Whiskers

Fun and Games

(Rock doggos)

Four days of constant stress did not make a lion look good... nor act friendly. Jamie, while being the easier-going of the two brothers, was just about to bite someone's head off if he was cornered by another reporter or had to chase a fifth trespasser off their property. Things had been quiet, at first, but as news got out about the wolf they'd rescued having wings, fanatics and journalists alike began to come in droves, salivating over a chance to snag a photo of the beast. 

He's not a damned beast. He thought, frustrated as a headache pounded behind his eyes. 

The sound of the door opening to the left of where he sat in the observation room for Palace drew a warning growl from his lips, but his brother just walked over and rustled his hair with a tired smile after walking in. 

"It's alright, bro. No trouble today." He said as he walked over to the monitoring station to look through some of what Palace had done earlier that morning. 

"So far." Jamie said as he pushed himself up to his feet, his body aching a bit from sitting so long. 

Jared chuckled as he turned back to him. "We need to clean today. Got any good ideas that won't leave at least one of us dead? I'd rather not knock him out for something so simple." He said. 

He didn't want to force him to sleep, either, but Jamie couldn't figure out an alternative. He'd been thinking about it all day, and the only thing he could come up with was how dumb they had been to not put in a shifting area so that Palace could just be moved safely into a small holding area while they cleaned. 

Not that he would fit in anything small. 

Sighing, Jamie put his hands on his hips and looked up at the observation screens to see where Palace was. "Has he been standing near the door this whole time?" He asked, surprised that he'd willingly come close to where he knew they were. 

"Yeah. He's been getting closer and closer over the last few days. I think he doesn't like the smell in there as much as we don't, and we don't even smell the feces directly since there's a sealed door between it and us." Jared said, making Jamie frown. 

"No wonder. He wants his enclosure cleaned, too." He agreed. 

"Wait!" Jamie nearly yelled, startling his brother enough for him to jump. 

"What?" Jared asked, eyes wide as he darted them up to the screens, worried that Palace had somehow escaped. 

"There's a window in the back of that room." Jamie said, pointing on the screen to the small observation window at the far right side of the enclosure. 

Jared didn't seem impressed. "And? It's not like we can get through that. It's only a two feet wide by half a foot tall, give or take." 

Jamie raised an eyebrow and smirked. "But I know someone who can." 

It took his brother a few moments of thinking before he pursed his lips. Jamie could sense his displeasure with the conclusion he'd come to, but considering he wasn't saying no yet, he figured it was worth a shot. 

"Should we get him?" He asked. 

Jared glanced back at the camera screens and frowned. "I guess it's worth a try..." He said right before Jamie gave a little shout. 

"Alright, I'll go grab him." He said as he darted out the door, not wanting to hesitate in case his brother changed his mind. 

Jared clicked his tongue and shook his head as he walked over to the small feeding panel they used to give Palace his meals. It was clear to see just by looking at him that he'd picked up several pounds already.