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The only estate in the town belonged to the Mayoress and as Lord Augustus didn't want to subject Markus to being that close to her, they had taken over the Inn's rooms and the town hall. Markus had managed to ground himself after his breakdown and to the stallions' surprise, managed to draw strength from the letter. He looked like he had been crying to everyone they passed but he held his head high and walked with pride and confidence.

He wanted to make them proud and at the same time he took pride as he looked around seeing everything they had helped to achieve. Every building his father had helped to build, every villager his mother had helped to get settled. They had never wanted to be leaders in the town and had turned down every nomination for them to become mayor; this sadly and inevitably, had led to Angelica being voted in.

The Inn was quaint, at least to Augustus's standards but it had all of the charm that came with being from a small country town. The wood floors and brightly painted lime-plastered walls contrasting reasonably well under the dim lanterns used to illuminate it all. Sadly while the rooms were large, they weren't large enough to accommodate Sofia who had to remain outside although she didn't seem to protest.

Pirro luckily could remain with Markus, who was surprised to find he had his own room right next door to the albino stallions'. The room was about as spacious as his parents' bedroom had been; a fourposter bed with hand made sheets and soft mattress sat between two dark stained oak bedside dressers. A rug of mismatched colours and materials lay in the centre of the floor at the foot of the bed, a wardrobe that stood by the door that lead into the bathroom, and a desk with inkwell and quill sat between two windows.

The view looked out from the second floor upon the street below, with people walking to and fro, going about their daily lives as always. The day to day goings on were more important than any political drama that was going on in the town and so much of it was overlooked by the every day villager.

The guards all bunked at the guard house when they were not guarding the Inn or Town Hall. The take over of the town was absolute and effective, Lord Augustus's guards watched over everything in the town alongside the regular guard. No one could enter the town, the Inn or approach the Town Hall without their knowing. The three under house arrest were strictly monitored under the lords' guards, as Augustus was not trusting anyone from the town at this point.

Markus sighed as he relaxed into the tub of warm water. He longed for a hot bath but when he tried it at the temperature he wanted he was granted a sharp anguish from his burns. His subsequent yelp had drawn the attention of both Pirro, who had been perched on the basin inspecting himself in the mirror, and more embarrassingly, Darnel who was stationed in the hallway outside their doors.

He had barged in expecting him to be under attack but the zebra's face had been one of surprise seeing the nude mountain lion bent over the bathtub holding his burned hand with the other, looking back at him in embarrassed shock. Markus had yowled and tried to hide himself with his towel while almost pleading him to leave.

Pirro laid behind Markus's head and had been tricky to wash. At first Pirro had been fearful of the water, not wanting to get close, even hissing at it once or twice. Once Markus had actually gotten him a little wet showing him it was safe he had almost dived in. However Markus had had to stop him due to the severe injury the hatchling was still recovering from. That, in turn, caused Pirro squirm and struggle trying to get free and into the water, giving chirps and whines as he tried.

When he eventually he did manage to get free from Markus's grip and slipped into the tub, however, the feline panicked when he heard the agonised screech that was emitted from the whelps throat. Pirro started to flail and thrash wildly trying to escape from the pain but wasn't succeeding in anything more than making a mess. Once he pulled his charge from the water, Markus laid him against his chest while he tried to settle him with soft pats and comforting coos. He was mindful of the injury that now, once again, hurt the young creature and saddened Markus to remember its cause.

Once settled he used the cloth and soap to gently wash Pirro's scales, bringing the white and gold scales to a brilliant shine. While he cleaned him he continued his soft cooing and comforting, inspecting the injury to see he had caused it to weep a little due to his flailing but otherwise was ok. It would only require a new bandage to Markus's relief to cover it once he was done being bathed.

Markus had been a little rougher washing himself and stepped from the bath to dry off. His burns ached and a few spots bled from the vigorous treatment he had given himself. Once he had dried himself off, he pulled the plug from the tub to let it drain before proceeding to dry off Pirro. After finally letting the dry whelp go back into the bedroom he stepped over to the mirror to inspect himself. His wandering mind made him think of the town, and the oddity that was its plumbing.

Running water and simple drainage was something that Markus's parents had introduced to the town when they started constructing it. They had learned much from their time in or around large estates and attempted to replicate it on a larger scale.

Water was carefully diverted from rivers higher up in the valley using aqueducts and after it was accelerated over the distance it was piped up into the a large water tank to the rear of most buildings in the town. The Inn was one of only a few that had a second tank where excess water was run off into which was then warmed with heat from the main chimney of the building and then could be piped into the rooms.

The waste water from inside the buildings was dumped through pipes out into either small gardens, like in Markus's own home, or a stream that fed the local farms. Very little went to waste and it helped the town be self sufficient, something that his parents had been very firm believers in.

Drawn back from this thoughts, he paid attention back to the mirror. Looking back at him was the reflection of a mountain lion he knew was himself but features were off enough to confuse him for a moment. His deep amber eyes with slit pupils looked over his reflection. Over his left side his fur was short enough that his skin could be seen, in places it had a few recovering scabs where the fur had not grown back were exposed.

Atop his head his, his rounded feline ears twitched around a little, picking up every noise they could pick up. A creak of floor boards accompanied by the clop of hooves in the room next door as Lord Augustus walked around, chatter in the tavern portion of the Inn downstairs as well as outside on the streets; it all came through with clarity. If he concentrated enough he could even hear Pirro's soft breathing.

His face protruded into a short muzzle with his pink feline nose adorning the end. Two bands of black fur framed it to either side, emphasising the separation from his golden fur to the white on his chin, neck and underbelly. Whiskers sprouted from around his nose, the left ones slightly shorter due to his recent immolation. They would unfortunately take some time to regrow.

His gave drifted down to his legs and feet; his stance was digitigrade, forcing him to balance upon the balls of his feet, unline the flat-footed plantigrade which humans were known for. He had tough dark pads on the bottom of his four toed paws protecting him from sharp rocks and sticks as he walked, though currently his left paw had some burn damage to the pads, forcing him to favor it. With a reflex his sharp pearly white claws could extend if he needed them, but they mostly stayed hidden away.

Behind him to help him keep balance on his legs, his meter long tail twitched and bounced instinctively to counter his movements. He had less control over it than he would have liked, reacting more to his subconscious than to his active attempts at moving it; currently it draped idly, twitching upwards whenever one of his injuries flared with pain.

Bringing a hand up to carefully pull at the burned skin on his face, his eyes wandered over the golden fur which coated them. The palms of his hands, however, had white fur and soft pads on his fingertips and the palm of his hand. These pads helped him to grip things, as without them, his fur would just slip off of smooth surfaces. Much like with his toes, his fingers had retractable claws, one of which he extended to gently scratch away at a remaining scab he hadn't managed to dislodge during his bath.

He still had a fair way to go recovering but he was recovering faster than he had expected. Another few weeks and his fur should have returned to its former thick coat and lustrous shine. Stepping into the bedroom, his sheath and sack bounced between his legs with each step showing that he was indeed a male. Buried inside his sheath he knew, from various self exploratory sessions in the past, his cock was tapered and roughly six to seven inches in length with soft barbs around the head. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his throat seeing Pirro laying spreadeagled out on the bed.

Pulling on fresh clothes, Markus was thankful when Lord Augustus had sent one of his guards to acquire new clothing for him. His previous attire was covered in soot, ash and charcoal as well as a few burned holes. Markus had been too emotionally drained to be even think of going clothes shopping and hadn't even thought of grabbing a spare set to bring with him.

The clothing was simple but well made. A lush green colour top with dark brown pants. They were a perfect fit as well even with a hole in the back of the pants for his tail. They had cost him only ten silver and apparently had been acquired with little issue. This all surprised him as this town, as far as he was aware, didn't normally cater for Beastfolk.

He gazed out the window and longed for a browse of the stalls and a calming walk, but at the same time dreaded the idea. He knew the Mayoress still had strong supporters in the town even amongst the stall holders. How that was possible was a mystery to him as she had always pressured for anything she purchased to be given to her free of charge, stating she could easily increase the taxes on the stall holders if they didn't.

Looking over at Pirro, who was still laid on the bed churring loudly, he decided to chance it. He did need supplies for home and while they were here, medical supplies being the foremost ones his mind. Pirro's injured wing would need binding again, and his personal supply had run out. He pulled his cloak on before scooping up the whelp and laying him over his shoulders, earning a playful yet loving chirp and nuzzle to the cheek as Pirro shifted to a more comfortable position.

Stepping out into the hall he was greeted by Darnel standing comfortably against the other wall talking with a tall stag in guard uniform. They looked up, surprised to see him walk out and both offered him a smile as he stepped out, closing the door behind him.

“I, um... I wanted to do a little shopping and go for a walk." he admitted and Darnel nodded.

“I unfortunately cannot leave my post here; however we can't let you walk the streets by yourself," Darnel said giving Pirro a soft pat to the head and getting happy trills from the whelp. He then gestured to the stag whom he had been talking with “Naruk here will escort you. Take good care of him."

“You truly believe I would let harm come to him?" Naruk replied with a chuckle and Darnel just smirked.

“I wasn't talking to you." he replied getting a chuckle out of Markus and a pout from the stag. Before he could come up with a witty retort however, Markus was already walking down the stairs. The tavern downstairs seemed to get quieter as he walked through but he ignored it, stopping at Sofia by the front door to give her some pets and allowing Naruk to catch up.

Sofia was more interested in Pirro than the puma, the whelp trilling and chirping happily to her as she gave soft rumbles in reply and gentle licks to his head. Markus was awed by just how gentle the huge dragon could be when she wanted to. Her amber scales shone brightly in the sun and barely disguised the strong muscles hidden beneath their surface but here she was, moving with grace and feather soft touches. Finally she let the three of them go after a few minutes with a happy rumble and an ever watchful eye on them.

None of them saw when she looked up to the upper story windows of the Inn and was nodded at by Lord Augustus when she met his gaze. A simple, wordless order which she understood: watch them, but don't be noticed.

As they progressed through the town and down the stalls, Markus didn't really have a plan for where he was going. Truthfully he wanted to browse and just walk, his dislike for being indoors doing nothing playing an important part in his decisions.

They drifted from stall to stall with Pirro becoming restless from time to time, and he startled the two when he leapt from the felines shoulder and climbed up over the stag's own to lay over his head. He finally came to rest nestled between his antlers. It drew a chuckle from them and a brief conversation about the whelps location but Naruk insisted that it was fine.

They paused at the butcher who greeted Markus with a smile and nod. He was a man of little words but they sparked up a conversation as Markus inspected what he had on offer. He thanked him for the bag of supplies and map, even for guiding him to where he had found his current home and was responded to with a heart warming smile.

“Your parents did a lot for this town, it was time that we returned that kindness." He had told him firmly. When the conversation turned to the whelp nestled in the stags antlers, he didn't even hesitate, nor accept no as an answer when he gave them a meat package for free.

Some time later as they were leaving the healer's hut, Markus decided he would go to the baker's shop to thank her properly for helping him that day. She had done more than just save his life through her actions; she had also saved Pirro in a way and freed him from the cruel, strangling hold of the Mayoress.

As they crossed one road Pirro perked up and hissed angrily, stopping them and drawing their attention. He was looking down the road that was perpendicular to the one they were walking along, back arched and hissing with his teeth bared. They turned to look in that direction just in time to see a hunter releasing an arrow from his bow in their direction.

There was a loud angry roar from above and a rush of flames down the street towards the hunter, incinerating the arrow. As the flames cleared, Sofia landed in front of Markus and Naruk, the dragoness looking anything but happy.

“BACK TO THE INN! NOW!" she roared back to them before stampeding down the road at the hunter, other guards now rushing to investigate. Naruk didn't need to be told twice and grabbed Markus's arm then started running with him back to the Inn.