Down in the Warehouse district, Gunnar wakes up with his large mastiff, Caw, licking his face and Ripple, the Northern Forest cat, yowling for her breakfast. Sleepy, he glances around his usual stable—the one he’s been renting for the last year for all his pets—and spots the large hookbill raven, Beltram, sitting on the rafters, looking down at him with overly intelligent eyes.

Gunnar’s face slackens when he remembers that Niggles was killed during the fight with the Dock Boys. He misses his giant rat. Growling to himself, he thinks of Halfy, blaming him still for the loss of Niggles. A small sniff and a tear roll down Gunnar’s cheek. He knows he will never recover from losing Niggles, one of his bonded partners, and never be able to replace him.

Caw, knowing his master’s mood, jumps on top of him and starts licking with renewed vigour. Gunnar pushes the mastiff away. “Get off me, ya mangy dog! And you, Ripple, stop ya yowling!”

Caw bounds off, wagging his tail, which he makes sure swishes in Ripple’s face. With a hiss, Ripple jumps onto Caw’s back. Caw bucks at this, collapsing his legs to roll onto his back, but Ripple is ready for that. Flipping off—remarkable for a cat her size—she lashes out with a claw, catching Caw on his thick flank. With a quick roll, Caw is back on his feet and running after Ripple.

“Oi, stop it, you two! Or no breakfast.”

Gunnar stomps over to the cold larder to grab some meat for the three of them. Beltram flies down to land on top of the pantry, tapping his beak on the surface.

“Don’t you start too.”

Seeing a chunk of meat hanging inside, Gunnar pulls it out and throws it on the split stone table next to three bowls. Picking up his sickle, he cuts a large slab off and puts it in one bowl, then he crisscrosses the blade over the meat, tipping the resulting cubes into the second bowl. Finally, he cuts off strips for the third. Placing the first two bowls on the floor, Gunnar grabs the third. Picking out two pieces, he passes one up to Beltram and chews on the other.

The stable fills with the noises of animals eating their respective breakfasts. Gunnar glances around, glad that these beautiful animals always have his back, but his tears flow unabated at the loss of Niggles.