It's A Hoot (mxm)

Chapter 20

One might think, sleeping with four, big wolves would be very comfortable, but being kicked in the face, and the constant wiggling, made things somewhat unappealing.

Michael had managed to summon up enough will to leave them and get back to the station, right after they'd all dog piled on Toren.
The bear left him with a grim "good luck" look, one he didn't understand until someone's paw made contact with his cheek.

He was surprised they all managed to fit on the bed with plenty of room, but they were piled in close. Practically on top of each other.

A few hours of constant readjusting and he eventually did fall asleep. At least he wasn't alone. The comfort of having someone there to keep him safe, and all the warm fluffy bodies, helped him forget that he was in danger in the first place.

It was some time, though it felt like he'd only just shut his eyes, when his slumber was disturbed.
Little red, Onry, was climbing over them all with excitement in every step, even his tail was perked as much as his ears were turned forward. He had a happy grin on his wolfish features, as much as his beast would allow. His eyes were alight and his tongue was hanging out.
He leapt the last few steps and landed on the floor, nimbly. He shook out his fur and shifted in a beautifully fluid motion, grabbing the shorts and shirt he'd discarded earlier.
From his position on the bed, Toren could see his back, the boy's skin was etched with scars, brutal wounds that never healed right. Jagged marks that told of a cruel history Onry had endured.

These boys that Pops took in, where had he found them? Was it similar to the rabbit's case? Where he'd picked them up in the woods, poor children injured and scared?
Toren had seen the darker side of the world, he'd heard it constantly on the news. Living in the city, there was always some evil lurking. But, it'd never felt real. Looking at these boys it was beginning to strike him deep down. Broken people, shattered by the evil of others.
Pops was someone he deeply admired for taking in so many of them and giving them what they needed. A home.

"Pops' here!" Onry squeaked out, causing the entire pile to move into a chaotic jumble of limbs as they all stirred awake and made a mad dash for the door. None of them bothered shifting as Onry led them in a rush down the stairs. Even the rabbit in his arms wiggled free and bounded after them, hyped on all the excitement.

Too much excitement and too much energy for having just woken up.
Toren yawned and sat up, feeling the soreness in his neck after sleeping on it wrong.
He stretched his body and slowly eased himself off the bed. He shuffled from the red room to find the bathroom, distinctly remembering it was a few doors down.

The bathroom was probably the cleanest in the entire house, it made him wonder if any of the boys even used it.
There were only two bathrooms in the home, one upstairs and one downstairs.
This one was simple, it had a shower and a tub designed for washing dogs easier.
There was a jar on the counter full of toothbrushes, all labeled with a permanent marker.
Toren tilted his head a little as he read one that said "bun bun" on it. He knew who that was for. He wondered who wrote it, somehow he felt like that wasn't something Pops would do.

He relieved himself and then searched through the drawers and borrowed a comb to tame the unruly bird's nest atop his head, taking time to comb out the tangles in his peppered hair. There wasn't much he could do about the heavy bags building under his eyes, something he knew was the cause of his chaotic sleep schedule.
He sighed heavily, feeling so off with his routine smashed to splinters. Even on the road he'd been able to keep it up, but now he felt like his entire life had been flipped upside-down. It was enough to ruffle his feathers.

He couldn't do anything about his clothing, either, as much as he didn't like walking around in something he slept in, he didn't have anything else at the moment.