The sun had now fully set after hours of us talking and getting to know each other. We was lay watching the stars. And I heard the human open the front door of their den, id get up and nudge Ares who had fallen asleep on the grass.

'Huh? Yeah?' he'd say half asleep.

'The humans back we need to leave!' I'd say nudging him even more.

'Oh! Yep I'm up!' he's say as he opened his eyes and jumped onto his feet. It was easy to tell he knew what will happen as he headed of to the fence as if he'd done this before.

BARK!

The human had let the dog out and it had headed straight for us with a loud bark of anger. The dog bolted for us as we headed to the back fence, the human would shout at the dog trying to stop it.

'EBONY! EBONY! DOWN!' we'd hear the human scream at the dog. I had jumped onto the fence holding onto the thin wood with my hands and I saw Ares struggle to get up. I help out my hand for him to grab but he wacked it out of the way instead of grabbing it, he'd keep jumping and fear started to swell in his eyes as the dog approached at an alarming speed. I put my hand down for him to grab again but just as he dog came up to bite him he'd jump out of the way and onto the wooden fence, out of breath we looked at each other in the eyes with the same fear filled in them. I jumped of the fence onto the green grass on the other side of the garden. Id slowly walk away and Ares would jump down himself and follow me, we both sat down in shock and listened to the dog barking on the other side of the fence.

'WHAT WAS THAT?' I screamed at Ares angrily.

'What was what?' he'd say trying to confuse me.

'THAT! You almost got yourself-killed! Why didn't you grab my hand when I held it out?' I would look him dead in the eye trying to show him I was being serious.

'i… um… I donnno I just don't want to show I'm weak…' he'd look to the ground still out of breath.

'Ugh it doesn't matter now. Come let's go back to my den.' Id sigh and start to walk in the direction of my den.

'Wait your den?' he'd ask.' aren't you going to make me go find somewhere else to live?' he'd keep asking me questions.

'No I'm not! I'm not like other raccoons I'm not selfish and will take care of outsiders for as long as they need, as long as there no threat!' id sigh still mad at him for being so stupid. I started to walk again to my den 'come on then or do you want to stay in the cold all night?' I'd carry on and he'd stand up and follow me with his head down low to the ground and his tail scraping across the grass. We made it to my den witch was an abundance of bushes in a little wooded area at the human's park up the hill. Id walk into the bushes through a large whole where the twigs and branches had grown to make and archway entrance to a dome of sticks. I had added dead leaves to the floor as bedding and made the walls and the roof of the bush thicker by intertwining more sticks and leaves to help stop water getting through when it rained.

'Home sweet home!' I said to Ares as I sniffed the air witch smelled like newly mowed grass –I had added clumps of grass to my bedding after they mowed the field nearby - and leaves. I looked at Ares and said 'there's room for two on that bed if you want but I could go get some more bedding for you if you would like!'

'Um… yeah it might be better-' but just as the words came out of his mouth it started to rain furiously!

'Um i'm not going out in that i'll be freezing through the night!' id say with a shiver as i looked behind my shoulder out of the entrance of my den. 'Its tough now its sleep with me in my bed or sleep on the rocky floor…' i'd say with a droopy face as i was hoping he could sleep on the floor and not i'm my bed.

'Is it ok if i sleep with you?' Ares squeaks while he blew on his hands to get warm.

'Uuum, yeah that's fine…' id sigh.

I would curl up into bed and Ares would slowly get comfortable and we would snuggle up to get warm as the night was cold and the breeze of the wind was strong. Id start to groom his pelt as he groomed his hands, after a while he'd lay his head onto a pillow of grass and leaves and id lay my head on his fluffy back.

'How long do you want to stay here with me?' id ask with a yawn.

'I'm not too sure… I've been looking for company for a long time.' he sounded tired

'Well you can stay with me for as long as you want…' id yawn one last time and my eyes would slowly close as i fell asleep for the night my head lay on Ares back with my snout buried under his thick fluffy fur.

'I will stay with you until i die we are partners…' he'd whisper and then lick my forehead then laying his head down and going to sleep himself.