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For once, Ren had not been dreaming of blackness.

This was an unusual thing; as of late, all of his dreams had been blackened nightmares that seemed to go on the entire night. No matter how hard Ren ran, he could not seem to escape them. Usually he awoke several times a night, if only to make sure that his friends were still in the room with him, that they were all right, that nothing had happened to them while he had been trapped by the shadows. It comforted him to know that they were there with him, and usually when he went back to sleep after checking on them, his dreams would go back to "normal."

This time, when Ren awoke, it was abrupt, but not unpleasant. He was not drenched in sweat or shaking, and he was not feeling nauseated. Instead, surprised, he blinked a bit in the early (early; it was not even light yet) morning, vaguely confused. He felt warmer than usual, and, glancing down, there was something in the bed with him.

Or rather, someone. Jove's head was resting on his stomach, eyes closed as he lay there, as still as...well, a ghost. Since the boil did not need to breathe, he scarcely did, and Ren watched him for a moment, sound asleep. Reaching out, he gently patted his soft hair, fluffing his ears before putting his arm back around him, wriggling a bit to get more comfortable. Then, glancing at the clock (so early!), Ren let his eyes flutter shut and promptly fell back asleep.

Jove had been sleeping ever so soundly, snuggled against Ren's warm body in his white nightshirt, little hands cradling his head. That night he hadn't heard a single mimic-related noise, just the reassuring breathing of his living friend, and it seemed more restful than any sleep he had gotten since arriving at the academy.

But as peaceful as he had been, the loud squeak in the room was enough to wake him with a start. Fluffy ears perked up as he sat bolt upright, glancing around the room with big, worried eyes. The pup looked well and thoroughly sleep-tousled, with his fluffy hair sticking out in unbrushed tufts all over, and the confusion that hit him was overwhelming on several counts.

One, he was not in his own bedroom. The walls were warm and colourful where his own were blue and muted, and there was a bit more clutter and a lot less dog toys. It took a minute to remember he had spent the sleeping portion of the prior evening in his friend's room. Close on that realization was the second source of confusion. The squeak, and the scent. There was no fooling his nose, the dog-like scent that had always been a part of Ren's room had gotten stronger. Whatever it was, the faint smell was clearly from something that frequented the room often.

That was when he noticed the body sprawled on the floor. THAT was it.

The ghost pup ducked down, cowering behind Ren's body with nervous eyes and ears tucked back. Maybe... Maybe the stranger wouldn't see him.

She rolled her eyes at Rhys. He shouldn't have been sleeping in the way. It wasn't her fault...Alright maybe it was. She wasn't exactly running on all cylinders right now. So maybe she had stepped too close to the lepus' bed? Oh Jack she didn't know! What she DID know was that she had managed to wake both of the beds occupants.

"No, some other wolf." The she-wolf retorted back. Groaning, she sat up and rubbed at her head. "Morning. And I didn't make it to the bed. That's why I'm on the floor." Her gaze flickered to the pillow pile. "And the pillows were too far."

The earthy and forest scent hit her nose again and violet eyes locked on the small body clinging to her best friend. It was that curiosity of hers that started to take over as she stared. Fluffy ears were flattened on top of his head. And there was a very very faint yet distinct canine scent mingled in with the others. Well now. What was this?

Tilting her head in a purely canine manner, she regarded the small one. Her tail thumped softly against the ground and an urge to jump on the bed and sniff at the unknown boil kept growing. But...something held her back. Barely. It was in his body language. He was scared. That of course, struck at something else in her. The wolf. Oh candlejack! He was a puppy, wasn't he? Instinct. His fear was prodding at her instinct as a wolf (and female wolf at that!) to protect and take care of the puppy. Violet eyes softened and she smiled at the pup.

To Ren, "I need a break." She said with a tired sigh. "From the psycho's that reside in my room."

Ren lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, okay," he answered her, somewhat flippantly. "I guess I thought you were some strange redheaded friend of mine by the name of LW. GUESS I MADE A MISTAKE."

He tossed the shewolf a playful wink to show that he was merely teasing her, and then glanced back at Jove before speaking again. "You could have just stepped around Rhys, you know," he told LW conversationally. "It helps if you avoid tripping over things when you're trying to make it to the bed."

Now he was just being obnoxious, of course, and Ren couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head. "The mimics getting to you again, or was it Callix and Austin this time?" he asked her, gaze flickering back to the puppy behind him. Jove's expression shifted and he moved out a bit, sitting up straighter, a vaguely disgusted expression on his face as he looked at Ren.

"Hey, don't give me that," Ren said mildly, amused by the puppy's sudden "confidence." "I was just trying to make sure you weren't scared by this one - " He gestured to LW. " - here. Who, by the way, happens to be my best friend."

Sitting up a bit further, Ren shifted positions, cross-legged on the bed now. "LW," he said to the shewolf, and indicated the boil beside him. "This is Jove. He's a new friend of mine. And Jove," he added, patting the other on the head. "Jove, this is Little Wolf, or LW. She's my best friend. She's kinda like you." Ren's gaze shifted to the shewolf. "I think he's a foxfire," he said, as a way of explanation. "I know he's a puppy of some sort, but I haven't yet figured out exactly what kind yet."

Jove batted away his friend's hand, there would be no more head patting now that there was a ghoul wolf in the room! At least she didn't seem inclined to baby him the way his friend was. And what did he mean about being being like her? He could smell the wolfiness, and from the way she walked and the way she expressed herself, it was clear she had some canine link. His tail gave a half-wag in greeting. And, of course, he sniffed the air heartily to get used to her scent.

Wait, what? Did he hear something about mimics? At that the pup's ears folded right back to where they had been in the first place, despite his attempts to stay aloof. She had a whole horde of mimics? He frowned and tugged on one of Ren's wings, as though asking "please say this isn't true?" Okay, so he was very much worried now, there would be no playing confident this time around.

Unfortunately that was when LW had timed her pounce, Jove's ears had barely swivelled around to hear her apology before the leap sent him squealing and diving under the covers. By the time things settled there was only the tip of a poofy tail was visible, peeking out from under the sheets next to the vaguely child-sized lump of bedding.

The she-wolf gave an overly dramatic sigh. "Alright! I know that. I just...didn't see him." LW couldn't even win at this either! Sometimes, she wondered why she bothered to even try and argue or challenge the boils in the first place. They always won. It so wasn't fair!

Her tail mimicked the pups when he gave her a half a wag. She gave him a more impressive one since her tail was bigger. But it was still the same gesture. LW really didn't want him to feel uncomfortable around her! He was too cute for that. And she had been behaving and not pouncing the pup to cuddle with him. Ren though. Ren she could do that with.

"Because you asked for it." She snickered. "And yes you are!" Her eyes closed briefly as she inhaled his scent, surprised they hadn't fallen off the bed. And the other scent. Canine. Definitely canine of some sort. Not wolf though. And because she felt like being just as obnoxious as her best friend, she didn't plan on moving unless he shoved her away. His movements made her open her eyes again and glanced over where Jove was. Whoops. "Sorry pup. Wasn't my intention to frigh-" Her sentence was cut off as they DID fall of the bed this time. Another squeak escaped and she clung as the three fell to the floor. For a second time in the she-wolf's case.

Her face was smashed into feathers, thankfully not floor. That would have just added on to how this morning had gone. LW hoped Jove was alright. And yes, she was wriggling because her arms were pinned under the gryphon. But better yet...

"OH MY JACK!" LW gasped, trying to get in air. "Did...did...REN!" Oh she was dying. The tear inducing, can't get in any air, hearty type of laughter. "DID YOU JUST SQUAWK?!"

Lying there with the other two mostly on top of him, his legs still half up on the bed, Ren let out a sigh, pushing his hair back away from his face. "I beg to differ, little Miss Wolf," he said to LW, in a mock outraged tone. "I am never obnoxious. Ridiculous, yes. Outrageous, certainly. However I prefer the term elitist snob to 'obnoxious.'"

He flashed her a teasing wink, and then gave her shoulder a friendly push. "Shush," he said, grinning. "I did not just squawk, it was just your imagination - oof!"

Jove was scrambling around like a scared puppy, his elbow digging into Ren's stomach. He got another mouthful of fur, a leg in his face, and then Jove had scrambled away, disappearing underneath Ren's bed. He pushed himself up, propping himself up on his elbows and casting an amused glance at LW.

"What're you doing under there, Freckles?" Ren asked, and shifted positions, moving to lie on his own stomach. He crawled over to the bed and lay there peering underneath it, his head resting on his hands. Jove's wide, luminous eyes were glowing in the darkness, the only indication that the boil was under there. Ren did not keep really anything under his bed; it was mostly a few pieces of clothing Rhys had decided to push under there. Ren's follylop, Usa, also made her nest under the bed - at the moment she was pressed against the far side of the wall, looking petrified.

"Did I scare you?" Ren reached a hand out to the puppy, glancing up at LW and smiling. "Come on out; I'm sorry we startled you."

Jove flinched away reflexively, but after a second he took the hand so Ren could pull him out. Of course, Ren wouldn't let anything bad happen to him, the gryphon was just being rambunctious as usual and it was completely safe to crawl out and sit with them. The self talk was slowly working, the pup relaxing and even giving his tail a tentative wag.

At least he was relaxed until LW's canine head suddenly appeared over Ren's shoulder. Then he jerked his hand back with as much speed as he could manage, withdrawing shyly back into the blanket wrapped around him. Big eyes watched LW with a startled expression and then lit up with understanding. She really was a wolf! A living one, yes, and certainly not a dog, but they were kind of similar in a vague way.

He nodded slowly, hunched safely in the blanket that smelled like his friend and the cookies they had shared last night. It might take him a minute or two to calm down, but at least being in a safe, dark place was one of the better ways to do it.