#handlerposting

a couple weeks in I decided that enough is enough. if this was allowed to continue, some idiot might decide to put her out of her misery. I beat up the first fucker who suggested that, but ever since I was constantly afraid I wouldn’t catch the next dumbass who gets the bright idea. don’t they all see she’s still alive, even if she changed forever?

so I went and bought her a dog collar and a bowl. at first she didn’t understand what was going on, but when I forced her on a leash and told her to shut up and listen, her face changed. you had to be there to see it. her eyes lit up, she looked up at me and practically drooled. I told her she’s now my tool to maul the imperial mechs. I told her she’s going to sleep at my feet, eat on the ground and follow my every order. she looked at me like I hung the stars in the sky.

it took them all some time to adjust, of course. I was accused of being just as bad as the Empire a couple times, and some rebels are still clearly uncomfortable with the idea. my reputation ensures they’re at least quiet about that, though, and that’ll have to do.

she’s now sitting near my feet at our campfire, her head resting on my lap while I pet her hair. she was a menace in the last battle, so I attached a little medal to her collar, so everyone knows she’s been a very good hound. she was on the moon when I told her that. some more open-minded comrades are feeding her treats, which she picks up with her mouth. life is good.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why only Hounds? Why is their behavior modeled and named after canines? Why not felines? A branch in the trai--"

A veteran handler cuts rhem short. "Is this really a question, or are you fucking around, kid?"

"No, genuinely! I think I'm really on to something here! Hounds are devastatingly powerful in full-scale combat, but they're not stealthy - at all. Imagine giving one of these specific tra--"

"I'm gonna stop you right there. Yknow what felines do that dogs don't?"

Silence. She takes our a data pad, taps about, then places it in front of the rookie.

Hound (high as a kite on combat stims, unable to form any clear thought in berzerk rage): "Y-y-y-yeaahhh?"

So there’s no traditional Hound families, though several found families exist within their squads and formations, as some human functions are easier to harness than suppress.

These families are referred to as packs to reinforce their natures, helping to keep a Hounds from being *too* cocky and independent while maintaining discipline.

Like in any family, there ends up being a variety of heirlooms, which can range from something small like a cherished plushie from a veteran Hound, to an entire mech. Even if outdated, these mechs are in pristine condition, maintained by the pack members when they become damaged .

These heirlooms are passed down when the current ‘matriarch’ of a pack is decommissioned through any means. Death, retirement, or even being dethroned in certain packs.

It is recorded that some hounds will try to become members of a pack to just have a chance at receiving the heirloom, indicating the value placed upon these items within Hound cultures.