Grateful Canine

Writers: Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 12th March 2019

Characters: Alina
Description: Alina takes responsibility for J'ackt's canine
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 1 of Turn 9
Notes: Elana is Alina's twin sister. This post follows DCW: In Fellis Veritas

Alina

The big canine stared at Alina as she came into the weyr, his tail thumping slowly against the thick mattress of J'ackt's bed. A mass of wet leather lay at his chest and only the shine of a buckle half hanging from a torn piece of leather gave evidence that Stumpy had taken to J'ackt's practice straps with relish. A deep woof greeted her and he rose, leaving the sloppy, slobbery mess planted directly on a pillow.

For a three-legged canine, he moved quickly, his tail whipping from side to side along with his bottom in spasms of delight at company. He sat at her feet and peered up at her, his head tilting to one side and then the other, as if not quite certain what to make of the new arrival.

Alina wrinkled her nose at him as she extended her hand for him to sniff. It was late - early? - and she had no idea what J'ackt did with his canine. "Sorry, Stumpy. I'm not J'ackt. I bet you've been wondering where he is."

He snuffled obligingly at her hand and his tail thumped harder against the floor. His tongue lolling out of his mouth, the young canine gave another deep woof, then got to his feet, paced towards a large bowl on the floor, then back to her. He waited expectantly for only an instant, walked back to the bowl, then back to her.

Alina got the hint. "You're probably starving." She wracked her brain, trying to remember if anyone had told her _when_ J'ackt had been attacked. How long had Stumpy been waiting? "All right. Let's get you something to eat and then you're coming back to my weyr, I guess."

J'ackt's weyr was sparse and his practice straps were a disgusting mess. Alina wrinkled her nose as she lifted them off his pillow and dropped them onto the floor. **I'll have to remember to keep my straps well out of reach,** she thought, casting a side-eye at the sad looking canine by his bowl. She looked around for something to tie the canine with and found a length of rope by the door that J'ackt probably used for that purpose.

The moment her hand touched the rope, Stumpy went insane. Wildly barking, he leaped towards the door of the weyr, dancing around her in excitement and anticipation. He shoved against her legs, his tail whipping frantically as his back legs hopped. A wide, ecstatic canine grin parted his mouth and the eyes gleamed as he circled Alina repeatedly to attempt to weave in between her legs.

"Sssh!" Alina wobbled but managed to keep her feet despite Stumpy's best efforts. The canine was _much_ larger than the last time she'd seen him. "Do you want to wake up the entire weyr!?"

The barking didn't cease for an instant and when the rope wasn't placed on his thick collar immediately as was usual, he became even more excitable. He stood before her, bouncing on his single foreleg as his wiggling butt threatened to tip him over. The canine had behaved himself and not messed in the weyr, but his young bladder was only so big and it was strained to the limit.

Alina bent and did her best to attach the rope to the collar, then paused long enough to dim the glow that J'ackt had left burning by the door before fighting with the canine to get out the door. Stumpy seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go, and even though he only had three legs he could pull pretty well. Alina stumbled along behind him as he headed toward the stairs.

Stumpy dragged Alina behind him as he strained at the lead to reach the designated area of the Weyrbowl. Impatient, he suddenly lunged forward and felt the lead break free of the grip that held it. He dashed forward, claws scrabbling across stone before finding grass beneath his three feet. He found his spot quickly and did his business, all the while wagging his tail.

Alina trailed after and was close enough behind to pounce on the end of the leash before Stumpy could run again. He was surprisngly fast. She wrapped the leash more securely around her wrist so that he wouldn't break free again. "Done?"

He finished and began sniffing the ground, then lifted his head. His ears perked up and he stood still, tail stiff. He gave a muffled, throaty, growling "woof" only to without warning bolt towards a rock wall, unconcerned that he might be dragging whoever held the leash behind him. Stumpy chased an unseen quarry into the tumble of rocks, whimpering as he thrust his nose into a crevice. There was a yelp, an evil hiss of response, and then a snarl and frustrated barking.

Hackles raised at the offending quarry, Stumpy instinctively did what he was bred to do. Though he could not dig, his teeth latched on to something and pulled with sharp jerks as he backed up. The tunnelsnake wasn't a large one, but it fought as Stumpy snarled and shook his head to free it. It frantically twisted in the canine's sharp grip, talons flailing to gain purchase for freedom. Stumpy released, then lunged again, snapping and chomping down on the midsection. Shaking his head violently, there was a sharp crack as the spine broke and teeth tore, spraying a spatter of ichor generously around the area.

It went limp, dangling from Stumpy's mouth. Evidently quite pleased with his accomplishment, he hobbled back to Alina, his tail wagging furiously. He sat at her feet, shook it again and waited for her praise.

"That's gross." Alina rubbed her wrist, which felt like it had a big red friction mark along it, and hoped that her shoulder wouldn't be too sore for drills tomorrow. When the canine took off she'd nearly been pulled off her feet. But the canine looked so hopeful she gave it a little pat on the head anyway before picking up the end of the leash again and tugging Stumpy back toward the weyr. There had to be something in the kitchens she could give the sharding beast. Here she was, trying to take care of the thing while J'ackt was battling for his life in the Infirmary, and he was totally ungrateful.

But growing up in a farming cothold meant that putting the animals first was bred into her bones. She kept a tight hold on the leash and Stumpy got a sharp tug every time he looked like he was going to bolt off in a different direction. They made it to the kitchens, where she tied the end of the leash to a sturdy table and went to see if she could find someone awake to beg a bowl of scraps from.

The kitchens were oddly quiet. The candle marking time in the corner showed that it was only three candlemarks until dawn. Nothing in the kitchens has changed since she was a Candidate, and Alina easily found a bowl and a large kettle of leftovers by the fire. There were tubers and fingerroots, and the remains of a roast. Alina did her best to find the gnarliest looking bits of meat for the canine and left the best for whoever would search that kettle for breakfast.

Thankfully Stumpy was still waiting by the table when she arrived. "There," she said, putting the bowl down in front of him. "Eat up, you mangy thing."

As she made the food offer, Stumpy wagged his tail even harder, bolting down the food as though he had been starved. It took little time for him to thoroughly clean the bowl and by the time he was finished, his lean sides were bulging slightly. He licked his lips, then lightly licked her hand before giving a large yawn.

Alina's thoughts had drifted back to J'ackt as she waited for Stumpy, but the touch to her hand shook her out of her reverie. She yawned, stretched, then decided to be a jerk and leave the bowl where it was for a morning drudge rather than take it back to the kitchens and wash it herself. It was so late-- or early, depending on how you looked at it. "No funny business this time," she told the canine as she wrapped the leash around her hand again and started toward the stairs.

She debated bringing the canine back to J'ackt's weyr but ended up at her own. Who knew how long J'ackt would be in the Infirmary, and it would be easier if she didn't have to make the trek back and forth all the time. Yawning, she secured the entrance to her weyr and dropped the lead. "There's a nice rug for you to sleep on," she said, pointing at the rug in question, before turning out her glowbasket and crawling into her bed.

Stumpy didn't bother with the rug, but hobbled up to the bed and laid his head on the side. He whimpered softly, nudging at the blanket with his nose. He hopped a bit, laying his one forepaw on the bed beside his muzzle to look at her with big sad eyes.

"No. Go lie down." Alina rolled over.

Stumpy waited and then slowly began to wiggle up further until half of his body was on the bed. He kept watching Alina, his eyes studying her as she tried to go to sleep. When her breathing began to even out, he wiggled a bit further, only his bottom and back legs not on the bed.

The greenrider drifted along the edge of consciousness, only half aware that her leg room was slowly being taken up by a furry body. She shifted over and hugged her pillow a little tighter. "Stop hogging blankets, Elana," she muttered.

Stumpy might have recognized some of the words, but he was far too focused on his goal. With a little awkward hop and additional wiggling, he managed to squirm up on the bed. He circled lightly, having learned the awaking the person on the bed, would start the process all over again. With a contented canine sigh and grunt, he laid directly on the available feet, smacked his jaws in a large yawn and got comfortable for his own sleep.

And Alina spent all night having nightmares about slowly being crushed under the weight a picnic blanket, while J'ackt helpfully asked her if she wanted more redfruit.

Last updated on the March 19th 2019

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Grateful Canine