Tarka wakes up looking around her room. Something felt off, but she couldn't place her paw on it. She stretched, and closed the curtains... Didn't she close them last night?

Leaving her room, Tarka greeted Valor. The two have gotten slightly closer, Tarka knowing him just enough to barely trust him. "I'm gonna go let the chickens out. A storm's brewing, but they should still be allowed to go out, y'know?" Tarka shrugged. "Whatever." Valor snapped.

Blinking, Tarka slowly processed Valor's tone. He was acting off. "Are you okay?" She asked, tentatively. Was she seriously going to try to help something like Valor? Apparently so.

"I- I don't even know anymore. But it's fine. I'm fine." Valor hissed, whilst Tarka sighed. "Do you want to talk about it? Things feel off for me, too." Tarka sat down next to Valor, who just stared at her. "Why do you care?" "I dunno. Maybe because you haven't been terrible to be around?" Tarka suggested.

Valor shook his head. "Just go feed the birds." He stated. Tarka nods, and headed outside to the chicken coop, opening the door and heading inside, collecting the eggs and checking on the one broody hen.

After checking, Tarka headed back inside and washed the eggs, putting them into the fridge. There were plenty of eggs, perhaps she should bring some to Akanu. Tarka didn't bother with breakfast, as she focused on reading the paper. Still no sign of the missing cats. It was almost like they vanished into thin air.

And no news on the mysterious flaming cat. That was the main thing Tarka was interested in whenever she read the newspaper. But alas, it seems as though she should finally stop.

=^-_._-^=

Midday arrived, and Tarka could hear the crackling of thunder in the distance. "Hey, Valor? Wanna help take care of the chickens?" Tarka asked. Valor looked up over top of his wings, staring at Tarka. "Sure." He decided.

With a nod, Tarka led Valor outside and towards the chicken coop. Chickens were everywhere! "Alright, I need you to bring those chickens over towards me. Don't run, they'll think you're a predator. Don't make yourself bigger- especially not while looking directly into their eyes." Tarka firmly ordered.

Valor nodded, and slowly crept towards the chickens, ushering them towards Tarka, who slowly led them into the coop. "Go put out their grain, one scoop should be more than enough." Tarka stated, as she grabbed the water container and headed over to the hose. "Just one scoop? Is that even enough?" Valor asked, to which, Tarka nodded. "More than enough." She confirmed.

Once the water container was cleaned out and refilled, Tarka carried it back over. "If you want, you can give some of the chickens some apple slices. Just avoid the seeds, as those will kill them." Valor nodded at Tarka's words but didn't grab the apple slices. "How often do you fill the water?" He asked.

"I give my chickens water whenever they're running out. During the summer months, I tend to give them electrolytes to help them stay hydrated." Tarka answered. Valor was about to ask something else, but a crack of thunder interrupted him.

"I'll ask you when we get inside-" "Smart idea."