Chapter One

There was a speck of dirt on his fur. 

Darah, hanging from a little branch on one of the many trees on his property, hastily began cleaning his fur with his little teeth. He’d just finished feeding on one of his neighbor’s cows, with permission, of course. 

He paid the man weekly for the meals and the farmer even set aside three cows for him to use to make it easier for him to look after the little cuts he made on their skin. It was a good deal on both ends, and it saved those particular older cows from being sent to a slaughterhouse. 

They were also the most laid back of the herd and never minded when he plopped down next to them in his tiny bat form and climbed up their legs to get a drink. 

Content with his freshly-cleaned fur, Darah stretched his tiny wings and tilted his head back, glancing over the stretch of his own property. He didn’t have any cattle of his own, because he just honestly wouldn’t take care of an animal all that well, but there were many that did  call his land home. 

Prairie dogs roamed freely on his four acres of land, happily enjoying their multitude of burrows and spaces to graze. Thankfully, they rarely ventured over into his neighbor’s pastures, and he didn’t mind the holes they created in his fields since they kept the grass down quite nicely. 

As he looked around, his sensitive eyes picked up a flash of silver underneath the moonlight. 

What is that? 

At first, he thought it was just a large rat. It’s color was similar to one, but as he continued to watch it hurry across the field, he quickly realized that it was definitely not a rat. It was too long, and it had a furry tail as opposed to a hairless one. 

Before he could get a better look, however, it disappeared down a prairie dog hole. 

He considered flying over it to get a better look, but then quickly decided against it. Whatever it had been was likely long gone by now, lost in the many burrows that the prairie dogs had built. 

Maybe I’ll see it again next time. 

Dropping from the branch, Darah easily flew back to his home, his tiny belly contently full of blood. He didn’t particularly need to drink it everyday, but he did need to supplement his diet with it at least two or three times a week. He could manage to hold off for almost  a week if he took iron pills, but eventually the hunger pangs and headaches just got to be too much. 

No pill could permanently replace fresh blood and getting a steady flow of human donations has been hard to manage. 

Shifting back to his human form in the darkness, Darah looked out over his fields again. A faint squeaking sound caught his attention, followed by another, in the same direction he’d seen that odd animal run. 

Within moments three prairie dogs emerged from a different burrow some hundred yards away, all clearly panicked as they seemed to run for their lives! 

He hurried forward after tugging on the pair of shorts he’d left for himself, but quickly stopped as he got to the edge of the concrete patio. There were way too many holes in the fields to just go running out there in the dark. 

I can see it. Something’s chasing them. 

It was shorter than the prairie dogs, and longer, but just as quick. 

Definitely not a snake, either. 

It was a mammal of some sort, but it was just too hard to see it clearly in the dark, even with his excellent night vision. 

Before he could decide on a response,  a terrified squeak rang out in the still night! The creature had taken down a prairie dog and within seconds, drug it down into a burrow!

Normally he wouldn’t mind a predator in the area, as snakes tended to wander in and out of his fields, but considering how open they were, with little brush to hide in, it wasn’t often that he came across one. Hawks also only hunted during the day and Owls weren’t very common in the area, either. 

There was nothing that would generally prey on a little bat just going about its business on the ground… but now suddenly, there was. 

As storm clouds began to the blow in, Darah decided that trying to watch for the creature any longer would likely be a waste of time. There was, however, something else he could do about the situation. 

Hurrying to his room after shutting and locking the sliding glass door, he dropped down into his gaming chair and shook the mouse to his computer, waking up the screen. 

He was soon browsing the internet, looking up different predators for his area. Unfortunately, the information he found was not what he’d hoped for. Not a single thing could compare to what he’d seen. 

Leaning back in his chair, Darah thought for a few moments before leaning forward again and opening his Discord app. Good, some of his guild were in the general voice channel. He entered after putting on his headset. 

“Eh, boss? You don’t normally login on Wednesdays,” his second in command, Imacat, said. 

The guy was right, of course. He didn’t normally play on Wednesdays. Well, he wasn’t interested in playing right then, either. 

“I’m not going to login. I just had a question for you guys since I can’t seem to find a reasonable answer myself,” he said, earning a few hums of confusion from those present. 

It was rare that he didn’t know something, and even rarer that he came to them for answers. Especially on something not game related. This was probably the first time that had ever happened. 

“Oh? Whatcha got for us, boss?” asked another familiar voice; Percussion. 

Darah clicked open his browser showing the local wildlife, then spoke. 

“I found something attacking prairie dogs while I was outside, but it was too dark to see it clearly. I know that it wasn’t a snake, and it definitely wasn’t another prairie dog…” 

Most people might poke fun at him for worry about the little creatures, but they had become his entertainment when he wasn’t gaming. Watching them go about their day while relaxing in his hammock or reading in his swinging chair was one of his most treasured times during his week. 

Smiling to himself at the memories, Darah waited and listened. They all knew the state where he lived, so it was easy enough to look up the animals there, but one after the other, they offered up little more information then what he’d already managed to find out, himself. 

“There is one thing I’m seeing that could make sense,” another guild member, Schnort, said. 

“What is it, Shorty?” Darah asked, using the nickname they tended to call him by since no one really cared to say Schnort all the time. 

Used to the name, Schnort simply answered as they heard his mouse click a few times in the background. 

“What about a ferret?” 

A ferret? 

“You mean an escaped pet?” Darah questioned, having honestly not thought of that possibility. 

The little ferrets at the pet store looked cute and adorable, but he’d definitely heard his fare share of stories about how they could also be pretty vicious if they wanted to be. 

He quickly pulled up some information on pet ferrets, then pursed his lips as he read over it. Except, before he could get very far, Schnort replied to his previous question. 

“No, I mean a black-footed ferret,” he corrected as Darah heard a notification chime for his and Schnort’s private chat. 

Switching over to it, he clicked on the link provided. 

“I… never knew these existed,” he mumbled unintentionally into his headset as he quickly began scanning the article he’d been sent. 

“Evidently, they were extirpated, or pretty much died out in your area, but there’s still technically a chance that a few have survived,” Schnort said as the sound of typing was heard from several of the other mics. 

“Those… are actually pretty adorable,” Schlongalong said. 

“Oh hey boss, they finally got Schlong. The GMs changed his name to Singalong in game. Didn’t even give the poor guy a chance,” Imacat said, making Darah roll his eyes as he continued to browse over the information he’d been sent. 

The guy had been given plenty  of chances to change his name to something more appropriate, he’d just chosen to ignore them. It was his own fault that he was now a buff, nearly-maxed out character with the adorable name Singalong. 

“Of course they did. Alright, thank you for the information, Shorty, I’ll be back tomorrow.” 

He signed off voice chat a moment later, then sat back in his chair to think. It was very possible that what he’d seen was a black-footed ferret, but at the same time, if they were no longer found in his area, it was hard to believe that one had somehow still survived there. 

And in my backyard, no less. Eating my prairie dogs. 

He’d looked over their prey source thoroughly, and while bats obviously wouldn’t be an option, if one happened to land on the ground near it, he doubted that it would hesitate to catch the easy meal. 

Of course, he could run pretty darn well for a bat. Likely the best out of all the different kinds, but he doubted that he’d outrun a ferret. 

Especially not one as ferocious as the one I saw earlier. 

That led him to another thought that he wasn’t a fan of, too. 

What if there are more than one?

Rubbing at his furrowed brow, Darah leaned forward and began earnestly researching the little demons. 

Thunder boomed as rain roared down outside, making for calming background sound as he worked. By the time he realized what time it was, three hours had passed and he had read through nearly twenty articles and five websites. 

He was just about to glance at one more thing when the lights suddenly began to flicker. 

Oh crap!

Scooting back quickly, he dropped to his knees and ducked under his desk to unplug his expensive computer. He managed to remove the plug just in time. A particularly loud clap of thunder shook his house, then the power failed, leaving him in nearly complete darkness. 

Good thing I can see well in the dark. 

Not bothering with a flashlight, Darah straightened back up and looked around, allowing his eyes to adjust, then walked out into the living room to look out the back door. 

Oh geez. 

The rain was seriously coming down outside and the thunder and lightning were easily keeping up with its pace. 

Walking closer, he could feel the ground shake with each strike of lightning and rumble of thunder. Several of the bolts were hitting out in his fields, making him nervous for his little prairie dogs and his neighbor’s animals. 

I hope he was able to get them inside before the storm hit. 

He watched as the water slowly flowed past the cement slab of his back patio. It shouldn’t get into the house, but it was definitely beginning to come close. 

Hmm? 

Narrowing his eyes outside, he noticed several things moving out in the storm. 

Wait… are those the prairie dogs? 

Darah watched in shock as the little creatures scurried from their burrows as if there was a fire underground! Or… 

“They’re flooding.” 

It had already rained the past few days in a row, and now that the ground was saturated, the burrows were starting to flood. 

The thought to try and help them immediately came to mind, but he knew that he would be useless, and look quite foolish, trying to chase down a bunch of prairie dogs in the rain. Besides, they seemed to know what to do and were likely heading to higher ground. 

There was, however, one particular soggy creature that was running in quite a strange direction. The little guy was heading straight for his house, bounding over the holes in the ground as if they were nothing. Soon, it had arrived at his concrete patio, giving him a reasonably clear view of it in the dim light. 

It really is a ferret!

The little guy was completely soaked through, its normally-fluffy coat now sopping wet. It actually made the ferret look much skinnier. 

It sniffed around a little but each time the thunder boomed overhead it jumped a bit, flinching from the loud noise. He wasn’t too surprised. Since black-footed ferrets tended to live in prairie dog burrows, having to weather a storm outside in the open must be incredibly stressful. 

It danced around on his patio, looking for somewhere safe to hide from the wind and rain. Unfortunately, he’d only moved in a few months ago and hadn’t bought a whole lot of stuff for the place yet. That was why his living room was pretty much empty, too. 

He was just thinking about possibly buying at least a regular outside chair in case this sort of thing happened again, instead of his hanging swing chair, when he noticed the little ferret move close to the glass door. 

It clearly couldn’t see him on the other side… or it was just too panicked to really notice. Either way, Darah slowly squatted down and watched the little ferret paw at the glass, as if it were trying to will its way inside his house. 

Pursing his lips, he considered the terrified creature. He knew that it was against the law to interfere with an endangered species, but the poor thing looked about ready to faint from fright. 

It couldn’t hurt to just open the door a little, right? It’s not like I’m going to keep it or anything. 

In fact, as he was considering that option he realized that the water had begun to rise over his patio slab and was now inching its way towards the little ferret. 

Fuck it. 

Without thinking further on the situation, Darah slowly stood up and as quietly as he could, grabbed the door handle and gently slid it back along its track. Thankfully, it was brand new and moved easily, and with the storm in the background, the ferret didn’t seem to even hear it. 

Once it was open about six inches, he quietly moved to the side, then sat down near the end of the door so that he could push it closed once the ferret came in. 

If it came in. 

He could see it continuing to check different areas of the glass to see if it could pass through, but time and again it just-barely missed trying the little open space he’d left for it. 

You can do it, little guy. Come in and dry off. Once the storm is over I’ll open the door right back up so you can return home. 

Or, well, to the prairie dog’s homes. 

He still wasn’t very happy about it hunting his prairie dogs, but after reading so much about them, he couldn’t deny that the ferret would help with population control. 

His mind wandered as the storm raged, leaving him distracted until movement directly in front of him caught his attention. 

It came in! 

Of course, it was still being extremely cautious and didn’t move away from the opened door, but still! 

He sat in utter silence as he watched the little creature. It nervously sniffed at the carpet and flicked its little white ears here and there, clearly trying to pick up on any danger. In between lightning strikes, he could actually make out a little chattering sound coming from it, making him think back to what he’d read. 

It’s stressed. 

He couldn’t blame it, and as it finally inched its way further into his home, he knew that it was about to get a good deal more stressed, too. 

The moment he felt that it had gone far enough, Darah shoved the door closed, startling it enough to make it jump a good foot in the air, then swing around and bolt right into the glass door with a loud thunk! 

Oops…

The ferret quickly shook off the hit, but then immediately began painting little muddy pawprints all over the bottom of his clean sliding door! 

It took every ounce of control in him to leave it alone and simply watch, promising himself that he would wash the glass as soon as his temporary guest settled down. 

It took nearly half an hour for the ferret to give up on returning outside, then another ten minutes before it wandered off into the hallway somewhere. 

He knew that he should have followed it right away so that it didn’t get into anything, but what harm could something that small and terrified do in such a short amount of time? 

Besides, he had more important things to deal with right then, and as his power flickered back on a moment later, along with one of his living room lights, Darah felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. 

Not only did the glass have a bunch of little brown pawprints on it, but the carpet… 

Cleaning first, then I’ll go check on it!

Chapter Two

Rats were supposed to stay outside.

It had been many years since he’d run away from the orphanage, but ingrained lessons weren’t something easily forgotten. Especially when they came with a beating and a repeatedly broken tail. It was more of a zigzag after so many breaks, but it was also fluffy enough for it to not be too noticeable.

Not that such a thing really mattered. The main rule had been broken, and whether he was still at the orphanage or not, Rat expected to be punished for coming inside. He honestly shouldn’t have hidden, either, since that usually just made the supervisor more angry, but it had been so long since he’d been beaten… he didn’t want it to happen again.

Instinct was truly a fickle thing sometimes.

It had been the reason he’d been forced to live in the backyard of the orphanage for part of his childhood. He wasn’t comfortable around other children. He didn’t want to talk to them or interact with them.

And all of the light…

The thought made him rub his muddy paws over his face, trying to shake the shiver of stress away that had followed that thought. He hated bright light. He’d hated that he’d had to be awake during the day. To function and pretend to smile. His eyes were also far too sensitive to sunlight, making it hard for him to even go to school like a normal kid.

He’d managed to finish fifth grade, but when they’d tried to send him off to sixth, he’d refused to get on the bus. That was when the beatings started. The supervisor’s job was to make sure all the kids behaved as kids, even if they didn’t want to. That meant getting up in the morning and going to school.

She’d managed to throw him onto the bus a handful of times, but the day that he’d suddenly shapeshifted, things got a lot harder for her to manage. Mainly because he was a very fast rat. Or, at least, that’s what she’d called him. He honestly had no idea what he was, and it didn’t really matter, either. As long as he could get away, everything would be okay.

However, there were some times when he couldn’t, and after refusing to go to school for half a year, and refusing to return to his human form for most of those days, the director came to the orphanage and had a discussion about him with the head supervisor.

The first time she’d broken his tail tail with her foot had been the most painful thing he’d ever experienced in his life up to that point.

From then on it was as if she’d been given the freedom to do whatever she wanted with him. Since he rarely ever returned to his human form anymore, he was moved out of the room he’d shared with another boy and had his pillow and torn backpack thrown into an old dirty linen closet.

He’d been a little upset at first, but there was a little hole at the bottom of that closet that fit his animal’s body perfectly, and it was extremely dark inside. He grew to love the solitude.

Except, soon it wasn’t so quiet.

Almost as if they had been coaxed to do so, the other orphans began kicking the door whenever they passed by it, laughing each time they, no-doubt, startled him.

After a few months, she decided to stop feeding him, claiming that if he wanted to be a rat, he could hunt the mice that snuck in at night if he was hungry. While it had clearly been said to him as a punishment, the thought of hunting opened up a whole new world for him.

Soon he was catching mice in the middle of the night, his ferocious squeaks and snarls waking children at all hours as he let his fuzzy rat take down mouse after mouse! While most kids who had been bullied would feel some satisfaction in that they were now waking up the bullies when they were trying to sleep, Rat never thought like that. All he wanted was to do was to be left alone to do what his instincts were telling him to.

And to say that he picked up hunting well would have been the understatement of the year.

Unfortunately, keeping half-eaten mouse carcasses in a broom closet didn’t exactly smell nice after a few weeks and soon he found himself being trapped in a box and put outside in the tiny backyard.

A bowl of water was left near the back door for him, and was usually kicked over by the first kid that came outside that day, but that was pretty much it.

He lived in that backyard for another two years before finally deciding to slip underneath a small hole that had worn away at the bottom of the wooden fence and disappear.

That was the last time he’d interacted with humans.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Rat looked around the room he’d run into. Of course, he was far under the bed, so it wasn’t like he had the best view, but it was good enough to see danger coming. Which was all that mattered.

There was certainly a lot of sounds coming from the other room, and quite a bit of grumbling, but to his surprise, the human he saw for the briefest moment as he ran by him earlier didn’t seem all that interested in finding him.

The sound of a vacuum cleaner being turned on had him jumping and smacking his head on the underside of the bed frame!

I don’t like that sound.

The supervisor would always slam it against his tiny closet door just to scare him whenever she was vacuuming the upstairs hallway.

He chattered a bit, a sound his rat tended to make when it was nervous. That was one thing he barely had any control over. His instincts made the sounds. If he was stressed, he’d chatter and if he was upset, he’d hiss or growl.

There was sometimes a squeak thrown in there once in a while, but that was mainly for when he was startled by something. He squeaked quite a bit earlier, but now that he was inside the thunder was much less scary.

“Alright, got all of that cleaned up,” a male voice said, seeming relieved.

Is that the supervisor here?

He’d never been inside someone else’s home, so he wasn’t sure how that hierarchy worked.

Rat twitched his little ears and decided that his guess was as good as anything else he might come up with.

“I wonder where that little guy ran off to,” the male said as he walked around his house, seemingly looking for him.

I should leave.

The storm was still raging, but rats didn’t belong inside. Once the man realized what he was, he surely wouldn’t be happy.

Will he try to hurt me if I go back to the door and ask to be let out?

He should have known better than to try and go inside a human home. There was one other pressing matter that Rat realized he might need to take care of before he risked a beating from the new supervisor, though.

He really had to pee.

Normally, he’d just go whenever he felt like he needed to, but he remembered how badly he got hit whenever he relieved himself inside after he’d shifted permanently.

Surely this home had a bathroom?

He doubted that he’d be able to balance on the toilet, but the bathtub wouldn’t be a bad spot, right? It could just be rinsed off.

Tilting his nose up a little, he sniffed the air to try and decipher where one might be. After only a minute, he realized that he was in luck. Turning his head slightly, he noticed a door that was slightly ajar a little ways away from the one he’d come in through.

Determined to at least not make a mistake during his short visit, Rat hurried forward and bounded into the room.

It… was much bigger than the one he’d used at the orphanage!

Momentarily stunned, he slowly turned in a circle, staring wide-eyed at the glisteningly-clean separate bathtub, shower, toilet, and cabinetry. It was absolutely spotless!

He was so enamored by the room that he didn’t realize someone was staring at him until his eyes noticed sock-covered feet a short distance away. When he managed to put two and two together, then look up, he just about passed out from fear.

Instead of doing that, however, he flattened his tiny ears and let out the loudest hissed-squeak he’d ever heard come out of himself!

Oh, and he also peed. Right there on the floor before turning tail and running straight into the side of the bathtub with a loud thunk!

“Oh jeez.”

Rat quickly got up onto his hind legs and tried to hop into the bathtub, but that smack to his head had made him dizzy, resulting in several sloppy attempts that all ended in squeaks of failure until he finally decided to just hide behind the toilet.

The supervisor didn’t seem to mind him, thankfully, and was clearly busy wiping up the little mess he’d made. The chattering returned, his animal side vocalizing his nervousness.

“Ah, it’s alright. Nothing a little wiping up won’t take care of,” the supervisor said as he tossed the dirty toilet paper in the toilet, then washed his hands.

Rat was glad that he didn’t flush it. He was already on edge as it was.

“Now then, what should I do with you? It’s still storming outside, but I’d rather you not leave me any presents under my bed…” the man said, making Rat perk his tiny ears up.

I was a good rat! I didn’t leave anything!

Except maybe some dirt.

“You did come to the bathroom to pee, though. That’s a little strange for a wild ferret to do,” he mused, making Rat tilt his head slightly.

He wasn’t technically wild, but he definitely wouldn’t be friendly if the guy tried to grab him or touch him in any way. People had always meant pain to him, and if the prairie dog burrows hadn’t all flooded so suddenly and scared him, he wouldn’t have run towards the house.

He was also newer to the area, so he didn’t know where the safe spots for flooding were yet.

Of course, he could have just followed the prairie dogs, but he’d been too scared by the storm to think straight.

The faint sound of something beeping drew the man’s attention as he looked out the door for a moment, then back at him.

“Wait here, I need to go get that. Dinner’s done cooking.”

Rat watched him leave, then tilted his nose up a little and sniffed.

Oh? Now that he wasn’t so frightened, he did smell something cooking. Besides rummaging through trash a few times a few years ago, it had been quite some time since he’d had a cooked meal.

Of course, he didn’t expect the supervisor to give him anything, even though he’d lost his meal in the flood earlier, making his tiny stomach rumble unhappily.

It might take a while for the burrows to drain, too, making his prey harder to find. He might just have to try and fight something else in the meantime.

He was just considering trying to look around a bit to possibly find a mouse when he heard the supervisor return.

“I’m not sure if you’ll like these, but I only used a bit of honey and cinnamon for the sauce, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem for you,” he said as he set down a little white plate in front of Rat before calmly moving away.

He’d earned himself a growl for the proximity, but once he’d backed away and sat down by the open door, Rat glanced down at the items on the plate. There were two, and they looked to be some sort of meat.

It smells good.

Much sweeter a scent than his normal prey had, but he was hungry and meat was meat. Curious but cautious, Rat inched closer until he could snatch one of the items and immediately drag it back behind the toilet.

A tiny trail of sauce lined the floor like a blood trail, but he didn’t pay it any mind as he began to chew at the item.

“Maybe I should have wiped the sauce off those two ribs…” the supervisor mumbled, the words seemingly not directed at him, so he paid them no mind.

This is good.

Soon he was holding the rib down with his front paws as he happily chewed off bites of the meat. It was tender, much unlike his normal prey, and there was quite a lot of moisture in it. He would hydrate well if the other was just as juicy.

“I guess that means you approve of my cooking. Although, I was planning to test that recipe on a hot girl, not a ferret, but I guess they can be similar in some ways…”

His words still didn’t seem important, so they were ignored again in favor of polishing off the first rib, then immediately snatching the second to drag it back to his saucy toilet lair.

The supervisor watched him for quite some time before standing back up and walking away. He returned a few minutes later after setting something down in his room.

“Would you like another? It looks like you cleaned both of those right down to the bone,” the man said as he knelt down and held out the fresh rib to him… without putting it down on the plate.

Rat’s response was an automatic warning growl.

“It’s alright. I won’t hurt you little guy,” the man said, making the growling slowly fade into silence.

That didn’t mean that Rat was going to take the food, though. He’d heard those words before plenty of times in his life, but the first time he fell for them and got hurt, he’d learned that words weren’t always what they should be.

Thus, he ended up growling again, then following it up with a hiss.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll set it down for you right here,” the supervisor said as he set the rib on the plate, then actually got up and walked out.

Rat could still see him as he sat down at a desk and began eating his own meal, which made him feel much better about eating the new rib. In fact, he even inched out of his hiding spot and settled partially on top of the small plate to begin his third portion.

“So uh, I have a visitor for the night,” the supervisor said, drawing Rat’s attention back up to him.

The man wasn’t even looking at him. Instead, he was staring at a computer screen. Clearly, his words hadn’t been meant for him. Back to the rib!

“Yeah, he really did come inside. It was storming really bad outside and the burrows flooded.”

“No, he hasn’t bitten me yet, idiot. He’s actually surprisingly-well behaved. He even went to the bathroom when he had to pee… though he did so on the floor because I startled him.”

“I… don’t think he is. He’s clearly not interested in getting close to me, but he’s also not as aggressive as I thought he’d be.”

“No, I haven’t tried asking him anything.”

By this time Rat had finished his meal and was quite content. Since the supervisor was busy speaking to himself, he began trying his best to clean the sticky sauce from his fur. He’d made quite a mess of himself…

“Would you like to take a bath, little guy?”

The volume of that question was a little louder, drawing Rat’s attention up to the supervisor, who had stood up and taken a single step closer. He had a big pair of headphones on his head, making him look a little funny.

There was a smile on his face as he tucked a length of dark brown hair behind one ear.

“I can put some warm water in a little bin for you if you don’t want me picking you up,” he added, then seemed to decide to just do what he’d said he would and pulled out a little gray bin from beneath the sink.

“I sometimes use it to soak my feet when I don’t want to fill up half the bathtub, but I swear I clean it extremely well after each time,” he said, as if Rat would care about that sort of thing in the least.

He scooted back to his little sauce lair as the supervisor walked over to the tub and got the water running. Thankfully, he didn’t put it on full blast, keeping Rat from stressing further.

“Alright, this should do…” the man said before filling up the little plastic tub, then setting it on the floor in front of the bathtub.

He then seemed to realize something and set a towel beneath the tub, then laid out another towel across the tile floor.

“There we go. Take your time, okay? And don’t worry about splashing water out.”

With that the supervisor returned to his computer desk and continued eating his meal, leaving Rat curious about the container in front of him.

He sauntered forth from his lair, no longer as cautious about the man. He didn’t seem interested in harming him, so he’d give him the benefit of the doubt… for now.

Besides, as Rat inched closer, then looked over the rim of the tall container, he felt his little heart do a tiny flip.

It had been years since he’d had a warm bath.

Not wanting to wait, since he doubted the water would stay warm for long, he quickly got up on his tippy toes and pushed himself over the edge.

The moment he plopped down into the water he began rolling and spinning around, splashing a good bit out of the tub, but not really caring. The supervisor had said that it was okay, so he decided to trust him.

Thus, he spent the next fifteen minutes or so splashing about and, of course, cleaning the bits of sauce from his fur. By the time he was content with his bath, most of the water was now out of the tub.

It was a good thing he’d thought to put a towel down.

Oh, right.

Looking at the other one further away, Rat realized that it must have been put there so that he could dry off. Happy for the chance to do so, he hopped out of the plastic bin, then began rolling around in the towel, quickly finding himself tangled within its fuzzy depths.

It really did dry him off decently well, and rather quickly, but by the time he was content with his level of dampness, he had a problem.

I… think I’m stuck.

“Uh oh, hang on a second guys,” the supervisor said as Rat heard him stand up and come closer.

He, of course, automatically growled a warning since he couldn’t see or move, but the man seemed to understand his frustration.

“I can help you untangle yourself if you’re okay with it? I promise I’ll be careful.”

He really didn’t want help, but at the same time, he could understand that he did, in fact, need it. His animal side, not so much, but it did calm down after a few more grumbles.

Once he’d quieted down completely, the man began to gently start unfolding the mess he’d gotten himself into. While Rat knew that he really was just trying to help, he kept having to fight his animal half to keep from trying to bite through the fabric. It was quite an ordeal, leaving him truly exhausted by the time he was finally freed from the cloth.

“There we go. It sure did dry you nicely, at least,” the man said with a quiet chuckle.

Rat twitched his whiskers at him, then gave a bit yawn before shaking his head a bit.

Sleepy…

“Ah, you’ve had a long night. I know you guys are nocturnal but maybe you’d like to go to bed early tonight?” the supervisor said as he grabbed one more towel, then opened one of the drawers beneath the sink.

Rat watched him as he nudged aside the items on one side, then slid the fluffy towel inside. He knew that he probably should have moved away, since he was still rather close, but he just didn’t feel any danger right then so he’d stayed put.

“How about that? I’m going to be awake for a good while longer, but you’re welcome to sleep in there if you’re more comfortable with it.”

Rat eyed the dark little area, then inched closer as the man slowly scooted away.

He first tested the little door, making sure that he could easily move it in case it shut on him. Next, he checked the softness of the towel.

It… was much softer than the tightly packed dirt he was used to in the tunnels.

He nodded his head with an affirmative squeak. It would definitely do!

Rat happily hopped up into his new little bed, then spun in a circle twice before curling up contently.

“I’ll take that as a positive. You have a good night, little guy. If you need anything, I’ll be awake.”

With that, the supervisor turned off the low light in the bathroom, then partially closed the door, leaving him in a surprisingly-comfortable, quiet darkness.

Chapter Three

“Hey dad, can you look something up for me please?” Darah asked as he spoke into his phone. 

His father was a police officer and was currently on duty, but there was nothing going on at the moment, so he’d given his son a call. It had been perfect timing. 

He’d quickly explained his friend’s assumptions about the ferret, and wanted his dad to check and see if there were any registered shifters in the area with that animal. If it was so rare in the wild, he hoped that it wasn’t a very common shift, either. 

Unfortunately, his father wasn’t able to find a single shifter known to possess a black-footed ferret shift in the area, or even the state. 

Well, so much for that. 

Unsurprisingly, the little ferret was still sound asleep in his bathroom, so Darah had to get up and get showered in the one across the living room. His house had a split floorplan, which was perfect for whenever he invited friends over… if he ever made them in real life. His guild friends had commented about visiting once or twice, but he never took them too seriously. 

Besides, they were all mostly introverts, just like him. They’d probably just set up a big gaming party and do the same thing they always did. 

“Oh well. Thanks for checking,” he said after a few moments of thought. 

“Hey Dar? If he really is a shifter, you be careful, okay? Some criminals choose to live in their other forms to escape being arrested for serious crimes,” his dad warned. 

It was understandable. He’d heard first hand what his dad sometimes had to deal with. Tracking down hit and run tigers, abusive anteaters, and even a mob boss bunny. 

It really was a wild world out there. 

Which was why he was perfectly happy staying at home and doing his contracted gaming with a bit of customer service email work on the side. 

He also ran his own guild, which took a big chunk of his time, itself. 

Not that he regretted it. Not even for a moment. 

In the time since he’d woken up, he’d already had four messages from his guildmates discussing certain events they were having later that week. 

Hmm? 

Sensing eyes on him, Darah turned his attention in the direction of his room, only to stifle a laugh as he saw the little ferret squeak and quickly tuck its head back beyond the doorway. 

“Something entertaining?” his father questioned, reminding him that he was still on the phone. 

“The ferret is awake. He was watching me, but when I noticed he immediately ducked back into my room.” 

“Oh? I do mean to be careful, Darah. He might look cute and adorable, but he could be something completely different in his human form,” his father warned again, making Darah shake his head. 

I scared the literal piss out of him. I don’t think he’s a mobster. 

“Alright dad, I’ll be careful. I’m gonna go see if he wants something to eat since he just woke up. I’ll talk to you later.” 

With that they said their goodbyes, then Darah tucked his phone into his back pocket and slowly made his way back towards his room. He was already dressed for the evening, since he’d woken up around noon. Now it was close to four. That was, however, a perfectly logical time for his little friend to start rising from his own slumber. 

“Hey bud, want something to eat?” he asked as he peeked into his room. 

To his surprise, the little ferret wasn’t hiding. It was settled next to his gaming chair, watching him with nervous, but curious, eyes. 

“We ate all the ribs last night, but maybe you’d be interested in something else?” 

It was still raining steadily outside, so he doubted that his new friend would want to leave just yet. 

The little ferret tilted its head, seemingly contemplating. 

“Hmm, I’ve got a pretty good frozen pizza in the freezer. Do you like pizza? It has a lot of meat on it,” Darah offered as he leaned against the doorjamb to keep himself from moving around too much and startling his visitor. 

To his surprise, the ferret took a few steps forward at the mention of pizza, making him smile. 

“You like pizza? It might be a frozen one, but I promise it’s actually really good. I’ll go get it cooking for us,” Darah said before heading back to the kitchen. 

He heard the little intermittent patter of paws as his new friend slowly followed, halting every few moments to make sure that it was still safe to do so. Darah ignored him, not wanting to make him more nervous. Besides, as he got the oven preheated, he dug through his fridge and found some extra pepperoni slices that would go perfectly with the already-loaded pizza. 

As he was finding spots to fill, he felt his phone chime in his pocket and took it out to set on the counter. With a few taps of the screen, he had his discord voice chat on. 

“What’s up?” he asked as he heard a few people talking. 

“Ah, hey boss! We were just wondering if you’d wanna come help us out with a mega boss real quick? Cat got the time of death yesterday and it should be spawning at any moment,” Singalong said. 

Hearing the beep for the preheat notice go off, Darah carefully got their overloaded pizza in the oven, then set the timer before responding. 

“Sure, I’m cooking at the moment but I can hop on. Will just need to step away when the timer goes off.” 

There was a resounding amount of cheering from his phone, which made him glance over his shoulder. 

Figured. 

The guys had been a bit too noisy for his guest. The ferret had run all the way back to his room and was now peeking around the corner at him. 

“Alright, I’ll come login now,” he said as he turned off the app on his phone and headed for his room. 

He made sure not to stare at the ferret as he went, not wanting to stress it further. No animal that had any kind of predator wanted to be watched by something that could possibly do it harm. 

To his relief, the little guy didn’t move very far away as he entered his room and went over to his desk to sit down. A minute later and his computer was up and running and he was sliding his headphones on. 

“Hey guys, I’m back. Logging in now,” he said as he got the game going. 

Soon he was absorbed in the fight. He had actually managed to claim the spawn right as he’d zoned into the area with his character, beating out four other guilds that were camping it. 

The fight, however, was the true test of skill. Even with seven guild members ready and waiting, it was still taking everything they had to stay alive against the massive minotaur. 

Over the next twenty minutes Darah was completely focused on ordering his group to keep certain buffs on, hold damage at certain times so that the monster could be slept in order to allow them to recover their hit points and magic points, and to chain damage skills together once they were ready to continue the fight. 

It took a lot  of coordination. 

… sor? 

Darah frowned and quickly told his group to quiet the chatter so that everyone could focus. Two of their players just died so they needed to make sure that the monster stayed asleep for a bit. 

He was just about to start giving orders to start attacking again after a five minute reprieve when he felt the softest tap against his left thigh at the same time he heard the quietest whisper. 

Pardon m…visor? 

Darah frowned and looked down at his leg. 

Oh!

The little ferret immediately darted away, drawing his attention to the hallway, where it stopped and turned to chatter at him. 

“Oh shit!” he exclaimed as he quickly stood up and hurried for the kitchen. 

“Sorry guys, my food is done and I didn’t hear the timer go off. Cat, you’re in charge for a minute,” he said as he muted his mic and got out his two over mitts. 

After turning off the oven, he quickly got their pizza out, then sighed with relief when he saw that it wasn’t too burnt. Just a bit crispy. 

“Thanks bud, I didn’t hear it,” he said as he offered the little ferret an appreciative smile. 

To his surprise, the little guy gave him a squeak in response as it stood up on its hind legs for a second. 

“Ah, right! I’ll get you set up here, just a sec,” Darah said as he quickly got down a plate, then added a big slice to it before starting towards the ferret. 

He got a whole three steps before he realized the amount of absolute mess the pizza could cause on his carpets, then back peddled until he was deep into the kitchen.

“Would it be alright if you ate it in here? I just don’t want stains on the new carpet,” he said as he set the plate down, then walked away to make his own. 

He didn’t expect the ferret to move from the entryway of the kitchen until he’d gotten his own food and exited, but to his surprise, he heard little claws patter on the tile not five seconds later. 

When he finished getting his own stuff together, he realized that he had no water bowl in the kitchen for his friend and quickly filled one up. He even added two ice cubes, just in case he preferred it cold. 

“Alright, I’ve got to head back. You enjoy your breakfast and let me know if there’s anything else you need,” he said as he walked back towards his room, only glancing back at the ferret once he was at a reasonable distance. 

Oh… I guess someone really likes pizza. 

The little guy was hugging his piece to his chest as he nibbled away, his attention completely on his task. Not a single bit of it could be spared for him at that moment, evidently. 

Getting a little more comfortable? 

“Boss, we need your help!” Shorty called through his headphones, making Darah hurry up back to his computer. 

Oh boy, did they! 

Half the group was dead now, with the other half just barely hanging on! 

“Alright guys, let’s get this thing slept again so that we can recover and finish it off,” he said as he ordered everyone to stop attacking the monster, used his specialty ability to cast an extended sleep spell, then began raising people off the floor. 

The recovery took nearly ten minutes, itself, but once everyone was back up and buffed, they managed to finish off the minotaur without any further issues. 

“Great job, guys,” he said, having been a little worried when he’d come back to a bunch of dead bodies. 

My team can always make it happen. Even if a few end up on the floor along the way. 

As Imacat divvied up who got what gear items, Darah glanced over his shoulder towards the hallway. Of course, his little friend wasn’t there. 

“Oh yeah, boss. How is that little shapeshifter doing?” Singalong asked as he lotted on a great sword that had dropped from the minotaur. It was one of the best ones in the game. 

Leaning back in his chair, Darah honestly thought about it and smiled. 

“I think he’s doing great. I made ribs last night and he cleaned three right to the bone, and right now he’s eating some pizza I just made,” he said, then paused as a  thought came to his mind. 

“You know… near the beginning of the fight, he actually walked over and tapped my knee a few times to get my attention. I think he was worried that the food was burning because I couldn’t hear the oven timer.” 

An awkward silence fell over the chat for a whole ten seconds before it erupted into overly-excited word vomit. Everyone seemed to be throwing in their two cents, but none of them seemed all that worried compared to his father. 

“Does he let you pick him up yet?” Cat asked, already gushing over the thought of seeing the cute little ferret on one of his streaming nights. 

Shorty wasn’t far behind his thinking. “What are you gonna name him? Well, he probably already has a name, but you can’t just call him buddy all the time.” 

Got me…

“I haven’t really decided on a name yet. Honestly, he could just ask to leave tomorrow and that would be that…” he said, his words growing quietly as he finished speaking. 

A few people chuckled, making Darah glad that he wasn’t currently on camera. 

“You already like him, don’t you? Are you sure it’s a guy?” Percussion questioned calmly, the most relaxed one of the bunch, for sure. 

Darah thought about his question, then shrugged one shoulder. 

“I think he is, but then again, I’m not exactly interested in catching him to check,” he replied, earning a few laughs. 

“What if it’s a girl? You haven’t gotten naked in front of it, have you?” Singalong asked, being his normal perverted self. 

“I haven’t, you doofus. I doubt they would care, anyways. They don’t seem all that interested in watching me as long as I’m at a safe distance.” 

“Is there any way we can see him? Maybe stream a little just for us?” Meowmix asked, one of the few female players he had in his guild. 

The guys were a bit pushy with her at first, thinking that she’d just smooth-talked her way in, but then she’d challenged every single one of them in player-versus-player mode and mopped the floor with them. Now they bowed down to her adorable kitty character. 

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea. If he is a shifter, I don’t want to put him on camera without his permission,” Darah said, even though he thought his guild members would love to see him. 

He answered a few more questions about his new friend, then was actually shooed away to go check on him. 

Shaking his head, Darah muted his headphones and set them down, then got up to go do as he was told. He made sure that his footsteps were audible as he came around the corner, but it seemed to be unnecessary. 

The ferret was already waiting for him, sitting contently next to his empty plate. 

“Oh wow, look at you. Ate a whole slice all on your own?” Darah said as he walked over and squatted down a few feet away. 

To his surprise, the little ferret actually hobbled closer and bounced on his front paws once with an excited squeak. 

“Oh? Was it good b—” he hesitated, remembering that he’d just been teased for calling the little guy buddy all the time. 

His friends knew him too well.

“Hey little one, do you have a name by chance?” he asked, figuring that he probably wouldn’t get a useful response, but willing to try. 

When the ferret tilted its head and stomped a little black foot, Darah mirrored his head tilt. 

Well, that was definitely a response. I just don’t understand it at all. 

But still, it was definitely a reply to his question!

Hang on a minute…

“Are you a boy?” he asked, now super curious about whether he could answer questions or not. 

When the little ferret seemed to consider his words, then slowly nodded, Darah was absolutely over the moon with excitement!  

“Oh my god, you really are a shifter! Have you lived outside a long time?” he asked as he settled down in a cross-legged position to be more comfortable. 

The little ferret shifted from paw to paw, clearly a little nervous about the new question. 

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I’d just love to know more about you,” Darah said calmly. 

…nice supervisor. 

Darah raised an eyebrow at the cute voice in his head. 

I don’t have my headphones on and they’re in the other room. I shouldn’t be able to hear anyone. 

He stared at the ferret before him, wanting to do something , but unwilling to scare the poor thing. It was clear to him that it did, in fact, live outside, and that it was a shapeshifter. 

I wonder why you chose to stay outside instead of living where you were born? 

He doubted that he was born to a family of ferrets that just happened to live outside, though. And what was with that supervisor  thing he’d heard earlier? 

“Do you… think I’m a nice supervisor?” he asked, wondering if it would get a response. 

When the little ferret quickly nodded his head once with a little front-footed bounce, Darah chuckled and smiled. 

“I’m glad,” he said as he glanced at the clock on the wall, then back to the little ferret. 

“Have you ever been grocery shopping, little one?” 

The ferret tilted its head, then shook it from side to side a few times. 

Really? How long has he lived outside? 

 He couldn’t really ask that, so instead, he stood up and went to the fridge to take down a little piece of paper from a magnetic pad he often used to write his grocery lists on. 

“I doubt you’ll want to come along, and I’m a little nervous leaving you home alone right now. So how about we just have them delivered? I know what I always get, but would you like anything specific?” he asked as he sat down again with the paper on the floor and a pen in his hand. 

Soon he was showing the little ferret pictures of all sorts of foods, though most of them were simple enough for it to understand what it was. To his surprise, it really seemed to like fruit, and while meat was an obvious hit, it also liked zucchini and green beans, too. 

After nearly an hour going through things, they had their list and Darah happily placed the order. 

He thought about going back to his game to wait for it to arrive, but it seems that their little ordering spree had made his new friend a bit too excited. Or, perhaps it was the energy he now had from a good night, and afternoon, of food. Either way, the little ferret was happily bounding around, tumbling and turning on the carpet before sliding back into the kitchen before doing it all over again!

Just like a little dog with the zoomies. 

It was absolutely adorable to watch, and since there were no game events scheduled for the next few hours, he gladly stayed right where he was to do just that.

Chapter Four

A bowl of grapes and green beans! 

This must be what heaven is like. 

Normally, he only ate prairie dogs, rats, mice, and what not. The veggies truly were a treat! 

“I’ve never seen someone so enthusiastic about vegetables,” the supervisor commented as he watched him eat… from a safe distance. 

He was a little surprised, though, because what he would have considered a safe distance before meeting the young man would have been nearly the length of the field outside. Yet now, it was apparently just a few short steps away, on the other side of the small kitchen. 

“I’m glad that little placemat I ordered with our food worked out well. It’s even washable, so if you make a mess, it won’t matter.” 

Ah, messes. 

That was the one thing he noticed was important to the supervisor. He hadn’t come right out and said anything, but he was quick to clean up messes and put away dirty things, like the towel he’d used on him before. He also vacuumed the little muddy tracks that he’d unintentionally left in his bedroom the night before while they waited for their delivery. 

The sound had made him extremely nervous, but the sweet supervisor had let him crawl into one of his lower, empty, dark kitchen cabinets, then even closed the door to his bedroom so that it wasn’t too noisy. 

“I never thought I’d actually want to eat green beans, but you’re making them look delicious,” the young man said as he took a bite from a particularly crunchy green bean. 

Rat watched him curiously, wondering if he found them just as yummy as he did. The verdict, however, was clear from his expression a moment later. 

That was okay though! He would gladly finish the entire bag of them! 

“These are fresh long ones, and they are a good bit crunchier than I’m used to with the small cut ones, but I’m still not a fan,” the supervisor said as he walked over to the trashcan and stepped on the little opener button with his foot. 

Wait! 

The man hesitated right before he was about to throw out the rest of the long bean. That gave Rat a chance to scurry over and squeak for his attention. 

I’ll eat it mister supervisor. I really like them.

The man’s expression remained one of shock for just a moment more before he turned and squatted down in front of him, a warm smile on his handsome face. 

“It won’t bother you that I already bit it?” he asked as he held out the other half of the green bean. 

Rat happily took it directly from his fingers, then hurried back to his little bowl to add it to his stash. Just looking at the pile of yummy food made him vocalize a little, the sound unfamiliar but welcome. 

“Huh, haven’t heard you make that sound before,” the supervisor said as he tugged out his phone and began looking through some things. 

“Ah, dooking? That’s a funny word.” 

Is it? 

He wasn’t sure what he meant, but the young man didn’t seem to mind. 

“By the way, my name is Darah. Now that I can hear you a little bit, could you tell me your name, little one?” 

The thought that someone else could hear him was a bit of a shock, but since the supervisor had been nothing but kind, Rat didn’t think that it would hurt to tell him. 

My name is Rat, Mr. Darah. 

The guy’s brows furrowed, seemingly having heard what he’d said… but not liking it? 

Rat took a nervous step back, closer to the still-open cabinet door behind him. 

“O-oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to look upset. It’s just that rat is the name of an animal, not a usual name,” Mr. Darah said as he put on a smile again. 

Rat nodded after a moment. 

I am a rat, so the supervisor called me Rat. 

He knew that he wasn’t technically  a rat, but he was close enough to not really care about the difference. Besides, no one had ever even asked him for his name, so what did it matter? 

“Um, hun, you’re not a rat though. You’re a black-footed ferret,” Mr. Darah said as he typed something on his phone, then sat down and turned the screen towards him. 

Oh!

Rat hurried forward and bobbed his head, then tilted it this way and that. 

That is me! 

Mr. Darah chuckled at his reaction as he showed him picture after picture. 

“You’re quite an adorable little guy, but definitely not a rat. So, what about a name change?” he questioned. 

He’d never thought about it, but at the same time, it had never mattered to anyone. 

I don’t mind. Will Mr. Darah give me a new one? 

“I missed some of what you just thought, but is it alright if I look into a new one for you?” he asked with a smile. 

Rat gave a little excited hop on his front feet and nodded. He would gladly accept a new name. Especially if it was given by such a nice person. 

“Awesome, I already have a few ideas, but I’ll give it some serious thought,” he said, clearly excited about the prospect of such a simple thing. 

I’ll like anything you call me, except for worthless. I don’t like that word… though I forget what it means. 

Mr. Darah frowned at his thought. 

“It’s definitely not a word that you should ever be called. You’re an amazing little ferret, and I’m glad that you found me yesterday.” 

You’re… glad that I’m here? Rat questioned, surprised to hear such a thing from a human. 

“Of course! You’re a sweetheart and very respectful.”

Rat didn’t know what to think of that and just began pawing at his face, making the sound that Mr. Darah had called dooking without even really intending to. It seemed like his animal understood when to use the sound and he simply had no control over it. 

“So cute,” Mr. Darah said, making Rat want to make the sound even more. 

He’d never been called cute, or really anything positive, that he could remember. Now that he did  think about it, however, he remembered the other children in the orphanage often being called cute. 

I want to be cute!

Darah chuckled, his smile gentle but bright. 

“You are very cute, little one. Just like a ferret kit.” 

Darah’s eyes widened for a second as he seemed to realize something. 

“I got it! What about Kit for a name? It’s really cute, just like you. It’s what we call baby ferrets.”

Rat considered it, then nodded his agreement. 

My name is Kit! I’m a cute ferret!

He emphasized his thoughts with a squeak. 

Mr. Darah lifted a hand to cover his mouth as he quickly nodded. 

“You’re the cutest ferret.” 

More dooking noises were made as Kit happily pawed at his nose. 

“I should get back to my game since my guys are probably waiting for me now. I did get you one more thing from the store, though,” he said as he stood up and pulled one last thing out of the bag Kit thought had been empty. 

When Mr. Darah turned back around and sat down with something hidden in his hand, Kit hobbled closer, curious enough to get within just a few inches of his new supervisor. 

Mr. Darah waited for him to decide where he wanted to stand, then slowly moved his hand forward before uncurling his fingers. 

Huh? 

Tilting his head, Kit stared at the little round ball in his hand. 

“Do you like playing? Maybe you’d have fun with a new ball?” he asked as he set it down, then gently rolled it forward until it bumped against Kit’s paw. 

It made him jump back at first, since he’d only ever been hit by balls when he’d lived in the orphanage’s back yard, but when he felt no pain at the contact, Kit inched closer, then hesitantly bumped it with his nose. 

It made a little ringing sound as it rolled an inch, then settled. 

Flicking a tiny ear, Kit walked closer, then bumped the ball again, but this time with a paw. It rolled several inches before stopping this time. 

“It’s technically for cats, but I think it’s the perfect size for you, too,” Mr. Darah said, drawing Kit’s attention for only a moment before he returned it to the little ball and poked it again. 

He was soon bounding around the living room, swatting the ball as far as he could before chasing after it and pouncing! To be honest, he wasn’t really sure how to actually play with a ball, but he was having a lot of fun, so he figured that it didn’t matter how exactly it was supposed  to be done. 

Besides, Mr. Darah seemed quite happy with how he was playing, and even threw the ball for him a few times! 

Eventually, though, he did return to his bedroom, but that was perfectly okay! With his new ball and bowl of yummy snacks, Kit happily entertained himself for hours until he began to grow sleepy. 

“Someone looks like they’re ready for bed,” Mr. Darah said as he came out of his room some time later, stretching his arms over his head as he yawned, himself. 

Kit pawed at his nose, then ran over after a moment to follow his supervisor into the kitchen. 

“Oh? You ate a good amount. Good job, bud,” he said as he got himself something out of the freezer, then sat down against one of the lower cabinets. 

Curious, Kit followed him, then sat near his crossed legs as he opened whatever he’d retrieved. 

“I don’t know if you’ll like this, but you’re welcome to try it,” he said as he took the spoon he’d gotten out and dipped it into the container. 

Soon it was being presented to him. 

“It’s ice cream. I like the chocolate peanut butter cup flavor,” Mr. Darah said as he held it low enough for Kit to be able to inspect easier. 

He could feel the chill from it on his nose, but he could also smell the sugar. 

I think… I’ve had this before. 

A very, very  long time ago. Back when he still used his human form. 

Interested in trying it again, he reached up with both paws and grabbed hold of a little circular item coated in the ice cream. Doing his best not to get it on the floor, he awkwardly walked on his hind legs until he was able to reach his little food mat, then began nibbling at the treat. 

Part of it melted quickly, so he did his best to eat that first, but once that was all gone he began to chew apart the chunk of chocolate that was left behind. 

This is cold but very yummy.

“I’m glad,” he heard the young man say before silence fell over them. 

It was comfortable, though, and Kit found himself relaxing enough to lie down as he ate, spreading his little back legs as he settled on his belly. 

At the same time he finished what Mr. Darah explained was a peanut butter cup, the man had finished what he wanted of the container and gotten up. He’d even offered Kit more, if he wanted some, but after snacking all day, he was more than full and politely declined. 

He did, however, have a nice long drink of water before he started for Mr. Darah’s bathroom. 

His supervisor remained in the kitchen for a few more moments, but that didn’t bother him. In fact, he appreciated not being followed right away. 

Oh? 

He wasn’t sure when Mr. Darah had put some newspaper on the bathroom floor, but he definitely understood what it was for! Running over, he happily did his business right where he was supposed to. 

I’m a good cute ferret!

Once he was done, he made sure that his bum was clean, then walked back towards the bedroom to peek inside since he’d heard Mr. Darah finally enter. 

“Ah, there you are,” the young man said as he came into view. 

Mr. Darah, I went potty where I was supposed to! I won’t go on the floor anymore! 

Mr. Darah chuckled a little as he walked into the bathroom and picked up the soiled piece of paper and tossed it into the trashcan. 

“I didn’t quite catch what you thought, but I’m sure it was exactly what I was thinking. You’re a very good boy. Thank you for using the newspaper.” 

Kit bounced on his front paws, sleepy, but somehow hyper at the same time. When Mr. Darah relieved himself, then washed his hands and walked out to begin getting himself ready for bed, Kit found himself following, though he wasn’t sure why. 

All he knew was that he wanted to be praised again. 

It took his supervisor a few minutes to realize that he’d been followed, but as soon as he noticed, he sat down on the edge of his bed and smiled for him. 

“Hey there,” he said softly, his eyes full of a warmth Kit had never known. 

When he didn’t respond to him, Mr. Darah tilted his head, then slowly reached forward until his hand was only a few inches away, its palm facing up and fingers unfurled. 

“Would you… like to rest with me for a little while?” he asked after a few moments of silence. 

Kit felt his entire brain short-circuit at the question. His animal was absolutely not  okay with snuggling up with a human, but his human side, the one that had laid dormant for the majority of his life, actually seemed nervously interested. 

His mind was a flurry of confusion, so when he shouted, Yes! in his mind, but then turned tail and ran all the way back to the bathroom and dove into his little hiding place under the sink, he didn’t realize any of it. 

When he did finally calm down after nuzzling into the towel Mr. Darah had put in there for him enough to make it quite a bit messy, the lights in the young man’s bedroom were out and it was completely quiet. 

I… wasn’t a cute ferret. 

He knew that Mr. Darah probably wasn’t mad about his reaction, but he still wasn’t happy about it, himself. After so many years outside, he’d thought that he was interacting surprisingly well with his new supervisor, but perhaps, not so much. 

Time passed and he finally settled, and that’s when he peeked out of his little hiding place to see something small sitting a few steps away. 

What is that? 

Curious, he hopped down from his little cabinet to examine the item more closely. Since his eyes worked very well in the dark, it didn’t take him long to figure out what it was. 

Mr. Darah… gave me a stuffed animal? 

He’d never had one before, but he’d always wanted one. All of the other kids at the orphanage had been given one, if not two. Sure, he’d been a ferret for most of his time there, but they’d always looked so soft. Perfect for snuggling up with, even as an animal, himself. 

And this one smells like Mr. Darah!

Newly excited, Kit carefully tugged the adorable stuffed bat into his little nest, then spent the next half hour happily snuggling and grooming it. He eventually drifted off to sleep some time later, safely tucked beneath the plush bat’s soft wing, surrounded by his sweet supervisor’s comforting scent.

Chapter Five

Kit happily licked his fuzzy toes, being sure to clean each and every one until it was spotless. Or, well, at least until he thought  that they were spotless. It was hard to tell since they were all black. 

They taste clean…

The sound of Mr. Darah finally stirring had him bolting from beneath the soft bat wing he’d been using as a blanket. He was soon sitting within just a few feet of Mr. Darah’s bed as the man began to wake up. 

He wanted to tell him good morning , but quickly bit his mental tongue on the words. He couldn’t remember a time when he had  said such a thing to someone. Would it even matter to such an amazing person like his new supervisor? 

He remembered that the kids at the orphanage often said that, and good night, to each other, but never to him. Was he worth such important words? 

His left ears flicked as he considered it. 

Probably not. 

That was okay, though! He still had an amazing new supervisor who didn’t mind him being around! Things couldn’t be better, even if he didn’t say good mo—“Ah, hey there, bud. Good morning.” 

Kit froze, stunned.

Mr. Darah had sat up and was now smiling down at him with warm eyes and a head of messy hair. 

“I kept hearing something close to good morning  in my thoughts and realized that it was you, sweetheart,” he said as his smiled widened a little. 

“Good morning to you, sweet Kit.” 

Feeling his poor mind short-circuit, Kit mentally stuttered a bunch of random letters before finally managing to squeak out a very nervous, good morning, Mr. Darah!

The young man reached down and gently pat his head for the briefest moment before standing and heading for the bathroom. Kit watched him disappear into the room as he reached up and rubbed at the top of his fuzzy head in surprised confusion. 

That… 

He tapped the top of his head a few more times, then gave it a good shake. 

That didn’t hurt. 

He couldn’t remember a time where physical contact with a human hadn’t hurt. Needing to figure out what had just happened, Kit slowly wandered over to the open bathroom door and peeked inside. 

Mr. Darah? 

Kit could hear the shower going, but the man hadn’t gotten in yet. He was standing in front of it, partially turned towards him with a questioning smile on his face. 

“Hey there, bud. Did you need anything?” 

Kit knew that he didn’t, but he also didn’t want to leave the room, either. He knew that he should have, though, because Mr. Darah was completely naked right then, but the man didn’t seem bothered by him seeing him, so maybe it was okay? 

It definitely didn’t bother Kit. A body was a body to him. It didn’t matter if it was a person or a ferret. 

U-um, no, sir. There’s nothing I need. I was just curious about something. 

The man tilted his head. 

“What was that?” 

Feeling a little shaky, Kit considered not asking, but he’d already asked for the man’s attention. It would have been rude to not answer now. 

Um, did you pet my head a few moments ago? 

He needed confirmation that it had actually happened. And hadn’t hurt. 

“Oh! Yeah, I did do that. I’m sorry if it bothered you. I wasn’t thinking,” Mr. Darah said as he turned back to lean into the shower, likely adjusting the temperature of the water. 

I-It didn’t! Kit quickly replied, not wanting the man to get the wrong idea. 

He’d been surprised by how gentle the little tap had been, honestly. He had thought that it couldn’t have possibly been real. 

He really did pat my head…

“I’m glad. I’ll ask next time I pet you though, alright?” he said as he stepped into the shower and gently closed the curtain. 

Okay!  Kit replied as he took a few steps closer, relieved.  

That left him in the middle of the bathroom, however, with nothing to actually do. 

Maybe I can be useful for when Mr. Darah comes out of the shower? 

He racked his brain for things he could do, but there was already a clean towel hanging up, waiting to be used. 

Hmm.

After nearly a full five minutes, Kit realized something and quickly turned around and hurried from the room! He knew exactly what Mr. Darah would need after his shower!

He knew exactly where to find a pair, too!

Soon he was climbing into Mr. Darah’s hamper in the corner, excited to be of use as he wiggled his way through the clothing in it. Being surrounded by the man’s scent made him even more excited. 

Ah ha! 

Kit snapped his little jaws closed on the fabric of a big sock, then headed back to the surface!

He was soon dropping the sock over the edge of the hamper before diving back down for the other one! 

I have to get matching one! Mr. Darah likes matching his socks!

He was a ferret on a mission, and he was determined to succeed! 

After another two minutes, he had the matching sock and was back on the carpet with his two prizes! 

Overjoyed to be useful, Kit carefully tugged both of the socks into the bathroom, then set them right in the middle of the floor so that Mr. Darah wouldn’t miss them. 

The water turned off the moment he got them positioned, making Kit scurry from the room until he could duck around the corner. He soon heard the curtain being pulled aside, and while he was nervous, he wanted to see Mr. Darah’s response to his help, so he quietly peeked.

Mr. Darah had just stepped out of the shower and was already looking down at the socks in front of him! 

Did I do it right?! 

The thought was a question for himself, but it seemed to have caught Mr. Darah’s attention, because the young man quickly looked up at him the moment he’d thought it. 

Kit immediately ducked back behind the doorjamb, startled and too nervous to look him in the eye. 

A soft chuckle was heard a moment later as he hunched against the carpet, his little heart racing in his chest as if he were on a full-blown hunt! 

There were several quiet sounds now coming from the bathroom as Mr. Darah took care of his morning routine. Or, well, afternoon. After about ten minutes, the man emerged in a towel… and socks! 

“There you are little one. Thank you for bringing me my socks,” he said as he walked over to retrieve the rest of his clothing. 

Kit happily bounded after him, so excited that he’d done something helpful that he couldn’t help but spin in circles! 

Another light chuckle was heard in response, but he just couldn’t help himself! 

My new supervisor said thank you! Someone said thank you to me! 

He must be the best ferret ever!

“You really are, Kit,” Mr. Darah said as he knelt down in front of him. 

“Um, is your tail alright, though? It doesn’t seem like it’s moving quite right… unless you’re just getting that dizzy,” the man said as he finished getting dressed. 

Kit stopped spinning suddenly, then staggered a few steps sideways before flopping down on the carpet, too dizzy to stand up, but still overjoyed. 

My old supervisor stepped on it a lot, so it broke a bunch. It doesn’t hurt now, though!

The look on Mr. Darah’s face darkened for a split second before cooling again, making Kit blink a few times. His vision was quite blurry from spinning so much. He’d probably seen wrong. 

“You’re a happy little guy today, huh?” Mr. Darah said as he stood back up and headed for the kitchen. 

Yeah! 

It was also time for food, so he was extra happy! 

“Want me to cook you something today?” Mr. Darah asked as he opened the full refrigerator door, then glanced back at him with a welcoming smile. 

Surprised that he was being signaled to come look, Kit hesitantly took a step closer… then another. 

Mr. Darah watched him for a moment before getting down on one knee and pointing at something inside, making Kit hurry forward so that he could see what he was beginning to talk about. 

Oh!

“I ordered some really good hotdogs and I found a macaroni and cheese recipe that looks really good. How about it?” he asked as he picked up the package of hotdogs and showed him. 

I remember hotdogs! 

Mr. Darah stood up with a warm smile as the fridge door closed, making Kit get down and hurry out of the way. As his new supervisor got busy making their meal, Kit considered playing with his new ball, but he just couldn’t look away from the handsome young man cooking for him. 

Mr. Darah? 

The guy didn’t seem to hear him as he continued to work on boiling pasta and making a cheese sauce at the same time. 

You’re a really nice supervisor. I really like you, Mr. Darah. 

The man had started to hum, and clearly hadn’t heard him, again. That was okay, though. He was just happy to have thought such things. If he had never met the man, he would have still been outside hunting prairie dogs. And he would have never met a nice human. 

“Alright, now that everything is cooking, I’m going to go grab my headset and see what my guys are up to,” he said as he walked into his room with Kit trailing on his heels. 

He was getting used to his new supervisor talking on his headset, and now he knew that he was talking to actual people on the other side. It made him curious, but not enough to interfere at all. The computer was the one thing Mr. Darah seemed to take very seriously, besides keeping things clean. 

Besides, there was something that had his attention, anyways. 

Wandering over to the little trash bin beneath his desk, Kit ducked out of view and began circling the cylindrical black container. Something inside had caught his nose’s attention yesterday, but he hadn’t had the courage to explore it… until now. 

Surely Mr. Darah wouldn’t mind me just looking…

Soon, he was wiggling his bum and flipping over into the little trash bin with a muted squeak! He was all business as soon as he righted himself, and quickly found the item of his fixation!

A food wrapper? 

He nudged it a bit with his nose, then licked some of the food seemingly melted onto it. 

Oh! It’s sweet! 

Excited, he continued lapping at the surface of the wrapper until he realized that it was a bit lighter than he thought it should be suddenly. Looking up, Kit realized that the bin had been pulled out from beneath the desk and now he had a supervisor staring down at him with one raised eyebrow and quite the quizzical expression on his face. 

Um… oops? 

The young man’s bright eyes squinted a little as his lips curved up into a smile and he slowly reached down into the bin.  Kit tensed, worried that he might have done something bad enough to be punished, but when Mr. Darah simply scooped him up as gently as one would a tiny kitten, then set him down on the carpet, Kit twitched an ear and looked up at the man. 

“Thanks for reminding me that I forgot to empty that,” he said as he picked up the little trash can and stood. 

As he walked out of the room, with Kit nervously following, he spoke to his friends through his headset. 

“Kit decided to go digging in my trash bin.”

As he dumped it into the regular trashcan, Mr. Darah’s expression seemed to change to one of annoyed disgust. 

“You guys are nasty bastards, you know that, right? There weren’t any of those in it,” he told them as he grabbed something from the freezer, unwrapped it, then set it down on Kit’s little food mat. 

Since it was clearly meant for him, Kit hurried over once his supervisor returned to tending the stove. After only one lick, he realized that it was the same thing that he’d licked off the wrapper before!

This is… oh! I remember now. This is a candy bar! 

It was a little one, and it was frozen, but that was honestly perfect. It  took him quite a long time to get through it, and he loved that it was harder to chew, too. 

I’m a hunter and now I eat my prey! 

By the time he was finishing off his last bite, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. 

“Looks like you enjoyed your treat,” Mr. Darah said as he set down a little plate on the mat before wiping up the chocolate mess Kit had made. Thankfully, it was all on the mat, so it was a super easy clean up. 

Oh my gosh! 

“It’s my first time making the pasta, but I think it turned out pretty well. Hope you like it, bud,” his supervisor said before filling his own plate, then heading back to his bedroom. 

Kit was a little overstimulated with the plate of yummy-smelling food. He stared at it for nearly five minutes before he finally leaned in and picked up a single piece of cheesy pasta.  

Oh. My. Gosh!

He’d never tasted anything so delicious! 

Soon he was in his own little world as he, quite literally, dove into his meal! The half a hotdog actually disappeared first, then the quarter slice of pickle Mr. Darah had given him on the side. The pasta had been so good that he’d saved most of it for last!

So stuffed.

“Look at you! You ate everything. Good job, Kit,” Mr. Darah said as he picked up his empty plate and rinsed it off, then slipped it into the dishwasher with his own before closing it. 

When he turned back around to face him, then squatted down, Kit took a step closer, curious. 

“I have something to do on my game in a few minutes that’s going to take a while, but perhaps afterward, would you mind if I cleaned your face off a bit?”

Oh, that made sense. His face was probably an absolute mess. 

“I promise I’ll be gentle,” Mr. Darah coaxed, then made a strange face again before pressing his fingers to his forehead. 

“You guys. I swear I’m gonna mute myself from now on if you don’t shut the hell up,” he grumbled before looking back down at Kit. 

“I’m sorry, my friends are all perverts. If it’s okay later, I’ll wash your face off later,” he said with a sigh, then straightened and silently returned to his room. 

Kit considered his words, but eventually found himself too stuffed to stay awake long enough to outlast whatever gaming event his supervisor was doing. He sleepily cleaned what he could of his face with his paws, then waddled into his little sleeping cabinet and passed out against his soft stuffed animal with Mr. Darah’s calm voice in the background, lulling him to sleep.

Chapter Six

“Good morning, Kit.”

Scratching at some of the food still stuck in his whiskers, Kit gave a big yawn as he waddled into the kitchen.

Good morning, Mr. Darah, came his sleepy response, drawing a smile to Darah’s lips as he squatted down and offered the little guy a piece of sharp cheddar cheese.

Kit happily hurried forward when he noticed the treat waiting for him. While he ate it, Darah stood back up and finished making their breakfast of over easy eggs and rice.

When he got their food plated and he set Kit’s down on his eating mat, the little ferret was there in a blur. He immediately dove into the rice, making quite a mess before popping the yolk from the egg he’d put on top of it.

To say that someone now definitely needed a bath was an understatement.

Cute as hell, even if you’re so messy.

Darah added a little soy sauce and spicy mayonnaise to his plate, then looked down at Kit with a curious grin.

“Would you like soy sauce or spicy mayo, Kit?”

The little ferret looked up abruptly, its face now colored a rich yellow from the yolk all over it. He was clearly enjoying his breakfast!

What are those?

Darah was a little surprised that he didn’t know, but then again, he had lived outside for a long while. He lifted the soy sauce a little first.

“This one is really salty. I only usually use a little, but it tastes great.”

He lifted the bottle of spicy mayonnaise next.

“This one is spicy, but also a little sweet.”

Kit seemed to consider his options as he stood knee-deep in his eggy-rice.

Is the spicy good? I don’t know what spicy is!

Yet his enthusiasm seemed sky high.

Chuckling, Darah knelt down beside Kit and put a tiny drop of the sauce on his finger, then lowered it for him to try. Kit quickly hobbled off his plate and reached up with rice all over his little paws in order to grab Darah’s finger so that he could lean in and lick the little dot of mayo.

Once he’d eaten most of it and settled back down on all four of his tiny feet, Darah waited and watched. Kit’s mouth opened and closed quite a bit as he tasted the condiment for several moments, and even shook his head a few times, as if he wasn’t sure if he still wanted the flavor in his mouth or not.

I… think I want that one? It hurts, but in a good way?

Kit’s answer made Darah’s eyebrow twitched as he squeezed a line of the condiment over the little guy’s remaining rice and smashed egg.

I’m so glad I don’t have Discord on right and that they can’t hear you, because I know exactly what those degenerates would say.

And yet, he still loved his guildmates… even with their overly perverted minds.

While they both ate in silence, Darah considered what his next step with Kit should be. He knew that the little guy would need more than just some food and a warm bed. Especially after having lived outside for at least a good amount of years.

Would he even let me take him to the vet, though?

He highly doubted it.

Thank you for the meal, Mr. Darah!

Blinking out of his thoughts, Darah smiled down at Kit, then felt his brows furrow slightly.

What an adorable mess.

He never thought those words would go through his mind, but the little ferret really was a cutie, even if they were covered in egg and mayonnaise.

“Um… would it be alright if I gave you a little bath, bud?” he asked, hoping that Kit had warmed up to him enough to allow the activity.

He especially needed his face cleaned, but now it was more of an all-over issue.

Kit looked down at his messy feet and blanched!

Yes sir! I need a bath, sir!

Darah chuckled and reached down. He wasn’t sure if Kit would even let him pick him up, but when the little ferret carefully stepped into his waiting hands, he gave an internal sigh of relief.

As carefully as he could, he carried his new friend into the bathroom and immediately set him down in the tub. Kit seemed to know what to do and hurried to the back as Darah got the water going.

“Do you like it hot, or cool?” he asked as he felt it warming up.

I don’t know! Kit replied helpfully, his enthusiasm adorable, yet unhelpful.

“Alright, we’ll just do warm then.”

He filled the bathtub just a few inches before turning the water off, then grabbing the bottle of shampoo that he normally used.

Maybe I should get something for his fur…

Either way, he had to use the shampoo for now.

I’m gonna be useful! he heard Kit think as the little ferret splashed over to him, then rolled around on his back, getting himself nice and wet with the warm water.

When he finally righted himself, completely soaked and ready for scrubbing, Darah grinned.

“Good job, bud. You did really well,” he said as he squirted a little bit of the shampoo into his hand, then gently began massaging it into Kit’s fur.

He thought that the little guy would be a bit nervous about the attention, but to his surprise, Kit seemed to melt into his hands, seemingly giving permission to scrub him to the bone.

Darah took it, though he made sure to be extra careful as he used his nails to scrub out years of dirt, hidden grime, and…

I-is… that a flea?!

Darah felt his left eye twitch as he inconspicuously drowned the tiny bastard while continuing to scrub Kit with his other hand. Once his ferret was a cloud of wiggling soap, Darah carefully but quickly searched for more fleas.

Thankfully, he only found one more, and barely any flea dirt. He was safe from a mental breakdown… for now.

Definitely need to go see a vet. I’d grab some at the store on my way home at some point, but the best stuff is always stuck behind a prescription.

Now that he thought about the vet, though, he realized that it might be a good idea to get Kit a dewormer, too. If he was outside for a long time, he more than likely had some worms.

“Hey Kit? What do you think about going to the vet for some flea medicine? It can get rid of the itchiness and you could get a check-up to make sure that you’re in good shape,” he offered as he stood up and detached the spray nozzle from the showerhead holder, then got back down on his knees.

He made sure to only turn it on the lightest setting, then after checking the temperature, he offered it to Kit, but didn’t spray him with it directly. Instead, he made it gently rain a few steps in front of him, giving him the option of when he wanted to rinse the soap from his coat.

“Don’t forget to close your eyes when you step under the water. The soap isn’t too bad, but it can still sting a bit,” he said, not sure if Kit remembered that little detail about showers since it had been so long.

Kit did as told before walking forward, his little paws swishing the water as he moved until he stopped beneath the soft spray. He stood there for a few quiet moments and let the soap wash away, then began shaking his coat out every few seconds, splashing Darah a bit. When he moved out from under it a minute later, Darah reached over for one of the clean wash cloths he’d had ready and waiting and gently helped wipe his eyes.

“That good?” he questioned after withdrawing his hand.

Kit blinked his tiny dark eyes open, then looked up at him before giving his coat one final shake.

Yes!

Smiling, Darah reached over and undid the plug, allowing the dirty water to slowly drain away.

Do you take a lot of showers because you get dirty?

Darah snorted out an accidental laugh at Kit’s adorable question.

“I just like to be super clean,” he replied as he carefully picked Kit up, then set him down on a clean towel he’d spread out on the floor.

The little guy did exactly what he had last time and immediately began rolling around on it, eventually ending up as a squirming furrito.

Um, Mr. Darah? I think I’m stuck.

Darah wished that he could take a picture of the adorable wiggling ferret, but he didn’t want to do so without permission.

“I got ya, bud,” he said as he carefully undid the towel until Kit hopped free… then began zooming out of the bathroom and out of sight!

He could hear him dooking and squeaking as he continued to run around, likely in the living room.

I think he’s got the zoomies again.

Figuring that he would be fine to run off his after-bath energy, Darah got the bathroom cleaned up, then remembered something and knelt down in front of the sink cabinet.

Aha.

Grinning, he reached in and withdrew the little bat stuffed animal he’d given to Kit. As he’d expected, it was covered in dried food.

I’ll just toss you in the washer with the rest of my stuff.

He set it on top of his hamper of dirty clothes, then carried them out and into the little laundry room. By the time he was loading things in, Kit had run himself ragged and was now hobbling into the little laundry room, clearly curious about his current task.

“Just washing some laundry and your little stuffy,” Darah told him as he finished putting his clothing in the front-loading washer, then held up the bat he’d left on top of it for last.

To his surprise, however, instead of getting excited to have a nice clean stuffed animal to snuggle with later, Kit’s expression seemed to turn to one of sheer horror!

Noooo!

Darah flinched from the sudden shout in his mind, nearly making him drop the stuffed animal in the process!

“What’s wrong, bud? You don’t want him cleaned up?” he asked, confused about his response.

Kit quickly stumbled forward and even stood up on his back legs to paw at Darah’s pant leg.

Mr. Darah, please don’t put him in there. I’ll go in there for him! I don’t want him to get hurt. I’ve been put in there before, so I’ll be okay!

Darah really wished that he’d heard that incorrectly, but he knew that he hadn’t.

Who puts a little kid in a washing machine?!

Of course, he figured that he wasn’t so little anymore, in an age sense, but that wasn’t important right then.

He was just about to crouch down and explain the situation to him when he felt something move around his leg at the same time Kit’s image blurred before him, then slowly reformed into the most adorable human he’d ever seen.

An adorable human who was, right at that very moment, staring up at him with his arms wrapped around his left leg and tears streaming down his face.

He… was at a loss for words.

Please don’t put him in there Mr. Darah.

Darah furrowed his brow and slowly knelt down. At the same time, Kit hesitantly removed his arms from around his leg, allowing Darah to carefully pull him into a delicate hug.

The guy looked like he hadn’t had a haircut in years, he was a bit more scrawny than he’d thought he’d be, and he still had quite a bit of dirt on his face since it hadn’t been the easiest to scrub beneath the fur there, but all of those things left his thoughts as soon as they’d come.

What did stay, though, was the only important thing that mattered right then.

“I won’t put him in the washing machine. I promise.”

Darah expected Kit to try and pull away since he’d gotten his wish and he wasn’t used to being touched, but when the boy actually leaned in, then nuzzled his neck before practically snuggling into his arms, he was more than a bit confused.

So this is what a hug feels like…

He was going to fucking cry.

Darah relaxed his arms a bit so that he could sit down to get a little more comfortable. He considered asking if Kit wanted to get in his lap, but the moment his backside hit the floor, Kit was already there, snuggled in like a content kitten.

As he returned his arms back to their spot firmly settled around Kit’s back, he thought of something that his guildmates would often call cute things. Each time he heard the word, he disregarded it as a bit of internet humor, but now that he actually had Kit in his arms, he couldn’t not think that it maybe, possibly, fit the guy perfectly.

Leaning down a little, Darah nuzzled into his soft, messy hair and smiled, then thought something that he never thought he would…

You’re such a cute little bean.

Chapter Seven

Clicking his mouse faster than most people could blink, Darah easily maneuvered through a non-streamed player vs player match. 

“So, I think he lived at an orphanage.” 

His father hummed on the other end of the phone he had sitting in front of him on his desk. He’d turned the speaker on since he wasn’t currently on voice chat. 

He heard tapping from the keyboard his dad was in front of back at the precinct, so he let him be as he looked into the information he’d been given. 

It didn’t take him long to come back with some answers, and at the perfect time, too. Darah clicked out of his PVP match, having won it with ease. 

“There are two orphanages in town, though there used to be a third.”

Used to be? 

His dad seemed to read his mind as he began reading off something he’d pulled up. 

“Christian Ministries Home for Children. It was a twenty bed facility, though overcrowding was pretty common. There were several police reports of unsanitary conditions.”

Darah got ready for another PVP match as he considered his words. 

“That wouldn’t be enough to shut them down, though.” 

His father made a sound of agreement as Darah heard several clicks of his mouse as he likely dove further into the story of the orphanage. 

“There doesn’t seem to be any official reason for its closing. That’s really odd…” his father said as he continued to look through the information. 

Darah heard a quiet little dook sound from the pocket of his hoodie and grinned as he reached down to pat the little head now poking out of it, yawning wide. 

“Hello there, Kit. Did you enjoy your nap?” he questioned as the little ferret’s dark eyes lifted to his. 

He seemed to be contemplating something rather serious as they watched each other, but before long, Kit gave another, more-sleepy dook, then disappeared back into his claimed pocket. 

“Guess the nap isn’t over yet,” Darah said with a chuckle as his attention returned to his now-starting PVP match. 

“He’s there with you right now?” His father questioned, clearly having heard him speaking to Kit. 

“Yeah, but he went back into my pocket to sleep. Guess he wasn’t ready for his nap to end yet.”

“Your pocket…?” His dad said, confused. 

“Yeah, I’m wearing a hoodie. He’s been sleeping in the front pocket since I sat down earlier,” Darah said, correcting the possible odd misunderstanding. 

 “Ah, that makes more sense, but I thought that he wasn’t a fan of being close to you?” His dad asked, his question understandable. 

Darah was quiet for a moment as he focused on his match, then replied after he managed to take down the barbarian that had tried to come after his tank. 

Yes, he’d killed an attacker player while on his healer. He wasn’t the guild leader for nothing. 

“He definitely wasn’t, but we’re slowly getting there. He actually shifted for me the other day.” 

“Oh? How did that go? Can you give me a description of his features? It might help me find him,” his dad said, quite a bit more excited now that they had a lead they could follow. 

“I think it went well. All he wanted while he was in his human form was a hug, so we just sat on the floor and did that until he shifted back a few minutes later,” Darah answered his first question, then continued. 

“He has brown hair and blackish-brown eyes. A boyish face, though he doesn’t quite seem like a young child. I think he’s more naive than anything.”

He could sense his father nodding along as he continued to scroll through the police database information system. 

“The hair and eye color narrow things down a little, but I’m still not seeing anything about a ferret shifter reported missing,” he said after a few minutes. 

That’s because I doubt they bothered to report him. He hadn’t technically gone missing. He’d been thrown out like the trash. 

“Are there any kids registered to that orphanage that weren’t tracked to a new one, foster home, or adopted?” he asked, trying to get to the bottom of who Kit really was. 

There had to be some trace of him somewhere, even if he’d been neglected for most of his years. He still had to have come to that orphanage and been recorded as a child there. 

Of course, they could be barking up the wrong tree, but he had a feeling that this was their best lead right now, and he didn’t want to leave any stone unturned. 

As his father worked on his request, Darah finished off his second PVP match with another victory. He enjoyed playing ranked matches for fun, but wasn’t that interested in being too  high up. Things just got too competitive when you entered the top one-hundred, so he rarely played enough ranked matches to get him close.

Even though he wasn’t at the top of the charts, he had still been offered a streaming contract that paid reasonably well because he was really good at the game, allowing him to only have to work part time in remote customer service to make up the difference in the salary he wanted each month. 

“Benji.”

Huh? 

Blinking as he realized that his father had said a name, Darah returned his complete focus to their conversation. 

“Did you just say Benji?” 

Darah glanced down at his hoodie pocket, curious if he would get a reaction, but when there was no movement, he refocused as his dad continued speaking. 

“Yeah, he entered the orphanage at three years of age, but then his file just seemed to get lost. There’s nothing on him after he turned thirteen, and what they have written down doesn’t honestly seem like stuff worth noting in the year or two prior to that.”

Darah felt his brow furrow as he considered the situation. 

“Were they trying to fill his file to pretend like he was still there?” 

He heard a hum from his father. 

“It looks like it. I guess they stopped caring pretty quickly. Didn’t even wait until he was old enough to make us think he ran away. Though even if they did, it would still be a red flag because it was never reported to the police,” his father said, earning a nod from Darah as he leaned back in his chair. 

He really wanted to just ask Kit, but he didn’t want to startle him by trying to wake him up. Besides, this wasn’t an urgent matter since it had happened years ago and the orphanage was already shut down. Kit was also safe now, too, and he was going to make sure that he was never mistreated again. 

Mmmster Darah? 

The subject of his thoughts slowly meandered out of the pocket of his hoodie, clearly still a little dazed as he yawned adorably. 

“Couldn’t go back to sleep? Was I disturbing you?” he asked, wondering if he should have just put Kit to bed, instead. 

It wasn’t that. I like the sound of your voice. 

He watched as Kit hobbled up his hoodie, using his little claws to grip the fabric. 

I just wanted to ask… Can I have another hug?

Darah smiled and happily reached up to hold Kit gently against him. 

“Is he awake now? Could you ask him about his name?” His father asked calmly. 

I don’t think it’ll do much good, but it can’t hurt. 

“Hey Kit, does the name Benji sound familiar to you?” 

Kit twitched his whiskers as his soft dark eyes stared up at him. 

No sir. 

“He said no, dad. I think he might have been too young to remember his original name. The only name he seems to remember is Rat because that’s what the supervisor there called him.” 

“Understandable,” his father mumbled as he kept looking through the documents he found. 

“I’m gonna go check in with my unit, then continue to look into his information. I’ll call you back later.”

They ended the call right as Kit shifted to his human form, then happily snuggled in more. Darah returned it as he thought about the whole situation. He really wanted to learn more about what had happened, but it didn’t seem like Kit remembered much. 

He was just about to relax and close his eyes for a bit when he heard a notice chime from his Discord. 

ILickFrogs: Hey man, can you help me out with a quest real quick? 

He had wanted relax, then stream for a bit, but he could push that back. Besides, Kit was in his lap at the moment, and he definitely didn’t want to broadcast his naked friend to all of his viewers. 

Darah: Sure, what did you need? 

ILickFrogs: I need a key from Dark Fang’s castle.

That was simple enough. 

Darah: Sure, I’ll meet you out there. 

Not minding Kit, Darah scooted in a tiny bit, then reached around him to get his character heading in the right direction. He was already geared for his healer, so he decided to just stay on that. 

Once he was in that area he sent a party invite to Ilickfrogs.

Huh? 

As he approached the entrance of the castle, a large group of people came into view. It wasn’t hard to tell that all of their gear was top tier. 

Wait a second. Is that Bombardment? 

It was a guild known for attacking players and stealing their items. Technically, it was unethical to do such a thing, and most of the server would go after someone if they did, since there was enough of a PVP scene to get that kind of frustration out, but the unfortunate truth about Bombardment, was that no one on the server, even grouped together, was strong enough to take them down. 

So, the majority of people decided to play it safe and just avoid them whenever they showed up in an area. The ones who don’t… end up losing a lot more than just their hit points. 

Slowing to a stop down the snowy slope, Darah considered the situation right as Ilickfrogs appeared beside him. 

Ilickfrogs: Isn’t that Bombardment? 

Darah pursed his lips and sighed. 

Darah: It might not be the best idea to do this quest right now.

Ilickfrogs: It… has a timer. 

Darah scowled.

Darah: You’re not doing the quest Rein it In, are you? 

Please say no. Please say no. 

Ilickfrogs: I… I’m sorry!

“Dammit all.” 

Darah: Get on voice chat, now. 

He quickly tugged on his headset, making Kit stir a little against him. 

“Sorry sweetheart, I need to focus so I might move a bit abruptly if we get attacked on my game,” he told him quietly.

He felt Kit turn his head to look toward the screen, but didn’t pay him anymore mind as he focused on the situation. Rein it In was a quest that was on a timer of three hours. It also wasn’t repeatable. The reward was one of the specialty weapons for the class its attempted on, and they’re all pretty damn good until you got into the end game stuff. 

A chime let him know that Ilickfrogs was now in the voice chat with him. He’d chosen a separate party channel so that other guild members wouldn’t bother them, too. 

“I’m guessing you already activated the quest?” He asked, even though he already knew the answer. 

His guildmate replied quietly. 

“I-I did it as soon as you said you could help.”

Damn. 

“Would an invisibility spell help?” He asked nervously, clearly trying to brainstorm a solution to their dilemma.  

The best solution would be to not even attempt the quest and just accept the loss of the weapon, but it really was one of the best quests for a lower level player…

“It won’t do any good. They can still target us and I’m sure they have tracking magic on me now since we’ve already been spotted,” Darah said despondently. 

“Well, what if we zone into the dungeon before them? That will at least erase their tracking magic until they see us again?” Ilickfrogs suggested, making Darah tilt his head in consideration. 

In all honesty, he should  just back out of this quest, but he knew that he’d be mad at himself for running away. 

Fine then. We just need to get to the far end of the dungeon. 

They didn’t even have to beat anything specific inside, just touch a glowing orb in the furthest room. 

“When I say to run, we’re going for it. Got it, Frogs? If we can get in first, we might stand a chance,” he said as he had his character quietly cast a movement speed enhancement spell on the both of them. 

The guy gave him a hum of agreement. 

“Three… two… one… go!” 

Both of their characters darted forward, rushing up the slope three times faster than most could run. He could see his magic points dropping quickly as they supplied the fuel for both of them, but the other group seemed to have not been paying as much attention as he’d thought. Perhaps they thought that they’d turn tail and run. 

Before any of their players even began turning towards the dungeon, him and Frogs were flying past them, and within seconds, they had made it inside!

Chapter Eight

He knew that they were in for a race. 

Within seconds he could hear the sound of others zoning into the area, making Darah quickly recast his speed spell on Frogs. 

“Just keep going. I’ll hold off the ones who catch up,” he said, his voice brooking no argument whatsoever. 

Frogs immediately darted ahead, using the extra burst of speed to disappear around a corner in a blur! Several monsters began following him, but he was plenty fast enough to outrun them for now. 

Bronko: What is the guild leader of Chapters doing out here all alone?  

Dammit all. The guild leader came in first. 

Of course, he already had two people flanking him, too, so a one-on-one fight wasn’t even a possibility. 

“I’m getting close to the first zone on the map,” Frogs said a few moments later, making Darah grin. 

“Good. Once you zone into the deeper area use a silencing tincture and then cast invisible on yourself. Make your way to I-8 on the map, then turn left and follow that tunnel,” Darah replied as he had his character start casting several shield spells. 

He’d intended to run after him, but he needed his magic points to regenerate before he could recast his speed spell. 

Hmm, I do have one other spell I could use. Though it only works between a single zone. 

If Frogs zoned into an even further area, it would be useless. 

“Once you’re near the zone for the second area, stop there and let me know.” 

“Got it boss!” Frogs replied. 

Alright. Now to distract them and hope they haven’t called in anymore guys yet. 

Darah: Just helping a new guildmate out with their weapon quest. We won’t bother your raid. 

Bronko: You won’t? Did your friend just not zone all of the monsters that we were intending to kill? 

Darah felt his eyebrow twitch. 

They respawn in five fucking minutes and you guys weren’t even ready to go yet!

As much as he wanted to type that out in all caps, he knew that it would make no difference. 

Darah: Our mistake. I just wanted him to get through this first area quickly so I told him to just run to the zone. We’ll be more careful from now on. 

Bronko stepped forward and pulled the giant great-axe off of his back. 

Bronko: He certainly should be more careful, because he won’t have you  looking after him anymore!

Darah tensed right as Bronko lunged for him, forcing him to dodge to the side as his giant axe swung down!

“Shit!” 

He was barely able to regain his footing before Bronko’s two guys were on him, both swinging daggers!

“This is ridiculous!” Darah hissed as he quickly dodged the first person, then used his staff to deflect the other’s hit!

Bronko: Not bad… you’re going to be fun to play with!

Clenching his jaw, Darah put all of his focus into dodging the three assholes coming at him. Thankfully, they were too high level to aggro any of the monsters that were going to begin respawning soon. 

“I’ll be at the zone entrance in two minutes, boss,” Frogs said, earning a nod from Darah as he used an energy shield to block Bronko’s massive great-axe. 

W-what?!

His shield shattered in an instant, allowing Bronko’s axe to cut up a decent chunk of his hit points as it swiped across his character’s chest! 

“H-how the hell?!”

He just-barely managed to stumble out of the way as the guy’s two henchmen took their own swings. 

“You okay, boss?” Frogs asked worriedly. 

“Just get to the zone!” Darah growled as he glared at the tiny dwarf hiding behind Bronko. 

He buffed his great-axe with an attack spell right before Bronko swung it. Cheap bastards. 

Bronko: I must say. I’m envious of your gear, guild leader Darah. That must have taken you quite some time to accumulate. That new chest piece, however… I remember seeing a notice on the game’s chat boards about the amazing Chapter’s guild leader obtaining the Dragon God’s Surcoat. It’s such a rare piece for mages… you sure were lucky. 

Were, huh? 

The equipment wasn’t yet bound to his character, since it took a considerable amount of time to acclimate the piece. That  was how Bombardment stole equipment. They’d check players who crossed their path to see what equipment they had gotten recently, then attack if there was enough to warrant the effort. 

It was also extremely hard to change gear when engaged in combat, so you either had to figure out a way to escape, or somehow defeat whoever was attacking you. 

Since he was on his healer, and facing four opponents, defeating Bronko clearly was out of the question. He might be able to take out his supporters, but there was no way he could kill the leader, too. 

Even if I cast a resurrection spell on myself, they’ll just kill me as soon as I revive. 

“Ten seconds, boss! I just need to get past this last group of monsters!” 

Narrowing his eyes, Darah licked his lips and smirked. 

Darah: It really is a nice piece of equipment. The defense is amazing for a healing job, and the attack boost is unheard of for my specific class. 

He dodged another round of attacks right as he finished typing that, but thankfully, Bronko seemed distracted and wasn’t among his assailants. 

He’s typing then. At least I’m stalling the worst of them. 

With their leader distracted, his two cronies, even being buffed by the hiding dwarf, were easy enough to manage. Of course, he wasn’t really  trying to knock them out, though, since that much aggression would probably give away his plan to stall. 

He just kept up his dodging and shield triggers, and even spared a moment to cast a regeneration spell to slowly begin recovering the damage he’d already taken. 

“Ready boss!” 

Bronko: Tell you what. How about you hand me that one surcoat as recompense for zoning all of our monsters and we’ll call it even? I think it’s a fair deal, since I could kill you without batting an eyelash right now. 

Darah put up several shields as Bronko’s two attackers slowed slightly, likely reading what their leader had just said. 

Bronko: Well? What’ll it be? Your coat, or all the items I can rip from your corpse after I crush you? 

How about none of the above? 

Sticking his tongue out slightly at the screen, Darah triggered his teleportation spell right as he typed one single word. 

Darah: Bye! 

In the blink of an eye, a bright light exploded around them, blinding the entire area before his screen went dark!

“Hell yeah, eat that!” He cheered as his character was teleported to Ilickfrogs, an entire zone away!

We are eating now? 

Darah chuckled and absentmindedly pressed a kiss to the top of Kit’s soft hair. 

“We’ll have something right after I’m done with this, okay? What are you in the mood for?” He asked as he zoned to the next area with Frogs. 

The other guy was snickering into his headset, having realized exactly what he’d done. 

“Wait, are you talking to your new ferret?” Frogs asked, realizing that the question made no sense for him. 

Darah grinned as he cast his speed spell on Frogs. 

“Yeah, we’re choosing what we want for a late breakfast.” 

Frogs was silent for a moment as he recast invisible on himself, not needing the silencing tincture for the next area, then hurried forward. 

“Wait, you can communicate with him already?” 

Darah gave a hum of acknowledgement as he cast his own invisible spell, then followed behind Frogs at a slower pace. 

Bronko: You think you can get away with such a simple trick?!

Darah rolled his eyes at the whisper and continued onward, giving Frogs directions for the shortest route. As they chatted, he finished healing himself, then got up as many barriers as he could cast. 

He didn’t expect Bronko to be able to catch him so quickly, but he knew that the guy had those two thief classes with him. They were able to wear gear that improved their movement speed, and also had job abilities that increased it exponentially for several seconds at a time, too. 

Just as he’d expected, he saw a player approaching on his radar from the zone entrance. 

“Keep running. I’ll hold them off.”

Since Frogs was a good distance away, Darah did  cut off his speed spell, though. He was going to need his magic points in order to fend off the two thieves quickly approaching him. 

“Think I’ve got everything done that can be done,” he mused aloud as he pressed the 9 button on his keyboard again, adding one final quick barrier to his front. 

He noticed Kit leaning forward as he did so, examining the button before looking up at the screen. 

“It creates a shield so that the mean people trying to steal my stuff can’t do so as easily,” he explained as simply as he could. 

He didn’t think Kit was dumb, at all, but he was quite naive, especially when it came to technology, it seemed. 

Why would they take your things? That’s not nice. 

“You’re right, it’s not nice, but some people just aren’t very nice.” 

Frogs understood that, again, he wasn’t speaking to him. 

“Can you say hi to your friend for me? What’s his name?” He asked instead, clearly curious. 

“I’ve named him Kit. He’s actually in his human form right now but prefers to talk through thought,” Darah replied as he began to deflect attacks from the two thieves lunging at him. 

“That’s such a cute name. Can I see him?” 

Darah used a blinding spell to distract the thieves as he rushed in, then cast a paralysis spell. It was limited by distance, but it was also much stronger than a normal paralyze. It was worth the risk. 

“Sorry, but no. I don’t want to put him on camera without his approval and understanding.”

“Ah, that totally makes sense. Well, when he does want to share, I’d love to see him. He sounds adorable,” Frogs said before getting back to business. 

To Darah’s surprise, he was already zoning into the last area. It was a relief, and meant that he only had to play with the thieves for a few more moments before Frogs should be in the clear. 

Bronko: There you are!

Darah winced as his character was suddenly thrown backwards against a far wall, the impact breaking two of his shields in an instant! Before his character could even get back to its feet, Bronko and his two thieves were on him!

Shit, he must have removed my paralysis spell on them!

His shields broke in rapid succession as he tried to free himself from the onslaught, but each time he tried to cast a blinding or reflection spell, it would be interrupted by a critical hit from one of the thieves!

“Dammit, they might actually get me,” he ground out as his fingers flew across the keyboard, trying to trigger as many abilities as he could in order to keep himself alive. 

“Warp out! I’ll be fine!” Frogs shouted, spurring Darah into a frenzy. 

I can’t keep up with three damn people!

His magic points were almost drained, too. He wouldn’t be able to warp out soon if he couldn’t find a time where he wasn’t hit for at least three full seconds. 

It sounded like it would be easy to get three seconds without being hit, but with the thieves wielding fast-attacking daggers and Bronko spamming him with constant abilities on top of his great-axe swings, he could barely keep himself alive, let alone get a three second reprieve!

He was just bracing for another flurry of hits, his heart sinking into the pit of his stomach, when a magic barrier suddenly appeared in front of his character! 

Without even thinking, Darah slammed his teleportation spell as the shield took the hits that had been destined for him, then shattered!

He could practically hear Bronko screaming as Darah’s character was engulfed in a bright purple light, then suddenly vanished! 

“Hell yeah!” He shouted as he raised his hands above his head and fell back into his chair, heaving out a relieved sigh. 

“That was amazing, boss! I got my item and just warped out, too, so they can’t mess with us again!” Frogs said enthusiastically. 

Darah nodded as he closed his eyes and felt Kit settle down against his chest. Now that he could relax and think things through, he could have sworn that he hadn’t pressed his shield trigger again. He’d been too busy trying to get a cure off to be able to reach the number 9 key. 

Slowly blinking open his eyes a few moments later, he stared down at the young man settled against him. 

“Hey Kit?” 

Kit looked up at him, a smile on his face. 

“Did you happen to push a button during the last part of that fight?” 

He didn’t think that Kit would have understood the situation much, and especially not enough to catch on to what buttons he was using to make his character do certain things. 

Yes sir. 

He was taken aback. 

I guess I did explain what that button did, but did he really remember and realize that I needed him to hit it right at that second? 

“How did you know that I needed to press that button?” He questioned, his voice filled with restrained awe. 

Kit seemed a little nervous as he blushed faintly and tucked his head. 

You kept hitting it before, making the shiny thing show up to block their attacks. I didn’t want them to take your things. 

“Did Kit do something while you were fighting?” Frogs asked as he headed off to turn in his quest and retrieve his weapon. 

Darah reached up and gently pet Kit’s soft hair. 

“He did. He saved me from Bronko’s group right in the nick of time. He remembered the key I explained that generated one of my fast shields, and while I was busy trying to heal myself, he hit it, giving me just enough time to teleport away.”

Frogs squealed. 

“Dude, that’s amazing!” 

Darah grinned and hugged Kit, earning a content hum in response. 

“He is amazing. I’m going to afk for a while and go make him something yummy for saving me. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Frogs said his goodbyes, as well as another thanks, then they both hopped off voice chat. 

“Alright, ready for some food?” He asked with a big smile. 

Kit immediately shifted back to his ferret form and hopped off Darah’s lap. 

He sailed through the air, then high-tailed it to the bedroom door before spinning back around and squeaking with a little front-footed hop!

He was definitely ready, it seemed. 

Turning his chair, Darah stood up at the same time he heard a whisper chime, drawing his gaze back towards the screen. 

Jeez. 

Bronko had evidently written him a book about how shitty a player he was and how he must have cheated and was now being reported if he didn’t immediately send him his surcoat. 

Loser. 

Ignoring the message, he turned and hurried after Kit, much more interested in spoiling his sweet ferret over reading Bronko’s nonsense.

Chapter Nine

There were way too many people. 

Kit squeezed Darah’s hand with both of his as he nervously inched his way forward, doing his best to keep up with the other man… but failing miserable. 

The mall was reasonably busy, and an uncomfortable amount of people were stealing glances at him as they walked by, setting off his instincts to flee down the nearest burrow. 

Unfortunately, there were no burrows, and while Darah had said that he could shift any time he needed a break, he didn’t want to appear weak already. They had just arrived!

He had even gone through the trouble of picking up a few old outfits from one of his friends that reasonably fit Kit’s smaller human form. He didn’t want to seem rude by shifting again so soon. 

“Here, hun,” Darah said as he gently tugged up the hood on the sweatshirt he’d given him. 

It hid a large amount of the stares he was getting, allowing Kit to slowly relax a little. 

“Better?” 

Kit smiled and nodded as they stepped into a much quieter store. 

He wasn’t a big fan of the scent inside, as it was quite strong, but the further they went in, the more he got used to it. 

“Sorry, it’s probably a bit smelly in here to you, right?” Darah said as he led him to the back of the store. 

They stopped in a big area labeled clearance. 

“You don’t have to get stuff specifically from here, but if you find anything you like, feel free to grab it to try on,” Darah said as he began looking through the racks of clothing. 

To be completely honest, as much as he wanted to make his new friend happy, Kit was already overstimulated with the sheer amount of items, on top of the strong scent. 

“Shift for me, sweetheart?” 

Kit’s human form immediately vanished, leaving a wiggling ferret beneath the pile of clothing. 

He was soon dug out of his little cave and situated in the pocket of Darah’s hoodie. 

My safe place.

He quickly settled down, then poked his head out just in time to see Darah slipping his borrowed clothing into a bag he was handed by an employee. 

“You two take your time. The dressing rooms are right in the back and if no one is in one, it’ll be unlocked,” the employee said with a smile that had Kit tilting his head. 

She seemed very excited to see him for some reason. 

“So cute,” she whispered to herself before hurrying off to help another customer. 

She thinks I’m cute? 

“She does, bud. Because you are,” Darah replied as he continued looking through the clothing racks. 

That’s two people who think I’m cute. 

He perked up a bit at the thought, then saw something in front of him that immediately caught his eye. Since the lady had walked away and no one else was in the area, he hesitantly climbed out of his safety pocket and hurried down Darah’s pantleg. 

After a quick scurry across the floor and a curious squeak, he sat down in front of a small display. 

“Oh, you like that tie?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Kit squeaked his agreement. He had seen some important people come in and out of the place he used to live, and all of the men had been wearing the extra piece of clothing. 

After another look at the tie, Kit looked up to where Darah had stopped beside him. 

Will I be special if I wear one of them? Like the people who used to come to where I lived? 

The young man standing beside him frowned, but quickly covered up the expression with a smile as he reached forward to take the bright red tie, then squatted down next to him. 

“I think it would look great on you. Oh, look,” Darah said as he flipped the tie over, then unclipped something tiny from the back of it. 

“They even come with little ties in case their intended wearer has a shift.” 

Before Kit could comprehend how incredible that was, he had the tiny tie clipped to the fur just beneath his chin. 

“Look over here,” Darah said as he squatted down next to a large mirror. 

Kit quickly bounded over, then straightened up a bit in order to look at his new accessory. 

Oh wow!

“You look very handsome, bud.”

Kit looked up at him and gave a happy little squeak. He wasn’t sure what words to say, but he was overjoyed that he looked handsome! He remembered that it was a good word, and as he returned his attention to the mirror, his little ears wiggled with excitement at how handsome he looked!

“It looks like there’s a whole collection of items that have shift versions,” Darah said as he held up a black suit that looked to be around Kit’s size, then unclipped a tiny suit from the back of it to show him. 

Soon, his little ferret had a partial black suit on to go with its red tie. 

He liked the look. 

He liked it a lot!

“Want to try it on in your human form, too?” Darah asked as he walked over to one of the empty changing rooms after grabbing a few pairs of boxers from a nearby rack. 

Kit considered his request, then decided to try. They walked into the changing room, then closed the door before he shifted back to his human form after wiggling out of his tiny suitcoat. 

The boxers went on first, since they were going to buy them anyways, then with Darah’s help, Kit stepped into the pants. They were easy enough to fasten with two simple snap buttons, and actually seemed to fit perfectly. 

Darah had grabbed a few shirts that might match and helped him into a long-sleeved, blood-red one. It had a collar and fancy buttons at the cuffs, but Darah took care of everything. 

Pretty soon Kit was standing in front of the dressing room mirror, his expression one of intrigued surprise. 

Is this really me?  He questioned innocently as he looked over his shoulder, then back to the mirror. 

“Yep! You and your ferret are both very handsome.”

Kit smiled at the person staring back at him in the mirror. 

I look good!

Turning around, he looked up at the young man watching him with his own calm smile. 

Mr. Darah, can I get this?

Darah nodded without hesitation. 

“Of course. I think it looks great. Would you like to see what other things they have?” 

For the first time in his life, Kit nodded to such a question. He wanted  to see what else his human form would look good in. 

Since he was more comfortable shopping in his new outfit, Darah paid for it before they continued looking for things. By the time they were done in the store, they had two huge bags of brand new clothes. 

Most of them had come from the clearance section, but he was perfectly okay with that! And actually, he was happy that what he liked hadn’t been expensive, since Darah had to pay for it for the time being. 

“Alright, now that that’s done… what would you like to eat?” 

We aren’t going home to eat? 

Darah had gone grocery shopping recently, so they had plenty at home. 

“Have you ever gone out to eat, Kit?” Darah asked as they walked towards a busier part of the mall. 

No sir.

The louder it got, the more nervous he became, but instead of shifting and hiding in Darah’s hoodie pocket like he wanted to, Kit carefully took the bag the man had in his left hand and put it in his own, then took Darah’s left hand in his right one. 

He felt Darah squeeze it gently in response. The silent reassurance was appreciated. 

“These are all restaurants. Is there any specific kind of food you like to eat?” Darah asked, then added, “besides prairie dogs and pizza.” 

Looking towards all the stores in front of them, Kit frowned and shifted from foot to foot. He had liked the rice and eggs Darah had made for him before, as well as everything else, but he wasn’t familiar with much other human food yet. 

I’m okay with anything, Mr. Darah. 

“Alright, we’ll try my favorite place, okay?” He said as he calmly led Kit through the crowds of people until they stopped in front of a little restaurant. 

Mex… ican? 

He repeated the word in his head twice, then realized what it was. 

Mexican food? 

Darah nodded. 

“Sound good? It’s not as heavy as the other options here, so if you aren’t used to it, your stomach shouldn’t hurt to much.” 

Kit nodded, then looked back at all the food laid out in front of them behind the display case glass. 

“Do you see some things you remember liking?” 

After a few moments of silence, Kit nodded. 

“Perfect. Just tell me what you’d like and I’ll get it for you.”

They stepped up to order, and after Kit watched Darah choose his ingredients, he chose nearly the same thing. Their final choices were two burrito bowls with a shared chips and queso dip.  

Their bowls consisted of tomatoes, black beans, avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, lettuce, and jalapenos. Kit had some chicken added to his, while Darah decided on grilled vegetables over meat. 

There were thankfully a few spots away from the noisier area to sit, and they happily settled down in the quietest spot. Unlike everyone else around them, they ate in silence. 

It was also just that  good!

The jalapenos were a bit hard to handle at first, but he quickly grew used to them and absolutely loved the flavor that they added!

“I think you’re going to grow to love spicy foods,” Darah said as he reached over and wiped a bit of sour cream from his nose, then licked it from his finger before nonchalantly going back to his food. 

Kit blinked. 

Darah continued to eat. 

Kit blinked again. 

Darah was rather enjoying his food. 

“Those peppers getting to you, bud?” Darah asked after a literal minute of silence. 

“Your face looks a bit red.”

Frowning, Kit set his fork down, then pressed a hand to the side of his face. 

My mouth doesn’t feel that hot. 

He pondered the situation for a few moments, but he just wasn’t a very deep thinker and simply ended up nudging the remainder of his jalapenos to the now-empty side of his food tray.

They finished eating in a comfortable silence, then threw out their trash and, after taking Darah’s hand again, walked back through the mall and out the door. 

The moment they were back in the young man’s car, however, Kit shifted back to his ferret form and immediately passed out in Darah’s hoodie pocket.  

He had intended to wake up the moment they got home to help carry things in and put them away properly, but he ended up sleeping through all of that. 

Instead, he was tucked into his little bed under the sink with his bat stuffed animal and left alone to sleep off his full belly while Darah quietly took care of everything. 

He did remember hearing one thing as he was snuggling in for his nap, though… 

“You did very well. Get some rest, sweetheart.” 

His little ferret’s lips tilted up the slightest fraction at the praise. 

He had done well.

Chapter Ten

(Quick little bit of cute) 

Head hurts…

Pressing his fingers to his forehead, Darah switched off his streaming camera and leaned back in his chair. 

Feeling movement in his hoodie pocket, he blinked one eye open as Kit’s ferret curiously glanced up at him from his little fabric cave. 

“Hey there, bud. I think I might need to go out for a bit.”

Man, I sound terrible. 

His body was also pretty sore, too. 

Kit perked up, then yawned wide before shaking out his coat and hobbling halfway up his chest. A quiet squeak was his question, which roughly translated into where are you going? 

“I think I need to go hunt. I actually have a shift, and he’s pretty hungry after not having any blood for over a week.” 

Kit immediately perked up more and hopped off his chest. 

Darah watched him as he ran out of his room, only to return a moment later with an impatient squeak. 

“Ah, sorry. I’m coming.” 

He quickly got up and followed after Kit, but hesitated when he saw the little ferret sitting by the front door. 

“Um, I actually go out the back when I shift. I feed on the blood of my neighbor’s cattle. With his permission, of course.” 

You only drink the blood? 

Darah smiled and nodded as he headed towards the back door, tugging his hoodie over his head as he walked. He heard Kit bounding ahead of him on the carpet as he moved, so it was no surprise that the little guy beat him there. 

There was just one thing that was bothering him a bit. 

“Hey Kit, would you mind staying inside while I go hunting? I shouldn’t be long.”

He knew that he was excited to go with him, and was probably a fantastic hunter, but Darah could also tell that he was still quite a bit too animalistic, too. Often more so than human. 

Just the other day the little butt was going after his toes in the shower like they were tiny prairie dogs to pounce on!

I can’t come? But I’m a great hunter! Have you tried prairie dog? 

Darah chuckled and knelt down to pat Kit’s fuzzy head. 

“Maybe next time?” He tried, hoping that Kit wouldn’t be upset about staying home. 

His little ferret friend didn’t seem too happy, but he sat down and gave a agreeing squeak after a few moments of consideration. 

“Thank you, sweetheart. I promise I’ll be back soon.” 

With that he stepped outside, then gently slid the door closed before finishing removing his clothing. Once that was folded and set aside on a clean chair, he finally let his body relax and shifted. 

It took a minute to regain his bearings as his bat finally finished forming, then stretched out its little wings, but man did it feel good to shift after so long. 

There we go. 

He was just about to take off and go feed so that he could return quickly, when he heard something behind him. Turning, his bat tilted its head at the sight that awaited it. 

Kit’s ferret was standing on its hind legs and smooshing itself against the glass with its paws up by its face and its mouth open, clearly trying to bite at the invisible barrier. 

It was a good idea to ask him to stay home. 

After another moment of stretching, Darah carefully got airborne and on his way. He wasn’t sure why, but he kept feeling the need to look over his shoulder and make sure that Kit was still okay, but he knew that he shouldn’t be worried. 

You’re getting too attached to him. 

It wasn’t like he expected the guy to stay with him forever, either. Once Kit was comfortable being a human again, or heck, if he wanted to go back to being a ferret… either way, he’d leave one day. 

His bat squeaked quietly, then landed a few feet away from its intended target. Even as he climbed up its leg, the cow ignored him. As it continued to graze in the darkness, Darah carefully nibbled a small spot open on its upper shoulder. 

The blood that soon began to trickle into his mouth was familiar and warm, but he couldn’t help thinking something he really shouldn’t be. Well, his bat was thinking it, but it was thinking it quite loudly in his mind. 

You’re not going to bite him. Out of the question. 

His bat internally sulked as it continued its meal, but Darah paid it no more mind. Besides, if his bat ever tried to nibble on Kit’s ferret, it would probably get taken down in an instant!

He remembered the look on Kit’s ferret’s face right before he’d left. He would be a chew toy. 

A few minutes later his bat seemed content and ready to take off.

Not wanting to waste time, Darah hurried back, not bothering with his normal after dinner flight. He was soon landing in the grass in his backyard, then hopping up onto the paved back patio. 

Unsurprisingly, Kit was immediately up against the sliding glass door, eagerly waiting for him to get closer. 

I know that you want to eat me and you’re getting little paw prints all over the glass, but you’re still adorable. 

Walking closer, since his bat was one of the few that managed well on the ground, he watched as Kit danced about at the door, moving this way and that as he tried to get through it to him. 

Internally smirking, Darah had his bat run from one end of the long glass door to the other, spurring Kit’s ferret to immediately dart after him, squeaking frantically!

I really shouldn’t tease him like this, but  this is kinda fun. 

He was a bit surprised that Kit wasn’t talking to him through their bond, though, but he figured that maybe his ferret was just more in control at the moment. 

Either way, they were both getting some much-needed exercise, and safely. 

They actually ended up running back and forth for nearly half an hour before his bat had finally had enough and pushed his human side back into control.   

That left him panting quietly on the concrete, butt naked, yet smiling. 

When he glanced over at Kit, he noticed that his ferret was gone now, too, replaced by a grinning human. 

Mr. Darah, can we do that again?! 

Darah chuckled and got himself up, feeling quite content after feeding and running around a bit. 

Man, a nice nap sounds great right now. 

He grabbed his clothing and stepped back inside a moment later, and as expected, was rewarded with a tight hug from Kit. 

Mr. Darah, your shift is really cool! Sorry I wanted to eat it!

Darah chuckled and patted Kit’s soft hair. 

“It’s alright. I thought that might happen, which was why I asked you to stay home,” he said as he tugged on his shorts, but decided to ignore the rest of his clothing and simply took it back to his room to put away. 

They weren’t going anywhere today, so there was no need to get fully dressed. He’d also finished his stream for the day, so they were free to do what they wanted. 

And a nap really did sound nice. 

Without even thinking, Darah flopped down onto his bed with a content sigh, but before he could even consider getting comfortable, another body suddenly joined him, forcing his mostly closed eyes to immediately flutter back open!

Kit was lying beside him, a smile on his face. He had evidently decided against getting dressed at all, but that wasn’t really a surprise anymore. What  was, however, was that this was the first time he’d ever ventured onto his bed,  and  while in human form!

Reaching over his head to grab the remote for the small TV he had hanging on the wall, Darah clicked it on. He knew that Kit loved nature shows, but rarely had the attention span to actually sit and watch them. 

But that was perfectly fine. 

The white noise had him drifting in and out of consciousness within just a few minutes, but he did feel Kit move around quite a bit. First as a human, snuggling closer and closer to him, and then as a ferret. 

Eventually, after what was likely half an hour or so, Darah finally fell asleep with Kit’s ferret curled up contently in the crook of his neck.

Chapter Eleven

(I switched PoV by mistake in this chapter but imma leave it cause it works fine XD)

He’d been dreaming about eating the most delicious prairie dog. 

Mmm? 

Stretching against the warmth settled up against him, Kit yawned wide, allowing what he’d been chewing on to slip from between his teeth. 

As his mind began to clear, he heard the sound of quiet typing from a phone text right behind him. 

Mr. Darah is awake? 

“Good morning, Kit.”

Blinking open his eyes quickly, Kit looked up at the young man staring down at him. 

“Good” morning! 

Darah looked a little surprised at his greeting, but Kit wasn’t sure why. 

Is he upset I’m on his bed? 

The expression didn’t really seem like one of frustration, though. Or annoyance. 

“I’m definitely not upset that you fell asleep in my bed, Kit. Wanna take a shower before I hop back on the game for a bit?” 

Kit immediately hopped off the bed, changing into a ferret mid-leap!

Soon he was in the bathroom, and as Darah followed him, he saw a wiggling ferret butt disappear over the edge of the tub, followed by a thump-squeak. 

He’d already showered earlier, but he always rinsed off after feeding again. Normally, he’d do that right away, but the nap had been well worth it. 

He actually spoke…

It was still hard to believe after having never heard his voice except for in his thoughts. 

It’s as cute as he is. 

Smiling, Darah tugged off his single article of clothing, then got the shower started. Kit never seemed to mind whether the water was cold or hot at the beginning, and was already dancing around under it, pouncing on droplets with all the ferocity of a hungry lion. 

Once the water was the temperature he liked, Darah stepped in… and immediately felt little claws latch onto his right big toe!

“Pardon me, good sir, but we’ve been over this. That’s not a prairie dog.”

Kit’s little ferret looked up at him, a shine to its eyes that told him that his adorable Kit was currently away from keyboard . 

Thankfully, it seemed like he’d remembered what he’d told him last time, at least. There were no teeth present as the little black-footed ferret pawed at his toes. 

Though, he could tell that it was frustrated with not being allowed to nibble, and was grumbling and squeaking as it bit the air right above them. 

Smirking, Darah quickly washed his body as he lifted his feet every so often when Kit’s claws caught his skin a bit too painfully. 

Once he was done and rinsed off, he sat down and grabbed the bottle of kitten shampoo he’d purchased a bit ago. As soon as Kit’s ferret realized what was about to happen, it took on the most adorable battle stance.

Feet spread, tail up, and tiny ears pinned back. 

After squeezing a large amount of soap into his left hand, Darah set the bottle aside before abruptly reaching out to grab Kit!

At that moment, the soap wrestling match was on! Every time he managed to grab hold of the little rascal it would squirm right out of his hands! 

Of course, by the time Kit finally retreated from the battlefield and hopped up onto the edge of the tub, he was completely covered in a cloud of soap, leaving just his bright black eyes visible.

As much as he hemmed and hawed about being washed, he never jumped out of the tub and seemed to enjoy tussling with him to try and avoid being cleaned. 

“Ready for a rinse?” Darah asked after a few moments of intense stare-down. 

Kit narrowed his eyes on him the slightest fraction more before suddenly perking up and hopping forward to slide down the curved back edge of the tub on his soapy belly, his legs splayed and mouth open on an excited duke!

By the time he was completely rinsed off, Darah had quite a bit of shed fur on his hands and needed to wash off again, but he knew that Kit really did enjoy his bath time. 

Once he was done rinsing himself Darah turned off the water and grabbed a towel for himself. He quickly dried off, then wrapped it around his waist, then reached over for Kit’s. 

He toweled him off quickly, then set the towel on the floor so that his damp friend can dig and wiggle around in it. 

Once Kit was busy playing with his towel, Darah turned towards the mirror and started combing his hair, but before the item even passed through the strands twice, he was suddenly much smaller and quite confused as his towel drifted down to cover his tiny body. 

This…

He suddenly heard a curious coo somewhere nearby. 

…is not good. 

Doing his best to hold as still as possible, Darah listened as he heard tiny footsteps inch closer to him on the tile floor. 

Kit? 

No response. 

Kit, you should be a good boy and shift back to your human form. 

Still nothing. 

A poke against the towel covering him had his bat tensing up. It was ready to fight, but Darah knew that it was a match it could never win. 

A few sniffles sounded before a loud exhale-sneeze, then a few more pokes and prods. His bat was nearly having a panic attack as it did its best to remain as still as possible beneath the fabric that hid it. 

I really regret teasing his ferret now.

Said ferret’s nose was just beginning to nudge itself beneath the folds of towel right then, too, making his bat squeak nervously as it shied away inch by inch. 

Unfortunately, while Kit’s ferret got closer beneath the towel, Darah’s bat, distracted by the danger in front, didn’t realize what it was doing until it no longer had the towel to hide beneath. 

Kit’s ferret seemed to realize what had happened immediately, because it was soon backing out from beneath the towel. 

Within three seconds, they were nearly face-to-face. Tiny blackish-brown eyes staring into pitch black beady ones. 

Darah did his best to keep his bat calm, since Kit’s ferret was thankfully not attacking yet, but it didn’t take his poor shift long before it lost it’s cool and let out a loud, dismayed screech and flapped its little wings to try and take off! 

Of course, Kit’s ferret was an adept hunter. There was no way it would let him just fly away from it so easily!

He was taken down before his little feet even left the floor, then immediately had to go on the defense as it screeched and scrambled about, trying to get away from Kit’s teeth and claws!

They tussled together on the floor for nearly two minutes before, right as he felt something painful pierce the skin on his chest, Darah finally  managed to wrest control back and shift into his human form!

“Oh, thank god,” he groaned as he leaned back against the sink cabinet. 

He had a few scratches on him, and his left nipple hurt quite a bit, but if that was the only damage, he was more than grateful. 

“Um…?” 

That… does not sound like Kit’s voice. 

Blinking open his eyes, Darah slowly tilted his head up and to the right as his face turned a bright red. His father stood in the doorway, looking down at him, then slightly further down, before looking back up. 

That glance prompted Darah to glance down at himself, too. 

Thankfully, his lap was partially covered with the towel they’d been rolling around in, but what made his face suddenly burn hotter than the sun was seeing the little ferret he’d been wrestling with unlatch its teeth from around his bleeding left nipple and hurry to scurry behind the toilet to get out of his father’s line of sight. 

“Um…” Darah mumbled as he awkwardly looked back up at his dad. 

“I can explain?”

Chapter Twelve

Darah sat across the small dining room table from his father, freshly clothed and with an aching left nipple that had a band-aid over it. 

They had been staring at each other for a solid five minutes, yet no words have passed between them yet. He honestly had no idea how to explain what his father had seen without writing an entire book about it. 

He didn’t think the author would like to deal with another spin-off right then. 

Internally groaning for the fifth time, Darah looked over at Kit, who was peering around the corner of the hallway, too nervous to come formally meet his dad, but too curious to continue hiding from him. 

Of course, he was still in his ferret form, but that was probably for the best. His father wouldn’t expect a ferret to talk, but he would expect a human to. 

“It really wasn’t what it looked like,” he eventually started, then sighed. 

“His ferret likes to play with my toes in the shower, but when I got out, I accidentally shifted into my bat form after teasing him a bit. He’s a bit more animal than human right now, so he pounced on my bat…”

It was clear that his father wasn’t happy with that explanation, but probably for other reasons besides the nipple biting, at least. 

“If he has so little control over his animal half, I don’t know how I feel about him staying here with you,” he said. 

Those words were to be expected, since he was  his father. And also a police officer. Having his son being attacked by a rabid ferret definitely wasn’t a positive. 

“I know that it’s not great to hear, but this is the only time it’s ever happened. He really has been well behaved.”

His father’s expression didn’t change much, but when he looked over at Kit, who was still barely poking his head out of the hallway entrance, he didn’t really seem upset anymore. 

After a long minute of silence, the man’s attention returned to him. 

“You’re coming to dinner tonight, right?” 

Ah, right. 

The first Friday of each month he went over to his parent’s for dinner. 

“Of course, I’ll be there,” Darah replied without hesitation. 

His father looked back to Kit, then nodded to the ferret. 

“Bring him.”

Uh…

“What? Can he not behave enough to come with you to a simple dinner with your family yet?” His father asked, raising an eyebrow as he spoke. 

Damn. I knew he was going to test what I said, but I was hoping he’d give me a bit more time before he did. 

“Hey Kit, would you mind coming to dinner with me tonight? It will just be me and my mom and dad at their house,” he said as he turned to look at the little ferret still watching them curiously. 

 He could tell that Kit was nervous, but he didn’t hesitate for long before he nodded his little fuzzy head. 

I’ll go with Mr. Darah. 

Darah smiled and returned his attention to his father. 

“He’ll come along. I hope you don’t mind if he’s a ferret most of the time? He’s not that comfortable as a human yet.” 

His dad nodded. 

“That’s completely fine. I’m going to head home now and give your mom a hand with the cooking. She’s going a bit overboard this time.”

Ah, message received. 

He needed to call his mom a bit more. 

“Alright, I’ll see you soon, dad.” 

Darah followed his father to the door, then immediately turned and slouched back against it once he’d closed it with a quiet click . 

When he slid to the floor, Kit finally ran over and climbed into his lap, feeling like he needed to be there to provide some sort of comfort, most likely. 

It was appreciated. 

Darah gladly picked him up, but before he could snuggle the little ferret, it shifted into a much larger human, who then wrapped their arms around his neck and leaned in close for a hug. 

I’m  “sorry.”

Hearing Kit speak again had Darah smiling as he returned his hug. 

“It’s alright, hun. You didn’t do it on purpose, and it was just a nibble. Just wait, dad will be laughing about it at dinner.”

It was unfortunate for his embarrassment, but at least Kit won’t feel as bad then. 

“Oh, how about you wear one of your new little ties?” he asked as he easily lifted Kit and stood up, then carried him into his bedroom, before setting him down on his feet. 

Darah quickly found one of the little ties they’d bought where he’d hung them up in his closet, then turned to offer it to a now-ferret Kit. The little guy was wiggling all over, excited to wear his new article of clothing. Except, he was wiggling so much that it took Darah nearly five full minutes before he managed to clip it onto the fur beneath his chin correctly!

“You sure are a wiggler when you’re excited about something.”

Kit dooked for good measure as he ran around a bit, likely burning off the extra energy he’d had from their disrupted shower excitement. By the time he’d calmed down, Darah had gotten changed into some nicer clothes for the dinner, as well as styled his hair, and gotten a load of laundry going. 

“We have about twenty minutes before we need to leave, so I guess we can go over some simple rules. My mom isn’t very picky about things, but she doesn’t like animal hair on her couches, okay? So let’s stay on the floor while in your ferret form.”

Kit, who had finally calmed down, nodded dramatically. 

“Try not to chew too loudly, too. She’ll understand that you’re a ferret, though, so don’t worry too much about that.” 

Kit opened and closed his mouth, also dramatically, before giving a little hop on his front feet, and another nod. 

There were a few other simple rules, but nothing that was worth worrying too much about. He let Kit know them, then grabbed his keys and headed out. Normally, he drove, but since it was nice and cool out, but not too cold, he decided to just make the thirty minute walk. 

It had been a good idea. Kit was all leaps and bounds as they headed towards his parent’s. Darah had to make sure that he didn’t get under anyone’s feet as he zoomed ahead of him, then back, before circling around him a few times, then repeating the lap again. 

Thankfully, he understood not to go into the street, or bother anyone who was walking their dogs. He wisely avoided any children, too. 

Maybe I should get him one of those ferret leashes, just in case? 

Kit returned to him for the tenth time, seemingly having run out enough energy to walk beside him… for now. 

Mr. Darah, does your mom like prairie dog? 

Darah bit back a chuckle as he smiled down at Kit. 

“She likes them, but I think she prefers watching them, over eating them.” 

He could sense Kit’s disappointment. 

“How about you go hunt sometime this week? I wouldn’t mind trying their blood.”

He wasn’t exactly a fan of killing one of the furry critters, but there were  quite a lot of them, and if Kit had been there for any reasonable amount of time, then the population was likely fine with losing one more to him. 

His words had evidently been exactly what Kit needed to hear, because he was soon pawing at Darah’s pants, the tiny pats literally drumming away at the fabric as he tried not to tear it, but still show his overwhelming excitement. 

Really?! I can?! You will?! I’ll catch you the best one ever! It will be really juicy and full of blood!

That… didn’t exactly sound all that great, but his bat, at least, seemed slightly interested. As long as it didn’t get mauled again, that is. 

They finished their walk in relative calm, with Kit hobbling ahead off and on, curiosity drawing his attention in a thousand different directions. 

“Over here, bud,” Darah eventually called as he slowed to a stop in front of a large brick house, in a nice, quiet neighborhood. 

Oh wow! Your parents must work at the grocery store! 

Darah raised an eyebrow as he led Kit up the several small sets of stairs that stretched across his mother’s beautiful front garden. 

“Why do you say grocery store workers?” he asked, curious. 

Food is really yummy, and those stores must have a lot of it! It must be hard work! 

He… couldn’t argue with that logic. 

“Um, my mom is a lawyer, and dad is a police officer. I do definitely appreciate those who work in the grocery stores, though,” he said as they stopped at his parent’s front door. 

Before he could even knock, it was swinging open to reveal an older woman with a big, warm smile on her face. 

Within seconds Darah was pulled into a strong hug, and several lipstick marks were left on his cheeks. 

“Hi mom,” he gasped out as he felt his ribs nearly crack.

His mother might have been older, but she took good care of herself, and was quite fit. 

“Oh my, is this little one your new friend?” she asked as she finally released him in order to look down at the little ferret partially hiding behind his pantleg. 

Darah looked down as Kit hugged his leg, clearly nervous, but trying to be brave. 

“It is. His name is Kit. He’s not used to people yet, so he might not come to you for a bit.” 

His mom nodded, understanding on her face as she held the door open for them. 

“Not a problem. I love his little tie. He’s very handsome. Dinner will be ready in about an hour, so why don’t you take him swimming?” 

That’s not a bad idea. 

Darah led Kit inside and greeted his father, who was quite busy doing his mother’s bidding in the kitchen. He then took Kit to his old room and changed into a swimsuit. 

“Gonna stay in your ferret form for now?” he asked as he removed his little tie to keep it from getting wet. 

Kit nodded. 

I’m nervous. 

“Not a problem. Let’s go have some fun before dinner?” 

Kit nodded again, though his enthusiasm was still muted. Darah decided to pick him up, since he had set aside his dress shirt and pants, and now only wore a swimsuit. 

That  seemed to bring Kit’s mood up quite a bit, as he was carried through the house, then out the back sliding glass doors. 

Oh my gosh! Your parents have a huge pond! 

It was a very  big swimming pool. 

Both of his parents had always loved to swim, so when they’d bought the house, the pool was the first thing that they added. It was easily half the size of their backyard, with most of the remaining portion being gardens and fruit trees. 

Darah headed over to the edge, then sat down before setting Kit beside him. He expected him to get closer to the water, since he seemed excited about it, but when he quickly climbed into his lap and looked suspiciously at the surface, Darah raised an eyebrow. 

Are there any alligators in there? 

Darah bit back a chuckle. 

“No, bud. No alligators, I promise.” 

Kit glanced up at him, then back to the water. He repeated the action several times before inching his way along Darah’s right leg until he came to the knee, then looked over. 

“Go ahead, if you’d like.”

Kit needed no more encouragement. He leaped off Darah’s knee like someone from the top rope of a wrestling match, then smacked down into the water, flat on his belly, less than a foot away! 

Darah quickly slid into the pool to check on him, but evidently, he hadn’t needed to worry. Kit was having quite a good time, zooming around him at an impressive speed for such a little guy. 

While it was clear that he could swim well, Darah made sure to keep up with him, since no person, or ferret, could swim forever. As they moved around the pool, he noticed something small splash into the water in front of them, immediately drawing both their attention. 

Before Darah could even get close enough to see what it was, Kit was on it! He immediately pounced when he was close enough, then began spinning little summersaults in the water as he aggressively tried to take down  his prey. 

“It’s just one of Wilbur’s cat toys. He’s gotten a bit lazy recently, so I doubt he’ll mind if we borrow it,” his mother said as she sat down in a lounge chair near the edge of the pool. 

Ah, that makes sense. 

Well, Kit was definitely enjoying it, but Darah quickly realized that he might be going overboard when he felt Kit’s excitement mix with discomfort in his mind. 

“Alright, time to get out for a minute,” he said as he easily swam over and scooped his little ferret out of the water. 

Since Kit was still gnawing and clawing at the ball, he didn’t hold him for long. Instead, he hurried to the edge of the pool and set him on the pavement. That’s when Kit really went after the ball!

He rolled around like one of those battery powered ball toys connected to a fake raccoon tail. Over and over and over again, he flipped, spun, and ran about with the soaked cat toy, having the time of his life. 

“I think we have a winner. I’ve bought him a few small stuffed animal toys, but I didn’t really think about a ball,” Darah said as he walked through the water to the ledge closest to where his mom was sitting, since Kit seemed perfectly happy playing with his ball outside of the—A little splash had Darah realizing that, perhaps, his little friend still needed looked after a bit. 

He watched and waited, letting kit play until he felt him get nervous through their bond again. 

“Alright, another rest break,” he said as he scooped the spinning ferret from the water, then set him back out on dry land again. 

Kit immediately ran off into the bushes, his new red fuzzy ball held high within his mouth. He was making little stifled duking sounds the entire time, though the ball muffled a good bit of them. 

“When your father told me about what he’d seen earlier, I was a little nervous about this new friend you found,” his mother finally said as they listened to Kit play in the bushes. He was likely getting dirty from head to tail, but if his mother didn’t mind, then he wouldn’t bother him about it. 

It was nothing a quick rinse-off wouldn’t solve. 

“Uh, yeah… That really was just a big misunderstanding. He’s a very sweet guy. He just lost control a bit when we were messing around, and I shifted by accident.”

His mother nodded as they both watched a muddy Kit bound out of the bushes, and immediately head straight towards the pool!

“H-hang on!” Darah said as he swam hurried over, stopping Kit right before he could jump head-first into the clean water. 

The little ferret shuffled from foot to foot as he made little crying sounds, clearly wanting to get back in the water. 

“You’re all dirty now, bud. I don’t think mom wants her pool to get dirty, too.” 

Kit looked up at his mom, though the dirty cat ball probably blocked most of his view. When he didn’t get an immediate response, he returned his attention Darah and squeaked out another cry. 

When Darah just shook his head, Kit turned in a little circle, then abruptly shook his coat out! Little bits of mud and dirt went flying, but it did little to rid him of the majority.

“Darah, why not rinse him off with the hose? Then he can get back in.”   

Oh, right!

He was just getting out of the pool to go do that when his mother got up. 

“Actually, I bought a new sprinkler for my plants. Maybe he’d like that more?” she said as she went to retrieve it, then got it running in the grass a few feet away from the pool. 

Kit was hesitant, at first, but as he watched the lines of water spray forward and back, forward and back, he hesitantly took a step closer. 

“Wanna play with me?” Darah asked as he walked over to the sprinkler, then jumped over the streams of water. 

It was definitely childish, and if his friends on his game ever saw him doing it, he’d never hear the end of it, but… Kit soon joined him, the dirty ball still in his mouth as he bounded over water, squeaked from surprise, then did it again a moment later. 

Pretty soon, they were running around like little kids, though Kit was definitely doing the majority of the running. Either way, it got him cleaned off enough to go back in the pool. Except, he seemed to prefer the sprinkler now, and by the time his dad called them for dinner, Kit was well and truly exhausted. And thankfully, clean. 

Darah quickly got himself dried off with one of the towels his dad brought out for them, then wrapped it around his waist. He intended to take care of Kit, next, but to his surprise, his mother already had the sleeping ferret wrapped in a soft towel in her arms. Of course, his new ball was there, too, settled right next to his nose. 

“Um, I can get him…” he offered, a bit shocked that Kit was sleeping so soundly in her arms. 

His mom smiled at him and headed back towards the house. 

“Go ahead and get yourself changed. I’ve got him,” she whispered as they stepped inside.

Darah was at a bit of a loss, but since Kit seemed fine, and his mom appeared quite happy with her new little one, he decided to just go do as told. 

I guess I’ll just have to pack up his portion of dinner. 

He doubted that he’d be up before they finished eating, but he’d make sure that he got to taste some of everything. Heck, considering how much his mom seemed to like him already, he didn’t doubt that she was already planning to send him home with a tupperware full of food… and strict rules for him , to fatten the poor boy up a bit.

Chapter Thirteen

He could feel  Kit’s excitement radiating through their bond as the little guy bolted around his massive backyard, chasing flocks of panicked prairie dogs. Somehow, Darah didn’t think that he was doing it quite right, but he wasn’t going to intervene, either. Kit was doing something he loved, and was also trying to catch dinner for his bat. 

It was sweet. 

Unfortunately for his cute furry friend, after nearly an hour of all-out running, Kit returned exhausted and empty-pawed. He also seemed quite upset, which was understandable. He’d been so hyped to catch dinner for him, yet he’d failed. 

“It’s alright, bud. We still have plenty of leftovers from mom. How about we relax on the couch tonight and watch a movie?” he said as he lifted Kit’s despondent little ferret up. 

Kit immediately snuggled into his hoodie pocket, silently sulking. 

Shaking his head with a smile, Darah walked to the kitchen and got some things heating up in the microwave, but before the device could finish, he heard a sound at the door. 

I didn’t order anything…

Opening the front door, he looked down to see a small Amazon package. He shared an account with his parents, but he definitely hadn’t ordered anything recently. 

Mentally shrugging, he picked it up and closed the door. He could already hear Kit sniffing at the new scent, so it was no surprise to see the little ferret’s head sticking out of his pocket as he looked at the plastic-wrapped package curiously. 

“Mom must have sent it,” he noted as he walked back into the kitchen, where a light was already on, and opened it. 

The sight of what was in the plastic bag made Darah’s heart warm. 

“I told my mom about how awesome you are, and how you’ve hunted prairie dogs for a long time,” he said as he lifted the stuffed animal from the bag. It was easily the same size as Kit, though more round than long. 

“I think you have a new stepmom who wants to dote on you.”

Before he could say anything else, there was an excessively energetic ferret hanging from the poor stuffed animal’s throat as it squeaked and thrashed, clearly not hesitating to go for the kill!

I… can’t say I blame him for that reaction. 

It was actually kind of cute, in a ferocious sort of way. 

“You did it, bud. You got him good,” he said as he carefully set the stuffed animal, as well as its attached-ferret, down on the tile floor. 

The second they were settled, Kit took off with the stuffed animal somehow held above his head, a dooking-squeak sounding like a victory call as he disappeared into Darah’s bedroom a moment later… after hearing a few thunks  along the way, probably from him running into the walls. 

I guess I’ll get some cleaning done while he disembowels mom’s present. 

He actually hadn’t been doing his normal routine of rigorous cleaning nearly as much since Kit had arrived. Although, now that he thought about it, he began to immediately get busy scrubbing the kitchen and snacking on what he’d already heated up in the microwave. 

First the stove was done both inside and out, then the fridge had its turn. Next was a bit of vacuuming, as well as dusting, and dishes. 

By the time he heard footsteps from the hall, he was content with his little cleaning binge. 

“Mr. Darah?” 

Darah’s heart melted in an instant. 

He turned around after rubbing at his chest a little, then offered Kit a smile. 

“Hey there, I see your prairie dog is still in one piece,” he said, a hint of humor to his words as he walked over to pat Kit’s soft hair. 

He had shifted at some point while in his room, and now had on a pair of blue gym shorts. He was also currently hugging the stuffed animal to his chest, like it was something precious. 

“You like the stuffed animal mom got you?” he asked, when Kit didn’t move or speak again. 

Kit nodded immediately to his question, a smile finding its way onto his face. Darah was about to say something else when his phone began ringing in his back pocket. 

The ringtone told him to pick it up immediately, but as soon as he said “hey mom,” his mother replied. 

“Where is my little Kit? Did he like his new stuffed animal?” 

Should have known…

Grinning, Darah put the phone on speaker, then walked over to sit on the couch. He patted the spot beside him a moment later, and Kit happily hurried over to settled right up against him, his stuffed animal still held firmly in his arms. 

“He’s right here beside me, and he’s got the stuffed animal. I don’t think you’re going to get it back,” he joked. 

His mother chuckled lightly, then replied, her tone gentle and upbeat. 

“Hi sweetheart, I just wanted to call and check in on you. I’m glad you like the toy I got you.”

Darah expected to hear Kit speak into his mind, since he’d already said a lot more than he usually did a few moments ago, but when he reached out to gently grasp the phone, then leaned a little closer, Darah raised an eyebrow. 

“Th…” Kit tried, his mind visible through his expressive eyes as it worked to find the words he wanted to say. 

“Thank you,” he eventually managed. 

Darah’s mom immediately took over the conversation, clearly wanting to make Kit feel more comfortable. 

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Charles and I are going to have a little barbeque tomorrow, if you’d like to come over again.”

Ah, now he knew her plan. If she got Kit to come over more, he would inevitably be there, too. 

Not that his mom didn’t adore Kit, but she also was amazing at playing her hand, so to speak. If doting on Kit got her more time with her son, too, then she’d gladly rain praise and stuffed prairie dogs down on Kit all day long. 

Thankfully, Kit knew to at least look up at him before he accepted the invitation, which was much appreciate. Unfortunately for Darah, he had no good reason to decline. So, he gave a quiet sigh and nodded his agreement. 

The excited look that took over Kit’s face made the thought of spending more time with his parents worth it. 

Kit quickly returned his attention to the phone and made an affirmative humming sound. 

“Wonderful, we got some new things for you to use in the pool, too.”

By the time their little conversation was over, Kit was very  excited to go visit his new stepmom tomorrow. He shifted the moment Darah hung up the phone, then ran around with his stuffed animal held over his head, tripping every few steps since he couldn’t see where he was going with it blocking his view. 

Darah was about to go back to his room and hop on his game for a little gear farming, when he heard a text message pop up on his phone, drawing his attention down to it. 

Mom: Could you and Kit pick up some bell peppers and potatoes for tomorrow please? 

Darah glanced up as Kit ran into the wall, his stuffed animal thankfully cushioning most of the impact. 

“Uh, hey Kit? You wanna go to one of those cool grocery stores with me? Mom wants us to go grab a few things.”

Kit looked up at him after shaking off the hit to the wall, though it was obvious he still couldn’t see around the plushy. He then shook his coat out and gave an agreeing dook!

Before Darah could even get up, Kit was bounding back into his room, a startled squeak happening somewhere in the hallway along the way. 

Maybe I should get him a smaller stuffed animal so that he can see better.

As he stepped into his room a few moments later, Darah was surprised to see Kit back in his human form. The young man was tugging on a pair of his fancy dress pants, though he was struggling a bit since he refused to set down his precious stuffed animal. 

“Want me to hold him while you get dressed?” he offered, holding back a chuckle at how cute he looked trying to manage the task. 

Kit lifted the stuffed animal to his mouth as he shook his head, then finishing fastening his pants, before grabbing a dark red dress shirt. The buttons still weren’t easy for him, so Darah did  step forward and help with those. 

“Looks perfect,” he commented after stepping away. 

Kit gave him a big grin… which was hidden by the stuffed animal still being held in his mouth. 

Internally shaking his head at the goofy guy, Darah just slid on a pair of sneakers, then grabbed his keys and wallet. 

“Ready to go?” 

Kit dropped his stuffed animal back into his arms, then slid on his own fancier shoes before ging an affirmative hum. He then headed for the door. Darah followed him after messaging his gaming buddies that he wouldn’t be on for a while. 

A few of them sent him random emoji’s back, but he didn’t bother responding. 

The grocery store wasn’t far, and while Kit seemed nervous, he also seemed almost excited. As soon as they parked, he was up and out of the car, but while he appeared determined to head inside first, he managed to stop himself and wait at the back of the car for him. 

“Thank you for waiting. Let’s walk in together,” Darah said as he met him there, then took his hand. 

He knew that most adults could navigate a parking lot safely, but Kit was new to just about everything human, so he didn’t want to risk him running in front of a car. 

They were soon inside, and Kit, thankfully, gravitated to the big shopping carts. He even slid his stuffed prairie dog into the child’s seat. 

Glad he wants to try pushing them. It will make keeping an eye on him much easier. 

Or so he’d thought. 

“B-bud,” Darah called for the third time as Kit got absolutely absorbed   in the massive supermarket. 

After the second time he disappeared around a corner, however, Darah sped up and took hold of the cart, too. Third time would not be the charm.  

“Let’s walk together, hmm? We still have to get what mom asked, but if you see something interesting that you’d like to try, just let me know, okay?” he said as they began to walk again, side by side this time. 

He quickly remembered why most food items had cute characters or bright colors on them. 

He is so distracted. 

It was kind of refreshing to see someone have so much fun in a grocery store, though he had to make sure that he didn’t disturb the other shoppers too much, either. 

Eventually, Kit turned to him holding a box of Fruit Loops. It was a cereal his mother would never allow in her house, so he’d rarely eaten it, himself. 

“That’s what you want to try?” he asked as he took the box and looked at… all the junk in the ingredients. 

He honestly doubted that he would like them, but he put the box in their cart. Before he could return his attention to Kit, the young man was hugging him. 

“Thank… you.”

Cute. 

“You’re welcome, bud. Let’s get mom’s stuff now,” he said as he guided their cart towards the produce section. 

He wasn’t surprised when Kit didn’t seem as interested, since he mainly ate prairie dogs before, but he didn’t seem bored, at least. Darah got the two things his mom wanted, but then, instead of leaving, he noticed the bowl of fresh fruit that was left out for hungry kids. 

“Want to try a fruit?” 

Kit glanced over his shoulder, having been fascinated by a display of dragon fruit. 

 Darah walked over to the bowl and picked up an apple. 

“You’ve had an apple before, right?” 

Kit pursed his lips, then shook his head. 

“I’ve had a banana before, I think. It was too sweet, though.” 

I figured that you weren’t a huge sweets guy. 

“Want to try an apple? This variety is more sour than sweet,” Darah said as he offered the green apple to him. 

Kit eyed it for several moments, considering if he really did want to try it or not. Eventually, however, he gave his head a slight shake. 

“No, thank… you.”

Darah smiled and took a bite of the apple, himself. 

“Alright, I think we’re good, then. Wanna head home?” 

Kit seemed about ready to nod, but then something apparently caught his attention. Well, it caught his nose’s   attention. 

Soon, Darah was following him over to the deli counter, watching as Kit’s eyes got wider and wider at the large array of meats laid out in front of him behind the glass. 

Good thing there’s glass there. I bet his ferret is right behind his eyes now, ready to take down those hams. 

“Would you like to try something, young man?” the little old lady behind the counter asked nicely. 

Kit opened and closed his mouth a few times, possibly trying to respond to her, but also possibly just imagining himself eating the smorgasbord of meat. 

Eventually, he looked over his shoulder, his eyes pleading. 

Darah took pity on him and hurried to stand beside him at the counter. 

“He’d love to try a couple things, if he could?” 

The woman smiled and nodded. 

“We have some really good honey smoked turkey breast, and there’s some buffalo chicken slices…” she listed, going over several things he had a feeling Kit wouldn’t quite like. 

“Ah, what about this? Smoked brisket?”  

Darah nodded to that option. 

“That one would be great, thanks.”

She quickly got their slices ready, then handed them over the top of the glass case. 

Darah took them, since he could tell that Kit really was trying to keep his ferret calm, then turned and offered him his big slice. Kit took it carefully, then sniffed it for just a moment before taking a big bite. 

The look on his face told Darah that they’d made the right choice. 

As they both snacked, he ordered a half pound of the brisket, as well as a half pound of peppered ham. When they were handed over, he thanked the woman, but instead of putting them in the cart, he handed the two packages to a beaming Kit. 

“Hold those for me?”

Kit gladly took the packages of meat, and as if in a trance, followed Darah like an obedient child for the remainder of their trip to the checkout, then car. 

By the time they got home and got things put away, with Kit getting another slice of brisket to nibble at, he realized something. 

I guess meat is the key to his heart. 

Darah chuckled… then grabbed another piece for himself, before heading into his room to game a bit. As soon as Kit was finished with his own snack, there was a little ferret wiggling its way into Darah’s hoodie pocket… after a stuffed prairie dog was deposited in his lap. 

A few moments after that, little snoring sounds made Darah’s lips tilt upward. 

He’s so cute.

Chapter Fourteen

“I know that he wants us to be afraid of him, but there’s just no way,” Imacat said as he sat across from Darah, his curious eyes settled firmly on Kit’s adorable form. 

The guy had gently styled dark brown hair and eyes to match. He was on the shorter side, likely around five-foot two or so, but all in all, he was well proportioned.

“Yeah, even growling at me, I want to squeeze him,” Shorty added from where he lounged next to Imacat. 

The guy was anything but  short, and easily towered over Imacat by at least a foot. He also had blonde hair and blue eyes. Darah didn’t doubt that he had girls following him around sometimes. 

They hadn’t exactly planned to meet up, though. Or, at least, Darah hadn’t, but he’d suddenly received a message a few hours after he and Kit had gotten back from the grocery store, inviting him out to a ramen place a short distance away. 

He’d known that Imacat and Shnort, A.K.A. Shorty, lived somewhere in the same city, but he hadn’t thought that they’d ever reach out to him to get lunch. He tended to just be their Boss  on game, and that was always that. Once he logged off, he didn’t here much from his guys unless it was game related. 

Figuring that it was time to try and calm his ferret down, he gently picked up Kit from where he was leaning up on the table, using his back feet to lift himself off of Darah’s legs. He honestly looked like he was some sort of ferret detective and was trying to interrogate two criminals. Unfortunately for him, he was just too adorable to make the cut for that sort of job.

“It’s alright, Kit. They’re just some of my friends from my video game. They aren’t going to do anything bad,” Darah told him as he hugged Kit against his chest, then held up a menu for him. 

Thankfully, it was just one piece of laminated paper, front and back, so it was easy enough to go over. 

“They have really good soup here,” Darah said as he began reading off the different options… as his friends just stared at him with looks of disbelief on their faces. 

He wasn’t really sure what the big deal was, though. He was just reading a menu to an agitated ferret. People brought their shifter children to restaurants all the time, and while Kit definitely wasn’t his child, he still saw no reason not to offer him a little help doing something he normally didn’t. 

It was honestly surprising to him that Kit had even wanted to go to a restaurant to begin with, considering the amount of people that could be there. Thankfully, it wasn’t too busy yet, but he could still sense his unease through their bond. 

Oddly, though, Kit hadn’t thought a single thing to him since they’d arrived. 

“This one?” Darah asked as Kit reached forward with one little paw and stopped his finger from dropping to the next menu item.

“Of course you want the one with the most meat,” he said, chuckling as he read through it one more time to make sure that all the ingredients would be okay with Kit.

He wasn’t sure that his fuzzy friend understood what some of them were, and tried to explain as best he could, but eventually they just decided to accept what it was. Just in case, Darah ordered a less complicated dish, in case Kit didn’t like his own and wanted to trade. 

“I feel like the boss suddenly got married without telling us,” Shorty mumbled as he glanced at them from slightly above the menu he was holding in front of the majority of his face. 

Imacat nodded in response, also hiding behind his own flimsy shield of offerings.  

“He doesn’t have a ring on his finger, though,” he added, making Shorty glance that way… and also making Darah roll his eyes as he sat his menu down on the table. 

He was going to reprimand them for talking shit, but the waitress came by right as he opened his mouth, cutting off that train of thought and turning their attention to ordering. Darah ended up getting the two bowls they’d decided on, but then added an order crunchy eel and avocado sushi, as well as some real  crab rangoon. On top of that, he got them both waters, as well as a lavender mint bubble tea. 

Imacat ordered two bowls of ramen for himself, while Shorty just got a plethora of appetizers and a small bowl of just broth and noodles. 

Once that was done, tensions seemed to have simmered down and they began talking about the game. Kit thankfully quieted his grumbling, and by the time the food got there, he was somewhat calm. The food likely had something to do with that, but Darah wasn’t going to point that out. 

As it were, everyone was now chowing down… especially Kit. He had an entire piece of sushi between his little paws and was going to town on it like a lawnmower. 

Darah was happily enjoying his ramen, and to his surprise, Imacat was engulfing his own. He and Schnort actually seemed like practical opposites. Schnort was enjoying sampling all the little things he’d gotten, while Imacat made short work of his own food… then began eyeing Schnorts. 

Before he could even consider offering him one of his own crab rangoons or pieces of eel sushi, Schnort was already adding pieces of the appetizers he’d ordered to Imacat’s plate. 

The smaller guy actually seemed to be eating more of Shorty’s meal than he, himself, was, but he didn’t seem to mind. He simply kept Imacat’s plate full as he nonchalantly munched on a few things here and there. 

Darah watched them off and on as he ate, only realizing that his own plate, that should have been empty a long time ago, was also being refilled. As it were, right at that moment Kit was tugging a long ramen noodle from the bowl Darah had ordered over to the plate. 

It was a completely unnecessary thing to do, but he decided to just play along. 

“Thank you, bud.” 

He picked up the noodle with his chopsticks once Kit finally got all of it onto the little plate. As soon as that was eaten, a unraveled piece of sushi was dragged over, leaving a trail of its innards in its wake. 

He could feel the other guys’ eyes on him, too, but he refused to give their snickering any response. Besides, Kit was just copying them . 

They continued their meal until Imacat and Darah had eaten the majority. Darah felt beyond  stuffed when the bill finally came and he paid for Kit, while Shorty paid for himself and Imacat. 

The strange thing was… it looked like Imacat could eat a whole other meal. 

“Thanks for coming out and hanging with us, boss. I’ve gotta head to work soon, and I think Cat is due for his afternoon nap,” Shorty said as Imacat yawned quietly. 

Oh yeah, he really does take a nap most afternoons. 

“Of course. It was nice to meet you both after playing together for so long. We’ll have to do this again sometime,” Darah said as he felt a plump Kit slip into his hoodie pocket. 

They all stood up and after one final goodbye, went their separate ways. 

Well, he and Kit did. 

Darah paused near the street and watched as Shorty calmly walked behind Imacat, who continued to yawn, and even sway a little, as he moved. Shorty noticed him watching and smiled, then nodded to their sleepy friend. 

Yeah, best to make sure he doesn’t trip himself or anything. 

Darah gave a small wave of acknowledgement, and got one in return from Shorty, before finally turning around and heading home with his own sleepy friend.

Chapter Fifteen

I can’t believe they’re together. 

Well, not officially, according to Shnort, but the guy was absolutely head over heels for Imacat, it seemed. His love was a bit dense, but thankfully he wasn’t homophobic or anything like that. He just didn’t process signals very well… if at all. 

Evidently, Schnort had been pursing him in game for over a year, and when they finally met up a month ago, he asked him out. 

Except, Imacat thought that it was just to hang out for lunch. 

Shorty rolled with it, but since then, he hadn’t been able to figure out how to get his point across without being too forward. Thus, now Schnort was learning how to cook specifically to impress his love. 

Feeling a faint pressure against his chest, Darah looked down to see Kit leaning against his hoodie with his paws to either side. 

“Ah, sorry bud, didn’t see ya,” Darah said as he gently lifted Kit up to settle on his shoulder. 

From there, Kit got himself situated in the front of his hoodie, then poked his head out of the opening at his neck with a content dook. 

Glancing back up at his screen, Darah noticed the clock on the bottom right corner and quickly grabbed his headset. They had a PVP, or person-versus-person, match starting soon. 

Hmm, what gear set should I use this time?

He had a good mix of everything, but he tended to lean closer to healing when playing in a group.

“Which one do you like?” he asked as he scrolled through his list of armor, showing Kit a preview of each one and how it looked on his character. 

His little fuzzy friend didn’t seem all that interested in most of them, but when his last gear set popped up, Kit perked up and squeaked. 

“You want me to play that one?” Darah questioned as he clicked on it, then accepted it as his new gear set. 

It was mainly just a glamoured set of items he’d gotten from an event, which meant that the real gear was being covered up by the event items, but it wasn’t a bad choice. 

I bet you just like the fact that the mask looks like a bunny and want to eat it. 

As if to answer him, Kit licked his lips as he stared at the screen. 

Imacat and Schnort were his teammates, and they both hopped onto the voice chat right before they were teleported to the arena. 

“Hey boss, how goes it?” Schnort said while Imacat yawned into his mic. 

“Good, you guys ready? I have to leave soon, so let’s not take any prisoners, alright?” Darah said as he quickly got his barriers up, then cast several on his teammates. 

Imacat was first to head out, with Schnort right on his heels, of course. 

Darah hung back, casting an invisibility spell on himself. His healing spells were all long-ranged, but they weren’t as potent. It was a give and take, but he knew that Imacat had just buffed his defenses to the max, and Schnort would rather get destroyed than let him take damage, anyways. 

Their opponents had registered three damage dealers, breaking from the traditional tank, healer, and damage dealer, or double damage and a healer. It was a risky choice… and it made Darah smile. 

“Be on your guard. They have max stats on all but one of their guys, and everyone is geared heavily for damage only,” he told his partners as he read through what information was available for the other team. 

“Ima, go for the one with the great axe first. He’s going to be the slowest to attack,” Darah said as he snuck along a different path. 

Schnort was the one to respond to him. 

“But he’s the only one heading for our pillar. Shouldn’t we take out his friends first? They’re coming at us right now,” he said, even as him and Imacat both rerouted their characters to intercept the requested player. 

It took their opponents a moment to realize what was going on, then to adjust. By the time they had changed their course, Imacat and Schnort had a decent lead. 

Darah also had several traps prepared. Most healers didn’t bother adding thief skills to their hotbars, but he didn’t like being normal. They were nothing special, since you couldn’t use the best skills from other classes while on a different one, but they would do enough. 

He was just opening his mouth to tell them about the layout when a sudden boom of thunder shook the house… and knocked out the power. 

“What?!” 

There wasn’t supposed to be a storm until a lot later!

Darah quickly ducked under his computer desk and pulled out the electrical cord for the surge protector from the wall. It didn’t look like it had sustained any damage, but he’d have to wait until the power turned back on before he could really check things out. 

Sitting back on the carpet, he sighed out a stressed breath. 

“Well, that sucked.”

He felt Kit move around in his hoodie, then exit out the bottom before a pattering of paws on the carpet met his ears. Curious, and with nothing else to do, Darah got himself up, turned on his phone’s flashlight, and followed after his fuzzy friend. 

Unsurprisingly, he found Kit staring out into the darkness at the storm that had snuck up on them. 

So much for a barbecue today, too. 

The storm wasn’t nearly as bad as the one that had brought Kit to his doorstep, but it was definitely a lot heavier in terms of lightning. 

“You see some of the prairie dogs out there?” he asked as he watched Kit put little paw prints on his glass. 

Normally, he’d wipe them off quickly, but ever since Kit came, his tendencies to obsessively clean have calmed down a good bit. 

May I go outside please? 

Darah raised an eyebrow at Kit for the sudden question, then glanced back outside.

“Are you sure? That lightning can be dangerous.”

He wanted to tell him no , but Kit was his own person. If he wanted to go outside during a storm, then he could. Besides, he’d grown up outside. He would be careful. 

Yes please! 

Nodding, Darah unlocked the sliding glass door, then carefully opened in just enough for Kit to slip through. He followed the little guy with his eyes as he bounded out into the steady rain. 

He was clearly determined to do something. 

Darah waited and watched… until the storm suddenly picked up and made it impossible to see his dark little friend. Nervous, he tried to reach out to him telepathically, and thankfully, after a few moments he was able to sense him nearby. 

In fact, it almost felt like he was getting closer. 

A muffled duke  brought his attention back down to the opening he’d made with the door right as a sopping wet ferret darted through it.

So muddy…

“Wait, what do you have in your mouth?” he questioned as he slid the door shut, then pointed his phone flashlight at Kit. 

He immediately realized what Kit had gone outside to get, and he definitely looked ecstatic to have finally managed to catch one, too. Darah could hear little muffled dukes sounding off every few seconds as Kit danced from one muddy paw to the next, the limp body of his prize firmly clasped in his tiny jaws. 

“You got one, bud. Good job!” Darah said, forcing a bit of cheer around the terror of having to deep clean the carpet later. 

Well, it could use it, anyways, but still… there was a lot of mud now, and some blood. 

“How about we set our dinner in the tub and rinse off before we eat?” he said as he put his phone away, then walked over and squatted down in front of Kit. 

Instead of releasing his kill, Kit bounded forward and into Darah’s arms, dragging the dead prairie dog with him. Darah’s eyebrow twitched, but he forced himself to keep smiling as he carried them into the bathroom and set them in the tub. 

Soon, the warm water was running, but that didn’t seem to distract Kit from his prize. Every few moments his little ferret would pounce on the dead prairie dog and roll around with in the tub, killing it over and over again, even though it was definitely already dead. 

At least the blood doesn’t smell bad. 

His bat was actually curious about the flavor, since it had fed mainly on livestock for the majority of its adult life. 

I’m also glad that’s not my toes right now. 

Tugging the curtain mostly closed, Darah figured he’d give Kit a few minutes to cool his instincts a bit, but when his hand suddenly slipped from the fabric and he shrunk to the floor, he realized that things were about to get a lot more challenging. 

And, as if on cue, a damp, fuzzy head popped up beside the small portion of curtain that hadn’t been shut. Beady, dark eyes quickly zeroed-in on his tiny bat nestled within his hoodie. 

Um, you caught that for my bat. Can he have a taste? 

Darah fidgeted as he considered hiding in his hoodie, but his bat seemed to have other idea. It smelled dinner, and it wasn’t about to just let Kit eat it all. At least, not until he got a drink. 

Two little paws found their way up onto the edge of the tub as Kit’s ferret leaned over curiously, its mouth already rimmed with blood. 

Even with the predator staring at it, his bat seemed determined to try the new delicacy that was caught for him. Unfortunately, as his little bat hopped up onto the edge of the tub, Kit’s ferret did the same, dripping water everywhere as it crouched down on the porcelain. 

Um, bud, you need to pay attention to the ferret starting to stalk you. 

His bat chattered a little as it sniffed the air again, its belly grumbling at the thought of a fresh meal. 

Kit inched closer and closer as Darah’s bat leaned over, but right before it looked like his bat would jump, and Kit’s ferret would attack, Darah’s little bat suddenly turned to the right and flapped its wings abruptly, screeching at the top of its little lungs!

Rightfully startled, Kit’s ferret jumped a full foot in the air with its own squeak of surprise! When it landed, its soaked paws slipped on the tub ledge’s surface, sending it flailing over the edge and onto the tile floor with another squeak. 

With that issue out of the way, Darah’s bat hopped down into the tub, then ducked under the curtain. Its little eyes widened with wounder as it inched closer to the dead prairie dog. It wasn’t a huge fan of the shower spray raining down on it, but it ignored the slight annoyance and hobbled up onto the creature in front of it. 

It didn’t take long for his bat to find the bite marks left behind by Kit, and after a few nibbles, the blood was dribbling out perfectly to be lapped up. 

Okay, they actually taste pretty good. 

More gamey than livestock, but that made sense, since it was a wild animal. 

He enjoyed his little meal for a minute before he heard the sound of little nails scratching against the outside of the tub. That drew his attention just in time to see Kit’s ferret fumble inside with a splash. 

It recovered quickly, but when it ran forward and stopped only a few inches away with a loud squeak, Darah’s bat didn’t seem all that impressed. In fact, the moment Kit was close enough, his bat reached over and bopped it good on the nose. 

Kit’s ferret didn’t seem to know how to respond to that, because it gave its head a shake, then pawed at its nose in confusion. After a few moments, it hurried forward again, only to receive several more smacks until it backed off!

After another good shake of its head, Kit’s ferret awkwardly sat down, its expression suddenly forlorn, as if it were the one being wronged. 

Unbothered, Darah’s bat continued its meal until it was sated, then finally allowed him to switch back. At that moment, Kit seemed to manage to regain control of himself, too, and changed back to his human form, leaving both of them sitting cross-legged in the shower. 

That’s when a bright light suddenly landed on them as the curtain was pulled back. 

“…”

Darah and Kit both glanced up at the same. Kit smiled, seeing that it was his dad, but Darah felt a tiny bit less enthused. 

“I called your phone, knocked on the door, and  called out to you before coming in here,” his father listed with a sigh as he tugged the curtain closed and turned around. 

“Just… get dressed. Your mother was worried sick when you didn’t pick up your phone with this bad storm.” 

Ah, damn. 

Well, at least he hadn’t seemed to notice the dead mammal next to him. 

Small miracles.

Chapter Sixteen

His father tried to have another serious conversation with him about… whatever the heck he had walked into, but eventually he just couldn’t ignore how excited Kit was to see him. He soon had a wiggling ferret in his arms, making him forget all about what they’d been discussing. 

Soon, Kit was sitting on the counter, on a towel, thankfully, and being fed all sorts of snacks from the fridge by his dad. The power had come back on a few moments ago, and as he handed Kit a small piece of raw beef, he finally turned to face him again. 

“So, when are you going to talk to us about your new relationship?” his dad asked, making Darah nearly choke on the cheese stick he’d just taken a bite out of!

Pounding on his chest, he coughed a few times, then shook his head. 

Before he could manage to get any words out, they both watched as his father handed Kit a green bean… and Kit ran it right over to offer to him. Darah took it and brought it to his lips without a second thought, then frowned and looked down at an ecstatic Kit as he chewed.

Uh…

“Okay, fine. We’re dating. Are you happy now?” he said, not finding any problem with the lie. If his dad wanted to hear him say it that  much, then he would. 

It’s not like Kit cared about such things. As long as his belly was full, he was a happy ferret. 

As if to prove his point, Kit hopped onto him, his little claws easily grabbing hold of the fabric of the sweatshirt he’d put on. In seconds, he was up on his shoulder, happily nuzzling against his neck with little dooks. 

His father’s gaze leveled on him, but he still didn’t seem sure about what he wanted to say in response. Eventually, Darah’s phone rang from the other room and he happily excused himself to answer it. 

Unsurprisingly, it was Schnort, aka, Shorty. 

“Dude, you laid some nice traps. It was a bit of a struggle, but we managed to win the match after you disconnected.” 

Wow. 

He wasn’t too surprised, but still. It had been a pretty uneven fight once he’d been taken out. 

“Glad you guys managed to beat ’em. My power is back on but my dad’s over for the moment, so I won’t hop back on for now,” he said as Kit sniffed at his phone from his spot on his shoulder. 

They said their goodbyes quickly, then Darah checked that his computer was fine before returning to his dad in the other room.  

“Looks like the weather has cleared up,” his father said as he knelt down and held his hand out, immediately drawing Kit down from Darah’s shoulder and over to him. 

As he straightened, a knowing gleam appeared in his eyes. 

“Well, your mother is expecting us,” he said as he headed for the door… with his  Kit!

“H-hey! What do you mean?!” Darah questioned as he hurried forward, slipping his shoes on in the process. 

His father stopped with the front door open, then turned to glance over his shoulder at him. 

“Your mother wanted a barbecue today. The storm is over, so it’s food time,” he said, then glanced down at the wiggling ferret on his shoulder. 

“Right Kit?” 

Before Darah could even process what he was saying, Kit was responding with an excited dook!

I wanna go see mom! 

The thought made Darah inwardly sigh. 

Shrugging on his coat, he grabbed his keys and followed his dad and new boyfriend  out the door. It was still quite gloomy outside, and very humid, but it was thankfully no longer raining. 

His father offered to just drive them, but Darah knew that trick. He let Kit ride with him, but he knew better than to leave them without transportation home. They could walk, of course, but if it started raining again, it would suck to get soaked. 

Thus, he drove himself so that they’d be able to leave whenever they wanted. So basically, whenever he  wanted, because he doubted that Kit would ever willingly leave his new doting stepparents. 

When they stepped inside his parent’s house, all thoughts of leaving went right out the door. 

Dang that smells good. 

Darah quickly gravitated towards the kitchen, then felt his mouth drop open as he stared at the massive spread of food his mother had somehow materialized there. 

Kit, of course, was already front and center, gnawing on a tiny little rib bone, barbecue sauce all over his face. 

Darah didn’t hesitate to grab a rib bone for himself, but of course, his mother gave him a look  in response. 

“I’m setting the table,” he mumbled around it as he hurried to do just that.

Him and his dad got to work setting the table, but every time they went back to the kitchen to grab the next thing, Kit was snacking on something new! 

First was a pork rib. Next was a honey carrot. Third was a damn piece of cake cut suspiciously small enough to fit perfectly into his little paws!

Darah didn’t dare mention that, though. His mom had cooked. She got to choose the rules. 

Once the table was completely ready, his mother walked over with her favorite ferret in her arms. She set him down right next to her spot, then began filling his little plate with all sorts of goodies. 

Darah and his father knew better than to interfere, so they waited until Kit’s tiny plate was stacked high, then dug in, themselves. The sounds of eating took over, drifting any discussions into silence as they filled their bellies. Every once in a while a light rumble of thunder echoed from outside, but the storm, thankfully, never reappeared. 

In fact, by the time they were completely done eating, Kit was at the back glass sliding door, pawing at it and begging to be let out to the pool area. 

“Sorry sweetheart, but it’s not safe to swim when it’s thundering,” his mother said as she walked over and gently picked him up. 

He chirped a few times and kept looking out the door, but she wouldn’t budge on her decision. 

Sorry bud. It really is dangerous to be outside when it’s thundering. 

He heard little whines in his head, but it was pretty clear that Kit understood that he wasn’t allowed to go out to the pool right now. It didn’t take much to redirect him, however, and soon he was licking at a home made candy cane on his mom’s lap on the couch. 

I know that sound…

The Grinch was playing. 

Resigned to spending an evening with his parents, Darah sat down beside his mom and got comfortable. 

As he was watching, Kit decided to hobble over, dragging his sweet treat, and settled in his hoodie pocket… that will now need to be washed later.

Chapter Seventeen

Something smelled… off. 

Stretching in his bed, Darah realized that his little shoulder warmer was nowhere to be found. 

Kit? 

He felt a light static in the back of his mind, likely Kit’s response being muffled by their intermittent connection. 

Slowly pushing himself up, Darah checked the time, around eight in the morning, then got out of bed. After a few more stretches, he wandered out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen. As he got closer, however, he realized that the smell wasn’t technically odd, in and of itself. 

What was  odd, was the fact that he could smell it being cooked at eight in the morning. 

Did mom come over? 

It didn’t make much sense that she would make him breakfast… and not even have it be a breakfast food, either. 

When he finally walked into the kitchen, his eyebrows rose in surprise. 

Kit… is cooking in my kitchen. 

With just boxers on. 

That was a good way to burn yourself. 

Shaking his head, Darah walked up to him, intent on taking the spatula and saving his kitchen from certain doom, but as he lifted his hand and set it on Kit’s, he paused. 

That… actually looks pretty good. 

Kit was making hamburgers, and judging by how they looked, they were almost done. 

His currently not-so-furry friend turned when he noticed him beside him, a big grin on his bubbly face. 

“Darah, I cooked!” 

That you definitely did. 

Smiling, Darah redirected his hand to Kit’s soft hair and gave it a few pats. 

“It smells delicious.” 

Seeing that Kit had only prepared the two big burgers, and nothing else, he chuckled a bit and turned to get some veggies out of the freezer. He wasn’t surprised that his little ferret only had meat on his mind, but vegetables were just as necessary, if not more-so sometimes. 

“Broccoli?” he asked as he glanced over his shoulder. 

Kit pouted slightly, but soon nodded his agreement. 

He wasn’t a big veggie fan, but his ferret liked to bite at the little trees. Eventually, some ended up being eaten… with the remaining bodies scattered about the plate and table as if they’d just fought a gruesome war.  

While Kit finished up cooking, somehow, Darah got their side dish warmed up in the microwave. By the time the machine dinged, the meat was plated. The veggies were added, then Darah got them both cups of water as Kit brought their meals to the table, clearly excited by what he’d created. 

“How’d you learn how to cook, Kit?” Darah asked as he sat down next to him, not bothering to sit across. 

He could tell that Kit was excited, and he wanted to be able to discuss what he’d done without having to lean across the table. Of course, Kit was all too happy with his friend nearby, and quickly pointed at their plates. 

“Mum told me how!” he said cheerfully as he quickly cut a small piece of his burger, then offered it to Darah to try. 

Grinning, Darah accepted the bite. 

He’d seen a good amount of seasoning on the counter, but it was obvious that Kit had decided against using most of it. A simple sniff and he’d probably ruled out the majority instantly. 

Honestly, though, Darah thought that it was seasoned perfectly with just the simple salt and paprika powder. After a few content chews, he swallowed the offered morsel, his smile honest. 

“That was wonderful, bud. You did very well.” 

Before Kit could manage to figure out how to speak words again, he had shifted into his ferret form and was dooking as he bounced up and down on his front paws on the edge of the chair. 

You’re gonna fall on your fa— Kit slipped right off the chair, but thankfully Darah saw it coming and easily caught his little fluffy body. The moment he was caught, Kit bolted up Darah’s sleeved arm and immediately nuzzled his tiny face against his right cheek. 

Such a happy little guy. 

Kit dooked constantly as Darah turned his head a little to press a kiss to the ferret’s forehead. 

“You’re probably a bit too excited to shift back, hmm?” he asked as he knowingly turned his attention back to the plate in front of him and began cutting up his portion of food into ferret-sized bites. 

Sure, he could have just cut up the meat that Kit had already taken a slice out of, but he didn’t want to take Kit’s food without his permission. Just because one bite was offered, didn’t mean that the whole thing should be split. And besides,  Kit had cooked the meal, and it was his first time doing so. It would be rude to take his prized portion. 

Lifting a small bite with his fork, he happily fed his ecstatic shoulder-ferret, then got himself a bite. They shared their meal that way until Darah’s plate was completely picked clean. The majority of the broccoli went to his own stomach, with the meat being split fifty-fifty between them. 

By the time they had finished, Kit was nearly in a food coma. He slowly slid down Darah’s hoodie that he’d unintentionally slept in, then slipped into his front pocket. That left Darah on cleanup duty, but that was perfectly fine with him. 

He happily put away Kit’s portion of food, then washed the dishes by hand. 

Wait a second. 

Why are there so many dishes? 

He scrubbed through half the sink, then checked the fridge. 

What the…? 

Kit had made eclairs? 

Darah quickly washed his hands, then reached into the fridge to remove one of the six sitting on a tray. Unable to help himself, he took a big bite of the chilled pastry. 

My god. 

They tasted just like the ones his mom made on his birthday!

How in the world had he made these? 

He paused for a moment as he chewed, then glanced at the phone sitting on the counter. His  phone. 

Reaching over, he unlocked it, then checked the call log. 

A Facetime video with mom for three hours?! 

Looking down at the tail hanging out of his front hoodie pocket, Darah couldn’t fathom what else they could have been doing besides his mom teaching Kit about cooking… but to be this good in just three hours?! 

And to have not burned down his kitchen…

Pulling up his mom’s normal phone number, Darah leaned against the counter and called her. She’d evidently knew he would, too, because she picked up with the most enthusiastic response he’d heard in a long while. 

“I’m signing my sweet stepson up for culinary school right this moment!” she cheered, not even bothering to actually say any normal greeting to her real  son. 

Doesn’t he have to pass high school first? 

As if reading his mind, his mom made an “Oh!” sound and quickly added. “I’ll get him signed up for some GED courses, too. He’s a smart boy, he’ll do very well.” 

Darah felt his eyebrow twitch as he looked back down at the little tail. 

“Did you ask him about doing that? Is he comfortable with going back to school?” he asked, feeling the need to make sure that this has all been run past Kit before he let his mom go crazy with it. 

“Oh yes, dear. We talked about it while the eclairs were baking. He’s a simple sweetheart, but he’s very smart. I think he’ll do wonderfully, and he’s interested in trying things out. Of course, the GED program will be from home, first and foremost. That way he’s not overwhelmed with other students and you can help him.” 

Ah, well, that makes sense at least. 

That was one of his bigger worries. Kit was doing well with people, but he could easily get overwhelmed in a school setting. 

Now the other thing I need to know…

“How is the culinary school going to be paid for?” 

His mom seemed to have thought of that already, too, because she was quick to answer. 

“I signed him up for a few scholarships and grants, so we’ll see how those pan out first, but I also wouldn’t mind helping him out if he needed it.” 

Darah shook his head, but couldn’t help the smile that slid across his lips. His mom had always wanted to be a chef, but a lot of the times, they just didn’t make a whole lot of money. Her parents had made her look elsewhere, and while she made a lot of money now, it definitely wasn’t her dream job. 

You were planning on retiring in a year or two. If Kit does well, I bet there’s a restaurant in his future. 

He’d be the first in line everyday, then. 

Reaching down, he tugged gently at that little tail, then grinned as it wiggled between his fingers. 

“Alright, we’ll see how things go. I don’t want to overwhelm him, but if he wants to try, I’ll do my best to help him,” he eventually said as the little tail slipped from his fingers and disappeared, only to be replaced by a paw swiping at him playfully. 

His mom said a few more things, still clearly very excited, then hung up to finish working on what she was doing for Kit. That left him to play grabby-paw!

He quickly reached down and squeezed a little paw as it swung at his finger, but let go as soon as it tried to withdraw back into its hiding place. They played that way for several minutes, until each paw was caught multiple times and Kit was huffing with indignation. 

“You excited to go back to school and learn about cooking?” he asked curiously. 

A fuzzy little head popped out of his sweatshirt pocket and gave a loud dook in response. 

Darah reached over and gently squeezed his little nose, earning a sneeze. 

“Alright. You’ll do great, and I’ll be here to help you whenever you have questions.” 

Of course, he wasn’t the best cook, but he could easily look things up for Kit, and they could both learn a good amount from his classes, too. 

I think this could be fun. 

And his mom will definitely enjoy it, too. He had no doubt that she’d be in the kitchen with Kit the moment she finished her retirement resignation… or perhaps even sooner.

Chapter Eighteen

Kit’s first two coursework books looked like foreign languages to Darah. They had tons of beautiful pictures and recipes, but the actual information portions were quite a bit thicker than he’d thought they would be. 

Darah also wasn’t a huge reader, so reading a textbook about food, even though he enjoyed eating and cooking, would push his patience. 

Kit, however, ate them up, even though he struggled to read at the beginning. Soon, though, a smart phone conspicuously ended up at their door that helped him scan the words and translate, or explain, what he didn’t know. That thing quickly became glued to his hip, especially because it had a little carrying clip that attached to your waistband. Thus, Kit began wearing his pants much more often so that he could bring his phone with him without having to hold it in his hand. 

That, in turn, had Kit in those books like they were his den. The only places he didn’t read were the table when they were eating, and when they went out. 

Thankfully, he was very courteous and whenever Darah spoke to him, he always gave him his full attention, even if he were in the middle of a sentence.  

Surprisingly, though, Kit didn’t try to cook anything in his first book until he’d finished it from front to back. He made sure that he understood exactly what he was reading, then went back to the recipes he’d marked with little sticky notes. 

That’s where they were starting the day off right now, with cinnamon sugar bacon, sharp cheddar and chive scrambled eggs, and toast made from fresh baked sourdough bread. 

This must be what heaven tastes like. 

Kit had drifted off right after eating his portion… right up against his side on the couch as he leaned against Darah, his left hand gripping the collar of his sweater. It pulled the fabric a bit, and would probably stretch it, but he just couldn’t bring himself to mind as he ate one-handed. His other arm, of course, was holding Kit so that he was more comfortable. 

He’d stayed up most of the night reading, since his animal side was technically more nocturnal, or at least diurnal, it preferred night time. 

Darah turned the channel to Animal Planet and grinned as a special came on for birds of prey. He appreciated eagles, hawks, and the like, and rather enjoyed learning about them, but when Kit began to snuggle into him and whine in his sleep every time he heard one of the birds’ calls, he decided that it wasn’t worth watching. 

Food Network seems safe. 

Or so he’d thought. Soon, Kit was nibbling at his sweater collar as Bobby Flay described a dark chocolate mousse cake with cherry ganache filling. 

Grinning at the adorable, yet slightly-damaging behavior, Darah finished his last bite of food, then pressed Kit a little closer and leaned over to nip his hair gently with his teeth. 

At first, there was no reaction whatsoever, but after about a minute, he began to hear quiet little growls every time he gave a light tug. 

This is kinda fun…

Of course, he felt childish messing with the guy while he was asleep, but Kit seemed quite content gnawing on his shirt, so it felt like a somewhat even trade. 

Well, it had  been fun, until Kit suddenly looked up, effectively tugging his soft hair free from Darah’s teeth as his eyes lifted so that their gazes met. 

Um… I’m embarrassed I got caught, but he still has the neck of my sweater between his teeth. 

Of course, he doubted Kit was embarrassed in any way. In fact, he looked quite content with his half-lidded eyes and overall sleepy expression. 

Cute.

Kit blinked a few times, still seemingly half asleep, then leaned up and began nuzzling into Darah’s hair. He didn’t appear interested in tugging it, however, and instead, was sniffing around with his nose, then blowing out little huffs. 

He didn’t seem very happy with his findings. 

When he sat back in Darah’s lap a few moments later, rubbing at one eye, he grumbled quietly. 

“Nothing to groom.” 

He’s upset… I have no bugs in my hair? 

Inwardly grinning, Darah reached over to the coffee table next to the armrest and picked up a small packet of gummy worms. While Kit was yawning, he put two of the smaller ones in his hair… though it kind of grossed him out a bit. 

As soon as Kit blinked his eyes back up, they zeroed in on one of the gummy candies. It was soon tugged out of Darah’s hair by an adorable black-footed ferret, the slight pull making him inwardly wince. It wasn’t long before Kit found the other worm and happily removed it from Darah’s hair, too, dooking the entire time. 

While Kit was busy chewing the second one, Darah stuck one of the longer worms in his own mouth. He wasn’t a huge fan of them, but a few here and there were nice. 

He noticed tiny paws suddenly appear to swipe at said worm, but the little ferret wasn’t quite tall enough to reach, even standing on its back legs. It even climbed up onto his shoulder for another attempt, but Darah turned his head away, prompting Kit to jump over to his other shoulder… only to have his plans thwarted again! 

This is fun. 

Except, soon Darah found himself minus half a worm as Kit nonchalantly pressed his now-human lips to his in order to be able to bite the sweet treat in half. 

Kit then retreated with his prize to sit back in Darah’s lap and chew, but Darah didn’t feel inclined to consume his remaining half. In fact, he couldn’t even blink as he stared off into space, his face burning brighter than a star. 

“Darah?” 

Kit straddled his lap and reached up, placing a hand on either side of his face as he leaned in closer. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Was that something he could even explain?! 

Darah pursed his lips and tried to figure out how to go about it, but Kit beat him to the punch. 

“You don’t like it when I kiss you?”

…

His brain short-circuited. 

Darah felt his eyebrow twitch as he stammered. 

“Wh-wh-where did you learn that from?” 

Kit settled back down in his lap, completely naked. He was absolutely beaming. 

“My phone!” 

Confiscated!

Biting his tongue on speaking his thought, Darah reconsidered his response, then spoke in a calm, measured voice. 

“How did you learn that from your phone?” 

Kit’s smile never faltered. 

“I asked it how I can show someone I like them.”

Darah wasn’t sure what to say to that. It had technically been a reasonable response, though there were definitely simpler ways to do such a thing. There were also many, many , worse ways, too. 

I’ll just consider myself lucky you didn’t go down any disturbing rabbit holes. 

“Okay, well, that does make sense. If you ever want to kiss someone, though, you should always ask first, okay? That’s not something you should do without permission,” Darah said, trying to explain it as simply as he could. 

Kit tilted his head slightly as he considered his words, then grinned and nodded. 

“Okay! Darah, can I kiss you again?” 

…what have I gotten myself into? 

“U-um…”

He really didn’t mind it. It had just taken him off guard. 

“I suppose,” he eventually mumbled after chewing the remaining piece of gummy worm and swallowing it, still a bit overwhelmed by the whole situation. 

He really wanted to tell him that it was something people usually only did with a mate, but with his luck, Kit might actually just ask him to be his mate so that he could kiss him again. 

Before he could think more on the subject, Kit leaned up again and pressed his warm lips to his. It was a very simple gesture, but Darah still felt his face flush immediately in response. 

Thankfully, Kit didn’t try anything fancy, which told Darah that he probably, really hadn’t gone down any of the darker parts of the internet yet. 

That, at least, was a relief. 

Kit leaned away a moment later, his eyes bright and smile beaming. 

“Let’s go shower together!” 

Before Darah could even respond, Kit was back in his ferret form and bounding into his room like an excited puppy. Awkwardly, Darah got up and slowly followed. 

Get out of your head. He just learned about something that everyone does eventually. It doesn’t mean anything besides the fact that he likes you as a friend. 

Besides, they had showered together plenty of times already. 

It’ll be fine. 

Walking into the bathroom, Darah tugged his shirt off, then looked at the ferret staring over the edge of the tub at him. 

Ah, right. He probably wants the water on. 

Hurrying over, he turned on the overhead shower, then tugged off his shorts… only to realize that he still  felt eyes on him. 

Glancing toward the shower again, he felt his heart twitch slightly in his chest when he met those same dark eyes staring back at him. Kit hadn’t gone to run under the water like he normally did the moment it came on. 

Uh…

Forcing himself to not act weird, Darah removed his underwear, then climbed into the shower. 

Kit was still watching him. 

The entire time. 

He… might have gone down a rabbit hole after all.

Chapter Nineteen

He’d thought that things might start to get a bit weird between them, what with Kit wanting to kiss him and what not, but to Darah’s surprise, things didn’t change a whole lot. 

At least, not quickly. 

Kit had always been clingy with him, and that didn’t really change. It did, however, slowly evolve into him taking a lot more interest in whatever Darah was doing. Instead of snoozing in his front hoodie pocket as he played his game matches, he perched on his shoulder and paid close attention to every button he pressed and its following reaction from his character.  

He even did a live stream where Kit refused to leave his shoulder, and even hopped up onto his head whenever he tried to gently put him down on the floor to run around. Needless to stay, that stream got more than triple the amount of views he normally saw, as well as close to four hundred dollars in tips!

He’d been a bit worried about taking advantage of Kit for profit, but no matter how much he tried, the little ferret refused to stay out of the spotlight. 

Even his guildmates cheered on his new assistant… who often ate random snacks on his shoulder or, if he dared try to remove him too often, his hair. 

He also ended up finding a contract waiting in his inbox a few weeks after he began streaming with Kit. The company really  liked his little friend and wanted to increase his streaming time and revenue options. 

He hadn’t answered right away. 

It wasn’t until he sat down with Kit a few days later and discussed it, with Kit’s avid enthusiasm towards accepting, that he finally responded to the email… and quit his part time job. 

Now, a week after that, he was extremely careful with how he dressed on stream, and how he acted. He wasn’t sure if he was a fan. It almost felt like he’d just quit one job for another. 

“Bro, you need to relax. We’re just playing a game, but your shoulders look so tense that you’d think this was life or death,” Schnort said. 

Darah sighed and relaxed some of the tension, but he still just didn’t know how to act. The increase in money just hung over his hea—“Ouch!” 

Jerking his head to the side, Darah raised a brow at Kit, who had been sitting on his shoulder peacefully , until he’d decided to bite his ear out of nowhere! 

Darah isn’t happy. 

Was biting his ear supposed to make him happy?! 

Kit dooked in his ear, then hopped down to his desk and immediately began rolling around on his keyboard! 

“K-Kit!” 

His character immediately began fumbling around and running into trees, looking rather drunk. He was just about to reach over and lift the crazy ferret off his keyboard when he heard a familiar chime. 

Someone sent him a tip on his stream? 

Another chime quickly followed, then another, and another. 

Blinking dumbly, Darah stared down at the little ferret on his keyboard, then slowly shook his head back and forth as a slight grin found its way onto his lips. 

“You just gonna sit there making goo-goo eyes at your boyfriend, or heal us?” Imacat hissed, startling Darah and making him quickly return his focus to the game. 

The moment his fingers returned to the keyboard, they were assaulted and nibbled! 

He had his camera partially facing his keyboard, as well as his face, so his viewers were getting a full show of Kit attacking his fingers, like he often did to his toes in the shower, as he tried to focus on the game. 

“You know, you’re being a bit of a brat right now, bud,” he told him as he kept his attention mostly on the screen. 

He wasn’t sure how his viewers would receive such chaotic-ness, but judging from the sounds of people joining the stream, as well as the constant donation chime, they didn’t seem to mind his fuzzy friend. 

Figuring that things were fine as they were for the moment… and silently glad that he’d bought a new box of Band-Aids to manage his soon-to-be bitten up fingers, Darah got down to business. 

Thankfully, no one in his group besides himself had gotten distracted, allowing them to manage a win in the first round of the tournament they’d entered. 

They were quickly matched up again after a five minute break… in which Darah may or may not have instigated more finger attacks. His fingers soon regretted it, even as he smiled and got busy healing their next match with a ferret gnawing on his thumb. 

That fight ended up being much closer than the first, and unfortunately, they lost by a hair. That hair might have been attached to the ferret that had held onto his left pinky for the last half of the match, making him miss a few of his macros and accidentally light Imacat on fire once, but they didn’t need to discuss that. 

They were just starting their third match when Kit’s back foot accidentally hit the hotkey he’d used to silence the MC announcer, making Darah jump as the women’s high-pitched girly voice squealed into his ear!

“Oh my god! How can you guys concentrate on anything but the adorable ferret?!”

It would be easy if you weren’t screaming so loudly!

He quickly scrambled to mute her again, then dragged the ferret across the keyboard using the pinky it was still attached to in order to begin setting up over-time healing buffs for his two partners. 

It was a bit rough going at first, especially with Kit’s plump backside pressing down on his movement keys randomly, but about ten minutes into the match he thankfully, finally , got bored and ran up his arm, then dove down into his hoodie. 

It was a bit weird, since he usually preferred his front pocket, but he wasn’t going to argue with a ferret in the middle of his final match. 

Kit settled quickly in for his nap, allowing Darah’s slightly bleeding fingers to resume full control of his keyboard. The fight was still stressful, but without the fuzzy distraction or the MC shouting in his ears, they were able to just-barely eek out a victory. 

The moment they were announced the winners Darah flopped back into his chair with a loud sigh, honestly quite tired. Thankfully, there wasn’t an exit interview, so he just took a few moments to relax, then bid his watchers farewell before turning the stream off. 

He then leaned forward to look at how much he’d made. 

Holy…

He normally got one or two hundred for each of his tournament streams, but the money count for that evening’s matches was at nearly three thousand! 

Should… should I just fight with a ferret every time I play this game from now on? 

“Bro, you guys rocked it! I was a bit nervous at the start, but not only did we win, but you raked in some serious cash!” Schnort said as they heard Imacat yawn pleasantly into the mike, sounding much like a content feline. 

“Want pizza tonight, Cat?” Shorty asked, a smile in his voice that was impossible to hide. 

Imacat seemed to consider his question for only a moment before responding with what almost sounded like a purr. 

“Sure, I’ll be over after my nap.” 

Shorty replied right away. 

“I look forward to it. Have a good nap, and see you then.” 

Imacat gave a little confirmation hum before disconnecting. 

The second he was gone, Darah heard Schnort let out a huge, relieved sigh. 

“You’re getting there, bud.”

Shorty gave an affirmative sound, his tone becoming quite cheerful. 

“He’s come over three times this week already. He even fell asleep against me the other day when we were watching Netflix! Then he nibbled a little hole in my shirt while he was dreaming, but I’ll treasure it forever!” 

Absolutely head over heels. 

“I’m going to hop off and clean up a bit before he gets here, you two take care, and good work today.” 

Darah said his goodbyes, and Kit, who had evidently not quite napped, popped his head out to dook for good measure. 

Once the voice call was over, Darah leaned back in his chair, then looked down at the little ferret staring up at him from within his hoodie opening. 

“Hello there, my vicious little friend.” 

Kit looked down at his tiny paws, then back up and opened and closed his mouth a few times. 

“Yes, that’s exactly what you did, the entire time I was trying to play.” 

Kit twitched his whiskers, then looked towards the hallway for a moment before returning his attention Darah and dooking again. 

“Ah, you weren’t apologizing for eating me, you just want dinner, right?” 

Kit pursed his tiny lips, then awkwardly looked away as he slowly nodded. 

Darah chuckled, but before his laughter even stopped, his mouth was sealed by soft lips that definitely did not  belong to a ferret. 

  Little brat. 

Granted, he wasn’t all that  little, but his shift was definitely small, and definitely a brat. 

Darah waited patiently until Kit pulled away a minute later. The expression on his face said it all. 

“You think you’re forgiven for gnawing on my fingers for the past hour just because you kissed me?” he questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

Kit’s smile widened to show pearly white teeth at the same time his eyes squinted adorably. 

“So what you’re silently telling me is that you’re going to make the most delicious dinner, and that way I’ll forgive you for eating my fingers?” Darah said, helping Kit figure out the words he should have said. 

Kit’s brow furrowed, but then he seemed to realize what he was trying to drill into his head and quickly nodded, then hopped off Darah’s lap and hurried out of the room… still butt naked. 

Shaking his head, Darah turned off his computer and got up, calling after his hyper housemate. 

“No cooking without clothes on!” 

He didn’t need a burnt ferret.

Chapter Twenty

The phone ringing woke Darah at six A.M. sharp. 

He would burn it later. 

As his mind cleared, he felt a comfortable, familiar heat pressed against his front, nearly sealing to the lines of his body perfectly. 

Kit was a very  good snuggler now. Though, instead of a cute ball curled up against him, or his back pressed into Darah’s chest, the guy was pretty much glued to him limb to limb, chest to chest. 

Front to front. 

He was in no hurry to answer the phone, since he knew that his mother would never call him at such an ungodly hour after the last three times he’d begged her not to. 

So, he let the thing go to voicemail as he slowly tried to stretch without feeling like a pervert. It didn’t really work. 

We might need to have a discussion on personal space soon…

He was just considering gently shaking Kit awake when his phone began to ring again. 

Darn it. 

Carefully reaching over the young man pressed against him, Darah grabbed his phone and lifted it to his ear. 

“Hello?” he half-whispered, even though he figured Kit would likely be woken up soon whether he talked quietly or not. 

Just in case, though, he moved his free arm behind him and settled a hand on his side. Didn’t want him to accidentally roll off the bed. 

“Hello, I am the new supervisor for the local group of orphanages, and while reviewing our files I’ve found one that still has a notice to recover if possible, as the child could be a hazard to themselves or others.”

What the hell?

“I apologize, but you seem to have the wrong number,” Darah said without bothering to ask about any of the shit she was spewing. 

“Do you have a pet ferret in your home, Sir?” 

Darah paused without realizing it, letting his silence answer the woman’s question for him. 

“It seems that I’ve finally gotten to the right person. This is wonderful. I will send someone over promptly to come collect him.”

Collect? 

“Pardon me,” he said, his voice just-barely considered respectful. “But what age is the person you are intending to collect ?” 

The woman replied without a hint of hesitation. 

“He’s eighteen… or nineteen. His exact birthdate is unknown.” 

Darah felt his eyebrow twitch. 

“Then that would make him an adult. You have no authority over him anymore.”

The woman made a muffled sound that perhaps she thought she was hiding. 

“He’s intellectually disabled and requires government assistance in every aspect of his life. We have information that he is with you. Don’t make us turn this into a kidnapping case,” she warned, her voice growing more serious the longer she spoke. 

Darah held Kit a little closer as the young man started to move against him, finally beginning to awaken. 

“What information do you have that puts him with me?” he asked. 

Of course, the woman wasn’t going to be fooled that easily. 

“That is confidential. Now then, I’ll send someone over to retrieve him this morning. Since you are already awake, how does thirty minutes sound?” 

It sounds like you can go to hell. 

Before he could open his mouth to say just that, he heard a quiet, yet-growing, growl begin to start up from a sleepy Kit. 

Supervisor…

That one thought from Kit had Darah immediately hanging up the phone and sitting up. He didn’t hesitate to gather Kit into his arms and hug him close as the growls continued to grow in volume. 

“It’s alright, Kit. She’s not her,” he said as he gently rubbed his back in soothing circles. 

His growls slowly quieted before finally falling silent a few minutes later. 

I heard her voice. 

The raw fear he felt in that simple sentence broke Darah’s heart. He squeezed Kit closer and pressed a kiss to his soft hair. 

“You did. She was on the phone.” 

He knew that lying would solve nothing, so he decided to just be honest about the whole situation. He’d rather Kit be armed with the information, even if it was stressful. 

“I don’t know why, but she wants to take you away.” 

 Kit growled again, but quieted down much quicker this time as Darah felt him reach up and return his hug. 

“She’s never wanted me to before. I don’t want her.” 

The orphanage she’d been in charge of was closed down, too. 

He frowned, remembering that. 

How did she get into such a powerful position now? 

And how did she even get my phone number? 

“You don’t have to go anywhere near her. You are old enough to make your own decisions.” 

Kit peeked up at him, his bangs partially covering his soft dark eyes. 

“I want to stay here.” 

Darah nodded, his nose brushing against Kit’s hair. 

“Then you will. This is your home as much as it is mine. You are always welcome here.” 

Even with his reassuring words, he could tell that Kit was anxious. They sat like that for a while, but it felt like only a few minutes had passed when the doorbell chime echoed throughout the house, startling the poor guy into shifting to his ferret form. 

Darah quickly set him on his shoulder, then pulled on a pair of shorts before heading towards the door. Instead of opening it, however, he looked through the peephole. 

An older man with pale brown hair, a pale brown suit, and a briefcase, as well as a… cat carrier, stood on the other side. 

He didn’t look pleased to be there, and before long he reached up again, pressing the doorbell a second time. 

Kit began to shiver where he’d curled up against Darah’s neck, clearly becoming more stressed by the second. 

Enough of this. 

Turning away, Darah walked into the bathroom attached to his room, then set Kit down behind the toilet on the floor. 

“Hide here until I tell you to come out, okay? I’ll take care of things.” 

Kit started coming out of his hiding place almost immediately, but Darah quickly reprimanded him. 

“Stay here. They don’t care about me. They want you, and I won’t them take you away.” 

He could tell that Kit didn’t want to leave him, but he thankfully listened and stayed where he was told to. 

With one less thing to worry about, Darah grabbed a shirt from his room, then headed for the door as he pulled it on. By the time he got there two more chimes had already come and gone, so when he finally opened it, the man on the other side couldn’t even try to fake a smile. The left side of his mouth just kept twitching as he spoke. 

“Hello, Sir, I was directed by my superior to come retrieve one of our missing orphans. Could you please bring me to him?” 

Darah crossed his arms over his chest as he replied with a single, simple word. 

“No.” 

The man’s poorly attempted smile immediately dropped into a full-blown scowl, and he didn’t seem interested in trying to hide it, either. 

“You listen here, young man. That boy is in need of psychological help. He has attacked other people and is a danger to himself and others. My superior is trying to work with you here and not have to bring the police into this. So, I will ask you one more time. Bring me to the boy so I can take him somewhere safe.” 

“What’s his name?” Darah asked as he leaned against the doorjamb, his arms still crossed and his body taking up a good amount of the space there. The other man would not  be coming inside his house. 

The man’s brows furrowed. 

“Name?” 

He looked absolutely flabbergasted by the question.

“Is it a hard question to answer? You want this person, yet you can’t even give me his name?” 

Looking more and more agitated by the second, the man knelt down on the doorstep and opened his briefcase. Inside was the thinnest manila folder Darah had ever seen. When the man picked up the folder and opened it, only one paper was inside with what appeared to be a whole four sentences on it. 

After reading the massive amount of information on the paper, the man quickly put it back in the folder, closed the briefcase, and stood up. 

“His name is Charles.” 

Darah felt his eyebrow twitch. 

“Wrong.” 

The man blanched, but quickly tried to cover it with a cough. 

“My mistake, h-his name is Eliot.” 

“Wrong,” Darah stated again, his expression completely unimpressed and growing more annoying by the second. 

The man was red-faced by that time, but that didn’t bother Darah one bit. He could hold his own if needed to. 

“Now then, since you don’t even know who you’re looking for, I suggest leaving my property before I am forced to notify the police.” 

Before the man could bother trying to bullshit his way out of the situation he’d put himself in, Darah shut the door in his face, then locked it for good measure. 

Creepy people. No way in hell are you taking Kit away. 

He waited at the peephole to make sure that the man left, then hurried back to the bathroom and knelt beside the toilet. 

“Alright bud, you can come out now. Thank you for hiding so well,” Darah said, not a second before he was bowled-over by a now-human Kit!

His mouth was covered a moment later, making it impossible to say anything else. 

Maybe I need to have a talk with him about kissing so much. 

When he felt moisture drip onto his cheek a few moments later, however, he decided to leave that discussion for another day. 

It didn’t take long before Darah found himself sitting with his back against the sink cabinet with Kit snuggled up against him, his arms around his shoulder as he cried quietly into the crook there. 

He was whispering quietly to Kit as the young man cried in his arms, but internally, Darah was cussing out every single person who had ever tried to harm his sweet ferret. 

Glancing out of the open bathroom door, Darah eyed his phone on his nightstand and narrowed his eyes.

They want to try a legal fight? I think our furious lawyer mom will give them a damn good one.

Chapter Twenty-One

Darah had been on the phone with their mum for a long time. So long, that Kit couldn’t even count that high… nor had he tried. Instead, he had simply rolled over in Darah’s lap in his ferret form to take advantage of him sitting still without anything else to do but rub his belly. 

By the time he finally hung up, Kit was ready to start making lunch. In fact, he hopped down at once, then ran out of the room, drawing a quiet chuckle from his person. 

He wasn’t really sure when he’s started considering him that, but now it just felt right. Darah was his person, and he was Darah’s ferret. They were a perfect match. 

And now his mom is my mom. 

The thought made him bounce a bit on his paws, excited for the possibility of the family he was being brought into. Sure, he was nervous about the Supervisor trying to come after him again, but he had people who cared about him now. 

Shifting back into his human form, he slipped on a pair of clean shorts they left on the counter for him, then walked over to the fridge. Darah had a stream later, so he figured something that could be for lunch and dinner would work well. He’d make extra. 

“Maybe tacos.”

A gentle hand settled atop his head as he spoke, drawing his attention over his shoulder to Darah. 

“Tacos sound amazing,” he replied as he rustled Kit’s hair, making his heart warm in his chest. 

“I think mom is coming over soon to talk with us, too. Would you mind us sharing with her?” 

Kit felt his face heat at the thought of such an amazing cook trying his food. After all, he was just learning. 

“I’m sure she’d love it,” Darah said encouragingly as he continued to rustle Kit’s hair. 

Nodding with half enthusiasm and half nervousness, Kit got busy getting the ingredients ready. Darah, of course, stepped up beside him to help, and they soon had several dishes cooking simultaneously. The kitchen quickly filled with a wonderful assortment of smells. 

They ended up going a little overboard. By the time Darah’s mom showed up an hour later. There was a whole spread of Mexican foods to be devoured. From build-your-own tacos, nachos, and burritos, to fresh dipping sauces, enchiladas, and a plethora of sides. 

“Oh my…”

Everyone quickly sat down at the table and loaded their plates before any words passed between them. Then they emptied those plates and refilled them before finally relaxing with content sighs. 

“That was phenomenal,” Darah’s mother said as she beamed at Kit. 

Kit blushed and chewed on his lip a little, too embarrassed to find words to respond with. 

“He’s really glad you like it all. We went a bit overboard, but it was a lot of fun. I learned quite a bit and we might have made a mess we haven’t cleaned up yet,” Darah said with a smile that made Kit want to groom his soft hair. 

As they slowed their engulfing to moderate nibbles, they finally got down to business. 

“That woman somehow got a job that allows her to have a decent amount of control over the local orphanages, even though she’d /been under investigation before for the closure of the one she was overseeing.” 

Darah leaned forward with his elbows on the table. The pose got a raised eyebrow from his mom, but his person was clearly too focused on the conversation to notice the look of disapproval. 

“Now, for some reason, she wants Kit back. Of all the kids, he’s the one she wanted to deal with the least. Why would she suddenly come all the way to my house just to try and get him back?” he said. 

Kit frowned as he considered his words. 

“How did she even know I was here?” 

That had both Darah and his mom pausing abruptly, then looking at him. 

“That’s a very good question, and I think I might have an answer, though I hope it’s not true,” Darah’s mother said. 

Kit tilted his head slightly, his curious habit from his ferret side. 

“Has she ever taken you to a vet, Kit? Do you remember?” she asked. 

What’s a vet? 

He projected the thought to Darah, not really wanting to ask the question out loud. 

“A vet is a place they take animals to be looked after. If you have a pet, you bring them there to make sure they are doing well, and sometimes to give them shots to stay healthy,” Darah said. 

Kit considered his explanation, thinking hard about whether he had encountered such a situation before. 

What’s a shot? 

“It’s when they pinch your skin with a little needle and inject something. It’s how we all get vaccines to keep us healthy.” Darah replied.

Kit thought for a few more moments before slowly nodding. 

“I got a shot once at a strange place that smelled like cats and dogs.”

Darah’s mother nodded her understanding. 

“Do you remember where they gave it to you?” 

Kit reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Here.” 

To his surprise, that seemed to make Darah’s mom quite happy for a moment before she got serious again. 

“Alright, my next question. Would you be willing to have a vet come here and check that spot? I think that supervisor of yours might have put a tracking chip beneath your skin. Regular microchips don’t work that way, but I don’t doubt that she paid the vet to put in something a little more sophisticated.”

Kit glanced at Darah, a frown on his face. He was becoming nervous, and when he was nervous it was harder for him to piece together what people were saying if they spoke a lot. 

“Would you mind if someone came over and looked at your neck for a moment?” Darah said, simplifying his mother’s words for him. 

Someone to just come look at my neck? 

He rubbed at the spot again, then shrugged. 

“Okay.” 

He didn’t like the idea, but it seemed important. If they weren’t going to hurt him, he was fine with having someone look at him real quick. 

Darah’s mother was evidently very thorough when she decided to do something. The vet was there within thirty minutes, a little plastic and metal item in their hand as they greeted her at the door. 

Soon, they were in front of him. The vet, a young woman, wasn’t nearly as scary as he’d thought she might be. She looked just like a normal person, and when she introduced herself as Dr. May and offered him the small device she’d brought, Kit cautiously took it in both hands. 

It didn’t seem like something that would hurt him at all.

“It just makes a little beeping sound if it finds something interesting. You won’t even feel it,” the Vet said as he handed it back to her. 

Kit gave a slow nod in response, then turned around when she asked him to. 

The scan only took two seconds before a quiet beep  was heard from the machine and it was pulled away. 

“Got it. She put a tracking chip in him.”

Darah’s mom looked both happy and frustrated. It was a strange combination. 

“So how do we get it out?” 

Kit lifted a hand to press against the back of his neck again, frowning slightly. He didn’t like the idea of something being under his skin… or needing to be removed from it. 

“Well, I don’t think it needs to come out right now.” Dr. May said, speaking to him instead of Darah’s mother. “I can turn it off for now, if that would be less stressful for you? I’ll just have to lift the scanner back up to your neck for a moment.”

Kit nodded and turned around, then tilted his head forward to give her better access to where she needed to get to. 

“Thank you, sweetheart.” 

He could sense the machine get close, then heard a few beeping sounds before it was withdrawn again. 

“All done. It can no longer send a signal and we can remove it another time. It’s just a tiny thing and shouldn’t bother you till then.” 

That was fast.

“Thank you for your help. I’ll contact you later about the paperwork we might need for court,” Darah’s mother said as she shook Dr. May’s hand, then spoke with her for a few more moments before seeing her out. 

When his mom returned, she was tucking away a small notepad into her pantsuit pocket. 

“Well, unfortunately we couldn’t figure that out before she knew you were here, but at least she can’t track you anywhere else now.” 

Kit wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he just stepped over to Darah and snuggled against his chest. His person read his silent intent clearly and wrapped him in a secure hug as he addressed his mom. 

“At least she can’t follow us with it outside anymore. I wanna guess that it’s also illegal to plant a tracking chip in someone without their permission.”

His mom nodded.

“She’s going to head back and fill out the legal paperwork concerning that right now. I should have it in my email by tonight.”

Kit felt Darah nod in response as one of his hands lifted to play with Kit’s hair. 

“Good. I’ll stay with him wherever he goes for now. She won’t have a chance to bother him with me around.” 

His mother gave him a look  that Kit didn’t quite understand, then asked a few more general questions before thanking them for the meal and heading out. 

As soon as she was gone, Kit reached up and grasped either side of Darah’s face, then leaned in for a kiss. He liked kissing him, but for some reason, more recently, it’s become a habit. Especially when he wanted attention or was becoming a little overwhelmed. 

When he pulled away after a minute to allow Darah to catch his breath, he looked close at his flushed face. He might be taller and older, and considering what he’d found online before parental controls had been turned on for his phone, the taller and more mature one was usually the pursuer, but for some reason Darah didn’t seem like he was pursuing him much… He let him kiss him, so he was probably okay with the idea of two males together, but he didn’t seem to return the attention much.

 His mind immediately went down a rabbit hole of all the things he’d seen, trying to piece together what their exact relationship was supposed to be. He liked Darah, a lot, and wanted to groom him and kiss him, but he wasn’t seeing much from the other man. 

He felt like his brain was short-circuiting for nearly three full minutes before something else came to mind, silencing all the rest of his worries. 

Maybe he doesn’t want to be like that with me. 

It was just a simple thought, but for some reason, it hurt worse than being bitten by a prairie dog. 

“You okay, bud? You’ve been spacing out for a few minutes,” Darah said as he gently rustled his hair, worry in his warm eyes. 

Kit frowned, but then quickly brushed all of his stressful thoughts from his head and smiled. 

“I’m okay. We should clean up.”

They had  left a lot of dishes in the sink.

“Ah, I suppose we should,” Darah said, taking the hint with a smile as he headed over to the sink.

Kit felt his face warm at having had to change the subject, but he quickly got busy putting away the extra food, then bringing everything to Darah before he began wiping down the counters and cleaning the stove, needing to keep his mind off of anymore stray thoughts.