I frown, too, tears filling my eyes for him in sympathy for a loss I can understand. Another pang of pain at what he is saying as I imagine two little boys finding their beloved Benny how I found Feral, and it strikes a low ache in my gut as I grip myself tighter and try to shake it away.

‘Did you cry over him?’ I ask softly out of curiosity, wondering why he is telling me this. Maybe feeling more for an animal than any human before is normal for screwed-up people like us—More ...