“Doogie have drawrings, fluffy butts, long ears,” Odix interjected.
Doogie nodded. “Mama’s books. Urf animals.”
“But they peoples,” Rek felt the need to add firmly.
“Sunned-Bun,” Berkr blurted, like any being should know what that meant.
“What that?” Rek asked.
Berkr shook his head. Turning to me, he looked a little funny colored, maybe even a pinch green as he eyed me. Leaning in, he tried to give me a sniff but it was way too close to my neck and had me instinctively curling in and away from him.
Kehlor let out a warning growl that had Berkr scowling back but backing off.
“Who you mama?” Berkr grumbled. It was a demand with a question hiding in there somewhere.
Sunned-Bun? That was way too close to Forest’s nickname for Sunny. His Sunny Honey Bunny, or Sunny Bunny if he shortened it.
Kinda obvious with the pet names there, Forest.
“Shirl,” I muttered softly, eyeing him.
“No know that name,” Berkr grunted out after a minute. I got a funny feeling that might not entirely be true but wasn’t about to press. If he wasn’t going to tell me, prodding him wasn’t going to get it out of him, not right now.
“Then you don’t need to smell me anymore,” I grunted out back.
Kehlor’s hand came up my back and he slid my furry blanket better over my neck, blocking any further attempts from Berkr.
Turning to the male holding me as I scrubbed a hand down my face, I gave him a pleading look. I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could handle, at least not right now.
“Where Pink Eye?” Rek grumbled. “Him always follow feisty females, think one mate him.”
Pink Eye? He must mean Vurhg, who had strangely vibrant pink eyes.
“That, uh, that doesn’t mean what you think it means,” Dace cut in quietly.
“You no know it mean,” Berkr grumbled at her.
“Do you know what a troglodyte is?” Dace chirped softly.
“No,” Berkr admitted. After a pause, he grumbled, “You know?”
Eyes widening until her doe eyes looked enormous, like she was a living anime, Dace smiled sweetly up at him and quipped, “I know one when I see one.”
A snort escaped me as her comment went right over the beast’s head and he reached out to give her a there-there pat like she was the one with a screw loose.
“We go. Purr-roo need rest,” Kehlor announced.
“Sorry about the mix up with your name,” Jo called out. “I’ll tell Mal so she doesn’t call you Kehlro anymore either. It was nice to meet you, Pru!”
“Kehl,” Khelor offered, an olive branch if ever there was one.
“Kehl,” Jo repeated with a sheepish smile.
“Why she get say Kehl and fecked face c’rrect Rek, Rek say Kehl,” Rek bitched.
“Maybe not call Kehl fecked face with you butt’s hole mouth,” Doogie taunted.
Odix and Gofur thought this was beyond hilarious. Even the horned guy that was as tall as Buu and bigger than allthe rest, the silent giant of the group, found Doogie’s sarcasm entertaining, grinning as he heckled Rek.
