Chapter Text
The morning light filtered through clouds and tree leaves, dimming the light just enough that Anaxa could tolerate it. He walked carefully, his confident pace barely hiding how he always took an instant to confirm if the pavement in front of him was indeed solid, or if he would fall down stairs again.
But he had no choice but to be careful, mindful. For now, he was nothing more than a blind man. His world was filled with darkness.
A freak accident, an experiment gone wrong, chemicals that should not have been mixed together; this was what had cost him his left eye. The doctors had been clear, that eye could not be saved despite their best efforts, the damages were too big. The scars were too deep. They were surprised the eye had not been blown off his face. But his skin was still ruined. He now wore an eye patch over said eye, to hide it, but also his mutilated face. He did not need people to feel bad for him because of it. Didn’t need some sympathy. The pain was still there, lingering despite the weeks that had passed. Doctors called it phantom pains, his body still remembering the burns despite everything. He knew this was something that often happened in amputees, he had not expected this could also happen when the eye wasn’t working any more, but still there. Some days, the pain wasn’t there, but other days, he could barely focus on anything, the pain ever present. He took painkillers to ease the pain, but those made him more tired, more sloppy. So he endured the pain away, not taking them unless his body was unable to function without them.
And his remaining eye… Damaged and clouded by the accident. Everything turned into blurry outlines and smudged colours now. People became ghosts at a distance. Faces melted into indistinct blobs with no strong features. Signs and letters, once a second nature to read, looked like meaningless runes of languages he hadn’t learned yet. There were days when it was easier, where this eye was able to focus more, where he could almost make out all the features of the person in front of him, live a normal life as if nothing ever happened. But even now, with the proper treatment, those days were still rare. The doctors told him he would recover, someday, he would be able to see correctly with that eye again. But they couldn’t tell him exactly when he would be able to. For all intent and purposes, he would be blind for a long time.
Him. Anaxagoras, the Great Performer . Having to rely on others, to find any clues if he was safe in his current environment. Asking for help to avoid getting hit by a vehicle as he crossed the streets. Having to babyproof his own place to avoid hurting himself against furniture or walls. His own flat, every place he was used to walking through now felt like mazes he had to learn to travel.
Anaxa never liked walking in public, but now, he hated it. He hated having to count steps, to listen to traffic, hated needing other people for something as simple as buying food, and putting his hands on walls to make sure he was walking straight. He hated the way people looked at him. With pity. Like a fragile vase that would shatter at any moment in thousands of pieces.
But most importantly, he hated that he couldn’t pretend to be fine any more.
After the accident, the university he worked for gave him a full month to recover, to figure out what he wanted or could do. He told his boss he would be able to work even before the full month had passed, he knew his body and how it would recover with the proper treatment. But he didn’t recover as well as he wanted. His body betraying him, not reacting well with certain medicines, making recovery longer.
“Watch the curb.”
The voice came from behind him, sharp and familiar. And filled with just enough concern to irritate him.
“I can tell where a curb is, Cerces.”
Anaxa answered dryly. Slowing down slightly anyway.
Cerces, the principal of the university he worked for, his boss. And, in a weird way, one of his only ‘friends’. A strong headed woman with an attitude almost as legendary as his. One of the few people who did not feel intimidated by him, who could match him in sass and wits. One of the few people he would, unfortunately, have to listen to.
The woman didn’t answer right away. Anaxa could hear the tension in her breath, the way she stopped walking for just a small instant, clicking her tongue slightly, as if she had to stop herself from saying something they would both regret later. She’d been patient with him. Probably much more than he deserved after everything.
“You can barely tell where anything is, Anaxa.” She eventually said, not bothering to soften it, with none of her usual teasing in it. “And it’s not my fault your pride is bigger than your sense of self-preservation.”
Anaxa couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at the words “ self-preservation ”. He had managed to survive up until now, despite everything fate had thrown at him. This blindness was just another obstacle he had to overcome. And he would, like everything else.
Yet he clenched his fist. He hated being told the truth about himself. But he also hated being pitied. By Cerces of all people.
“That’s why we’re getting you help, Anaxa. Today.” Cerces added a moment after.
“No, we are not.”
“Yes.” She simply said before continuing. “You are a blind man. Even if you may recover someday. For now, you are struggling. You fell down your stage four times the past week during class, have hurt yourself against your desk more times than I can count. You can’t even see half the stuff happening in your damn classroom.”
Anaxa stopped in his tracks. He knew she was right, he knew he had been nothing but troubles for others, extra work. But he hated it. He didn’t want to have to rely on anyone else. His pride not allowing it. Even if her current plan was to get him a service dog, he had never been an animal person. Plants were so much easier to deal with, quiet and unmoving, only needing some water and sunlight to flourish. But since the day he went back to school, Cerces had been adamant he needed some help. Someone, anyone, that would remain by his side and help him in his day-to-day life.
Finally, he exhaled, frustrated.
“I don’t need a dog. I need time .”
“Oh, so you would rather be escorted everywhere by Hyacine ? That poor girl deserves a break, Anaxa. And we both know it.”
He didn’t answer. She knew he wouldn’t. Cerces had spent years figuring out how to outwit him. Simply mentioning his assistant who had been working tirelessly to help him was enough to shut him for good. Anaxa knew he was being heartless with the girl. He kept telling himself ‘ she is paid for this, to be my assistant ’ but even he knew it wasn’t right. She had her own life to live, her own goals and aspirations. And they definitely did not involve becoming Anaxa’s caregiver 24/7.
“Just to look. Then we leave.”
He finally said after a long pause, his voice betraying his defeat. The moment the words came out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back. To turn away and never deal with Cerces and her ideas ever again.
“We’ll see about that.” She replied, smiling just enough for him to hear it in her voice. He hated how smug she sounded. As if she already had planned everything. She had told him about the possibility of getting non-human help, but he never thought she would actually go with it. Actually take him out on one of his off work days to whatever animal shelter she had schemed with. That woman was a true witch.
And he had no way to fight back.
After what felt like hours to Anaxa but was probably only minutes, they finally reached what must have been the shelter, judging from the sounds of dogs barking he could hear. As the noises got closer, Anaxa felt something within him shift. He really did not want any of this. He could take care of himself, what would bringing an extra animal in his current routine bring? More work, that’s what. More variables he did not have the time or energy for.
“Do we really need to do this today?” He asked. His voice dry, barely hiding his frustration. “I could just work from home. Online classes. This way I won’t fall off the stage.”
“Which is exactly why we’re here. We both know you can’t live without your stage and your witnesses.”
Cerces snapped back. Before Anaxa had any time to protest further, he saw her stop before the sound of a door opening followed. He then felt her hand pushing him in the back, forcing him to step inside. It took him all his balance to not fall after the push. He looked around, barely able to make out anything of the insides of the building. The light of the lamps above him, almost blinding him for good. As he looked around, he noticed a pink blob of what must be hair peeking from behind what appeared to be a desk. The person behind the desk stood up as they noticed the two visitors that entered the building.
“Good morning! You must be Professor Anaxagoras? We’ve been expecting you.”
The woman said as she stood up, walking toward them. Her voice was loud and cheerful. The kind of voices that made Anaxa frown by reflex. The kind of people he kept attracting despite not liking their company. The kind that got on his nerves so easily.
Anaxa still gave a polite nod as he heard Cerces move by his side.
“Hi! Cerces; his handler, babysitter and boss. I’m the one who contacted you about you know what .”
He just knew she was grinning while saying this. He wanted out of here now . Did not need to deal with two extroverted women at the same time.
“Pleasure meeting you. I’m Cyrene!” The pink haired woman said, at least now Anaxa could put a name on that voice. “Come on in. I think you are going to love them.”
Them ? Anaxa thought to himself, eyebrows twitching slightly. Wasn’t he supposed to only get one? But perhaps they had many candidates he could choose from. Yet he still felt something was off. As if walking into a trap.
Cyrene led them through a narrow hallway, the walls decorated with what probably were animal photos. Her steps were different from Cerces. They were… Lighter. Like she was overjoyed by the current situation.
“I thought I was only getting one.”
Anaxa finally said, breaking out the silence with the question that was burning his lips for a long time. His voice was low, but firm. Not wanting to sound ungrateful but still… Wanting answers. Navigating this new world of darkness and blurry images was already hard enough. He didn’t need even more unpredictable variables that would complicate things.
Cyrene didn’t answer, yet chuckled a bit, as if he asked the most naive question in the world. Instead, she took them to a metal door at the end of the hallway. Anaxa could hear muffled yips and barks behind it. Two… No, three dogs…? Before he had any time to ask more questions, she slid the door open.
“This was the plan, yes. But sometimes plans have to be adapted~”
The moment the door opened, a blur of colours rushed toward them.
“What the–?”
Anaxa flinched back, losing his balance slightly as he felt soft fur brush against his fingers. Cerces caught his back, keeping him from falling.
Suddenly, three very large, and fluffy dogs rushed toward him at full speed, almost surrounding him. He stumbled back as he felt something heavy and warm leaning against his legs. Another one sniffed at his hand before starting to lick it gently. The third one seemed to sit just in front of him, staring at him as it tilted its hand slightly. Now that they stopped moving so much, Anaxa could finally get a good look at them (or at least as good as his current vision allowed). They were very big dogs, very fluffy too from what he touched earlier. One with white fur, one with silver fur and the third one with yellow fur. Golden retrievers? Australian shepherds? None of those seemed to fit the general shape he saw. Samoyeds maybe then?
“Are they always this… Forward?”
Anaxa muttered as he felt the dogs getting closer to him, surrounding him in between their fluff. As if they were making sure he couldn’t escape, so they could study him.
Cyrene couldn’t help but laugh a bit at the sight of it. The man was clearly not enjoying the attention he was getting, but the dogs were already loving him. She tried to calm herself down, not letting her small chuckles slip. Then she finally answered, her voice light and unapologetic.
“They've been waiting for you.”
She spoke as she kneeled down, murmuring something Anaxa couldn’t hear to the dogs. Almost immediately, as if given an order, the three dogs sat, somewhat calmly on the floor. Although one of them, the one with a somewhat light blue coat, still pawed at Anaxa’s leg, its tail still sweeping the floor.
Anaxa finally managed to focus again despite the chaos surrounding him.
“Wait. You mean one of them is my match? Which one?”
The earlier words of “ sometimes plans have to be adapted ” still rang in his mind. What did she mean by this? What kind of trap did he walk into? Cyrene seemed to hesitate for a short moment.
“That’s the thing. It’s the three of them, together.”
At those words, Anaxa couldn’t help but freeze. His genius mind short-circuiting at the reveal. What did she mean, ‘the three of them’? Him? Caring for three big dogs? Surely this was a mistake. A prank. Anything but the truth. He didn’t ask for any of them, so why would he get the three. Mostly for a blindness that wasn’t supposed to last.
Probably noticing his confusion, Cyrene continued.
“They, uhm… Don’t do well apart. They are a… Bonded trio. Brothers from the same family. Separating them just means they shut down completely.”
Again, Anaxa froze. He knew of bonded pairs, how certain animals would only feel well when with their other half. But he never heard of bonded siblings.
“I don’t even want one dog. Let alone three .”
He managed to say. His brain is still a bit shocked. Surely those would do better with a big family with a big house, not living in a cramped flat with a simple teacher who spends half his time at the university and the other half of his time locked up in his room working. That’s no life for any dogs, especially big and energetic ones like those three.
“I have no doubt there are other people who would need their help more than I do.”
The golden one let out a low huff, like he had taken personal offence in Anaxa’s words. The white one leaned his full weight into Anaxa’s hip with a bark while the silver one was already lying down on his foot like he had claimed Anaxa.
“Well they seem to have made their decision.”
Cyrene said as she gestured toward them. Anaxa turned his head toward Cerces, who had been chuckling to herself for a few minutes by now, as if asking “ Is this some sort of divine punishment from you, Cerces ?”
“Congratulations on your new students, professor Anaxagoras .” Cerces said as she patted him on the back, her voice barely hiding her amusement.
“I didn’t agree to any of this–!”
Anaxa tried to exclaim, but he felt very powerless against all of them.
“Oh, but they have been informed of your needs! Even if it seems like a lot of work, they are a surprisingly effective team.”
The shelter’s owner said, trying to ease Anaxa’s worries. His mind already racing to figure out all the changes he would need to do to both his flat and schedule to accommodate the three of them. He never had an animal before, and now he was supposed to live with three of them? Maybe he could move their beds in the spare room? But then what about toys? How much do they eat? What do they even eat? And what about walks? He was out from 7am to 4pm, sometimes 6pm on most days, would big dogs like those even be fine locked inside for so long? Did he need to ask Hyacine to become a dog sitter? Or would he need to hire one? Would they even answer when he called out their names? Wait. Their names…? He didn’t know them.
“Have they been named already?”
Finally, Anaxa managed to regain his composure. If he couldn’t escape his fluffy future, he may as well get all the information about it he could. Learn everything about them to make their future arrangements as simple as possible. Gather all the data, and then formulate a solution, like he always did when faced with new challenges.
“Right! I probably should introduce them properly to you, hm? Heheh…”
Cyrene walked by the dogs with a small laugh. She gently snapped her fingers and the three samoyeds sat by her side in a perfect row, facing Anaxa.
“The left one is Phainon, white fur and the smaller sun collar. He is very active, curious and definitely loves to yap just about anything that interests him. But he also sticks to you like glue and will keep you safe from just about anything.”
At those words, the white blue dog clearly stood up to look back at Cyrene and started to bark at her, as if protesting her recent comments. Phainon barked a lot, seemingly forming sentences no one else but him and his brothers could understand.
He does seem very talkative . Was all Anaxa could think. He had never seen any animal try to fight allegations this much. Cyrene then continued.
“This one with silver fur with the black scarf and moon pendant is called Khaos. Compared to his brothers, he is rather shy and doesn’t make much noise. He will follow you everywhere like your shadow.”
The dog, Khaos, let out a small whimper at those words. What Cyrene said was true, compared to Phainon, he was really calm and quiet. He seemed also slightly bigger than the other two, but he had no way of making sure, he could just be fluffier.
“And last but not least… Khaslana! He is somewhat of the older brother between them. He is also a bit of a gruff who doesn’t know his own strength, but once you get past this, he is a fierce guardian!”
Cyrene said as she walked toward the golden dog, squishing his face as the dog let out a small growl of disagreement, but he stood still, letting her do. As she said, he did look the fiercest, almost scary.
While as she said they seemed intelligent, way more than normal dogs, he still didn’t know how he would handle the three at once.
He was used to handling classes full of students who would try to sass him back for extra points, yes; but not animals who probably wouldn’t understand what he said.
He couldn’t help but feel a headache creeping in.
The next few hours had been a blur, both figuratively and literally, for Anaxa. He had to learn how to walk with them, how to attach and remove their leashes, what they eat, everything. He had to learn in a few hours what most people learned in weeks. And he had to do this for three dogs. Once all the paperwork was signed and done, thanks to Cerces reading it out to him, they left the shelter, Cyrene waving them goodbye after one last pat on each of the samoyeds heads. At that instant he wanted nothing more but to go back home and sleep the rest of the day away, he was exhausted.
Sadly, he still needed to buy a few more items for the new ‘roommates’. Cerces agreed to help him again, helping him choose dog beds big enough for them, as well as food bowls and some toys. He hated how much he had to thank her for all she did for her today because he just knew she would dangle it above his head for the next centuries. Whatever she would ask for, he would have to agree to.
This witch , he muttered under his breath, not heard by anyone but himself. Yet the words were more a nickname than an insult directed toward her. He didn’t dislike her, he simply hated how well she had figured him out.
It was just the bare minimum, but with time, he would buy them more appropriate items. If things worked out and he did keep the dogs, of course.
Things going wrong and having to return them was still possible after all. He never knew how to care for animals, logic and facts never applied like with humans. At the moment things were indeed working out, they did keep close to him and did indicate any danger, but he didn’t, no, couldn’t relax yet. He didn’t want to get used to living like that.
After what felt (and this time probably was) hours, he finally made it back to his place. Cerces dropped off the few items they had bought, setting them up in spots that wouldn’t hinder Anaxa’s day-to-day life.
“Of course, I expect the three of them to be with you next Monday? I didn't go through all those troubles getting you help only for you to ignore it.”
“As if you would let me do it. You already told Hyacine about them, haven’t you?”
It wasn’t really a question, more of an accusation. He knew she told all the relevant people about his new pets, she wouldn’t let him hide them like he did with many other things. Probably even snapped a few pictures to send too. He knew the kind of person she really was.
Cerces didn’t answer the question, not right away, letting the silence set in. She simply looked at Anaxa, a smile on her face. He knew how much she enjoyed teasing him, especially when he couldn’t fight back. He wanted to tell her off, to leave him alone in his sanctuary, his home. But this wouldn't be fair for her. She did so much. And Anaxa was just a stubborn man.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it then.”
Cerces spoke up, her voice was… Kinder? Her mocking tone was replaced by something softer.
“If you have any issues, feel free to call me anytime. Have a good rest of your day, Anaxagoras.”
Anaxa froze for just a second, so used to bickering with her, he forgot they were friends first and foremost. His face softened up just a little before speaking up.
“Have a good day as well, Cerces. Make sure no dogs follow you on your way out.”
“Hmhm. That sharp tongue of yours, I swear.”
Cerces giggles a bit before walking through the door, closing the door behind her (she “borrowed” one of the spare keys after Anaxa got into his accident. For “safety” she said). Anaxa heard her heels clicking in the building’s corridor before slowly disappearing. Then the silence finally settled in again, his flat quiet and peaceful outside the sound of dogs paws on the floor.
He was exhausted. The first thing he did once he was sure to be alone was to sit on the couch, leaning back as he finally was allowed to breathe, to live as his own rhythm. But it wasn’t really ‘his’ own rhythm now, was it? He needed to share it with three samoyeds.
He wondered how much freedom he would be allowed to have with them around now. He wondered how much they would stick to him. Perhaps they would be distant? Staying away from him like most people did? He always got told he was intimidating and animals were more susceptible to this.
He didn’t have to wonder much as he quickly looked down and saw three vaguely dog shaped creatures enter his vision. They were by his legs, looking up at him, tilting their head slightly at their new master.
Ah. So they were this type of dogs, always by their master’s side.
“You three are really trying to earn your place, hm?” Anaxa finally says, his voice barely above a whisper. “But I don’t think you deserve to live with that blasphemer . You deserve better.”
Again, his voice was so soft, maybe even the dogs, with their improved hearing, couldn't hear him.
However, he noticed the dogs’ ears moving slightly at the words. They heard him. But they probably didn’t understand the word anyway. No one did. Most people who called him a blasphemer used that word without any knowledge of its meaning nor what Anaxa was doing. They saw a fancy sounding name and assumed it fitted him, that calling him so would make them seem clever and him crazy. Thinking it would hurt him, or at least get a reaction out of him. Things he never did. But he wasn’t a blasphemer, he simply liked to study all the possible options and would only believe in things he saw himself. The search for truth was long and arduous, and he was fine walking it alone as the world kept laughing. And if they wanted to see a crazy man, he would show them one.
He had no care for how people perceived him, and this wouldn’t change.
Suddenly, the dogs, perhaps sensing his weariness, his confusion, decided to coordinate a soft siege against him, resting their heads on his lap with soft whimpers. For the first time in many years, he was completely unable to find a way out of it. Gently, even if a bit warily, he slowly reached out his hands to pet them. The dogs almost melting at the touch, enjoying the attention. He hadn’t paid attention to it before, but they were incredibly soft.
He wasn’t sure where he was headed with them in his life now, but maybe it wouldn’t be too bad after all.
It did take a few days for Anaxa to truly get with the flow of his service dogs. He wasn’t used to having three animals watching over him. When he walked, they would stand in front of walls or furniture, to stop him from bumping into hard surfaces. If he dropped a pen, they would pick it up within seconds. They also never left his side for more than a few minutes, and they always made sure at least one of the furballs stayed with him, sticking to him like glue.
But what really surprised him was how clever they were. Sure, Cyrene told him they were above average intellect, but he did not expect how much. The way they would always bring Anaxa whatever he needed whenever he spoke of it. A few days ago he had fallen asleep on the couch by accident, yet when he woke up he had a blanket on him. And the only possible living beings who could have done with were… Those three. Were they clever enough to know the air was getting colder?
Thinking it over, perhaps they had just been trained to bring a blanket when someone was lying down. Like he would put an emergency blanket on someone who fainted to keep them warm. He could imagine something like this being in their training as service dogs. The more he thought of it, the more it made sense. It wasn’t out of the kindness of their heart, it was their training. They had been taught this.
Today, Anaxa’s eye was able to focus ever so slightly, so he put his glasses on and decided to catch up on his work he had left piled up for a few weeks. He had copies from an exam a few weeks ago to mark so he worked on his desk for most of the day, barely leaving his desk but for a few minutes. The whole time he was working, he could hear the dogs walking nearby, probably making sure he was fine. He couldn’t tell for sure. Animals were surprisingly a lot harder to read than people.
He did take a short break in between to read an old article that was on his desk. Something about shapeshifters , creatures that were able to change between human and animal forms in the blink of an eye. He admits he was intrigued how they worked, it felt so surreal, mostly to his very grounded mind. But they were real, he often saw people with animal features walking around. A part of him was very curious to see how they really worked, how the transformation went, which of their animal or human instincts they followed the most. He tried to search into those a few months ago, but following his accident, he hadn’t been able to, unable to read or focus. But he had no time for this now. He would probably just read more papers to fulfil his curiosity if it ever came to it. He had so many other subjects he would like to study if he wasn’t locked into the life of a teacher. And if he didn’t have three dogs to take care of.
For now, he had copies to mark. Most being uninspired, with no panache or passion. He would need to ramp up his teachings once back in the classroom. He couldn’t let his students fail in such a way.
It was past 6pm when he felt something shoving his legs. As he looked down, he saw Phainon, looking up at him with sad whimpers. Right , he hadn’t left his desk hours, they were probably hungry by now. Anaxa puts down his pen on the table before stretching, his bones cracking at the movement.
“Alright, Alright. I’m going to feed you.”
At those words he stood up with a sigh, the samoyed by his side barked a few times with excitement, his tail wagging faster and faster. It didn’t take long for the other two dogs to join them in the kitchen. By now, Anaxa started to have the hang of it. He knew what flavours they liked the most and how much they tended to eat (which, as it turns out, was a lot). There was a strange but also comforting rhythm to their feeding time. No matter the time or what he was serving them, it was the same movements, the same low hum he always did when focusing. The dogs liked to sit under the kitchen table, observing his every move while he worked, and tonight was no different. As he finishes filling up their bowls, he gently puts them on the ground, at their usual spots. It doesn’t take long for the walking clouds to move toward them and start eating. It really is surprising how obedient they are during meal time.
“Enjoy your meal.”
Anaxa says as he finishes cleaning the counters. He looks back slightly at the happy dogs before starting to walk out of the kitchen. However, as he starts to leave, his steps get interrupted by a ball of golden fur coming from below the table.
Khaslana .
He was the most ‘distant’ dog with him, but also the most strong headed. Almost as stubborn as Anaxa, which he hated. Weren’t dogs supposed to be laid back? Why was this one giving him an attitude like this? He wasn’t aggressive really, simply… Distant. Like he couldn’t trust Anaxa. But he couldn’t blame a shelter dog for being cautious, suspicious, especially after he was forced to leave the only place he ever lived in to go and be the guide to some lunatic who blew himself up and now needed three animals to function somewhat normally.
The dog let out a low grunt. It isn’t a growl nor a sign of aggression, but he clearly doesn’t want Anaxa to leave the kitchen. He needed something else.
“What is it, Khaslana? Don’t like your food?”
The dog doesn’t answer him.
Of course a dog won’t answer you, Anaxa. He is a dog, he can’t speak .
Was all he could think to himself at that moment. They were so seemingly clever, part of him forgot dogs do not in fact speak the human language. Yet it appeared he still understood part of his words? He felt a nudge at his leg, then another, firmer this time. Guiding him backwards. Anaxa frowned. Why did that dog want him to go back? Cautiously, he took a step back, then another, holding onto the counters to not fall. Each time he would feel the dog nudging him toward whatever goal he had in mind. Not pushing, just nudging gently despite his strength.
“So what’s the plan, then? You want to take over as the head of the household?”
Khaslana barked once, sharp and decisive. At this bark, Anaxa saw the other two dogs stop eating before joining their brother in whatever uprising he had started. The golden samoyed looked up at Anaxa, then the fridge and finally Anaxa again.
The man couldn’t help but blink a few times, that behaviour confusing him. If it wasn’t his food, then what was the issue? Did he forget something in the fridge?
Wait– Anaxa tried to remember something. Has he eaten anything since last night? Did he get so focused on his work he didn’t even pay attention to his own basic needs?
The samoyeds sat down again, eyes locked onto Anaxa. Not demanding, not scolding him. Just… Waiting.
Anaxa removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh.
“You’re ruthless. All of you.” He saw Khaslana’s ears perk up. “I don’t even have an appetite.”
This time it was Khaos that whined. Low and urgent as he lowered his ears slightly. Clearly telling him to eat something.
Anaxa hesitated slightly, he never had much of an appetite but… They wouldn’t let him go until he ate something, would they? Whoever said dogs were like their master was probably right. Turns out they were as obstinate as he was, maybe even worse than him, honestly. He opened the fridge, he pulled out a plastic container with some food Cerces dropped off earlier in the week “just in case”. He fumbled to open it, feeling the stares of the three sentries surrounding him. Anaxa finally sat back on a chair, his meal finally opened with a glass of water nearby.
“Alright. I’m eating. You can stop coddling me now.”
He said, to no one in particular. Yet he noticed the samoyeds walking back to their bowls, satisfied with their work. Phainon did stay back for a moment, making sure he did at least eat a few bites before going back to his own bowl. Again, as if he was observing his every move. Despite his protests earlier, he kept eating. He wasn’t really hungry, but he knew they wouldn’t let him go until his plate was empty.
But yet… For some reason, he wasn’t annoyed at what happened. Even if they almost held him hostage for him to simply eat a few bites of food. He... Didn’t completely hate this, despite his original fears. He felt a strange feeling of warmth in his chest he couldn’t quite explain, something he hadn’t felt in many, many years. It felt strange to eat ‘with’ them in a way. There was a certain charm to not eating alone for once.
A charm Anaxa had almost forgotten.