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Fluffy ears went straight up in surprise as King pulled the dead thing's head off. How had that even happened? Was it that easy to remove a head? He had a moment of panic at the thought of a headless rabbit wandering around like a badly stitched patchwork golem, but it made no motion as King nudged it.

It clearly wasn't a living thing anymore. It was only a body, pieces of a thing. It was as different from the rabbit as an old, mushroom-covered log was to the tall oaks, and although a part of him was saddened, the pup seemed to know there was nothing wrong or unnatural about it.

With one mystery partially solved, Jove gave King another hesitant glance. Then he touched the rabbit again, getting bright red blood on his fingers. Ears tilted forward. Then he glanced up at the older canine once again, his expression hesitant and confused anew.

Jove watched attentively. So the point was to take it apart and eat it? Right away, without cooking or preparation?

His head tilted in a very puppy-like expression of deep thought, and then he slowly licked one bloody finger. It... wasn't bad at all. A little unusual, odd in a way that appealed to instincts buried so deep he hadn't realized there were any there at all.

The pup licked off his other fingers as he contemplated the carcass, but he wasn't sure how to go about that. King said go for a leg... did they just come off like the head did?

It would fade away? Go to waste?

Jove frowned at it, thinking as he continued to lick his fingers. Finally he reached over and grabbed the rabbit. He gave a tentative tug, then frowned more and tugged a bit harder. It didn't give right away, so he put some extra effort into it, and gave it a very hard twist.

The leg popped off with such suddenness Jove once again fell backwards onto his fluffy behind, flailing all the way down. But he was determined not to let go of the rabbit leg, and instead of digging in he simply clutched the bloody thing possessively in both hands. It was his now, whether he really wanted it or not.

Jove eyed the large canine suspiciously as he clutched the rabbit leg. It was starting to make a mess on his nightshirt, but it wasn't going to deter the little ghost. In fact, it made him look more like a fluffy little monster.

But the reason for his pointed glance wasn't because he feared King would take the leg away. It was entirely directed at the pale student's words. If Jove wasn't mistaken, it sounded like King might have been addressing a child. And a child he might be, but he was still a highschool student! He could stay up all night if he wanted to, and was a master at denying it made any difference in his health or well-being.

He puffed up in a hesitant, defensive manner, since he wasn't entirely sure he should be insulted. After all, King might have been expressing concern for his own sleeping habits.

Any canine would recognize that look.

And Jove did as any canine would do. He shoved the leg in his mouth.

King could have the rest of the rabbit, but the little pup was quite determined to have his share. And now that he had made his point, he began to nibble on it, to worry away at it in an uncertain manner. Almost as though he wasn't sure what parts of it were edible, and what parts should just be left to dissipate.

It was kinda tasty though, Jove didn't have to devour it to enjoy the strange new flavour.

Fluffy ears fell. Yeah, if his brother knew he was out wandering in the middle of the night... Something about wandering around on a cold night in only one's nightshirt and shorts always seemed to spark concern and disapproval in the living.

Jove got up and wandered over to the stripped carcass, and added his own half-mangled leg to the pile before pushing some dirt up and over it. That was what happened to dead things, right? They were buried, decomposed, and became food for mushrooms in addition to little puppies. Out of respect for both the rabbit and the mushrooms, Jove was inclined to help the process along.

With that task done, he stood up, wiped the dirt and blood off his hands onto his nightshirt, and tilted his head for King to join him on the walk back.