Elain couldn't exactly place why she'd been so insistent on tending to the fox's wounds herself when she finally brought him to the estate. She gently cleaned the wounds on his back legs with warm water, before she carefully wrapped them with the bandages one of the servants had brought for her. She'd been downright frantic upon her return. She tried again to think about why as she gently scratched the fur behind his ears. It wasn't like she'd never seen an injured animal before. The cottage had been right next to the woods after all. Maybe it was because Graysen and his father had looked like they were going to leave it there. She chewed her bottom lip as she considered that. In all likelihood, Graysen had been ordered by his father to leave it be but it still left a sour taste in her mouth that he would have listened. How could anyone just leave a poor animal hanging in the air by its legs, crying out in pain? She looked again at the fox's face and gently brushed her thumb over some of the scarring over one of its eyes.

"It looks like you've been through a lot…" she spoke more to herself but something like understanding shone in its eyes. There was something… strange about this fox. Like it listened and understood. It had an air of awareness that she hadn't been expecting. "Clever boy…" she murmured and didn't notice her sister enter the room and she brushed her fingers through his soft coat.

Nesta paused next to Elain regarding the fox with mild disinterest or annoyance. Elain found it hard to tell. She hoped it was the former. If Nesta wasn't interested then she wouldn't object to Elain nursing the poor thing back to health. But if she was annoyed, she might demand that Elain toss him out again.

"...it's not the worst thing we've let into the house recently…" Nesta spoke the words with significant effort and scratched the top of the fox's head with a finger. Only one as if she were scared it might get attached if she showed any glimmer of affection. But that was as warm of a welcome as anyone could expect from Nesta Archeron. Elain smiled at the fox and whispered,

"I think that means you can stay until you're feeling better." The fox pawed at the bandages on his legs. "Ah- Careful, you need to leave those alone for now," Elain warned and Nesta shook her head. "It's just an animal Elain. It can't understand you." As if he was offended by that, the fox jerked his head up and let out a raspy bark in Nesta's direction. Nesta snarled right back and it was Elain's turn to shake her head. Nesta handed her sister the plate. Elain cringed slightly at the bits of raw meat sitting on it but took it anyway. "Thank you" She looked at the fox for a moment before setting the plate on the table in front of him. He'd been quite friendly but Nesta would definitely object to her feeding a wild animal from her bare hand. "The worst thing we've let into our home…" Elain carefully examined Nesta's face as she spoke. The icy glare that her sister shot toward the sitting room was all Elain needed to see. It was not Feyre's new court that Nesta despised so. But the mortal queens who had dismissed the strip of mortal lands here…

When Elain looked at the fox again he'd eaten a few pieces of the meat but turned his nose up at the rest. Elain knew there was amusement clear in her voice as she remarked,

"Just as picky as some of our last guests it seems" She stood and the fox hopped off the table to trail behind her as she walked to the door.

"Make that thing sleep in the bathroom if you won't kick it outside." Nesta crossed her arms and Elain nodded. "Of course." The lie slid from her lips easily and she kept an eye on the fox as she breezed down the hall to her room.

It had been an effort not to laugh when the poor thing dove under her bed while she changed into her nightgown. She knelt down next to the bed and pulled up the cover to look for him.

"It's safe now, I've finished." He looked tentatively back at her. Apparently, he'd been planning on hiding and staring at the wall until she was done. She nodded her head out toward the room and giggled as he crawled and wiggled out from under the bed. She pulled herself to her feet and selected the largest pillow from her bed set. She fluffed it in her hands as she watched the fox take patrol of the room. His limp had already lessened. Maybe they could take his bandages off in the morning. She set the pillow down on the floor and patted the top of it. She was coddling the thing, she knew. It likely did not sleep on pillows in his den in the woods but she couldn't help it. She felt bad that Graysen had been about ready to leave him hanging in that broken snare.

Maybe that was another reason she was still considering his proposal. It already didn't sit well with her that Nesta didn't approve. Nesta would never tell Elain not to marry Graysen but she still wanted her sister to get along with whoever she settled down with. Elain did her best to get comfortable in her bed but she could see the fox lying half on the floor in the dim light the stars cast through her window… It's just one night and he's not done anything to hurt me. She chewed her lip as she considered before pushing herself halfway up and whispering to him.

"It's warmer up here." She left the invitation open as she lay back down. And after a few moments of silence, she heard him slowly walk over. She had to stifle a laugh when she saw that he'd brought the pillow with him. What a polite little fox. She patted the open space in front of her. Something very human shouted in her head and told her this was a bad idea. This creature was wild and dangerous. But another voice whispered to soothe the first. A single word that silenced the internal debate. Safe. Safe. Safe. She felt the truth of it as the fox curled up a few inches from her. Safe.

Elain shifted in bed, not quite wanting to wake yet. Her bed that felt smaller and warmer than it usually did. Drowsily she let her eyes drift open and then flash wide at what she saw. The head on a pillow beside her did not the beautiful russet fox she had saved in the woods. She clapped her own hand over her mouth as the early morning sunlight played in the long red hair of the fae male asleep next to her. The light danced like fire and rubies, seeming to come just as much from him as from the window. Her fingers slowly dropped away from her mouth as she examined his golden tan skin, the scar over his eye. Beautiful… and she thought she might have said the word out loud as his eyes flicked open.

And he immediately launched himself across the room