Loyal to the End

It gobbles down the offerings, albeit slower than intended at his requests. The scratches at its ears feel very good. Very good indeed. The dog moves forward to rest its massive head on the human’s leg. Was it lost? It supposed it was. No owner, no home. The dog whimpered softly, ears drooping in response. 

They are! They are such a good boy. They are so very good. Human can commence with the petting of the belly now please. That would be good.

Like this post for a pupper to come play with your muse

The hound looks between the offering and the man, still unsure. But the man’s voice rings with sincerity. Padding closer, the dog gently takes the bread and scarfs it down. It lets out a happy bark and licks the human’s hand before pawing at his leg for more treats. Yes, this was a good human.

The puppy flinched when the human spoke. But it wasn't a raised, angry voice. It was nice. Handsome? Why yes, he was quite handsome thank-you-very-much. The pup slowly crawled out from under the desk and looked up at the human. He cocked his head to the side, studying the person in front of him with curious eyes. 

The little tail began wagging as soon as he was pet. He leaned into the touch with a groan of appreciation. Yes, good. A nice human. At the question, the Mabari's ears drooped a bit and he whined. No, he didn't have a master. Hadn't imprinted yet. He couldn't find the right person, but maybe this one would be a good master? 

His ears perked up at Master's voice, but drooped at her words. But the floor was very cold, and he was still small enough to fit on the bed. Perhaps Master wouldn't mind so much if he just stayed at her feet? The only issue was how to get up on that mountain of a bed. A running start maybe? The pup backed up, wriggled his rump to set his back feet, then ran. Awkward puppy legs carried him across the room before he jumped. He huffed as he didn't quite land on the bed, but scrambled and clawed his way up. Success! He was on the warm bed. But instead of curling up with Master, he remained on the end of the bed, curled up by her feet.

The dog heeded his master's command. He came closer, nosing master's hand until the fingers could move to his head. As tall as he was, he was able to rest his chin on the bed. The Mabari stared at his master with sad, concerned brown eyes. He whimpered again, still worried for master. 

It gnawed and chewed, finding a good hold on the dummy before giving the limb a good shake. The dog was still small, still growing out of it's puppy-phase. The attack would be much more damaging when it was bigger. It could feel eyes on it, so the dog paused and looked up at the warrior-woman. It cocked it's head, as if asking How was that?  

He almost has him. The element of surprise was his. But once again, The Bull's strength wins out. The Mabari finds himself pinned yet again. One day, though. One day, he'd be bigger and would be able to hold his own. The young dog yipped and licked at The Bull's hand.

Yes, yes, throw the stick, throw the stick! Oh? The dog cocked his head as Master remained crouched. Then he slowly leaned into the touch. Ohhhh. Yes that spot, yes, good. He whined, both at the attention and at the question. Master had been gone for some time, and the Mabari missed him. 

[He backed up a bit, sitting proudly and happily. Cheese-man was up. Job done. Now it was time for attention. He liked the Cheese-man's scratches. His little stub of a tail wagged back and forth, and his tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth.]

No treats either? That was another black mark against the elf. The dog huffed once, narrowing his eyes. He deliberately turned his head to look at his master, then slowly looked back at the elf. A low growl came from his chest; more of a warning than a threat.