Between Loyalty and Love

"Of course," he smiled. "No need to ask. You are my guest. You may do as you like. But don't go outside alone. The mortals know I only let Spirits in my home. They might ask you questions you aren't ready to answer," he explained.
 
"Thank you!" He said happily, eyes sparkling at the chance of being able to relax in water once again. He hurried into the bathroom and was soon soaking in lukewarm water, sighing happily.
 
Terra, who had visited the market for some meat, was back. She put the meat in the storage box and went upstairs. She heard the water running and smiled. "Maidah seems happy," she said to Kegan, who was taking off his armor. He took off the shirt he had on underneath as well, tossing it into the hamper. "He does. He has a lot to learn. He should relax while he can," he said, turning to look at her.

"Yes, that's true," she said, stretching. "Would you mind if I used your bathroom?"

"No, go ahead," he said. "Get cleaned up and relaxed. I'll go start on dinner. I'm sure Maidah's hungry. I know I am." He went downstairs and washed his hands before he started on cooking, noticing the fresh meat that Terra had brought. He cooked it up nice and slow.
 
Maidah yawned widely as he laid in the tub, curling up slightly with his eyelids sagging, the long day catching up to him quickly as he began to nod off. He shook himself a little to attempt and wake up a little to scrub at himself more, but he could only fight sleep a moment longer before he succumbed, head dropped onto his chest to rest as he slumped forwards into the water, completely submerged in the cooling liquid after a few moments of his limp body shifting downwards.
 
Terra, realizing she had no towels, went into the guest bedroom and knocked on the door. "Maidah, I'm coming in to get towels," she announced and opened the door. She gasped, seeing the tiger completely under the water. "MAIDAH," she yelled and brought his head out of the water. "KEGEN, HELP," she roared.

The Fire Spirit turned the burner off and ran upstairs. "Wha- Maidah," he said and helped Terra lift him out of the water and lay him on the floor. "Maidah, wake up," the wolf urged, bending down to see if he was breathing.

Terra sat with her tail curled around her, her hands covering her muzzle. She was afraid for him.
 
Maidah's eyes flickered, glowing faintly for a moment before they opened completely. "K-Kegan?" He murmured, yawning widely and blinking up at the other, flicking his head to get the water out. "I'm not in the tub?" He looked around sleepily, wiping at his face to push his flattened curls from his face.
 
Kegan sighed in relief. "I think you fell asleep in the tub," he told the tiger gently. "I'm making dinner. Get to bed. I'll bring it to you," he said gently, handing him a towel.

Terra hugged Maidah. "I'm glad you're okay," she said softly and let go, getting her own towel and leaving before he could see the worried tears.
 
He blinked in surprise then yawned again. "Th-thank you... You smell so worried..." He looked up at Kegan. "Why? Is something wrong?" He asked a little worriedly.
 
Kegan shook his head. "You are our friend, Maidah," he told him gently. "We care about you. We thought you had drowned in the tub."
 
"Drowned? What does that mean?" He asked, dropping the towel over his naked lap and blushed slightly.
 
"Drowned means to inhale water. Our bodies need air. You.. might be able to breathe water, since it is your element. But we cannot. It's why we were afraid for you," he explained gently. He was wearing shorts, but he still hadn't put a shirt on from taking his armor off.
 
"Oh..." He tilted his head, like that of a curious kitten. "I thought everyone could breathe everywhere. Master could do it too." He murmured softly.
 
Kegan gave him a curious look but shrugged off the master part. "No," he smiled softly. "Come on. You're tired. Let's get you dried off and in bed before you freak us out again," he chided gently.
 
"Okay... I'm sorry..." He murmured, lifting up the towel and rubbing his hair dry, pushing himself up slowly, wobbling slightly. "Brr... it's cold." He grumbled, bending over and rubbing down his chest and legs.
 
Kegan steadied him as he began to wobble. "It's alright," he smiled. "It'll be warmer when you get dressed."
 
He wandered back into the bathroom, tail flicking lazily as he grabbed Kegan's clothes and pulled them on, his smaller body causing the shirt to hang off of one shoulder and the pants to fall off without him holding them up. He frowned at that. "I'm not that little..." He murmured, blushing.
 
Kegan chuckled softly. "You'll grow quickly once we get food in you," he promised. "Relax in the bed. I'll bring your dinner to you," he smiled kindly, his eyes seeming to sparkle as he looked at the tiger before he left to go finish cooking.
 
Maidah shuffled over to the bed and crawled onto it, sliding under the covers and nuzzling into Kegan's scent in the clothes, ears tilting back slightly and tail flicking with relaxation, now finding Kegan's scent the "Safety" scent. He frowned as his stomach gave a painful twisted and curled up around his stomach with a groan, sniffing at the air and drooling at the smell of meat.
 
Finally the meat was done. Kegan put it on a plate with a fork and knife and took it up to Maidah. "Hey," he knocked on the door and smiled at him as he entered. "I bet you're hungry. There's plenty of meat. If you're still hungry after this, feel free to ask for more," he offered, setting the plate down next to him. Kegan tried not to think about the fact that he liked seeing Maidah in his bed, even if it was in his guest bed. He pushed the thought away before it showed on his face.
 
Maidah perked and grabbed for the meat, completely disregarding the forks and tore into it savagely, swallowing half chewed chunks quickly and ignoring the fact that he burned his tongue and hands holding the hot meat.