Posts by RAPHAEL

His daydreaming was cut short, a voice, he was only thankful it didn't sound mean spirited. The tabby scrounged together the last of his strength to leap the rest of his small climb, his bad leg making a popping noise as he landed. It did't hurt, but it was the first noise to come out of Raphael since this stranger arrived.

He seemed rather dumbstruck for a moment, staring at his peer with dumb wonder. Another feline without a doubt, but the spots were unlike he had seen, almost like a star speckled sky. The other was further than he initially thought, and took a few painful seconds to walk his way over. He couldn't tell how close he should get, the waving seemed painfully close to a potential slap or smack to his nose.

The serval talked again, fog in and out of Raph's bat like ears. He blinked, thinking very intensely. He probably looked like a psychopath, the last social contact he had was from his den neighbour Todd, goddamn fucking Todd.

"My paws, they uh- Oh yes, they're fine!" He sounded like a sputtering fool, the tom lifted a paw, as if to look at it. Gazing into the nicks and scratches, a palm reader would have a field day with all the wrinkles and crevices. Raphael held it out, showing his noble injuries. Hopefully the other wouldn't think him weak for not being able to manage a short ten mile walk.

"Juice sounds cool, I'd like some, I think." He paused, "Unless it's orange or blue, I 'on't really know what fruit is blue but I wouldn't drink it." It felt so good to talk.

What motivated anyone, what motivated dog to work for master. Is it want or need, is it that sweet positive reinforcement or the risk of negative reaction. What motivates one person to be bouncy and childlike, is it in their genetics, or does someone who acts grim and dark have good reason; Nature versus nurture so to speak. Too many things to ponder during a lazy chilly Tuesday afternoon, but it seemed like it was the only existential thought that had yet to solved by formulas and math. It wasn't, many questions in life are left to one's own morals and ideas, battled over and debated, whether killing a child is wrong, whether or man can love man. The world is in turmoil, wars between clans, and in clans. Deep set wounds in hearts that no one can see, and disabilities like Raphael's gimp leg. That is life, suffering that is seen and hidden. Nature twists the world into mountains and rivers, and makes natural disasters and fires to wipe out homes, yet people push through. For what?

Maybe it is the nature of life to not give up, to push on even when things seem impossible. Or maybe creatures are just dumb, and argue against their fate. The fate of every mortal, death. Who's to say immortality exists at all, in the end you will die from memories if not existence. What did you live for, what did you want, what drove you.

Today, Raphael was driven by this exchange, another new face. His eyes seemed to light up even more, as if he had seen an angel. Whether this was a dumb idea or not, and through his odd existential crisis, he could tell already that this would be the safe environment he needed. Imagine that, no threat of humans or outsiders, and when they did come, he would have back up. Though as of right now, he was still an outsider, a stranger. He had questions he could actually answer.

"Color matters a lot, if someone says they look green it mean sickness, if some berries were red, you would know that they warn of poison." It was a wisdom that could be refined, the idea that every color holds meaning. Orange was joy, Raphael was not deserving of this. However much he wished he was as happy as the serval of his own age, he was rather plain and glum. Yet, blue, true sadness, he was not that either. The male would prefer a nice brown juice, perfect for his personality. Dull. He had no clue what juice was.

"I apologize for not introducing myself sooner, I'm Raphael Muzikant, I heard from a.. Friend that this was the remnants of the clan I used to be a part of." He was talking too much, he had to shut up, but deep down he never wanted to stop talking ever again. "I can not attribute any accuracy of the statement 'ough"

Raphael missed a lot of conflict and war, what was once the Sanctum was long destroyed. His old territory was a dream, a memory that he could now only think of. He knew this, yet deep down he prayed they would still accept him here, take him in as if he were another of their kind. He could wish, he was praying to a god he wasn't even sure existed. Raphael, a bright boy was at his lowest, changing from a light conversation about juice to pleading for answers.

Time was an interesting concept, how it moved and flowed. Yet another complex idea that society had trouble nailing it down to a concrete definition. Time, what had he done with it today. His first day to prove himself to his new clan mates. He had been wandering around hallways, looking at the sheetrock on the walls that had crumbled away due to time itself; Cells meant for people who have done wrong. Raphael was looking for a place to make into his own nook, a new room or cell, or whatever he could find. He missed his old room, the high ceilings, the bed made for a prince, his walls painted in so many different colors one would get a headache if you stared to long. That was a headache he could bare. Right now it was just aggravation pounding on the large double doors of his skull, warning of a migraine yet to come.

While the floor was flat and cool, it still hurt his sore paw pads. The light coating of dirt on the linoleum was without a doubt infecting them, but Raphael couldn't risk cleaning them with a few swipes of his tongue. The hooks would catch on skin, ripping open any scabs he had formed. Wasting the time his body had taken to heal, just as he had wasted this day.

An ear twitched up, listening intently to Koday as he called everyone together. Raphael used to love meetings, plenty of time to be praised for his efforts, and to hear praise. It seemed this clan was not as developed as he thought, which explained a lot on the party that had greeted him on the border. As he walked to join the large circle of animals crowding around their warden, he couldn't help wondering how they got their so fast. Teleportation, or some kind of power. He wasn't lucky enough to have any, so a twinge of jealousy wrinkled his nose.

So many faces he had yet to know, he picked one and stood awkwardly a foot away. Shifting side to side as to represent some level of casualness, to avoid them thinking him a naive creep. They would never notice, Koday started speaking and commanded the attention of everyone. None of the announcements meant anything to Raphael. In one ear and out the other, he used to love meetings.

Promotions, demotions, warnings, it was all just so routine. Maybe it wasn't for this place, and he was one to complain about routine after dealing with it for one moment. Yet there he was, a skinny child complaining of a meeting being too boring. If anything because his name wasn't mentioned among the speech. Selfish as he was.

B^)

No one was panicking, why wasn't anyone panicking. Raphael took one look at the scene and tasted bile in the back of his throat, ripping his eyes away to dry heave. Call him inexperienced but he had never seen a birth like this before, this looked more like a war zone. It smelled of death already, there was so much red. Red is a good color, passionate, but this wasn't passion, it was made from love but formed into a disaster. A tragedy. They were trying so hard but everyone knew what they weren't seeing, or hearing. The cubs weren't thrashing or even mewling for their mother, as if they were statues of themselves. The mother wasn't licking them either, they needed the warmth and the encouragement to breath but everyone was focusing on the mother's pain. Raphael could do it, but there was so much blood, and the thought of not being able to save them was a threat of hurt. His adrenaline was spiking, eyes wide, still staring in the opposite direction. He would have to force himself to, what kind of person was he if he didn't do all he could to help children. Raphael was so young, he had so much of his life left, and he would waste it not helping.

The taupe tom bounded over, holding his breath and slipping between the most medically trained females. He was no medic, but he was a good person. He grabbed the first born by the scruff, choking on the smell. He pulled it away from the madness, trying to lick the fur in the other direction. The cub wasn't cold, it still had warm blood coating it like a sheen of rain. Deeper down it was chilled, Raphael was trying as hard as he could though.

It had taken him days to fully explore the prison, which would seem like a feat of impossible standard, but to him just felt like it was much too large. The only good thing he had discovered was the basement, full of tools and paint cans, old tires and the sort. Raphael wasn't the first of the Renegades to find it, but it felt like he was a successful explorer. He had been looking for a true safe place for him, where he could feel at home. The smell of drying glues and old wood was exactly what he needed, like a workshop so to speak. The child set to work immediately organizing, making a "junk" pile to be recycled. He was no inventor, or fighter, or even a leader, but damn could he redecorate a room. The concrete floor was still dusty - something he would figure out the solution to later - but the rest of it was cleared of clutter, rotting boxes piled up by the stairs to be burned. The tom puffed out his chest, letting out a sigh of satisfaction. It was still very unorganized, but in his mind, everything had a place, and everything was beautiful. The paint selection wasn't great, mostly tans and grays made to patch up the walls, but he could work with it until he came up with ways to procure new colors and pigments.

Just as he had done in the mansion of the Sanctum, in his room around the same size as the new workshop, he began to paint. Brushes were clunky when you didn't have opposable thumbs, so he would jab one of his partially healed paws into a pot. Soaking his fur with the cool sticky brownish grey, the first slap onto the wall on the north of the basement. Whenever he came across a hole, he'd fill it with a mix of cement and glue, the opposite paw, now crusty from the mixture. Raphael had paint, and glue sticking dirt and dust into his short coat. Tufts of fur were stuck up around his face where he would wipe while thinking of his next move. Grays, browns, black, stripes and spots dotting a landscape of abstract quality.

Abstract art is under appreciated, it is meant to be pondered. Explaining your work takes the fun out of it, why not look at it with your own eyes. You have to be the one to pick out faces or blood. Even when in the same color theme, one can imagine the reds and blues, the color. Color doesn't come from the world, comes from within. Shapes, people, the depth in the work comes from the artist, and the person viewing enjoys or cries. That is art.

His work wasn't done, but the feline was exhausted, and not yet figuring out a bed situation, he fell asleep. Right on the ground in yet more filth. The rich smell of paint filled the air, he was finally home.

Names and identity were as complex and undefined as motivation, it was as if conscious beings were created to be confused. Lost in this world of danger and fear. Made to decide their own fates, or follow the one laid out for them. Anyone could recreate themselves because who they were wasn't set in stone. An old them could fade from memory entirely, replaced by a completely different person. The only thing stopping people was honesty, another odd concept. Was a lie bad. So many questions, it made his head hurt.

The light fox was the next to comment on his color theory, much more critical, but nonetheless applying the same level of curiosity to the conversation as everyone else. Raphael didn't look taken aback, just thought for a moment, thinking about how he could defend his point further. How he talked now would decide their opinions of him for months, maybe years to come. He shivered at the thought.

"Well, colorblind people just see differently. Even if they see in black n' white. They're seeing different shades of black, they're experiencing bright sunlight as white just like me n' you." He hoped the answer would satisfy the other's question, Raph was growing tired of explaining his already weakly backed theory. Though the questions kept rolling, and his ears would lay flat to his head in mock exhaustion.

Yet another animal had asked him of his name without offering theirs, a simple sign of respect he thought. Maybe that was just how they worked here, he couldn't judge. He felt like they were holding him here, waiting for something to happen. This time, he'd let someone else answer the question, maybe the wolf, or even the serval, who he hadn't notice "pop" away from existence.

The friendliest out of the group was back, offering him real help. Raphael sat right back, eyes glowing at the idea of the soreness in his paws fading away like ice on a warm afternoon. It wasn't that instant, or effective, but he had never truly been injured before. Never gotten healed by someone who was trained to do so. As he raised his left paw, he listened intently to yet another question for him. This one wasn't filled with any malice as far as he could tell, just a question about his name.

He was raised by someone who liked angels, yet his name wasn't the same kind of name as his sister. He began thinking about it too for a moment, wondering why he had the name of religion while his sister was stuck with one of the generic "warrior" names.

Raphael was the angel of healing, whether it be emotional or physical. Made to be called on by healers and people in their weakest moments. This Raphael was no healer, but he tried his very best to help others, and give as much support as possible. Maybe that's what an angel truly is, just helping. Of course, he was unaware that real demons and angels roamed the earth with him. Maybe for the better.

"I'm not an angel anymore than you." He looked directly at the serval this time, unaware of the irony of his comment. It was meant to be a compliment, but in the development from brain to mouth something got lost in translation. This serval was not an average creature like the others around them, the pattern of his fur, the eyes, baffled Raphael through and through. Though each and every one of them seemed oddly supernatural in their appearances; And then there was dull Raphy.

If Raphael knew anything about politics and the world he lived in, he would've put a bit more priority reaching this foreign smelling male. For all he knew, the german shepherd was just another joiner, who would fade into their ranks and their graves without making a difference in the world. Just as many had before them, just as Raphael would one fateful day. He hated the idea of it, and he hated when random strangers wobbled into town, and never even tried to make a change. They would opening explain their discontent, or even how happy they were, but they never fought for anything. He was a hypocrite, and this wasn't just another stranger. Someone of a higher rank, who he should've shown at least the decency of a faster hobble. The feline was limping still, finally reaching a few feet away.

He had first caught sight of the Renegade wolf, hearing a blank voice. It piqued his interest never having seen this other before; Whether of his own clan or not. Esu was standing by the other, a curved smile on his lips as he addressed some order of business. Raphael barely heard him until he reached the other's side, feeling late to the party. The rehearsed business of asking why this male had been sitting at their border patiently for god-knows how long.

He assessed the other, much older than both of them, but seniors got the same respect as the young nowadays. It was more about how you commanded respect from others now, whether it be an air of authority, real power, or even threat. The world wasn't the same as it had been centuries ago, when rank was based on seniority rather than true influence. The other did have an aura of power, so the petite male felt lucky he wasn't in their territory quite yet; Raph wasn't eager to invite him in for a cup of tea either. This other could be no more than an old man who wandered out of the same forests he had, to sniff around and cause trouble.

He wasn't actually very suspicious of bad intent, the boy was rather naive in that sense. Only cautious in very slight senses, but if you looked at him, the grin gracing the pale tabby's lip was one of more curiosity. So he sat gently, to await an answer to a question he had not even heard.

Of course, Raphael had taken a while to make his way to yet another meeting. It always seemed like he was perpetually late to these things, whether it be his limp, or tendency to "stop and smell the roses". He had however gotten there in time to hear the majority of the announcements. It seemed many of them were grave, demotions, deaths, these words never failed to scare the boy. Almost a threat of what would one day be his own fate. It was not today, and a prickle of excitement did not fail to perk his ears up at the second mention of his name. Raphael made what seemed to be brief eye contact with their leader, a tiny dip of his head in silent grateful acceptance. It passed in no more than a second, there were other things to worry about, or even to excited about.

Raphy loved parties. He loved the possibility of food, talking to people he wouldn't meet otherwise, it was all just so breathtaking. He never did understand why clans didn't have them more often, invite the whole world. The more drama that ensued the better! He didn't even bother with congratulations before voicing his own opinion (because obviously everyone wanted to hear that).

"Could I hold a contest! Or some sort of addition on, I feel like it's so much better when there's competition." The tiny male was beaming, flicking his eyes from Perry to Koday in almost wonder, "It could be made so the clan with the most posts by the end wins a prize, or even just bragging rights. Or sparring set up in a field; Oh, oh! Even baking contests..." Raphael's originally very organized thinking process was becoming quite cryptic, as if he were so far lost in thought that the group in the room as well as him wasn't even there. He stopped looking at his two commanders, and stared up, at his own brain, forcing the cogs to start rolling.

There was another one, another loss. It seemed everyday clans lost people, whether they disappeared without a word, or declared loudly so people would beg them to stay. This was a good happy medium, he just felt scared. Even before he had himself left the Sanctum, he had watched this happen a billion times without explanation. Was she unhappy, did he do something. Maybe this was all his fault. He didn't even remember her name.

Raphael had already heard most of the commotion, it wasn't hard considering this "salesperson" was obviously a very bubbly individual. The tiny male walked over with a level of fear, and a level of consideration. He did kind of want the bees, they made honey, and honey was yummy. Then again, the bees were awake, and didn't look too happy with their glass prisons.

"I want a jar. Or two, if they are actually free." His words seemed to trip over themselves as he increased his pace to a bound, dropping his fear. The young male seemed to push the other out of the way gently, sniffing at one with a bright glow in his eyes. One of the bees seemed to glare at him, and made a show of hitting it's face against the exact place Raphael's nose was resting against the glass. The cat pulled his face away.

"How much? Wait no you said free, right, yes, we could trade you a cookie?" Raph looked at Lavender hopefully, now on the opposing side it seemed than the rest of his clanmates. He finally looked at the stranger, this other didn't quite seem right. This siamese was grinning, and seemed, okay. They had three eyes, that was one to many, that was the first thing off. The cat also had teeth like a sabre. Raphael suddenly felt a little uncomfortable being so close to the other, and the bees didn't seem as worth it. He put a weak smile on, faltering for a moment.

"Kis-Vaul? That's your name right, yeah." His voice didn't seem as childlike and enthusiastic now, he was commanding something inside him to capture the more adult side of him. The one he used around most strangers. "If you're a salesperson, why are you giving us these for free?"

A bag? How many possessions could a feline have that required a bag, a decently sized one at that. Raphael watched him with keen and curious eyes. The pale tabby would ket a friendly smile cross his face, trotting over to inquire the other. This male wasn't quite the same welcoming committee he himself had gotten, but he was hoping this other didn't mind. Maybe with time, others would gather to question as well.

"Howdy, how can I help you on this lovely day?" It wasn't very lovely, the sun had a low glow, even he wasn't sure if he enjoyed the late winter weather they had been experiencing. Inside the prison they were safe, but out here on patrols and hunting they were threatened by the elements. "A name could prove useful as well. If you don't mind."

Raphael still wasn't very experienced at the whole speaking bit, but he was trying rather hard to impress every new stranger he came across. This other fellow didn't seem too disagreeable, even though his fur held the color of the night and demons blood. Raph shuddered, imagining the ease he could hide in the dark, unseen, ready for an ambush. Even the grey eyes wouldn't stick out, small silver disks in the moonlight.

Raphael heard something, he wasn't quite sure what it was, a screech of some sort. The male decided it best to ignore, something he very soon would come to regret. Living in the basement came with many different downsides, but the largest had to be the lack of a bathroom of any sort. He had been very successfully continuing his trend of using mother nature as his lavatory. Nothing had yet to yell at him or even really notice.

The pale tabby snuck upstairs, trotting into the open with a sharp inhale. It was nice out here, and he hated to soil it, but nature called, so to speak. Walking out back of the prison, he unzipped his mental jeans, letting his body relief. Suddenly he stopped, mid squat, freezing. There was the yelling again, and before he knew it, a flash of a mop of white hair zoomed by, followed by some other who he didn't quite catch. The male blinked, staring into space.

Was that.... A giant bug.

"Is everything good here?" The male walked over as fast he could, to see what was actually happening (after he finished up of course). Raphael wasn't sure if he even was old enough to sound this nagging, but there was a borderline interclan war about to happen. His brown eyes darted from child to child, fear of something actually happening. God knows Raphael couldn't break up a real fight, whether they were smaller or not.

What a peculiar name, sounded foreign but that was a very odd thing to judge. Outsiders sometimes could be just like any other average joe.

"It's your lucky day, welcome to the Renegades!" The petite male perked up more, trying to find a positive as his paws were sinking further into the slushy landscape. "I'm Raphael, if you need anything ask me and I can direct you to someone who could probably actually help." There was a tone of sarcasm in his voice, trying to be as welcoming and open as possible without seeming antsy to go home.

[rushed]

A lion, amazing. Raphael had seen a tiger before, and the tiger had the most magnificent wings; But this was a lion. The king of beasts, old but probably filled with stories and wisdom. Well, that was likely just an assumption that would end up with a disappointed young man. Raph bounded up, sniffing a few feet away to catch scents of whatever far away place this male had come from. It interested him to no end, thinking about these strangers that he would hopefully be friends with one day.

Raphael's shiny brown eyes looked at the other two, not seeing the same level of amazement. Perhaps they had more experience than he, many people did. They had probably seen dragons and even bears, things Raph had only heard stories about. The skinny boy snapped his face back to the lion, grinning fantastically. A much better mood than the day before.

"Howdy! I'm Raphael, you can call me Raph if you want 'hough," He sounded faintly childlike, but this time didn't bother in fixing it, assuming this other would see him as a youth no matter how mature he acted. Raphael talking like he had a stick up his ass wouldn't earn him more respect. "I know every nook of this place if you ever need help getting around!"

The boy didn't have many friends, so of course, like any normal young adult. Instead of trying to make friends he'd spend hours wandering around, looking for new pigments, secret hiding spots, etc..

Raphael was giggling like a mad man, running down the hallways of the prison. Every time he turned a corner, the boy would search, slapping a new, crisp paper on a wall. Stamping down with a stapler, a new bit of technology he was baffled by entirely. Each poster had a rough drawing of popcorn on it, with chicken scratch beneath. Large childlike handwriting scrawled out what looked like "Movie Nite Planning Comitty" (writing is hard), and some sort of time frame. Raphael was passionate about his idea, thus the giant grin, and insane amount of effort. Rather than just shouting down the hallway about his idea like any normal creature, he put work into an advertisement.

Sure, maybe it wouldn't even go through, but he loved the idea of at least getting people together to talk about what they would want to watch. Everyone was educated enough in human technology to be aware of the large reels and theatrical productions. If they couldn't get ahold of those, maybe the movie club would turn into a glorified theater program; But there were sure to be some remnants of entertainment within the facility.

The male would've been better off if he'd put the date later, but it being the next day eliminated his impatience. Clearly he had many vices, but at least he was trying to bring everyone together (and get more attention). He sat in the center of what would've been a group therapy room in the prison, less of the psychotic grin, but still clearly excited. He would just have to wait for others to show up or show some feeble interest.

[ hey hey he y this is probably dumb because of timezones and all that fun stuff but i was thinking we could get together a rabb.it movie during the weekend. it could be a chance to introduce ourselves all ooc, and give birth to a possible thread where ic people can "watch" the movie. might be a dumb idea, but mention a timezone if you're interested and what times work for you ]

Raphael would never understand canines, their weird habits and actions. Staring at the pup chewing at a stick, he felt utter disgust and curiosity. The cat crinkled his nose, pulling down his brow bone; Showing his reaction in a much more physical manner. It may have been rude of him to be so baffled by something that was just a natural reaction for the dire wolf, but right now he was a bit too tired to care.

He wiped the expression from his face, coming to stand beside his clanmates. He still held the reaction in his eyes, like gleaming brown pools of judgement, not a good look for Raphael.

"Raphael," he carried on from Lavender's introduction, nodding his head briefly to show some level of friendliness.

Why do a meet and greet, it seemed so forced. It was formal and a struggle to make your voice heard in the large group that would scurry over to make themselves seem important. Raphael had the weirdest hatred for them, too professional. He preferred meeting in a casual setting. Maybe hunting, or even...

His mind trailed off for the sixteenth time today, zoning out. It seemed he did it more and more daily, a stagnant expression crossing his face. Raphael tried to always be smiling, the absence was peculiar, as if he were a statue. His shutdown mode to think deeply, no one else would know his internal thoughts, in all honesty he wasn't sure if even knew. They would fade from his head the moment he thought them.

Someone bumping into him shocked him into reality, proceeding to apologize profusely, unsure if it was his fault. The other male just glared at him, Raphael blinked, confused.

Finally joining his companions on the physical plane, he would join the group working on introducing themselves. Forgetting the reason he disliked them, now just feeling uneasy about a large crowd gathering.

"I'm Raphael Muzikant, uh.. I like poetry, long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners, and painting nude models." Raphael went from a completely blank expression to giggling like a young child, he was very easily amused by immature things. Clearly. Pulling himself together, he finally had a smile crossing his lips. "I used to be part of the Sanctum, kinda miss it, but I really like it here."

It was bitter-sweet to think of his old home, the giant mansion with its booming ceilings and bustling kind people. He missed Icenine, and his parents, who were only around once in a blue moon anyways. He missed Salem's accent, smile, and the way he would look at Raphael. There was love there, but they lost it, slipped out of their hands in fear. Raphael's stomach twisted, the smile turning down on the edges. No one would be able to tell, only see the same happy male. Maybe just a bit diluted now.

So much new, bustling life. Raphael loved to just watch the pups play around. as foolish as it was, he wished he could join in. He missed the childlike innocence they all had, when he used to be like that, just a kitten causing trouble underfoot. Raphael smiled, watching the two puppies talk about leaves, unsure of the context, but entertained nonetheless.

He sat down, twirling a long gray tail around his paws to keep them warm. Watching them like a babysitter, at this point, the whole clan doubled as nannies for the babies. Everyone contributed to the wellbeing of the new life. Encouraging growth and happiness. Even though these pups had tragedy already, it would be yet to hit them with the full force. Death was a hard subject, and it effecting someone so early in their life could destroy them completely. Raphael was scared for them, but still hopeful. They would be the leaders of the world when he was old and white around the muzzle. They would decide the fate of their prison dwelling clan.

For now, he would just watch.

// mobile

It was interesting he supposed, watching her bounce from person to person. Her father clearly a favorite, but as Raphael could see, people tended to enjoy their parents. It was odd to not know who your parents were as people, merely having a name and few conversations. It warmed his heart to watch Perry be a good father to the children, especially when they had no mother to assist. Raphael could never even consider being a parent, certainly not at his age.

She cast her bright eyes to him, and per the usual, it took him a few moments to figure out what she was saying to him. The comment showed him just how rude he was being. Looking down at the puppy with now strikingly shocked eyes, Raphael seemed slightly entertained by the thought of Nymph copying his angry looking eyes. It was ironic how fast his mood could shift from disgust to amazement at her ability to pick up on such a faint (or what he considered faint) expression. He opened his mouth, thinking of some sort of explanation that the puppy could grasp. If he was smart, he wouldn't dumb it down, and help the child work on her problem solving and intellectual skills early on; But he still at least wanted to be kind, not insult her Canidae family.

"You may consider me a carnivore, but I prefer rabbit over trees." He smiled suddenly, trying to signal his good intentions, a joke. Of course it was, Nymph had moments earlier said she preferred bones; And to think he saw her as his polar opposite in food taste.