Eclipse paused in step, glancing over his shoulder again at Raenef. The little Demon Lord was standing with hands clasped behind his back, solidly in front of the door to his room; he was filthy. Mud was streaked across his clothes and face, which wore a nervous expression.
"Master Raenef, you're filthy," Eclipse said, turning and going to his Lord instead of the study.
Raenef's eyes widened and he flattened against the door, then suddenly beamed at Eclipse.
"Okay I'll go take a bath then!"
Eclipse knew something was wrong now; Raenef hated baths, and the fact that he willing was offering to take one was unusual to say the least. Eclipse put his hands on his hips.
"What are you hiding in your room, my Lord?"
"Nothing!" Raenef cried, looking afraid.
"Master Raenef. I am not stupid. You have something hiding in your room, and it is evidently as muddy as you are."
"I…" Raenef looked desperate, eyes searching around frantically, then he blurted "What I'm doing is none of your business, vermin!"
Eclipse raised an elegant ebony brow at that, not impressed though proud of Raenef's attempt.
"If you actually meant it when you said it, my Lord, others might act actually respond to that. Whatever you have brought into the castle is currently ravaging through your room, doubtless leaving mud and dirt everywhere for me to clean."
Raenef's eyes turned large, then, and tears came to the corners of his eyes. Eclipse took a step back without realizing it.
"My Lord…" Eclipse started, then sighed; "If you don't want me to know about it, I will gladly leave it be."
Raenef's eyes got even bigger as Eclipse turned to leave, suddenly afraid that he'd made him mad or disappointed.
"Wait! Don't be mad, I'll show you! But you… you have to let me keep them!" Raenef ordered, hand already turning the knob to his door.
"Keep them?" Eclipse asked, then something slammed against the door and bounded straight towards him.
"Raenef!" Eclipse cried, having just enough time to throw a protective shield over his Master before the large brown creature attacked him.
At a sharp cry, Erutis dropped hold of Chris's neck and ran towards the castle. It had sounded like Eclipse- doubtless something was trying to kill Raenef and he'd jumped in the way, putting himself in danger instead. Aware of Chris pounding after her, she made it up the stairs and zipped around a corner, then froze in shock. Chris slammed into her and they both fell over into a heap.
Eclipse was pinned to the floor by a monstrously large, extremely muddy dog. His hands had hold of the dog's scruff, trying to keep its head away from his face as it barked and lapped at him.
"Master Raenef, damn it! Call it off!" Eclipse cried, pushing ineffectually at the behemoth.
Chris giggled at Eclipse's disheveled, undignified and dirt-streaked state, then burst out laughing and starting rolling on the ground holding his sides. Erutis joined in, unable to gain enough breath. Raenef was sitting by the door to his room, banging on the protective shield around him while four little muddy puppies ran around him. Eclipse finally managed to push the dog off of him, rising and looking down at the sorry state of his robes. A long line of mucky drool ran along one cheek.
"MASTER RAENEF!" Eclipse shouted, suddenly blazing eyes finding Raenef who had stilled inside his swirling bubble.
"I'm sorry…" he whimpered, hiding his face behind his hands as tears splashed plentifully onto his chest.
The anger evaporated and Eclipse rested a hand on his forehead, dropping the spell so that Raenef could freely move. He looked at the four puppies and huge mother dog with a slightly overwhelmed look on his face that made Chris laugh even harder. That was, until the anger sparked violet in Eclipse's eyes again and a ball of black flame sped towards him. Chris yelped and ran, bottom alight, and Erutis wisely stopped laughing.
"They just don't have a home and she has babies and they're hungry and dirty and I wanted to help! I'm sorry, Eclipse!" Raenef sobbed.
"My Lord… demons don't weep, now stop that."
When the sobs only increased Eclipse strode over to him, kneeling next to him and pressing him against him, one hand running claws gently through blond locks.
"Master Raenef, please don't. It's alright, I'm not angry," Eclipse soothed, and Raenef sniffled.
Erutis sniggered behind her hand at how easily Raenef had defeated the older, powerful demon. 'They're just so damn cute!' she thought fervently.
"Can I keep them, Eclipse? They don't anywhere to go," Raenef mumbled, hugging his tutor and petting one of the puppies as it wandered over to him and started chewing playfully on a hand. Eclipse looked horrified, a feat Erutis was sure she would never see again.
"All of them?" Eclipse asked, voice aghast.
When Raenef nodded slowly, looking up at him with eyes that beat each little puppy's easily, Eclipse sighed.
"I… I suppose there's no harm. But they must be cleaned before they go anywhere else in the castle!"
Raenef's face lit up and he hugged Eclipse tightly, then planted a firm kiss on his cheek and sprang up, picking up two of the puppies and darting into his room with his armload of squiggling, yipping puppies. The other two puppies clumsily ran after him, their gargantuan mother trotting behind. Eclipse looked stunned, one hand raising to his cheek. He seemed to realize that Erutis was staring at him with her mouth hanging open and stood, looking disgruntled.
"That… was… so…CUTE!" she cried, jumping up and down.
At the death glare she received she squeaked and ran around the corner, bubbling with excitement at her new knowledge; Raenef and Eclipse definitely had some unrequited love thing going on and she was going to have to help them realize it!
"Oh, hell," Eclipse breathed as a yelp of surprise was followed by deep, resonating barks form inside Raenef's room; he sighed again, then resignedly went in after his Lord.