would drown. Sighing, he held her closer and clambered out of the river, carrying her back to the shack where the soup was almost done...

Borealis shivered as he carried her effortlessly; afraid that he would hurt her if she tried to run. Her tears did not stop, and she whimpered as he walked into the shack with her... before setting her down on a pile of what looked like scavenged old bedding!

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Borealis kept her eyes tightly shut, waiting for him to try to do something to her, but all she felt was the soft brushing of fabric as a blanket was placed over her. Too weak to move, she began to whimper again, and a few more tears rolled down her cheeks as she opened her eyes to see what was going to happen to her.

She winced as Cassus sat down next to her, but couldn't recoil as he held out the bowl of soup to her. Instead, she merely hung her head shamefully, too proud to admit that she was too weak to even lift her arms - for though the aura had healed her wounds, it was unable to restore her strength, it seemed.

"Can you eat? Or do you need me to feed you?" asked Cassus; though it came out contemptuously, it was an unintended tone; he was having real trouble keeping his cool after seeing her in the state she was in.

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Borealis winced and moved her head away from him, but couldn't stop the tear rolling down her cheek. She hated this; hated feeling inadequate, or dependent on another... She had been feeling awful enough as it was; why did he have to find her?

Cassus sighed, and got to his feet, picking up the bowl of soup as he went. She still had fight in her, and that was a good sign, especially after how she had just hung limply in his arms before...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Making his way around to her head, he sat himself down before sliding his arms under her gently, in order to lift her up and place her on his lap, leaning against him with his strong shoulder supporting her head. The action earned him a growl and a look of resentment from Borealis, but he ignored both, as he said "If you can't feed yourself, you can't expect me to let you starve, so shut up and accept it."

He raised the spoon full of broth to her mouth, and her mouth began to water at the delicious smell wafting into her nostrils. A sharp pain ran through her stomach, and suddenly all of her fire was extinguished as her survival instinct kicked into gear, and she opened her mouth to receive the much-needed nourishment being offered.

Cassus continued to feed her slowly and patiently, until the bowl was empty and the rumblings he had heard coming from her stomach had ceased...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He carefully set her back down on the pile of bedding, and went to refill the bowl, this time for himself. Borealis, humiliated and ashamed, did her best to stop the tears she could feel welling up behind her closed eyelids from falling, but it was no use.

Cassus heard her slight whimper, and the sniffles she was so desperately trying to silence... sighing, he once again set the bowl down beside the bedding, and lifted her onto his lap, trying to silently comfort her as he held her close. Though she wanted to run away, and her pride was screaming at her to stop being so useless, it had been a long time since she had had someone to comfort her...

Cassus soothed her until her tears ran dry and her breathing evened out, and then replaced her on the bedding, re-covered her with the blanket, and ate his (now cold) soup, making sure that he could hear her even breathing all the while...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Once he had finished, Cassus left Borealis alone to wash out the bowl in the river, returning as quickly as he could, though he was not in time to prevent her vicious thrashing around. Apparently, although her body was weak, her terror in her sleep was enough to force whatever shred of energy she had to the surface...

"Borealis! Wake up! Come on, wake up!" Cassus yelled, panicking... she could hurt herself, and what had happened to give her such a nightmare? He grabbed her flailing arm, and pulled her to him, shaking her slightly and continuing to call out her name until her eyes opened wide, and she cried out before recognising who he was, and promptly bursting into tears and clinging to him.

"P-p-please, stay - don't leave me here, don't leave me here!" she called out, bawling into Cassus' chest...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Cassus didn't know how to react to the crying, bawling wreck of a female in his arms, other than instinctively wrapping his arms around her and holding her close as he hushed her sobs. She needed to rest, but refused to let go of him, so he lay down with her in his arms and covered them both with the torn blanket. Any thoughts or discomfort he may have had were pushed aside as he broken crying triggered a response in his heart, and he held her close and growled - somebody had done this to the proud female, and they would pay.

Borealis clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably, trembling as she heard his growling yet comforted by his strong, lean arms. She felt wretched and pathetic, but at that moment she desperately needed the warmth and reassurance he was providing - though she would hate herself for it later.

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