pet Voice, the rat.

The dungeons were a dark place, dripping and cold, entirely lacking any sort of comfort that most of the students of hogwarts' illustrious halls thought of as necessary. Food was scarce, although the boy knew he only had to venture into the great hall or the kitchen to find some, and he did when he was truly desperate, it was a last resort. He knew exactly what lurked there, what lurked everywhere, around corners both real and imagined. So he usually chose to go hungry, but now and again he would catch his own food, because even in the deepest recesses of the catacomb-like labyrinths, there was always something breathing. Life always found a way, and in Kaegen's new home, that was in the form of rats.

There weren't enough of them to really live off of. Just a tasty treat now and then, a supplemental snack when the hunger grew too overwhelming. He wasn't totally cut off from the outside world, he still ventured up now and then, usually to a class, which he only took begrudgingly, and often missed. It was only around christmas time that his situation finally changed, in the form of his present. Now, his present wasn't from anyone, really. It wasn't wrapped in a box or done up with a bow. It was hungry, it was nearly dead, and it was alone.

Sympathy still beat in Kaegen's heart, locked away behind walls of doubt, paranoia, conspiracies and fear was a little voice, a kind voice that wanted to comfort and cherish, a voice that knew the one thing that could never betray him. It might fail him, it might fall short but it wouldn't consciously betray him. It was a creature, something that worked off of instincts. Still the voice knew that the hunger wouldn't listen. Kaegen was little more than a monster, and monsters didn't listen to kindness. At least, they didn't listen to kindness unless that kindness was clever. And although Kaegen's wisdom was questionable, he was very clever.

It's christmas thought the kindness. This is a present. Our present. Kaegen stopped to think, crouching by the emaciated rodent. Yes, it was christmas, wasn't it. This was his present, because he found it. It belonged to him, it would help him because it had to because it was his present. So he picked it up, and took it home with him, back to the rubble heap that was serving as his camp. He went up to the great hall more from then on, suddenly desperate to keep his present alive. It had been so long since Kaegen had something of his, something that needed him, that it consumed his thoughts, his dreams, his worries. He was still paranoid, but now he was paranoid not only for himself, but for what could be taken from him.

Kaegen wasn't sure when the rat started talking back. He didn't really keep track of the time, and assumed that she had simply always been able to speak. Why wouldn't his present be special? Of course it was, it was a rat with a voice, and that was also what he decided to name it. Voice. A companion at last, an ally, a present. The rat was quite fond of Kaegen as well, although it obviously couldn't really talk. It was quite an intelligent rat, and was perfectly content to spend the rest of it's life with this giant rat that had always taken such good care of it. They were a team, as far as voice was concerned, and it was a team's job to work together. When the big rat squeaked, voice would squeak back. It was the custom of the big rat, and not something that voice was really planning on interfering with. Certain squeaks meant certain things, and meaning could be quite easily implied by gestures. She understood enough, and was just as willing to fight for survival as her large friend. They were a pair, forged in the miserable recesses of hogwarts' underbelly, and they weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

What animal do you wish to purchase?: Brown rat
What do you want to name it?: Voice
Is this a boy or a girl?: Girl
What is your pet's date of birth?: December 11