I woke with a grumble, feeling a steady tug on the fur of my tail. “Grmmmllbbplle.” I muttered as I pushed my head up. “Nevin what do?”

“Did I wake you?”

I nodded as I rubbed my eyes. He looked pale. I tilted my head to the side, “Nevin?” He smiled and paused to rest a hand on my head.

“You’ve been through quite the ordeal, I’m sorry I made you do that.” He must have been talking about how he had forced me to pull out the writhing dark soul inside me. My ears fell flat against my head and he continued. “No- don’t feel bad honey. I got excited. It looks dimmer. Even the chain bond between us that it has looks lighter.”

I scrunched up my face. “Only because the life thing. No do!” I muttered. I didn’t like that the thing that could quite possibly be saving me was him doing things that could risk his life. “Promise no do again.”

He gave me a small smile as his hand lowered to cup my cheek. “I’ll try not to.”

Good. I nodded. Trusting his words. If he said he wouldn’t then I would trust him not to. I shifted from his lap to peer out the window. The sun had risen and it was well past morning now. Things hadn’t been going too well for us. I wanted to show him...that things were good

I also… I think I also needed a reminder.

“Nevin, let go fishing in forest then.. Ah...we can go do the things that the dating people do?”

Nevin stared at me for a moment, and I began to get worried before he suddenly enveloped me in a warm hug, pressing my face into his chest. When he let me back, there was a smile, a real smile, on his face. “Sure, we can go fishing. And we can even go on a picnic - it's something dating people do.” He stood up and seemed to shake for a moment before walking towards the kitchen. “I'll get some stuff to go with the fish together and -” He paused, looking back at me with an odd look.

“I'm really glad you're home.” Then he hurried out with a blush on his cheeks.

Home…. I quite liked the sound of that.

Yeh this was my home now.