We all wait for Shade to respond. How can this noble beast turned common thief and thorn in Niall's side possibly say "no" to our offer?
Shade backs away, his fox eyes wary. [Belong to a noble house again? What do I have to do?]
Demos explains to him, [Become a tamed beast like us.]
Without warning, Shade lunges at Demos with jaws snapping, and I jump between them. OOOF. Shade knocks into me. Lucky thing he doesn't manage to bite me, because he's too stunned.
[What are you doing?] he blasts me.
[What are YOU doing? Think! Be clever. You are reduced to scrounging in someone's cabinet for scraps of food.]
Shade growls. [I'm going to tear you apart.]
His bluster and braggadocio are like pesky flies to me. [Hear me out first, unless you want the humans and all of us to take care of you. And I don't mean in a pampered pet way.]
Shade's tail is a weapon, flailing the air, big and matted and tangled. [Ha! I have overcome worse. Two tiger cubs, a bear cub, a flighty parrot--]
