Horen thought over her words. He was guarded in trusting others...... In fact she was one of the few hed ever trusted. He watched as she washed his fur..... he knew she was strong, probably much stronger than she appeared. Yet she was gentle in washing his fur. He looked into her eyes.<br/><br/>"Yes.... I would have been left to heal on my own..... And I wouldnt have growled..." He looked down. "They wouldve beaten me worse....." He remembered that lesson well..... But it had taken his  body being completely broken before hed given in..... They left him in a cage for weeks with barely enough food to heal....... Then it started over again..... He shuddered hard. Those first years had almost killed him in more ways than one..... His spirit had styed weakened, but never broken..... Hed fought to keep himself alive inside...... But no one had cared or even checked to see if he was alive and had feelings..... They expected him to follow orders like a soulless golem..... He rested his head in his hands trying to ease away the tension the memories were causing.......