Wasn't Always This Cute and Cuddly

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The nose-licking was met with wagging tails and further sniffs, led mostly by Dog while Splendid trotted along behind him, following his lead. Haaki watched them, beaming, and when Dog came back for a snuffle he scratched his ears.

‘Good boy. And good girl, Splendid. Very polite. Hello, Pepper.’

It was Hjolrin’s turn to elbow his brother, who had apparently ignored Arlow’s question in light of more important, canine matters. He looked up, blinking, blank and clearly lost, of no help whatsoever. Hjolrin cleared his throat, which was a deep rumbling from somewhere in his beard, and said to Arlow’s boots,

‘Aye. Got some work.’

‘Oh, right.’ Haaki nodded, still with one eye on the dogs. ‘It’s a bit of a big task, but I thought, you did so much work on the farmhouse, and even if you couldn’t do it you’d probably know someone who can. Would you help us build something? From scratch? We’d pay you, obviously. And provide dog biscuits.’

“Something from scratch?” Arlow echoed, brows raising in surprise. It was a momentous task, and a curious one. The Nord couldn’t help but wonder what exactly the brothers were wanting built. 

But it was a challenge, and would help provide for himself and those staying with him. Perhaps he could even talk some of the youngsters into tagging along to help and learn.

Not only had they found the source of the barking, but the dog was sat with exactly the man they were looking for. Hjolrin’s expression didn’t change as he continued to study the rocks underfoot; Haaki beamed and hurried forwards, Dog and Splendid close at his heels to discover what their master was so excited about.

‘Hail! Just the man we wanted to see.’

They skidded to a halt beside Arlow, a cloud of dust rising around Haaki’s robes, and the dogs sniffed their way towards Pepper. A few seconds behind them Hjolrin trudged up. Pointed looks from Haaki, followed by an even more pointed nudge in the ribs, did not get any words out of him – but there were more important matters at hand than their original business.

‘Who’s this?’ Haaki nodded towards the unfamiliar dog. His hands fidgeted, moving as if to pet her and holding back out of politeness and an impressive amount of willpower. ‘Is she yours? What’s her name?’

Pepper perked up, as if a puppy again, and though she awaited a command to move towards the new potential friends, her entire body wiggled from head to tail. After allowing the other two to get their sniffs in, Arlow snapped his fingers and nodded and Pepper began to sniff the newcomers herself: dogs and humans alike.

“This is Pepper,” Arlow replied brightly, beaming at the dog before turning his attention back to Haaki. “And... I suppose she’s mine now. She wandered to my house after tagging along with friends. We cleaned her up, tended to some injuries she had, and gave her a place to stay while we searched for her family, but there wasn’t any luck there. So she has a new family now: with me.”

Pepper gave each Boar-Chaser a gentle lick to their fingers, and also attempted to do the same to Pup and Splendid’s noses. Arlow looked between the two brothers and tilted his head slightly.

‘He ought to be around here. I asked Trond and he said he’d seen him helping out at Whitewatch Tower lately, so we probably won’t have to go too far. Don’t worry, the elk aren’t all going to disappear if you take one afternoon off, and I promise I’ll do all the talking if you want me to.’

A promise which Haaki was keeping so far. Hjolrin had barely said a word since he fastened the ties on his tent and followed Haaki through the forest, down through Riverwood and along the track onto the Whiterun plains, and that didn’t seem about to change any time soon. He hadn’t asked where they were going, or why Haaki wouldn’t simply visit Arlow’s house, and when his brother stopped he didn’t question that either.

Perhaps he didn’t need to. The sound of an unfamiliar dog barking joined the river and their footsteps in the frost, and Haaki’s head turned towards it. His own hounds were playing on the riverbank, digging a stick out of the mud; when Haaki whistled they abandoned their work and raced across the grass to join him. The group rounded the corner of the path together as Haaki gave up looking for the dog and resumed the one-sided conversation, shielding his eyes to scan the figures around the tower while he spoke.

‘It’s going to be easier if you talk to him yourself, though. I mean, it’s your idea, after all. You’ll at least have to tell me if I get something wrong, all right? I’d like this to work out for you. And Arlain. Have you told her about this? You haven’t mentioned seeing her lately…’

Arlow sat atop a tree trunk, resting his feet for a moment and taking a deep drink from a water pouch as he did. The morning had been long, and now it was time to head home and start dinner. He opened his pack and pulled a piece of jerky from inside, whistling to get Pepper’s - who was currently sniffing the base of a tree nearby - attention. Her ears perked and she turned her head toward him, beginning to trot over once he held up the meat for her to see.

It had been easy to train her: she was already there. The first night she had stayed, she walked to the door and gave a short and quiet ‘boof’ to be let out. She kept her nose from near the table - even if her head found its way atop your foot or thigh as you ate - and didn’t chew on anything that wasn’t give to her. She was a good dog.

Now, she rested back on her hind legs, front paws in the air as she begged for a treat. Once she replied with a quietly murmured bark - as it was only polite to say please - Arlow rewarded her with a piece of jerky.

Voices were beginning to draw closer, and if the Nord knew any better, he’d say he recognized them. It was until the pair of Nords - and the dogs that accompanied them - rounded the corner that a smile crossed his face. 

The Boar-Chasers.

Cutting so much of the poor dog’s fur made Halldis a little sad. It would grow back of course, so it was a bit silly to feel bad about it, but even so she tried to cut as little as possible. She alternated between the shears, and comb, cutting what absolutely had to be cut, and very gently combing out what she could. When all was said and done, there were big wads of hair scattered all around the tub, and the dog, did look much better than she had before. It seemed all the attention had done her a world of good as well. Though she still remained a bit timid, she was warming up to them.

While Arlow worked on drying her off, Halldis held her hand out to the dog, and soon received a gentle lick. At this, the Nord smiled, and scratched her behind the ears, “You’ve very sweet, aren’t you?”

Her gaze shifted between Shad and Arlow. She could not deny that they should at least attempt to find out of there were owners out there. While she did like the idea of keeping the dog, it was saddening to think that there might be some family out their missing their pet. It wouldn’t be right to give her a new home if she already had one out there somewhere.

“I can go ask around in Riverwood, and Rorikstead,” she offered, pausing to stop Agatha from chewing on one of the larger clumps of matted hair, “I could take her along with me too, maybe…see if anyone recognizes her. Could maybe point us in the right direction.”

She glanced at Shad, and almost laughed at the smirk on his face. Instead, cleared her throat, and gave a nod of agreement, “A name isn’t a bad idea though. Even if it’s just for use, while she’s here,” Halldis gently ruffled the dog’s fur, and added, “She’s too nice not to have a name.”

“I can bring her around with me when I can as well,” Arlow added, looking down at the clean and happy-looking dog and smiling. If they couldn’t find her home... well, he was sure someone would be happy to take her in. She seemed gentle and sweet so far, he thought it unlikely she’d change overnight.

“A name?” Arlow repeated, and seemed torn for a moment. On the one hand, naming the dog seemed to put out there that he owned her. But on the other, he couldn’t just call her ‘dog’ all the time. She deserved a name. Besides, he already knew one Dog in Whiterun, and he didn’t want to cause confusion.

“I suppose... a name is a good idea,” he said, looking over the canine. She licked at his fingers again and then sneezed... and it gave him an idea. A smile crossed his face and he reached out to pet the dog. 

“I don’t mind helping though. Agatha’s getting easier to handle…a little. S-Sometimes,” she paused, offering a small smile, “And I have some hides rolled up somewhere, we could make her a bed out of those maybe. Unless you had something else in mind.”

When Shad emerged again, this time with a tub, she could not help but smile. Initially, she had worried that he might have been annoyed, but truthfully, he seemed almost excited, which she found both amusing and endearing. At his requests, Halldis gave a quick nod and went back inside, leaving the puppy outside, jumping up at the older dog who now stood in the tub. 

Towels and soap were easy enough to find, as was the brush. However, the shears were almost forgotten completely, and then took some time to locate. They seemed to be one of those things that never actually got put away, and instead were shuffled from one place to another so that you never found them in the same place twice. After finding the shears – which had somehow fallen down between an end table and bookshelf – Halldis went back outside. Agatha had plopped down at Shad’s feet, and watched curiously as he worked on wetting the dog down.

“Sorry I took so long, I brought an extra towel, just in case,” she said as she knelt down, and set everything between them. Halldis looked the dog over, and carefully combing her fingers through its tangled fur. She then glanced at Shad, brows furrowed, “…I guess…I can start cutting some of the mats out while you wash her? I’m not sure how best to go about it…”

“I suppose we could make her a bed in my room,” Arlow agreed, nodding and smiling. “Just so she can have some space to herself and the other dogs won’t get too riled up. Better keep them separate at night and when we’re not at home. Just to be safe.”

As soon as Halldis went inside, Arlow began helped Shad as best he could. Between pouring water over the stray’s back and keeping Agatha from nearly jumping into the tub herself, he stayed busy.

“Aye, go ahead and cut what mats y’find,” Shad instructed, nodding his head and focusing on attempting to untangle some of the fur himself. “We might be havin’ ta give the pup a close trim. Too much’a the fur is matted ‘n I don’t think we can clean ‘em up proper without that.”

With enough love and care, the stray began to look like a proper dog, though its fur was cut much shorter than it was likely intended. At least if it got too cold, the animal could simply stay inside and keep warm.

“S’a girl,” Shad announced, and patted the dog’s head affectionately. The stray gave a gentle lick to his fingers and shook, trying to clear its fur of the water that clung to it. 

The female wolfhound, as it was clear now, had black, white, and grey flecked fur. Around its muzzle was mostly white, and it was likely that the dog was up there in age. The pads and tops of her feet bore some poorly healed scars, and Arlow noted that they seemed to be caused from old burns, as if the dog had ran through a fire.

“We’ll put up fliers tomorrow, aye? See if we can find an owner, ask some of the travelers and caravans as well. Maybe someone lost her during a hunt or on their journey,” Arlow said, taking the towel and drying the canine as best he could as the dog licked at his face.

Send me ‘Smooch’ and my character will kiss yours.Send me ‘Snug’ and my character will hug yours. [x]

Halldis looked up at Shad’s sudden reappearance. When he had gone inside, she assumed he’d been generally disinterested in the dog, but that he’d thought of water made it clear that he to was worried. At least a little bit anyway, and that made her smile.

As the dog became more comfortable, and moved cautiously towards Arlow, she could not help but smile. However, the eager response to a few gentle pets made her heart hurt. It seemed so starved for attention, that she could not help but think that if it did have a family somewhere, it must have been quite a long time since it had seen them. Once it was clear that this was a friendly dog, Halldis slowly went over and crouched next to Arlow, still holding the puppy in her arms. Agatha gave a whine, and stretched her nose out towards the new dog, and when the older animal turned towards her, she gently licked its nose.

Now that she was closer, Halldis leaned to one side, squinting at the dog’s belly as Arlow had done. It was hard to tell for certain, what with all the thick, tangled fur, but still it seemed that if there was something there, it should beat least somewhat visible. She frowned a little, “I think it might be a she…I don’t see a…y-you know…but it’s hard to tell.”

At the question, she hesitated. It was Arlow’s house, and as she saw it, she had no real say in which animals stayed and which ones didn’t. But then, he was asking…

“…I think she’d be better off here than out in the woods,” she began, looking out towards the trees, then back to the dog, “I suppose she’s been fine so far but…things happen. I-I can look after her if you want…since she followed me back and everything,” she paused, and glanced back towards the house, “…Do you think Shad would care?”

At her guess of the dog’s sex, Arlow leaned slightly to look at its belly again. She had a point, the fur wasn’t that long, and if it were male the distinct shape should have been present even though the fur had matted in place. But once they cleaned the stray up, they could be certain.

“I don’t think Shad would mind, no,” he replied with a shake of his head. “There’s more than enough room for everyone and I know he’s been missing his dog. Has plans to bring him here at some point from what I’ve heard.”

At her suggestion of keeping watch of the stray herself, Arlow shook his head.

“No, no, you’ve got your hands full with Agatha, I’d hate for you to be worried about her and the stray,” he explained, and stood, looking down at the dog in question. “I have free time and a corner of my bedroom that can be used to house a dog. Even if it’s just until we find the family.”

The dog gave a wag of its tail, as if it understood, and Arlow smiled. Homer wouldn’t be an issue as of right now because Bo had taken the pup with him to Jorrvaskr while he and Tommy trained for the day. Willy was currently at Tort’s for the week to have a play date with Chance (and to give the poor cat some time away from all the puppies) which only left Agatha, who Halldis was currently holding, and the people living inside.

Once again, the door opened - this time with a shove - and Shad stepped out with an old metal tub they used to wash clothes and the pups on occasion. He gave both Halldis and Arlow a look, before he set it down and reached inside the door to produce two buckets of water, which he poured into the tub.

“Need to be bathed, won’t it?” Shadrach asked, raising his brows at the two before he patted the side of the tub. The stray seemed eager, and leaped inside, splashing water on everyone around it. 

“Get a towel, Halldis... ‘n some soap... ‘n that old brush in m’room on the nightstand,” he said, now focused on getting the dog to settle so he could gently pour water over its back. “’n the shears if y’can find ‘em. Need ta get rid’a this matted hair.”

The Nord frowned as his tried to run his fingers through the dogs hair. 

Halldis watched – almost impatiently – as Arlow filled a bowl for the dog, and was surprised to see that he added some of that evenings stew to the scraps. No doubt that would be much appreciated.

She followed him outside, pausing to pick up Agatha so that she would not go galloping out and bother the other dog. The pup wasn’t exactly threatening, but shy as the other dog had been thus far, she didn’t want to risk scaring him away. Halldis held back as Arlow put out the food, then slowly sat down next to him, shifting the puppy onto her lap.

“He doesn’t look too bad to me…or she maybe…I don’t really know,” she said quietly, watching as the stray sniffed at the air. At the sight of the other dog, Agatha gave a little bark, and made a half hearted attempt to wiggle free, but was unsuccessful, “You hush. You can play later. Maybe.”

The dog took a few tentative steps forward, keeping an eye on the strangers sitting nearby, until finally reaching the bowl. There was a moment of hesitation, and then it finally began to eat, pausing every now and then to look around. Halldis smiled, and glanced at Arlow, “Do you think it belongs to anyone?”

Arlow leaned in an attempt to guess the animal’s sex, but soon gave up. The scraggly fur was covering to much of the creature’s underbelly to spot any clear indication and he didn’t want to spook the stray.

“If we’re able to get close enough, we can find out,” he said softly, watching as the dog ate its food. At her question, he quietly pondered. They were close to the city, and hunters often kept wolfhounds around for hunting purposes. Besides that, they dog seemed to have followed them, which showed a clear trust toward humans, making it unlikely it was wild.

“It’s possible,” he murmured, watching as the dog licked the bowl across the ground. The door opened behind them, bumping Arlow in the back slightly, and he turned to see Shadrach offering him a bowl of water.

“It’ll be thirsty,” the younger Nord replied, before shutting the door again. The older Nord smirked, knowing full well that Shad was concerned for the dog’s well being. Arlow stood, and the dog tensed slightly, though its tail wagged again.

“You thirsty?” The Nord asked soothingly, squatting and setting the bowl down a little ways in front of him. “Come on, then. It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you, aye?”

The dog seemed reluctant at first, but after a few moments of hesitation, it slowly made its way toward the man. It gave his outstretched fist an uncertain sniff before it focused on the water, lapping up the liquid eagerly. 

Once it was sated, it turned back to Arlow, sniffing him again and move slowly closer. Once he deemed it okay, Arlow reached out and gave the dog a gentle pet on the head. That seemed to do the trick, as the dog's tail wagged faster and it nudged his palm with its nose, as if asking for more.

“Aye, you’re a friendly dog, aren’t you?” Arlow asked, giving the dog a scratch behind the ears. If the licks to his fingers and the air near his face were any indication, he was almost certain the dog was a good one. But likely lost, as sad as it was.

In truth, she had half expected a ‘no’. Although Shad seemed fond of dogs, strays could be unpredictable, and some people didn’t want to take the risk. So, at the suggestion, Halldis smiled in relief, and gave a nod, hurrying inside with Agatha at her heels, “Alright, I’ll be right back.”

Inside she paused long enough to close the door, then glanced around the house, quickly spotting the Nord in the kitchen, “Hey, Arlow? There’s a stray dog outside…do you have any scraps I could give him? He’s not mean or anything, seems more shy than anything else…”

Arlow had heard the muffled sounds of speaking from outside, but had remained in his spot, cleaning up after preparing dinner. While the stew warmed at the fire, he turned at the sound of the door opening and offered Halldis a smile.

“A stray?” The Nord repeated, furrowing his brows slightly. Stray dogs weren’t the most predictable creatures, but if it approached carefully, could potentially be trusted. “Um... aye, let me get some together.”

Grabbing an old bowl, he began to fill it with some of the more fatty chunks of meat he had cut off the stew. Pausing, he lifted the lid from the pot of stew and took a scoop of the contents and put those in the bowl as well. 

Heading for the door, he exited just as Shad entered the house, the younger Nord motioning to the stray, who was now a few feet closer and sitting on their haunches. At the smell of food, it’s ears perked and it stood up, its tail slowly wagging.

“I suppose I… want to talk about us. Our… relationship.” It felt odd saying that, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. She leaned forward against the table herself, the arm wrapped around the furs in her lap holding it even tighter against her body as she thought over what she was going to say. She was never the best with words, and she already knew she was going to say something wrong. “Arlow, I… am just not sure what kind of relationship we really have anymore. Or what it is moving towards.”

“I... understand,” he said, although the smile had completely gone from his face. He felt guilty, as though he had let Indes down in some way, and he supposed he had. 

So caught up in his thoughts, Arlow didn’t notice when E’hla ran her thumb across his knuckles, nor did he notice when he absentmindedly squeezed her hand a little tighter in response.

“We could go today,” the Nord replied, smiling brightly, clearly enthused about the situation. It would be nice for E’hla to move to Whiterun. They would get to see each other more often, and Llaara could visit more frequently. Perhaps even Dag as well. 

When the conversation turned to her own family, however, she seemed to perk up somewhat, smiling and nodding. “Oh, yes, they’ve been well. I have not heard too many complaints from them, at least not about Whiterun or anything. A comment here and there about the cold, but other than that, very few problems. Nidhel has been making a few friends as well, so I think they’ve settled in just fine.” The Bosmer took a deeper breath, trying to relax into her chair. “Hard to believe it has already been a year since they’ve been here.”

She let the sentence hang in the air for a moment, then the smile on her face slowly began to change. A more tired expression settled onto her features, and she sighed under her breath.

If she didn’t get this conversation started now, she might lose her chance.

Her words roused something inside his chest and at the back of his mind: something heavy that he had been trying to ignore for some time. The fact that she did not seem... happy about what she wanted to speak of did little to alleviate that heavy sensation. Sitting up a little straighter, Arlow furrowed his brows slightly and leaned forward to listen better.