Whumpee's trust has been absolutely shattered. They have no trust left, for anyone. Not even their caretaker.
Every chance they have, they escape back to where they were found: a small space in the woods that Whumpee made into a home. It wasn't a nice home, but it was theirs.
There was a small lean-to out of branches and it was only a small walk from a river where Whumpee could wash and get water from. Each escape, Whumpee made it a bit more home-like. They thatched the roof on the first time. The second, they dragged a log over to make a bench. That's when the Caretaking Organization sent someone out to destroy the camp to deter Whumpee from returning.
Whumpee held clumps of what was once a roof in their hands, tears streaking down their dirt-smudged cheeks. Their home. Their safe place. Gone. They heard the crunching of boots behind them. Probably the Rescue Team again. Whumpee knew all of their names from being around them so much. And knew that Current Caretaker would probably want to give them back since they were such a nuisance for running away.
The crunching came closer and Whumpee prepared for the impact of being grabbed once more. They flinched as a hand patted their shoulder. "This must've been some place, huh." Whumpee looked up. It was Current Caretaker. "You came.. for me?"
Whumpee couldn't believe that Current Caretaker actually still wanted them.
"Well YEAH! It's my JOB but also, you seem like you need someone who will stick with you, no matter how many lean-tos we need to build to help you feel safe."
Whumpee turned to look them in the eye questioningly.
"So Whumpee. How do we build one of these things? I figure you'll need a place to go for quiet time, right? As long as I can hang at a distance, I don't mind camping out with you."
Together with their combined strength, they were able to build a bigger, stronger lean-to, big enough for multiple people so Current Caretaker could join. Maybe this won't be so bad. Whumpee thinks as they drift off that night in the last new bed they'll ever have, in the last new home they'll ever have.
