Arr’tow’s ears flopped like a sad puppy, but Haz’rull looked irritated.
“He changed when he started eating meat,” Haz’rull declared. “He’s like a completely different being.”
I furrowed my brow in thought. I’d stopped eating meat out of necessity—the village never offered it, so I followed along. But changing my diet didn’t shift my entire personality. Was Maeleon biology different?
“Why did he start in the first place?” I asked.
Both Maeleons went silent, shadows flitting over their expressions. Had I stepped into some kind of tumultuous past?
A loud roar interrupted our talk. Unlike Kur’tok’s roar of rage, it was animalistic and joyful, like a horse whinnying for the fun of it.
“Kookee?” I asked, raising a brow at the panthar. It looked totally different than yesterday. Instead of a sluggish, stoic lump of fur, the huge alien beast trotted around merrily, bright and alert.
Everybody was surprised by Kookee’s overnight transformation. We went up to it.
“Is this normal?” I asked the Maeleons.
“I’ve never seen Kookee like this,” Arr’tow admitted in shock. “What happened?”
I shrugged, then lifted the blue apple-thing I brought from the den. “I have no clue. I just gave it some fruit yesterday,” I explained.
Kookee halted, sniffed the air, then trotted closer to me. Without hesitation, it gobbled up the apple in my outstretched hand.
“Hey, that was mine!” I complained.
Kookee swallowed it whole and licked its lips before snuffling my hand, searching for more.
I chuckled. “What, you want another one?”
I offered a second fruit, a purple orb-like one. Kookee wrapped its tongue around the fruit and sucked it up. I saw its shining black eyes underneath the shaggy forehead fur.
Encouraged by Kookee’s good mood, I patted its velvety snout. “You’re cute for a walking carpet, huh?”
“I’ve never seen Kookee so active,” Arr’tow remarked. “You made it healthy again.”
“Healthy?” I said.
Remembering what Arr’tow said earlier, I glanced at the last fruit in my hand. Had Kur’tok’s personality changed because of the meat? I still didn’t know if that was true, but it felt like a step in the right direction. Kookee, on the other hand, was a totally different creature. Even its fur seemed to glitter like dew in the morning light.
Curious, I ran my hand over its pelt. It was still a bit coarse, but the rough, prickly feeling was gone. It was noticeably softer under my palm.
“Wow,” I murmured. “It’s so nice to touch.”
“That is what panthar furshouldbe like,” Haz’rull pointed out, sounding exasperated. “Kur’tok made Kookee sick by feeding it meat.”
I paused, glancing at them wide-eyed. Kur’tok never fed Kookee fruit or vegetables because he thought it would make his pet weak, and to Kur’tok, that was the worst thing one could be. Why was he so obsessed with the concept of weakness?
Kookee sniffed at my chest. I gave it the last fruit, which it eagerly devoured with a satisfied snort.
Was Haz’rull right? Had Kur’tok inadvertently made Kookee sick? I knew beneath all the layers of douchebaggery, he had a heart of gold. He would’ve been horrified to know he’d hurt his pet by accident.
Frowning, I glanced to the horizon. The sun was nearly overhead and he still wasn’t back yet.
“I’m starting to get worried,” I admitted. “I thought he’d be back by now.”
Haz’rull stared at me pointedly. “Why do you not escape?”
I blinked at the Maeleon’s blunt question. “I can’t outrun Kur’tok.”
