Thank you :-)

And yes, I'm glad you mentioned Tony's dad choosing Shanti to attack - I had this sense of him oppressing Tony's soul and who he IS in some fundamental way, rather than physically beating up on Tony. It's a complicated concept to get over though - interesting to be using living, walking, talking metaphors during a story!

And I'm sorry about the image - it is horrible. As a lover of all things puppy and kitten, I know how I react when reading about them being hurt.