Ulric shrugged."I'm happy to eat."
Rourke was too.It might be stupid, but he didn't think Ezra meant them any harm.The question was what the hell Shixyll was up to."Do you think their familiars will die more easily now when Ezra isn't there to care for them?"
Ulric wrinkled his nose."I know it's a good thing if they do, but somehow, I can't rejoice in it.Those poor fucking animals."
"Mmm."They never should've handed the kitten back to the shelter."I doubt they'll drop another familiar on our land.I'm sure it was a test to see what we'd do with it, but if they do, we need a better plan."
"Can Ezra sense when the connection is broken?"
Rourke looked out the window."He should, right?He could tell as soon as he came near it was a familiar.He should be able to tell when it no longer is."
"So if there is a next time, we put it somewhere where it can't see anything of importance, and we keep it there until the connection is dropped."
Rourke nodded."Remind me to ask Ezra if they can reinstate the connection without being nearby."
"Oh, good question."Ulric rolled out of bed."I'll ask him while you go shopping."
* * * *
Harold was making strange noises at a bird outside the window.He was stalking on the windowsill and...chirping almost.
There was a knock at the door, which had both Ezra and Harold turning to see who was coming.
Ulric walked in."Hiya."
"Harold is chatting at a bird."Ezra gestured at Harold, but he remained quiet.
"Cats are idiots."
Ezra glared at Ulric."They're not.Monsters like you are."He snapped his mouth shut.Damn.He was almost sure Ulric wouldn't hurt him, but maybe he didn't like being called a monster.
Ulric only grinned at him.
"Rourke told me you ran into Shixyll at the shelter."
A shiver traveled Ezra's spine."Yeah, she was there to get her kitten back."
Nodding, Ulric pulled out a chair by the table and sat.Harold glared at him, jumped off the windowsill, and hid under the bed.Poor thing.
"If she broke the connection to it, could she have formed it again without being near the kitten?"
Ezra frowned at him."How do you mean?"
"How does it work when the connection is formed?Does she have to touch the cat?"
Ezra shook his head."But she has to see it."
"Okay, so she can't, given the connection was broken, open it again from afar.She has to be close enough to see the cat."
"Yes, she has to cast a spell."
"If there ever is another familiar walking onto pack land, we can take it, put it somewhere where it doesn't matter if she sees through it, and wait for her to cut the connection."
Ezra studied him.He'd gotten the feeling they didn't want it anywhere near the pack house.Rourke had come to get him instead of taking the cat to him."If you have a safe space."
Ulric nodded."Okay, next time, if there is one, we'll do like that.You can tell once the connection is broken, right?"
Ezra shrugged."I think you can too.You said the kitten smelled of magic, right?"Then he grew cold.Had Shixyll known they'd be at the shelter?They had no one in the hamlet with divination, no precognition."Harold is a normal cat, right?"Could she have made him reach for Ezra?
