As befuddled as Newt was, Pickett returned to his lapel just as Fafnyr gave one final look at him before he left the ledge. He released the man's ankles to latch onto his wrists instead. Pulling him out of the room and into the kitchen, Fafnyr was following Pickett's directions to the case. The wizard went along in curiosity, where he spotted the sisters donned on their coats; ready for work.
"Hey, how did-" Tina stopped short at the sight before her. She was puzzled at Fafnyr tugging onto Newt like that. Her sister leaned against the counter of the kitchen, and beamed with excitement.
They all watched as the hybrid child halted before the case, finally let go of Newt and sat with trepidation. He took in slow but steady breaths, attempting to push away the nagging voice that kept warning about the dangers beyond.
Without questioning, Newt knelt down and clicked it opened; revealing a ladder that led to the unknown. He turned back to the creature. "I promise that there isn't anything harmful in here." Newt confirmed, he was aware of Tina scoffing in the background and frowned at her. He resisted to say, 'Do you mind?' But decided against it.
Fafnyr scanned the three people that crowded around him until his eyes rested onto Pickett, who nodded his head.
'Alright, if they claim that there is nothing to be afraid, then I'm going in!'
He slithered right in, ducking his head as he did and crawled down the ladder. He wasn't expecting it to be steep, so he slipped to the bottom with an uncomfortable thud.
Tina and Queenie quickly towered over Newt's shoulders, finding a very miffed Fafnyr at the floor. Alarmed, Newt scrambled down the ladder and leaned over him. "A-are you alright? Sorry they can be a bit steep."
'Just dandy. Next time, at least warn me.'
Newt held in sheepish grin, his eyes obsolete by his messy brown hair. He tiptoed over Fafnyr to his little workshop. At once, he prepared his creatures a light lunch. This was Fafnyr's official first time in the suitcase, save for the time when he was unconscious. He would finally be introduced to Newt's world and to his large family, containing mostly of rescued creatures. That thought tickled every fiber in Newt's being in a very pleasant way. Newt would appreciate the help on the rounds. That is, if Fafnyr would be up for the task. He got along just fine with Pickett, but that took extra baby steps to get where they were now.
"Here," he handed a confused dragon a bucket full of raw meat. Well, seeing how his tail acted a lot like a hand, he hooked it. Fafnyr, knowing that he hadn't eaten for hours, dunked his head in and downed the contents. "Let me-ah!" Startled, Newt gently tugged onto the beast. "Wait-wait-wait-wait, Fafnyr, that's not for you."
'Wait, what?'
The creature yanked his head out immediately, as Newt took back the bucket. He washed it out and refilled it. There was a random bone wedged between his jagged teeth, but Newt decided not to tell. Newt turned back around and returned the newly pail of meat to Fafnyr; all the while informing him that he would just have to wait because there was a surprise in store for him.
"Alright, if you'll just follow me." Newt hauled a bucket of his own and guided his friend to the other side of the shed. With one hand, he juggled the doorknob and opened the door wide. He stepped aside to allow Fafnyr to take in the sight before him.
Through those silver orbs of his, Fafnyr stood dumbstruck at all the tapestries that hung around the extended rooms. His mind exploded by the sheer sight of so many different creatures; he felt as though he was stuck out like a sore thumb. Each of them differed from the hot safari to a barren dessert to a lush, green forest. But it wasn't the habitats that drew his greatest interest, it was the creatures that roamed about in their homes. He could hear their distant murmuring-chatting amongst themselves about the new arrival-Fafnyr didn't know whether he should be concerned about that or not.
Fafnyr's eyes were met by a large animal with a huge horn across the floor. She smiled at him, welcoming him into her home. Where he stood, his nostrils filled with a foul stench and realized that there were large beetle-like insects rolling large balls of dung. He glanced upwards at a net full of water-filled bubbles with sea creature swimming about. His eyes were drawn to a tapestry that held a lucent moon.
That voice returned and fed him nasty thoughts of negativity regarding everything up to this point. 'You shouldn't have trusted this man. These creatures will never be your family. This case-it's another prison. Newt Scamander is a liar. Liar-liar-liar!' it sang monstrously that left him trembling.
In his point of view, Newt could tell that something was amiss. Over his shoulder, Fafnyr showed signs of self-doubt and he hinted that he was very close on breaking apart.
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on trapping you here if that's what you're concerned about. Besides, do they seem like they're in distress?" Newt smiled and walked the length to the first habitat; the desert. He cupped his hands around his mouth, letting out a call or two into the horizon. His voice echoed faraway into the distant lands.
Not long after that, the ground shook underneath Fafnyr's feet. Without much thought, he scuttled behind Newt. Two large blobs came galloping into view along with a smaller version of them in tow. They all came to a halt and wrapped their affectionate tentacles onto their caretaker's arms.
"Hello guys, I apologize for being late. I had a previous engagement to attend to and now I'm here." Newt gently caressed their faces and nuzzled his forehead against theirs. With a shake of his head, he ushered Fafnyr to step forward to feed them.
A prickle of nerves tainted his skin. He stepped forward with his tail extended up to their mouths of the giant beasts. However, none of them accepted this kind of gesture. Fafnyr hesitated. Was this not the way to feed the animals? He must have done it wrong, of course.
"You'll have to do better than that. They won't feed themselves from the way you're holding their food." Newt explained. Taking a deep breath, the smaller creature clutched a random chunk and offered it to one of the parents. Since Fafnyr was used to judging books by their covers, he shut his eyes and waited for their ferocious bites. Instead, he found his claws slurped and drooled on with no meat in his grasp
"There's no need to fret, child, we mean no harm." One of the graphorns spluttered. It was a male voice, indicating that it was the father. Their baby bounded towards Fafnyr, circling around him in exhilaration. The dragon tucked his tail close from being trampled on.
"A playmate, a playmate!" It shouted in joy.
"Now, now, don't frighten the poor boy." Its mother chided. She nudged against her baby and sprayed her doting love all over it.
Astounded, Newt couldn't resist his tingling lips from spreading into a grin. This was absolutely adorable to have Fafnyr bonding with his animals. His chest fluttered with so much giddiness, he stifled his laughter from escaping. He needed to move on or else he was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen. So, he finished feeding the graphorns and veered Fafnyr towards the habitat that was bathed in moonlight.
"These are mooncalves, Fafnyr. I believe that you'll find them enjoyable, I hope." Newt nodded. He handed him a smaller pail full of pellets. He fell behind to observed his friend's reaction with curious eyes, his hands in his pockets.
Fafnyr took a shaky step forward, a bit unnerved by their docile demeanor. They peered at his eye-level, staring longingly at him.
They didn't speak to him, which didn't help his cause. For one thing, Fafnyr hated being stared at like he was some sort of procession-it didn't matter if these were creatures-their lingering eyes was enough for him to thrust the pellets. They were sent airborne, but the mooncalves weren't fazed and happily plucked their food before they sidled up him.
He managed to escape the impossible nudging affectionate of the long-necked creatures. He scrambled behind Newt to avoid any other strange beasts that laid about. Fafnyr might not have been able to trust Newt from the beginning, but he found this man the one to be devoted on. He sought confidence and consolation in him that he never thought he would have for Newt.
Even if the wizard couldn't understand him, he made his confession.
"I'm sorry for my lack of control. I honestly don't mean any offense."
Unexpectedly, a hand stroked his head and Fafnyr gawked up at a beaming Newt. There was a distinct twinkle in those green eyes of his. D-did he hear?
"Why don't you stay here and relax? I'll do the rest on my own." He petted him for a while before Newt ambled off to the next round with a spring in his steps.