Attempting Cohabitation Chapter 5

Bridgett cleared her throat and we let go of each other as she handed me an itinerary I curled my lip at. “You’re expected to have dinner this evening with many of the people trying to -"

“No.” I stated, blankly as she blinked a few times.

“Mr. Canker-”

“He’s been here less than a week and doesn’t have a full grasp on the language. Let alone the social etiquettes these rich snobs are going to expect. He’s not going to be paraded around like a trophy they can mock, whisper about, and laugh at while someone rakes in large amounts of money at his expense. You'll tell them to hire someone to come teach us how things work in this environment because even I’m out of my depth here. Pun intended. You said a year. Until I believe Al’s ready to be out in public, everything will be kept quiet and he’ll be introduced under what I consider appropriate circumstances. Not who you or anyone else has chosen or paid for so they can brag about being the first to meet him. He’s a kid here, and I intend on making sure he learns about how things work before he’s thrown to the wolves.”

“Eric, are you not a wolf?” He asked as I looked back at Bridgett sarcastically.

“I’m a wolf. It’s an expression, Al. Not a literal meaning. I rest my case. He doesn’t understand enough to meet other people.”

I almost jumped as I felt his fingers curl around mine and looked down to find him watching the warthog. Yet he never said a word to refute anything I demanded and dipped his head as if it was confirmed. Bridgett closed her eyes and bobbed her head. “I wasn’t expecting such a strong reaction, Mr. Canker.”

“Bridgett.” She looked up and I narrowed my eyes. “You know what’s at stake here. No one’s going to jeopardize his safety for trivial social gain or dirty money. I’ve been given the duty of keeping him safe, that includes against those who have enough power to influence the outcome. Isn’t that right, Al?”

“Correct.” Al replied as she glanced at him clutching my fingers.

She caved as Al stepped closer to my leg. “I’ll explain things, but I can’t guarantee it won’t be pushed. I’ll arrange for a few instructors and teachers to come by and send you the schedule for tutors as soon as I can get things lined up. That will include a public speaking instructor for you. Everything will be suspended until you’ve decided it’s safe enough for him to be around others. In the meantime, take this responsibility seriously and teach him as much as possible as quickly as possible. Their patience isn’t something money can buy.”

“Neither is he.”

She nodded and took her leave and I was left standing with my fingers wrapped in warm velvet.

“So,” I asked a little uncomfortably. “Is this what you meant by physical contact?” Al nodded as I took a deep breath and bent to my knees. “I don’t know about your eating habits, but I’m starving and it’s almost dinnertime. Are you hungry?”

Al looked off and blinked a few times. Though it was difficult to see with the way his eyes were shaped. “I am only required to take in nutrients once a day, but have the understanding your kind does this several times with lower amounts. I can adapt to this tolerably.”

I chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes. Come on kid, I’ll show you how the kitchen works and you can tell me how you eat.” Al kept a tight grip on my fingers, waddling with me as I explored the house enough to find the kitchen. “I know you need this contact, but I’m going to need my paws. Would you mind keeping a hold on my tail until I have everything situated?”

“I was told each mammal held specific traditions in regards to physical contact. Is this socially acceptable for your kind?” He asked as I smiled and chuckled.

“Yes. At least in the privacy we have now. It’s not considered intimate, if that’s what you mean.” With a thoughtful look he let go of my fingers and grabbed the end of my tail as I started trying to figure out how to open cabinets.

My frustration in the kitchen was apparent. I’d never seen cabinets built like this, they had no handles, I couldn’t find seams where they opened and was becoming agitated trying to figure out how anything worked. Back in my place things were made of old wood. Hand me down furniture and cabinets that were repaired and reused for generations were a little tricky to figure out once in a while, but everything in this place was sleek and appeared to be a solid piece of something I couldn’t identify. The last thing I wanted to do was upset this toddleresk being with an extensive vocabulary and no comprehension of many of the words he’d researched by getting angry. I sighed and shook my head. “Well Al, I know this is the kitchen because of the sink, but I can’t seem to open-

Clack.

I looked up to find every box on the wall split in half and a cool breeze coming from what I could only assume was a refrigerator of some kind built into the wall. “Sonofabitch. Everything is voice activated in here. You’d think Bridgett would’ve explained that. Then again if she lives in anything like this, she probably doesn’t know any better.” I dug through a few cabinets and pulled out several boxes and cans, digging through a few drawers as I noticed the strange sensation on my tail. Looking back, I found Al’s nose moving up and down and his eyes rolling back and forth at the packages I’d left on the counter. “Al? Is something wrong?”

“What is sonofabitch? It is not a word I came across in your social dictionaries.”

I smacked a paw to my head and slid to the floor, my back thumping against the counter. “I’m a sonofabitch for teaching you that.”

“I do not understand.” He tilted his head to one side and waddled closer. Letting go of my tail and grabbing my fingers instead.
“Al, you know the difference between bad and good right?”

“Bad is a negative connotation of a circumstance or action and good is a positive of the same.”

“Yes.” I chuckled looking up to find his black marble eyes watching me with question. “Al, sonofabitch is a bad word. It’s used as a term of insult sometimes, surprise, or disgust. It’s difficult to explain all the ways it can be defined.”

He looked off in thought and sighed, only something I could identify by the puffs of the circles at each side of his mouth. “You insult yourself and are disgusted by your actions? You are a bad word?”

“No.” I almost laughed. “I said a bad word. I did a bad thing by saying the word, but that doesn’t make me a bad word, or bad at all. It means I wasn't thinking before I spoke.”

“I still do not understand.”

I laughed as I got to my feet with him clinging to my fingers. “Exactly. This is why you’re not ready to be around others like me yet. There are certain things you just don’t understand and it’s going to take time to explain them, and time for me to figure out how to explain them.”

“Why is it a bad word?”

I looked down to find him tilting his head again and sighed. “It’s socially unacceptable in most circumstances. It’s considered rude, unnecessary, and used by people less refined or cultured.”

He looked at the cabinets and the pouches on his cheeks puffed out again. “Then Bridgett is a sonofabitch for not explaining the cabinets to you?”
“No! No,” I said in a calmer voice as he stepped back still clutching my fingers. “It was just…sigh- I was frustrated and it came out because I was surprised by the situation. It was just a mistake. A slip of the tongue.”

He stepped closer and wrapped his finger around mine tighter, almost looking concerned as I tried to calm my heart. “How does one’s tongue slip? Is it not attached correctly? You are alarmed at this mistake?” he asked as I took a breath and leaned against the counter. “Your heart rate has accelerated and you have begun to perspire. I am not wishing to cause you discomfort by trying to understand your meaning.”

“No Al, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not used to being put in a position where I’m the one explaining things. There's nothing wrong with my tongue. I’m just going to have to be more thoughtful about how I express frustrations until you understand things a little better. Let’s get something to eat and try to relax before we talk anymore?”

“That is acceptable.” He answered, letting go of my fingers and grabbing the end of my tail again. “May I ask what it is you will intake?”

“Intake...Oh. Eat.” I chuckled as I pulled together several bits of bread and paste. “This is peanut butter with added protein and some wheat grass.”

“I was under the impression your kind were carnivorous and could not eat things that were plant based.”

“Well,” I replied as I took a seat at the table and sat everything down. “I’m a predator and most of us avoid plant-based items unless they’re omnivores.”

“Omnivores?” he asked.

“A kind of mammal who eats both plants and proteins. Which do you fall under?”

“I do not know. I have never heard the terms until researching before you arrived. I was not even aware of what a wolf was until Bridgett explained she was a warthog and you were not the same species as any others I have met.”

“Ok. Protein can be synthesized but most of what I eat is made from nuts and beans. I only eat this kind of grass when I have an upset stomach. I’m a little on edge right now, but it has nothing to do with you. It’s more because I’m unfamiliar with my surroundings. I don’t really care to eat things that were once sentient. Now, about what you eat. Bridgett said you were provided everything you needed?” He looked around and I raised my ears “Al?”

“Where is the edge you are on?”

I sighed, foolishly gripping the counter again when I know it's not keeping my feet straight, or holding any part of me together like the anchor I’m using it as. Patience. I need to learn patience or I’m going to unravel. “There isn’t one. It means I’m unsure of things. Do you have something here you can eat?”

“Yes, but due to temperature variances in wrens I was informed it would have to be kept in a cooler climate.”

“A refrigerator? Let’s find what you need. I’m sure it’s already here because what I asked for was already in the cabinets.” I stood heading towards the open wall flowing cool air to the floor and opened the panel finding dozens of large bottles filled with a thick yellow syrup. When I held one out, he gave a nod and I sat it on the table, scratching my head at the predicament of him being unable to sit in the chair due to his build. “Eric, the expression on your face indicates you are - on edge.” He spoke, almost as a question.

I looked down at him still clutching my tail and sighed. “Not quite, but close enough. You can already understand my facial expressions?”

“Some, I am learning. The expressions are much easier to understand than words.”

“That I can understand and will be invaluable. I'm concerned, not on edge. We eat in small groups. It’s a way to form connections in social settings and get to know each other. I’m not sure how to make things easier for you to join me at the table.”

He looked at the table and chair, letting go of my tail before his spindly arms reached up and grabbed the counter. I had to admit I was impressed he had the strength to pull his body up in a seated position, but almost laughed as his toes hung off the front of the seat. “You are displaying happiness. Is this acceptable?”

“Yes.” I chuckled as I sat beside him, trying not to seem shocked when he grabbed my tail and brushed it through his fingers until he was holding the tip again. His spindly fingers wrapped around the glass and I watched wondering how he’d manage to hold or open anything without a thumb. My curiosity grew as he raised his other paw and grabbed his pointer finger. I cringed at the sickening crunch as he snapped it out of place and almost jumped out of my chair. My face fell as he twisted it into another position and snapped it in place like building blocks. I had to gulp down the desire to gag at the crunching. He easily moved the joint as if it were designed to take another shape and thought nothing of it. The long finger that looked no different from the others now sat below his palm as he twisted the cap of the glass bottle in front of him. “Did that hurt? How did you do that?”

He looked up without thought and tilted his head. “I have alarmed you?”

“Ugh… a little. If this is normal for you, I’ll get used to it. It sounds like you broke a bone.”

“I am unharmed, but curious why you would think I would injure myself. Is it a common practice among your people?”

“No, it's not. I don’t think you would. I mean I didn’t. It’s just, we can’t do that, what you just did. What did you just do?”

“I merely moved the bones into another position to accommodate the current task. This is not something your kind can do?”

“No. Not even if we’re double jointed. We’re all pretty standard in the way we’re constructed. You can have thumbs if you want to and keep them in this position without it causing you any kind of pain or permanent damage?”

“I do not know the meaning of double jointed. This is common for my species.”

“Ok, listen to me, Al. Don’t ever do this in front of anyone else. If people see you do this, they'll fear you. Do you know how many people have already seen you in person?”

“A bear, a hedgehog, a deer, two felines of different decent, a horse, and the warthog called Bridgett. I believe there have been seven. Eight including you.”

I rubbed my muzzle and closed my eyes. “I can explain this to Bridgett but I think it'd be best if you kept thumbs on both your paws all the time. Can you do that?”

“Yes.”

I turned my head as he grabbed the finger on his other paw and listened to that same sickening crunch. All kinds of things were rushing through my head. I’m sure the same WTF questions any rational person would come to; But the only thing I could manage to ask was; “What else are you hiding?” He looked away when I turned to face him again and my stomach dropped when his eyes closed. “Al? I’m your Paira, correct? Chosen to be yours before I knew what that meant.”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re going to be my Paira too?”

“Yes.” He still hadn’t opened his eyes, but I tried to be patient without moving away or wincing at how tightly he’d regripped my tail again.
“We’ll start with eating lunch. After we’ve eaten, you need to answer some questions for me once we figure out where everything is in this place. Do you know the difference between honesty and dishonesty?”

“Yes.”

“Can you define trust?” Al opened his eyes and looked up at me with his head bowed as low as I’d seen it. "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, Al."
"I do not feel guilty. I seek a compromise in my own mind. Trust is a firm belief in the integrity, ability or abilities and character of a person. Having confidence and relying on one as such. The condition and resulting obligation of having confidence placed in one.”

I nodded as I looked him in the eye, which isn't as easy as you’d think considering they could hardly be defined as eyes. “I don’t know why I was chosen for this. You know a great deal more about me than I know about you. If you’ve already placed your trust in me, give me a reason to do the same.”

He looked away with his head still bowed. “I was told only to reveal as much as needed until it was necessary because it might alarm you and others.”

“Al, I can’t prepare you for this world, if I can’t prepare the world for you. It’s necessary now.”

A slight nod and I pointed at the bottle in front of him. His grip let up on my tail as I grabbed my sandwich and started eating, but it didn’t keep me from watching him lower the bottle and gape at his tongue. One of the oddest features I’d seen yet. It looked more like a straw. A small blue tube that extended into the bottle and silently pulled the thick liquid into little gulps that sounded like the chirping of a toad when he swallowed. When I switched my view to his eyes, I could see he was studying me as well. Him watching my teeth made me nervous and I tried to hide them when I chewed, but the faint tilt of his head made me sigh as I finished off the last bite. No point in trying to hide anything under the circumstances. I looked around still seeing the cabinets and refrigerator open and frowned. “Close.” They all closed silently and I rolled my eyes at the laziness money could buy. I found only about half the bottle he’d been drinking gone and watched him slip the lid back on. “Is that the only thing you eat?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“There is no word for it in your language, but it is all we require.”

I chuckled. “Elixir of life it is. Can you eat the rest of that at breakfast if its kept cold?”

“Yes.”

I grabbed the bottle and stood, waiting patiently as he lowered himself back to the floor. Once I’d secured things back in the refrigerator and left the kitchen, we explored the house as I tried to figure out how to approach discussing things I needed to ask. When I stopped in a small room with a large bowl standing from the floor and growled at the glass walls, Al looked in. “Eric, why do you make that sound?”

“Because I’m upset.”

“What about this space has upset you?”

“If that’s what I think it is, I’ll be more than upset.” I stepped in and huffed, shaking my head at the ridiculousness. “It’s called a shower. As rare as water is for people in my neighborhood this is shameful. I suppose it could be an older house and a feature that no longer functions.” When I reached in trying to figure out how the handles worked, I jerked back hissing as water shot out above my head. The sting I’d expected was replaced with fury as clear water poured from the spout. I growled as I turned it off and grit my teeth, choking on every foul word I’d ever heard.

“I am aware that most water here is contaminated with acids that will harm living creatures and must be cleaned many times before it is acceptable to drink. Is this what most here would consider wasteful?”

“Yes.” I growled as I looked into the stall. “It’s probably why it’s not voice activated like everything else, but it's still infuriating.”

"Why does it function if it is wasteful?"

"Do you know what the majority rules mean?"

"Yes."

"Well in this area the majority doesn't rule. Money does."

"All is shared equally in my wren and others. Money is an abstract concept in my society. I do not understand why your people do not come together for the good of all."

"Me neither. I'm going to explain it to you though. Being so wasteful when others would benefit is frustrating."
“Is sonofabitch appropriate now?”

I looked at him blinking and laughed until I couldn’t catch my breath. “It’s very appropriate right now, Al."

“How is it appropriate to laugh now when this is considered a bad word? My understanding is that one only laughs with humor and happiness.”
I shook my head as I grabbed my knees. “Because you said it."

"Why?"

"It just is. I can’t explain it.”

“I do not understand.”

“Al, sometimes it just doesn’t make sense up here. There are things no one can explain until you can experience it yourself. It’s like dancing in the- I blinked and looked at him as his head tipped to the side. “Do you have water like this where you come from?”

“Yes, there is so much of it that we must convert it to areas away from the wrens.”

“Convert? That means changing something. Do you mean redirect?”

He dropped his eyes and tilted his head. “Yes, that is also an acceptable word to use.”

“How large is a wren? What are you doing with all the water?” Al acted like I’d stabbed him and twisted the knife. But I could see it was because he was trying to explain it in terms I’d understand. “Is your wren larger than this city or populated by as many?”

“Yes. Twice as large. The water is converted to fields where it is cleaned and moved to large basins. We are running out of room to store it.”
“How do they clean the water?”

“With plants.”

“What kind of plants?”

“They are grey, yellow, and black. I do not know what they are, they have always been.”

There’s no way in hell anything can happen to this guy. I couldn’t think of anything else as I moved us to the main living area and paced in front of him while he kept a grip on the end of my tail. “Eric, you are alarmed again. Have I done something to cause this?”

“No.” I sighed and knelt in front of him. “Do you know that the people here are starving and starting to revert back to hunting and killing each other because of shortages of food?”

“Yes.”

“Then you know the reason is because there isn’t enough water to grow anything. You understand the food chain?”
“Yes.”

“What you did in the kitchen with your fingers, is there anything like that you can do to protect yourself from someone who means you harm if I’m not around?”

“Why would anyone mean me harm?”

“Al, you can barely walk on your own. You have no teeth, no claws, and aren’t designed to be in the sunlight. You can’t run, or fight. You’re a walking buffet.”

“You imply someone would attempt to consume my flesh?”

“Or harm you just because they can. Not everyone is going to be a friend.”

“This is not a concept in my society, but I am not defenseless.”

“Show me.”

“I will alarm you, Eric.”

“I need to know if no one else is around you can take care of yourself.” He looked off dropping his eyes and nodded. I stepped back as the ears draped along the sides of his head lifted and formed what looked like a satellite around his face. “Ok, intimidation tactic, making yourself look larger. This is good, but it’s not enough.”

Al took a deep breath and raised his arms. I stumbled back as something on his chest shifted and opened him like a splayed fish. There was a flash of something pea green but I don’t know what I saw. I don’t care what I saw. I may not have seen anything because the only thing that hit me was hell's rancid sugar. I can't even describe the scent of Satan’s lovemaking, but it’s all I could think of. My eyes stung so much I lost my vision under streams of tears and retched at the sickly-sweet stench permeating my fur. I could feel the burning as my fur stood on end like a hissing cat. My nostrils flared and were seared shut like I’d been doused with a bucket of mace. Every breath I took was followed by losing more of my lunch and trying to get to the footing I lost. Each movement was met with the slippery surface of my own guts and only made retching ache as dry heaves claimed my chest. The ribs encasing my lungs flared inward and locked my sternum like a welded corner. Every rational thought left my head and refused to make sense of what I kept trying to accomplish as the world imploded. I didn’t even have the sense left to think about running when I collapsed. At most; I could manage begging some unknown deity for death somewhere in the clogged gears of my warped mind where I was positive I'd been doused in the rotting afterbirth of universal existence. I felt the floor moving under me, but couldn’t move as my limbs curled close to my body, with the stench tearing into my bones like I was standing in the rain.

I woke under a spray of water to find Al watching me from the glass that he barely held open. “That’s one hell of a self-defense mechanism, Al. No wonder no one ever hunted your species. I don't think you need to worry about much with that, but I don't know everything.”

“The smell is not the only thing the action allows. When we are in secondary form, the skin takes on a harder exterior and is difficult to breach by another object.”

“Like teeth.” I almost asked, momentarily forgetting about the wasted water as it flushed my eyes and nose. He took it as a question rather than a fact. I stuck my head under the spray because I'd never felt so filthy after something I'd been exposed to. Nothing in my long-lived short years even came close.

“And anything else that may pierce a more vulnerable area.”

“Built in shields. Swell. How'd I get in here?”

Al tilted his head to one side as his eyes rolled back and forth. “I brought you. You are not as heavy as I am.”

“You’re not even half my size. I weigh two hundred and ten pounds. Heavier than most wolves in my species. How can you weigh more than I do?”
“I do not know. But my weight is one hundred twenty-six kilograms, or two hundred seventy-nine pounds according to Bridgett.”

I lifted myself with the shower bar and turned the water off, trying to wrap my head around that as I grabbed a towel. I know I’m forgetting this because my heads swimming but I need to find my balance again. “Well, I’m going to have to get out of these wet clothes and go clean things up. In case you ever have to do that again when I’m around, let me know so I can run first.” He kept a hold on my tail until I needed to remove my pants and let go briefly as I wrapped a towel around my waist. We walked back to the kitchen and my jaw dropped at the darkened windows and low lighting under the cabinets. “How long was I in there?”

“If I understand your calculations of time correctly; Eleven hours and eighteen minutes.”

I sat on a chair and stared at the darkened windows. “I’m not a drinker, Al. But right now, I could use a shot of good old-fashioned whiskey.” My lip curled at the thump under the table and I sat back scowling as a shot glass came up on a small platform in front of me. “Ridiculous.” (It didn’t keep me from downing that liquid like water in the desert before I was rubbing my eyes.) My head was throbbing and my throat felt like I’d swallowed steel wool. Not because of the alcohol either. “Have we eaten dinner yet?”

“Yes.”

“Good, because I’m not hungry. I’d like to go out and get some fresh air before I sleep.”

“Eric?” He asked as I slid the glass away and looked down when he grabbed my fingers. “We cannot go outside.”

“Why not?” I asked with a frown.

“It was explained to me that the house is state of the art in defense and we are locked in. The clear viewing ports do not even allow for air circulation because I asked.”

I sighed as I dropped my shoulders and cupped a paw over my eyes. “Why am I not surprised. No security detail, no escort, no guards. Should have seen it. They’re called windows, Al. If there’s nothing else we can do, we should just go to bed. You sleep, don’t you?”

“We must recycle for at least five hours each day. What you call sleep. I have not done this yet.”

“Let’s go find the beds. This contact you need; does it include at night?”

“Yes, there is no night and day where I am from, but I do not require a bed.”

“This should be interesting.” I mumbled as I got up and headed through the living room to clean up the mess I’d made. Only there was no mess to be found. I looked down at Al as he clutched my fingers. “What happened to the mess?”

“There was no mess.”

“I got sick all over the place.”

“You did not. You fell over.”

“The whole thing was a hallucination?”

“Yes.”

“Why’d you put me in the water?”

“Your breathing decelerated and your heart rate was too high. Your body temperature dropped several degrees. It was the only way to warm you and stop any permanent damage. I was unaware of how this would affect your kind. It only annoys my kind and is used when startled or in simple practices to maintain good health.”

“For your health? Remind me never to startle you in a dark alley.”

“Why would I be in a dark alley and why would you attempt to startle me? Why would I need to remind you not to when you have experienced what might happen?”

“Oh, for the whole of Evenyo. I’ll explain it later.” I searched a few rooms and found one that held a bed. Al tipped his head as I threw the covers down and slid in with him still holding my fingers. “I can scoot over for you.”

“It is not necessary. I cannot sleep the way your kind does. We sleep upright as we stand.”

“That sounds uncomfortable. If you change your mind, let me know.” I laid back taking a few deep breaths before my eyes closed, still focused on the soft velvety texture wrapped around my fingers.

“Eric?”

I looked over the edge and Al was staring at me. “Change your mind?”

“Nothing will change that I cannot sleep in another position. Do your kind not wear clothing when you recycle?”

I chuckled. “Some people do. I don’t. I still have the towel wrapped around me if being without them bothers you.”

“Why would this bother me, or anyone of your species?”

I looked back from the ceiling and scoffed. “Another question I can’t answer. Most of us don’t really need clothes. It happened over time. I think it makes people nervous.”

“Why?”

“Social etiquette.”

“What is etiquette?”

“An accepted social behavior.”

“Having clothing is acceptable but being without them is not?”

“Around others it’s not acceptable to be without them. At home, it doesn’t matter.” I threw the towel over the edge of the bed and closed my eyes. The low lights around the house faded until I found comfort in the darkness. The shadows shifted as my vision changed and I tilted my head as something leaned over the bed. A ring of bright yellow started glowing until it exploded into a deep orange with a ball of black at the center. I cocked my head to the side, thinking it looked like a backwards eclipse as it moved closer. Bright, mesmerizing orange glowed in the dark, soon doubled after I blinked a few times. What is that? Eyes. Eyes?! The two orbs came closer and I pushed myself up on the bed, breathing faster as a snout came into focus. The weight that landed beside me from a heavy paw caused me to throw my head back into the pillow and hold my breath as the pressure on the mattress shifted my weight closer to it’s arm.

I shot up shaking my head, trying to get my eyes adjusted after waking. Nightmares were nothing new but that was weird as hell. I wonder if they put something in the food here or it was residual from earlier? Al was still clutching my fingers in a velvet grip. Nothing was going to rouse him after poking his head a few times. I ran my fingers over the coils on his torso, recoiling as the velvet texture turned hard as stone. Jerking away was accidental when he shot into some kind of soft whistling. I steadied my heart and laid back down, looking at the ceiling again. I keep telling myself it’s a favorite past time to kill hours finding the shapes and faces in random textures. But nothing will grab my attention faster than the sound of a breaking bone that came from beside me. I looked over the side of the bed and watched his neck turn like an owl a few times as my ears pinned back. “What the hell are you?”