Penny had been up... ALL night! He'd stalked the foggy forest for a while, but he'd never been very good at hunting even when the prey ran heavily. There used to be so many tracks it was hard to decipher, to choose, to untangle them in his head to pick one. Now... Had the cold killed everything? Was it all just sleeping, still, unwilling to wake when the world wasn't ready for springtime? Penny didn't know, but he was worried about Mintaka. She was so tired all the time, and she felt so terribly.
Somehow, her sides were swelling.
Now, Pennyroyal wasn't entirely an idiot. He knew about the birds and the bees, he knew what happened when a guy liked a girl and blah blah blah. Really, he knew that puppies were a possibility when spending the time he had with Mintaka. But she was so sick! And besides, Dad always said he had no business in the world of healing. Couldn't keep the herbs separate in his head, wasn't steady enough to staunch a wound, could hardly even talk to people not to mention abysmal under pressure. What right had he to look at Minty and think anything at all?

The thought scared him, though. Were they his? How would he know? It didn't matter much to him, the way Mintaka came back smelling like others often. Sometimes there was a brief flash of something Penny didn't recognize, and he spent more time grooming her, putting his scent onto her, but the tightness in his jaw always faded quickly. Jealousy wasn't in his toolbox of emotions, but greed was a Nightshade trait inherited by nearly every generation, even those gentle enough not to recognize it.
He was the one laying by her side at night. And even if the day came where he wasn't the only one? Well, as long as he was there, as long as he had a place with his head draped over her warm, soft silver pelt. The rest would come as it did.

To be worthy of sharing her time, Penny thought he had to be something more than a trophy husband useless lump sitting there with nothing to do but keep her company.

So he'd spent all night at the shore. He'd broken several spots of ice, clearing out rivets along the edge of the lake, staring hard into the inky depths for any flash of movement. When he got bored, he laid down, letting a claw-tip draw lazily along the top of the water as thoughts of the silver woman consumed him. Should he try to get her to come back to Elysium, at least to get looked at by a healer? Was she really content, living in these ever-dark woods with its creepy, constant fog? He wasn't fond of it, but he wouldn't complain, either.
It was this way Pennyroyal learned that fish could be baited. Thinking the ripples on the surface a bug, a fish had darted up and tried to swallow his foot. Almost lost the whole thing! Penny was scared for his life!
No, not really. If nothing else, Penny was too jumpy to be snuck up on so easily at the angle he was watching. The silver flash caught his eye, and he frowned, pulling back very coincidentally on time for the critter to slide right into the shallows and fumble trying to flop back into the lake. And Penny? He wasn't fucking this up. He smacked it rather hard out of the water with a yelp, the fur on his hackles standing on end, and watched as it continued to flop in the snow, blinking awkwardly.
Huh.
The next time, he tried it with a stick. What if it HAD gotten his toe?! Would it hurt?!

Immensely proud of himself and the three whole fish to be carting home to the missus, Pennyroyal trotted back to where the scent of Mintaka was strongest. Was she up yet? He... didn't really know what time it was, anymore. The snow was constant, the wind on and off, and the sun had been stuck behind clouds for months.
He was quiet, but his double-blue gaze swept the area for her, excited, tail wagging.

She wasn't awake. Penny had a few moments to stop and look at her, smiling; she finally looked comfy, head draped over a wet foreleg, and he was hesitant to wake her. She needed rest as much as a fully belly, right? No, no way, she'd been throwing up so much, she needed food. She needed nutrients. Or... something? Right? And besides, she was adorable. He was content to just watch the rise and fall of her ribs, hear the soft rustle of each breath.

He was saved actually having to make a decision by her rousing on her own.

The ginger man smiled down at her even more widely, heat spreading across his face to witness her so joyous to see him. Who was ever happy to see silly, shy little Penny?

I did my best, he offered after placing them in the snow at her paws, Please, eat as much as you can. You need it, Mintaka.

A whine built in his throat. She didn't look skinny or anything, or like she was about to keel over dead. She wasn't bony, her pelt wasn't ragged or hanging from her frame. She looked nothing like his parents had, when he'd buried them.

I... do you think we can visit my home soon? They must be missing me by now, but besides, I really think you should see a healer. I'm worried about you.