Put Your Loving Hand Out, Darling

Poor Ukko was genuinely shocked. It had been a roller coaster of a day, never having as many emotions to combat at the same time since the day he was kicked off the cliffs to learn to fly.

"Harvey!" He wailed. "Did you know this too? Before I signed my own death sentence?"

"Well, yes," Harvey answered flatly, "but there wasn't any time. Besides, are you saying you don't like her now?"

Set narrowed his eyes, shooting a glance at the doctor, not knowing what transpired for the eagle to be so dramatic about his own impending doom, but he offered his own cold advice. "If you can't handle her abilities, you're no better than the unevolved beggars' village she escaped from."

Ukko stammered, but Set had made his point. In the few interactions he had with the city folk who had ventured out from the walls, Set had perceived that they were incredibly smug about their achievements. The first City of Beasts had succeeded despite itself, a haphazard jumble of tribes and Kings, with no set authority figure to rule over all of them. They had a rudimentary crop system, no bartering, trading, or markets. They were able to be taken over by a weak old ape who showed them pictures of their greatest fears.

This second try at a city had tighter rules, a tighter hierarchy structure, and jobs for individuals. They thrived, quickly, becoming entirely self sufficient to the point that there was time for leisure. They had inventions, and - as Set learned during the night - art, and above all, the citizens made it clear, they were not like the common folk out in the woods, living in mud huts and begging for salt. These villagers didn't even know about the possibility of energy and life crystals, because they were too helpless to ever obtain a single one. And if the snake said that the forest villages had run a woman out of their lives or treated her ill, Ukko was determined to do the opposite.

There wasn't any chance for Ukko to stammer any sort of apology, or acknowledgment, As suddenly, Shuule stirred. It started as an ear twitch, the red hair that had shrouded her skin having disappeared before Harvey had even finished wrapping her arm. A cough came next, her eyelids fluttering as she winced in pain.

"Shuule," Set breathed, leaning over her.

She blinked, bleary eyed, confused, her mind not waking up as fast as her body. Instinctively she tried to prop herself up, but as she did, Harvey grabbed her right hand again, not wanting her to bend the limb. The touch that was not from Set set her off, and suddenly there was chaos.

The girl growled, snatching her hand out of Harvey's grasp, then yelped in pain. Completely wild now, she had no memory of anything that had happened since demanding Set tourniquet her arm. Panicked, she leapt to her feet on the bed, then crouched down, teeth gnashing, ears pinned back like a caged animal.

"SHUULE DON'T SHIFT," yelled Harvey, his hands up in submission, something he was feeling bitter about doing quite often in the last twenty four hours.

Shuule snarled at him, her limbs turning black like her foxes' socked paws, ready to defy the stranger in front of her and escape.

"If you want to keep that arm, you won't do it," ordered Harvey.

Set, taken aback for just long enough for pandemonium to erupt, put a slender hand on Shuule's shoulder blade, hissing softly.

Instantly, the fox's eyes widened in relief, whirling around and leaping like a frog onto the snake. If she had been able to physically burrow into his chest and hide there, she would have done it in a heartbeat.

"Set" Shuule sobbed, as the cold blooded man melted, wrapping his arms around her, his head turned down to nestle his chin into her shoulder, his long black and red hair sweeping over her so she was barely visible to the other two men in the room.

Harvey stepped back to stand next to Ukko, who still needed his jaw picked up off the floor.

"Well I'll be damned," he mused, his hands on his hips. To this very moment he was fairly sure that the snake, while devoted, was experiencing a one sided delusion and that the female would wake up and ask to be removed from him.

Hushed whispers were exchanged between the two misfits, Set brushing his mate's hair back as she sobbed, pecking her on the forehead. After several moments, he peered up over Shuule's head, then back down at her.

"There are two men here, you can look at them. They know everything. Well, enough."

Shuule sniffed back her tears, then timidly turned her head to look at the two strangers, her body still plastered to her protector. Harvey smiled softly and nodded, Ukko straightened up, flashed a toothy grin, and waved. She pinned her ears back in return.

Harvey stepped up a few paces, his hands clasped behind him, leaning forward slightly.

"Your mother visited me when you were eight years old. I've been waiting to meet you, Shuule."

Shuule looked up at Set for reassurance, who nodded in affirmation. He had never been this needed by his spouse before, and knew that these were fleeting moments. Soon enough she'd be strong willed and running their lives, but right now, she was as frightened as a kit.

"You're the doctor, Harvey," she put together, turning around fully, leaning into Set who now had his arms around her, holding her hands in his.

"Yes," answered Harvey. "And this," he reached back and dragged the gray eagle up to his level by his wrist, "Is Ukko. He bravely got the King to give you an energy crystal to save your life, and he flew you from the front of the city to my door in record speed. He also," Harvey couldn't help but laugh, "just found out how special you are about three minutes ago, so you have to forgive him. He knows how to speak. Unfortunately."