I awoke to soft breathing and an otherwise quiet house. After blinking open my filmy eyes I let out a lengthy yawn and stretched my legs under the comforter. Daniel was still asleep just in front of me so I nuzzled my snout against his to gently wake him. His long ears slowly reclined and his eyes began to open.

"...Mornin' already?" he asked with a sleepy smile.

"Afraid so," I chuckled. "If you'd like to sleep longer you can, though I'd like to get Sura a more filling meal than the quick one she had last night. It was just the best I could do on such short notice."

"Naw, I'll get up," he laughed, stretching under the covers. "How're you feelin' about it?"

"Hm?"

"You seemed quite uneasy last night is all, just wonderin' if you still feel the same way."

"I'm still nervous about it. I'd like to give her a life better than the one she came from, and honestly I didn't...really anticipate taking charge of more than one child. N-Not that I mind, just--"

"We're pretty far south so you didn't really expect more new types."

"...Yeah, that's probably the best way to put it. I don't mind it at all, just...unexpected."

He combed his fingers through my hair and rubbed his soft snout atop my head.

"I think everything will be just fine," he reassured. "Like I said, Riv's progress didn't happen in a day and Sura's won't, either, but it'll still happen. You're a good father, Reverend."

"...Even after what I did?" I cringed.

"A bad father wouldn't care or do everything he could to apologize and make up for it," he quietly assured, rubbing my shoulders. "The moment you realized what was goin' on you were already profusely apologizing. He understands it wasn't intentional and he doesn't hold it against ya."

I sighed.

"Come now, don't dwell on this so much," he continued rubbing his snout in my bedhead. "Let's go see how they're doin', okay?"

We both rolled out of bed and took a long proper stretch before opening the door. The hallway was dyed a warm yellow from the morning sun, but was pleasantly quiet with the few house staff on the far end in the other staff room. After a few steps we made it to Riv and Sura's room, my grabbing the handle and carefully opening the door for us to peek inside.

Strangely, Riv wasn't in his bed. Turning my head to the left I saw both he and Sura sleeping away in her bed instead, the little girl tangled up in Riv's skinny arms. The fur under her eyes was matted from moisture, so I assumed Riv tried to comfort her overnight. He even brought with him his stuffed animals to share with the uneasy new resident. He really was such a sweet boy, and seeing such a sight helped ease some of my worries. Daniel softly laughed from above me before we turned back and closed the door, letting them continue their slumber undisturbed.

Daniel and I headed back to our room to change and bring our sleepwear with us downstairs. With a spoon of soap in the washtub I prepared the laundry while he gathered the necessary things for a filling breakfast, and one Sura would hopefully like. It worried me how slowly she ate and how apprehensive she was to tell us she was hungry...I wondered if food had been withheld from her at some point with how small she was.

I scrubbed a shirt to the harsh sizzle of bacon in a pan, the aroma filling the lounge and eliciting a growl from my own small gut. It was nice to have an appetite again.

"Sounds like someone else is just as ready to eat," Daniel laughed as he flipped over the bacon. "Probably worried right through your dinner last night."

I just snickered as I continued scrubbing the shirt. Sura's old clothes were in rough shape, but if I could handle them gently enough they should still last a while.

As Daniel cracked open some eggs into the skillet the sound of footsteps could be heard down the hall. Turning my head I saw a couple staff leading another couple of pure charges to the other kitchen, but soon followed Riv and Sura. Sura held tightly onto Riv's hand as they both came around the corner and entered the lounge. She hesitated to follow Riv into the lounge, looking to the stove.

"Sienna?" I asked, "Is something wrong?"

She quickly shook her head but her eyes were wide with fear.

"Sweetie, please tell us what's the matter," I requested. "Is it something to do with food?"

She gasped and let go of Riv's hand, running down the hall. I hopped to my feet and ran after her as she flew up the stairs and dove into her room. As I advanced on the door I slowed to a walk, turning to enter the room. From just beyond the wardrobe I could hear stifled sniffling.

"Sura?" I quietly called.

No response, so I came closer and knelt down just a short distance from the scared little girl.

"Sura, please tell me what's wrong," I said, running my fingers through her messy hair. "You're safe here, nobody is going to hurt you."

"...Food," was all she could say.

"Food? What about it?"

"...I wasn't...allowed in the kitchen at home while people cooked."

"Is that all? With a reaction like that there seems to be more going on. Please, Sura, you can tell us these things."

"...Dad only let me eat dinner. If...If I was caught eating anything earlier than that he'd scream at me."

"What?"

"Sometimes he'd...tease me by cooking something that I couldn't have, trying to get me to come into the kitchen so he could yell. He thought it was funny."

"Oh, sweetie, come here," I said, opening my arms.

Sura took my invitation rather eagerly and so I wrapped her up in my skinny arms, swaying from side to side as I continued combing through her hair with my fingers.

"Sura, I'm so sorry you went through that," I quietly said. "That isn't how we do things here. We eat three times daily, and that means all of us. If you're hungry, we will feed you."

She sniffled into my shoulder as I continued to pet her head. Thinking back to yesterday evening I wondered if her slow eating was to savor the taste of whatever she got given it would be the only thing she got until the following evening. The parents I met were unkind, but withholding food was a new low.

"Would you like to come back downstairs?" I asked. "Breakfast should be done by now and I don't want you to eat it cold."

"...Can...I really...?"

I gently rubbed my snout atop her head.

"Of course you can, sweetheart," I replied. "We don't want you going hungry. Would you please come with me back downstairs?"

She nodded against my collarbone, so I stood up to take her hand. With her hand in mine and my tail around her back we left the bedroom, the little girl close to my side. Slowly and carefully we made our way back to the smaller kitchen where Daniel and Riv sat waiting for us and two spare served plates sat atop the bench-- eggs, bacon, seasoned toast, half a pear each, and a tall glass of milk to accompany everything.

Sura was hesitant to sit down, confused and embarrassed by the little episode, but with enough reassurance from all of us she did take a seat next to me at the bench. As she ate I still kept my tail snug around her back, her slowly poking at her food. Every so often I'd pet her head to encourage her, or Riv would nudge her shin under the bench to do the same. After a short while everyone else was finished, but we all stayed with her at the bench until she was also finished eating. Thankfully she did eat everything on her plate, which I was hoping for.

"Was that enough, or are you still hungry?" Daniel asked before getting up from the bench.

"...I'm full," Sura said.

"Are you sure?" he asked again. "I've no problem gettin' you something more if you're still hungry."

"...I'm sure."

Daniel scooped up everyone's dishes as I turned to finish the laundry. He and Riv worked together to wash and dry the dishes and wipe down the bench from breakfast as I scrubbed a pair of jeans against the washboard. Sura sat watching on the bench seat, her feet pulled up and her hugging around her knees. With the little bit I'd seen and heard I wondered just how jarring all of this might be for her. Just to be sure, I still kept my tail wrapped around the shy little girl, trying to provide any kind of comfort I could as I worked.

When the other two were done with the dishes Daniel grabbed the washtub and dumped the spent water down the drain. I stood up to rinse everything to free it from the suds, wringing it out and placing it all back in the tub and turning to Sura.

"Would you like to help me hang up some clothes to dry?" I asked. "It'll only take a few minutes."

Without a word she carefully slid off the seat. I grabbed the washtub and led the way outside, her holding gently onto my tail as we both walked down the narrow back hallway and out to the back yard. One by one she'd hand me an article of clothing to hang up and the number of clothespins I needed for each one, and after a few minutes everyone's clothes were neatly hung up to dry on the clothesline. I bent down to grab the empty tub and dump out the remaining little bit of water from the morning before gently nudging the helpful child on the crown.

As we turned to head back inside some of the staff from earlier came out through the back door, leading the current pure charges outside for a romp around the yard. Sura hid behind me as the staff eyed us, not recognizing this new child. Heather was among them, giving us a little smile and wave before turning her attention back to the other children.

"It's alright, sweetie, they're here to take care of the other children," I said on our way back to the door. "They won't bother you."

Though, as I said that, one of the other staff looked back toward me. He looked to Sura, then back to me with a nasty face. I just rolled my eyes and continued on my way with my daughter in tow to return the washtub to the kitchen cabinet. Both Daniel and Riv waited patiently for us in the lounge for our return, the boy hugging Sura snugly as I put away the tub.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you two this morning," I started as I closed the cabinet. "Did something happen last night after we brought you to bed? I saw that you were in Sura's bed, Riv."

"I think she had a bad dream 'cus she started crying and it woke me up," Riv replied. "I didn't want her to be alone so I went over to her bed to keep her company and I guess I fell asleep."

"It's alright, honey, I was just wondering," I said, petting his messy hair. "If there was anything we could do I wanted to know. We should see about getting ready for the day, maybe getting to taming that mane of yours."

I looked over to Sura who sat by Daniel. It looked to me like she was finally giving him a bit more trust and wasn't so nervous around the larger man. I smiled at the two of them before we headed upstairs to get the kids changed and presentable for the morning, thinking to myself that it may be a good idea to get another hairbrush so she wouldn't have to use someone else's after today.

Once the two kids changed out of their sleepwear and into some day clothes I took to brushing Riv's long hair. I sat on his bed and he sat on the floor just beside it, the nubbed teeth massaging his scalp and his eyes slowly closing in comfort. Over on Sura's bed Daniel sat next to her, though this time she sat a bit closer to him. His hand would reach up and his fingers would comb through her hair, and little by little she'd lean against his side. I brushed Riv's hair for a little while longer before combing through the fur on his cheeks, wrapping up the morning routine.

"Sura?" I called from the other side of the room. "Would you like to brush your own hair, or would you like me to do it?"

Sura looked to me, and then to Riv as her little hands crept up to her chin in uncertainty.

"I don't mind brushing your hair if you'd like me to, I just want you to know you have a choice in the matter," I assured.

From in front of me I could see Riv urging her to come over and take his place, and soon she'd carefully stand up off the bed and do so, Riv taking her place next to Daniel and leaning into his side. With Sura now in front of me I gently took the brush to her black hair, untangling snarls with my fingernails and teasing apart any mats. After a short time her hair was nice and smooth, though a bit thin-- likely from her poor eating up until now. Her back was rigid and her shoulders tense, her little hands in fists. I brought my tail around and laid it upon her lap to take and hold, which she did after a moment. For a short time I continued brushing the teeth over her scalp, her big ears slowly falling aside and relaxing.

"There we go, sweetie," I softly said, rubbing my snout atop her head. "Your hair looks much nicer now. If you'd ever like me to brush through it, you only need to ask, okay? I brush Riv's hair all the time."

"...Okay."

"Sura, when would you like to start your initial evaluation?" Daniel asked, petting through Riv's tidy hair. "Don't gotta be right now or anything, and you don't have to go in alone if you're not comfortable. It'll be out in the infirmary, the little building just next to this one, so you won't be far."

"...Can they...come with?" she asked, squeezing my tail a little harder.

Riv and I both nodded. We wanted her to feel comfortable and safe.

"Of course, sweetie," Daniel answered. "We can all head out whenever you're ready."

"...Now?"

"You'd like to go now?"

She nodded.

"Sure, that's no problem."

He stood up and walked over, extending his big hand for her to take. She slowly took his invitation and he helped her back up onto her feet. After we all stood up and straightened out our clothes both Riv and I followed the larger man and little girl down the hall, down the stairs, and out to the infirmary.

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