STARRY, STARRY NIGHT / open

[CAIN]

Cain had a dog, once -- a small German Shepard named Anubis, who he raised from a pup and later lost to cruel soldiers. He had been fond of the dog then, taking to him instantly with a shared sense of loyalty, and losing Ani had been one of the first times he felt something surge in his soul: something dark and chaotic and cruel. He tended to look back on how he had changed so much and looked to that moment and remembered the sickening realization that good guys rarely won or were happy. Losing Ani had not, however, ruined all dogs for him -- he fed strays when he saw them and let them sleep in the lower portion of the Command Center, and still felt a flicker of affection when he encountered new dogs.

So, it was with open amusement that he stopped beside Leo and Amren, eyeing the puppy she had claimed for herself. She really didn't strike him as the sort to drop everything to dote on a small, cute animal, but hey -- she surprised him all the time. "He's pretty," he greeted, falling into step beside the short girl as he studied the little lab with interest. Strange eyes on that one, but this was radiation territory, so it wasn't unexpected. He grinned lopsidedly and teased, "I didn't know you had it in you to care for anyone else, Reni."

© MADI