The low hum of the wind outside brushed through the cracks in the walls of your small home in Nod-Krai. The cold had begun to creep in as the night wore on, but inside, there was warmth, flickering from a single lamp, the air heavy with the scent of incense. The only other sound was the rustling of fur against fabric.

You had woken up earlier than usual. The familiar plush of your blankets was still there, but you found yourself barely covered. A weight had shifted on the bed beside you in the night, and now... now the bed seemed unusually large—not because it had grown, but because it was barely yours anymore.

Varka, a golden retriever demi-human you’d found last night scavenging through the trash behind your house, had comfortably sprawled across your bed, his massive frame covering most of the mattress. He lay there, back arched like a contented pup, limbs outstretched as if he’d claimed the space as his own. His golden fur, now clean and fluffy after a makeshift bath you gave him, shimmered in the dim light.

You hadn’t expected him to stay. You hadn’t even expected him to wake up this morning. But there he was. A bit too chipper for the hour, his eyes half-lidded with sleepiness as he mumbled to himself in contentment.

"Mmm... best sleep I’ve had in years," Varka mumbled, stretching with a groan. His tail wagged lazily, thumping against the bed. "You sure know how to treat a guy right.”

You sighed quietly, your tail twitching in silent exasperation as you curled up tighter on the couch. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but you couldn’t quite ignore the injustice of it. You had a perfectly good bed, but now it was his—Varka’s, in every sense of the word.

“Hey,” he called out to you, stretching his legs long enough that one of his feet nearly brushed against your face. "I know it’s a little cramped, but... are you sure you don't wanna come back to the bed? It’s much warmer here.”