Madelina's date of release from the hospital was still far away, and Inky knew better than to spend all his time with her. She'd soon get tired of his presence.

During these long weeks, he spent time with the rest of the Orlovs, mostly Thomas, who was staying at his parents house during this difficult time. He wasn't going to ignore his younger sister in her time of need.

Thom and Inky sat on the porch of the Orlov family house. The wind was cold, and Thom had convinced Inky to wear a sweater.

"Seriously Inky, what sort of accent is that?"

"Downtown Baltimore. I thought fucking I told you already."

"Well, it's not really an accent you hear in movies."

Inky growled.

"Blame it on the idiots in California."

Thomas nodded, changing the subject.

"How strong are you Inky?"

Inky's ears twitched. "Why the hell are you asking me?"

"I just want a demonstration. See if you can break that PVC pipe in the corner."

Pathetic! A measly piece of plastic.

Yet it was firm. Inky searched through his memories to find ones to make him angry enough to give him the strength to break it.

He remembered all the times his loyalty was tried to be bought. Mostly by dirty generals and sleazy politicians. Those who didn't see him as a living creature, but as a tool, a resource. Treated like a dog, more often than not.

Everytime he "talked out of turn", he'd get a shock. These were men with fragile egos and bad tempers, but never half as smart as they thought. There were some women who thought they could get away with doing the same, but they all had the same fate: death, either by misfortune, karma, or Inky's hand.

It angered him that his amulet was easily bought and sold. It had value, sure, often over a few thousand million, but it reflected how humans saw him. Nothing but a useful bauble.

He found himself in auctions whenever his owner or his owner's family felt like getting rid of him, desired a large sum of money quickly, or as a deal between 2 powerful figures.

He didn't like being treated like an animal with a bad attitude, nor as a bargaining chip. He's an intelligent creature of immense power-he deserves respect!

"Inky! Inky calm down!"

Inky snapped out of his spell to find the PVC pipe shredded. His coloration went from deep red to pastel pink at his realization.