Tom felt his heart sink some at that, "Ha, well, I'll do my best," he said. It had been too much to hope for, that this might have proved...a fit. The other kin was already hedging his bets. Tom knew he could be a bit much. If it ended up like all the other attempts and he was on his own again, he couldn't be surprised.

"I warn you." Dominant said. "I'm not easy to deal with. I'm rather demanding and I expect you to do what I ask, since you owe me."

He looked him over. "Your first order of business is to snuggle up close to me and keep me warm while I nap today. It's a little brisk."

Tom looked at Dominant a little softly at this request.

"A quick start," he said, "but never fear, as I said, I'm capable."

He thought the request was really probably for his benefit. He was not sure how much warmth a wet, small animal could provide a much larger dry one. When he was fluffier, maybe. Still, he stood gamely as best he could, still wobbly and tender, and slowly limped his way over to curl between Dominant's legs.

He was a strange creature, with huge, attentive ears that were very like a desert fox. His tail was even stranger, and it looped and grasped like a fluffy tentacle. He was soft, without the scales of other acha, and instead had fluff in abundance, especially down his back. His teeth, horns, and hooves were all a fine gold. His markings made him look as if he was wearing a mask, and the fluff at the top of his head was currently curled over his bad eye.

For all the bites and scratches and bruising, he was compactly muscled. And nice to cuddle.

Dominant flipped his enormous tail up over Tom. His fur was long but rather unkempt and tangled, and every inch of it was covered in the same slick oily substance that all of him seemed to be.

He slung a large leg over Tom and hauled him closer.

"You live here now. You won't regret it."