[Okay. Okay, Mr. Lion, you're okay with being touched, even when you're eating. This cub sure does trust humans, Atem thinks. Any chance of release would be hopeless for sure...but would he do well in, say, a wildcat exhibit? Would Tybolt miss people? It's hard to say.

He reaches up to pet Tybolt's shoulders, and may even try a behind-the-ear scritch if that goes well.]

And, by then, he might not be used to people anymore.

[Which would be heartbreaking, if it were a pet you loved.]

But this shelter isn't meant for big cats...and feeding him must be a lot.

[Atem sympathizes, and not even in an abstract way. He knows enough about Poundmates to know that it's not flush with cash, and he knows the game shop back home wouldn't deal well with an unexpected expense like this. Getting that much fresh meat would be easier for a zoo that's sourcing it in bulk, or has a relationship with a butcher that a pet shelter doesn't. And one lion is taking up a whole storeroom....he doesn't envy Steve the dilemma he has on his hands, no matter how cute it might be.]

How much space did he have with his original owner?