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Jaci stared at it longingly, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Setsuko held him back. "No, Jaci...not yet!" She teased good-naturedly. Jaci sat angrily, glancing up at the food with anticipation in his eyes. Setsuko sat more calmly, gaze slowly rotating from Jaci to Rue to the food and then back again.

Rue grinned slightly. SHe pulled out her pocket knife again, cutting out large chunks, then sticking them on more peeled sticks, one for her, one for Setsuko. Rue was pretty sure Jaci wouldn't want his on a stick too.

"Thanks," Said Setsuko, accepting her stick. She hungrily took a bite. She had never had rabbit before...it was pretty good. Jaci turned to Rue, who hadn't offered him a rabbit stick. He moaned impatiently.

ue gingerly took a piece of rabbit, offering it to the Blue Lion while struggling to take a bite off her own stick.

Jaci gulped the meat down greedily and quickly, licking any remnants off his muzzle. The piece of rabbit wasn't that much for an animal like Jaci, but now that he had eaten, he felt more content, sitting down calmly next to Setsuko, who was still nibbling off her slice.

Rue held out another piece out to him. "Want more?" she asked, after swallowing the bite of rabbit she had taken. THe meat was juicy. Maybe not as good as a hamburger, but better then raw fish.

Jaci devoured that piece as well, gulping it down. His sharp feline teeth tore off chunks at a time. He possessed them ravenously before swallowing. He finished in two bites. Of course, there was no more rabbit left, he realized after finishing, so he simply curled up next to Setsuko and closed his amber eyes. Setsuko finished off her stick, setting it down on the ground and stroking Jaci's thick coat.

Rue tore off a chunk from her stick, her teeth soon hitting the smooth bark. When she was finished she hald a dented stick. She threw it off into the trees off to her left, hearing slight crashes as it landed.

"We should probably go in now." Setsuko pointed out. The sun was fading quickly, abandoning the world for the night. Jaci raised his head, staring quizzically at Setsuko, who stood up. She walked into the cabin silently. Jaci watched her for a moment, confused, before standing as following.

Rue followed Setsuo inside, the wooden floors groaning softly as her weight settled on them.

Sighing, Setsuko curled up under her blanket. She knew that a big last...re-entering the Caverns of Life...lay ahead tomorrow, and she needed her sleep. Jaci followed her example, laying down comfortably and closing his curious amber eyes.

Rue layed down, the blanket, rusting softly as her body moved it against the wooden floors slightly. THe wooden boards let out a last groan as she settled onto them. She pulled the blanket tight around her, leaving her wings untucked, just lying loosly across her back. She let out a sigh, willing herself to fall asleep. A thin beam of moonlight fell through a small slit they had missed in the roof, and she gazed at it with brown eyes, unable to relax. Her dark hair fell across her face, blacking a tiny part of her vision and making her blink, but she made no move to brush it away, lost in thought.

Though Setsuko's eyes where closed, she couldn't seem to fall asleep. No matter how hard she tried to drift off, constant thoughts roused her. Would the trip to the Caverns of Life solve everything? Or would it just make matters worse? She shifted, turning over in her 'bed'. Slowly she opened her eyes, glancing at Jaci, who lay snoozing comfortably closeby. She stared wistfully, wishing she could sleep now. She sighed before veiling her unique eyes once again, determined not to open them until sunrise.

Rue heard the wooden boards creak again as Setsuko shifted. Rue let out a silent sigh, feeling suddenly exhausted, but unable to go to sleep.

At last, the real world faded away in Setsuko's mind. She entered a dreamless sleep and felt as if in a coma; not conscious of any messages filtering through her brain. Her bothered breathing steadied to a slow rhythm. The night pressed on and she slept lightly, but confidently.