Hawke looks down at the growing pile in the basket with some dismay - he really doesn't have a lot of money, and he hadn't really been thinking this through. He's never bought a pet in his life. Diesel has been his dog since late childhood, and when he brought the mabari with him to college, he'd already had all the supplies he'd needed. It was just a matter of keeping the big dog fed, exercised, and washed. Oh, and supplying him with enough rawhide chew toys.

"Is there some kind of student discount?" he asks, a bit forlornly, as he strokes the kitten's back.