Decided to do a complete re-write to this story, since I rushed it out the first time around. it was my first attempt at writing again after a long time and I was getting all the kinks out. So here's how I originally wanted this to flesh out. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

The sun was setting over the village of Lothering, and Garrett Hawke was set on enjoying the last of the sun's rays before heading back home for the night. Spending the day working with Daryl herding sheep was exhausting, but they needed to save up for Carver's welcome home gift. Feastday was in a Month, and it would be the first time Carver would be home since enlisting in the half a year ago.

A year had passed since their father died, from the blight plague of all things. It caught everyone off guard, especially him; he always seemed to be invincible, even after he outgrew his child worship. His father was always careful, erring on the side of caution and watching over the family like a mabari would its master. He tried his best to fill his father's shoes, but he and Carver were always butting heads. Carver was fed up with him after a couple months, and left with a caravan to Denerim to serve in the army.

Like losing her husband wasn't devastating enough, now her fifth teen year old son was enlisting. But with Bethany's help, and even the letter's Carver sent, she was able to get back on her feet and do her part for the family, in their father's memory.

The last letter Carver sent mentioned that he was coming home for Feastday in a Month, and staying for two weeks after. That bit of news brightened her up, and she already had the house ready and clean for when he returned. It was her idea to get Carver a gift for his return, so he and Bethany had been doing jobs here and there to help save up. The villagers were willing to help them out, as the family made sure to be friendly and active with them to draw off suspicion from them

After all, having three apostates living in one small village would be quite the shock to the hamlet, especially to the local Templars.

Garrett unhooked the coin pouch that Daryl gave him earlier, and counted what was there. He chuckled, shaking his head. Daryl always over paid him, he was getting on in years and Garrett always found time to help him out. He usually paid with meat but he was willing to pay him coin this time, as he overheard Bethany talking about Carver's present. He was over generous as usual, today's pay would be able to buy a decent blade for Carver, and have some money left over.

'I'll have to find a way to repay him.' He got up from the ground, stretched his arms and made his way towards the well to wash up before heading home. Drawing up the bucket, he pulled a cloth from his side bag, soaked it and washed his face, pausing slightly at the stubble on his chin 'Been a week since I cut it…maybe I should just grow it out'

He was brought out of his musings when he heard shouting near the Chantry, There was a group of people gathered across the bridge outside the Chantry's walls. He saw Daryl making his way towards the group, with his lead herd dog Sid, so he quickly wrung out the wet cloth and jogged up to him.

"What's going on?"

"Not sure, but I heard something about an animal attack." Garrett grimaced, thinking back to his father. The last animal that attacked had the blight and killed him, he understood why everyone would be on edge.

Around a dozen people were at the Chantry gates, and Garrett spotted Bethany on the outside of the group, standing next to the new lay sister Leliana. He never went to the chantry often, but he would go once a week to appease his family. But Bethany was a devout Andrastian, and he would find her at the Chantry when she wasn't with her friends. She had taken a liking to the new sister; apparently she was an amazing story teller.

He and Daryl made their way next to the women. The red head seemed to notice him right away, and greeted them with a warm smile before turning her attention back to the crowd. Bethany was too focused on the commotion to notice their arrival, so he gently touched her shoulder to let her know. She jumped at his touch, but calmed and let out a small smile when she saw him.

"What's the commotion?"

"Lucas says he caught a wild mabari in one of his traps. But it bit him before he could cut it loose." Daryl let out a low whistle.

"Not something you catch every day." He said, with Garrett nodding in agreement.

"No. and it's still out there?" he asked her.

"It could be." Her worry turned into a scowl, "But Tucker's got it in his fat head that he can get the dog to imprint on him and plans on heading out there." He let out a snort.

"He's got a better chance of becoming the next Divine." He heard both Bethany and the sister laugh softly, though Daryl was scowling at said fat head.

Tucker was an ass, to be sure; he was a braggart, tended to be an angry drunk, and was lewd to the local girls. He tried making passes at Bethany not long after their father's death, and it was one of the rare times that he and Carver united and beat him to a pulp. Due to the recent loss of their father they got out of a punishment, but the entire village knew that Tucker had it coming.

Especially when you faulted the children of Malcolm Hawke.

Daryl seemed to agree with Garrett's private assessment, and stormed off with his dog Sid right behind him.

"Where are you going Daryl?" he half shouted, catching everyone's attention in the process.

"Damn fools don't know anything about mabari's! You all stay here and I'll take care of this!" he shouted back, his tone implying that this was not a debate. He saw Tucker push through the crowd out of the corner of his eye, but Elder Miriam held him back with surprising strength.

"And where do you think you are going?"

"Like that old man can do anything with a mabari! I'm going!"

"Daryl knows more about mabari's than you do women, so you'll be going nowhere." The crowd snickered as Tucker turned bright red, looking like he wanted to hit her but knew better(too bad, he would love to put him in his place again). But Garrett was worried about Daryl, and decided to slip away unnoticed after him.

"And what do you think you're doing Hawke?!" He heard Tucker shout after him

Damn. I used to be good at sneaking…

Sighing, he grabbed a pole, a carved stick for an unfinished hoe, and turned back to the crowd. He draped the pole across his shoulders in a lazy manner, staring blankly at Tucker.

"To help Daryl." In the same no-nonsense tone that Daryl just used.

"And what makes you better than me?" He grinned, rocking on the balls of his feet.

"Well he likes me for a start. And I know more about women than you, though I have no idea why Miriam thinks that will help in this situation, but I'll defer to her wisdom on this. So if you'll excuse me…" He did a quick 180 turn and walked briskly towards Daryl, encouraged by the laughter from the crowd. "Adventure calls!" Taking Tucker off his high horse was fun once in a while, but it could cause problems down the road. Though he wasn't too worried about it, Tucker had been cautious around his family since his beating.

He let the pole drop from his shoulders, using it as a walking stick. His father taught him how to defend himself without magic, and he prided himself when he could disarm even Carver with only a stick (which drove his brother mad to no end). He caught up to Daryl at the edge of the woods, Sid was out of sight, most likely tracking the mabari. Daryl acknowledged his presence with a nod.

"So do we have a plan?" he asked, his tone light and teasing.

"Just do as you're told and you'll be fine." Garrett did a mock bow

"I am ever your humble servant my lord." Daryl snorted, but the smirk showed Garrett that he was amused, even though he remained silent.

The silence continued for several minutes before Sid let out a bark, which werer followed by several louder, unfamiliar barks.

"Looks like our dog, come on." Daryl led him into the woods at a fast pace, knowing exactly where to go. They found Sid sitting calmly, patiently waiting for his master, and just a couple paces away was one very upset mabari.

And what a mabari it was. He had never seen one like this. A light grey coat, stomach and chest were white while its ears, paws, muzzle and back were black, with a thick black stripe pattern along its upper sides. But it was the hounds eyes that caught his attention; dark red with a hint of brown.

The mabari's growling brought him out of his awe, and the dogs gaze shifted from him, Daryl and Sid.

"He's a small one. Maybe a year at most." Daryl murmured.

"Still just as dangerous I'm sure."

"Even more so; he's young, trapped, hurt and desperate. He won't let us near him now." He pointed at the mabari's hind leg. "but he's a smart one. Hasn't moved from that spot, since he knows he'll tear up his leg more if he does."

Garrett felt Daryl grab his shoulder, and was pushed into a sitting position onto the ground. "Stay here and don't move from this spot. In his mind we're still a threat so the best thing we can do at the moment is nothing. I'll be back shortly with some supplies. Stay and watch him." Daryl let out a sharp whistle and Sid was at his side in an instant, trotting at his side towards town. Garrett held up his pole from where he sat,

"But I wanted to play fetch! I even brought a stick!" he never received an answer, so he turned his attention back to the angry hound in front of him. "So…my name is Garrett, and you are?"

The mabari let out several vicious barks, snarling in between breaths. He let his chin rest in his palm, lazily staring back. "Yes, yes you are quite the ferocious dog. Which is why I'm sitting here and not getting closer; I've seen your work." The growls grew softer, but did not cease. "You know, you're just tiring yourself out by doing that. I get it. Really. You are a fearsome dog of war. I'm not here to antagonize you, so there's no need to put on a show of bravado. I am completely cowering in your presence."

The growling stopped, but the dog continued to glare at him from his spot. Garrett let out a tired yawn, praying that Daryl would bring a lamp, as the sun set a while ago. Or a blanket. He mostly wanted the blanket. It may be the summer season but the nights were still cold without a shelter and fire.

Twenty minutes passed by with the mabari glaring at him, he was about to get up to make a fire when the dogs ears bent back, and resumed his growling, though this time it was directed behind him. he turned around, then heard the bushes rustling. There was a light bouncing between the trees, and Sid soon made his way next to him, plopping down on the ground. Daryl had returned, with a pack on his back, carrying a sack in one hand and a lamp in the other; and he wasn't alone. Bethany was with him, carrying some blankets. Daryl set down his things farther from Garrett, and began making a fire. Bethany slowly and cautiously walked over to Garrett with a blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders.

"I always knew you were my favorite sibling." He said with mirth. He could make out her smile in the dim light, but it quickly turned to pity when she saw the state of the mabari.

"Poor thing. How is he?" she asked while settling down next to him

"Angry, but he was quiet until you two showed up." Daryl paused in his chore, glancing at him in surprise.

"Was he now? Did you do anything or did he get quiet on his own?" Garrett shrugged.

"I only spoke to him. I always knew mabari were smart enough to understand human speech so I figured I would just try and calm him down my talking to him."

Daryl let out a genuine smile, before he went back to gathering more sticks

"That's good. It means he's getting used to you. But just stay there for now." Garrett let out a hollow laugh.

"That was the plan." The growling stopped once more, watching the exchange in silence. Bethany sat next to him, wrapping her own blanket around herself.

"He has a beautiful coat. I've only seen mabari with solid colors." She spoke quietly.

"He isn't a pureblood hound. One of his sires must have gotten with a wolf or vice versa." Daryl answered her, giving the mabari an appraising look in the lamplight. The hound stared right back, with no fear. "He's shorthaired, so he's got more mabari blood in him than wolf. Most likely he's third or fourth generation." He pulled out some flint and steel, then proceeded to light a fire.

The two siblings could only stare in wonder at the man as he went along his business.

"You certainly know a lot more about mabari's than you let on." Garrett spoke once Daryl got the fire going.

"That's because I had one. Back in my youth." He grabbed Garrett's pole, broke it down and fed the fire. "I was a rebel, fought alongside queen Moira herself. But I was also there when she was betrayed." He settled next to the fire, his dog Sid moved to his side, and Daryl scratched his ears. "I would have been dead if it weren't for my hound Mordekai. He dragged me out of there when I went unconscious." He let out a hollow laugh, running a hand through his thin white hair. "Dragged me for three days before a sympathetic family found me and nursed me back to health." He turned to the siblings and smiled as he saw the awe in their eyes.

"A mabari is the most trustworthy friend you can ever have. Fierce in battle, smart as a man, and will never betray you or let you down." The fond smile turned into a scowl, "Which is why I wasn't going to let that bastard Tucker near this one. He isn't a patient man, and that dog could probably smell his stupidity." He reached over towards the sack on the ground, tossing it to Garrett who caught it effortlessly. "Give him some of that. He's been there most of the day and probably hungry. He seems to like you so he'll be more willing to accept it if you're the one to give it to him."

He could smell the raw meat from the sack, and the mabari could smell it too since he perked up. Garrett could see the drool forming around the hounds' lower jaw, he grinned, then pulled out a mutton leg and tossed it to him. The dog began to devour it immediately.

"Not so bad now am I?" Garrett said with a chuckle. He glanced inside the bag and saw three more mutton legs, but the dog seemed content with the current one.

He glanced back at Daryl, and he could see that the man was tired, even in the in the low firelight. "Perhaps you should head back home Daryl, you've had a long day." The old man shot a glare at him.

"Don't treat me like an Orlesian fop boy." He held up his hands in defense.

"I'm not, it's just you're not as young as you used to be. Spending the night out here isn't good for your health." Daryl was about to protest, but Garrett cut him off. "Look, I'll stay here and you can come back in the morning." He gestured to the dog, who was currently breaking the into the bone of the lamb leg. "It's not like he's going to let anyone near him anyway, so I'll just keep him fat and happy." He shook the bag of meat for emphasis. He glanced at Bethany for support, and she gave Daryl a pleading look.

"Please listen to him. He's only doing what he think is best for you Daryl."

Daryl looked as if he was going to speak, but Sid let out a soft whine, leaning in to lick at his face. The old man let out a sigh, before getting to his feet.

"Maker I've gone soft over the years…letting of bunch of children and a dog tell me what to do." He grabbed his pack and set it next to Garrett. "There are some poultices in there in case you screw up; as well as a special poultice for the hound there. Only use that on the off chance that you can actually get him free from the spring trap. "He patted Garrett on the shoulder before heading off towards the village. "Don't do anything stupid boy." He said fondly.

As Daryl walked off, Garrett gently nudged Bethany in the side.

"Go with him, and make sure he goes home and not the tavern. Then get yourself home. Mother is probably worried sick right now."

"Are you sure? I can stay here if-"

"I'll be alright. It's not the first time I slept under the stars. Besides the less people here the better for the dog, less stressful for him." she gave him a pointed look, but he gestured at Daryl again, "Get going before you lose his light. I'll be fine, trust me."

"Alright." She sighed as she got to her feet. She gave him her blanket as she gave him a brief hug, "Be careful."

"You as well."

The two were soon out of sight, and Garrett was alone with the mabari once more. Though this time the dog was focused on the bone rather than growling at him.

"Well I'm that you don't find me that tasty. Yet…" he reached into the sack and tossed the dog another leg. The mabari tilted his head to the side. "I'm feeling rather generous. Have at it." The hound let out an appreciative huff, and began to eat the leg, though at a slower pace this time.

The next several hours passed in comfortable silence, with Garrett getting up to feed the fire, and occasionally feeding small scraps to the dog. It wasn't until the moon was beginning to set in the west that he heard the dog whining softly. Rubbing away the sleep in his eyes he saw the dog trying to lay down, but the trap kept him from laying down.

"I can help you." Garrett said with a yawn. The whining ceased, and the dog was staring intently at him. Garrett pointed at the dog's leg "With your leg. But only if you let me." He said once more, meeting the hounds' gaze. "You're leg isn't going to get any better without my help, and that's all I want to do; help you." They kept staring at each other for several more seconds before the hound let out a low chuff, then tilted his head towards the trap. Garrett smiled to himself, and slowly got his feet. "I'll take that as a yes."

He cautiously made his way to the mabari's side, kneeling down to get a better look. "This is going to hurt, so don't move" he pried open the trap, and moved the trap away from the wound. The dog did as he was told, and observed Garrett in quiet curiosity. "Alright, it's off."

As soon as he said that, the dog limped away, then sat down, licking at the wound. Garrett grimaced, setting the trap aside. "That's only going to make it worse." The mabari stopped to look at him once more, as if waiting for him to continue. He had to admit that this dog was damn smart. "I can fix your leg if you let me. But I would have to touch it. Tell you what." He went back to the bag of meat, holding it up enticingly. It seemed to work, the mabari licked his chops in excitement. "I'll give you the last two pieces if you let me heal your leg. Does that work for you?"

The dog let out a short bark, his tongue lolling off to the side. Garrett chuckled as the dog hobbled towards him, so he set the bag down and laid one of the blankets down for him. The dog settled down on the blanket and Garrett fished out the last two mutton legs, placing them neatly in front of the dog. The dog happily began eating the feast set before him as Garrett started fishing through the pack that Daryl left. He saw the poultices alongside some bandages, but he paused as he went to grab them. He glanced back and forth between the salves and his hand, then decided on just grabbing the bandages.

He settled himself next to the mabari's leg "Since you're trusting me with your life I'll trust you with my secret." The chewing noises stopped, and he could see the mabari staring at him out of the corner of his eye. "I happen to be a mage, and the magic I can do is much more effective at healing your leg than a poultice. Although healing isn't my forte, I can still make it look like you were never injured." He grinned at the dog as he held his hand over the wound. "So I'm trusting you not to tell all your friends about my secret." He lightly joked.

Out of habit he glanced around the camp, making sure he was alone. He settled on the ground to get comfortable, and then gently supported the dog's leg with one hand with the other hovering over the open wound.

He inhaled deeply through his nose, closing his eyes and calmed his mind. He could feel the pull of the fade, and he carefully began drawing forth the energies needed, channeling it into his hands. A soft blue glow enveloped the mabari's leg, and he saw the wound mending itself back together. He kept the spell going for a full minute before closing his connection to the fade. The mabari's leg was fully healed, only patches of skin remained where the wound was. He reached for the bandages and started wrapping up the leg. "This is mostly for show, after all it would be strange to see an injured mabari to be completely healthy the next day." He glanced back at the dog, "You may want to get some sleep, I'd imagine being agitated and unable to move for half a day would be tiring on the body and soul."

Garrett stumbled slightly as he got to his feet, feeling a bit disorientated; it was always tiring to call the spirits for healing, especially when you have to watch out for demons. He sat down by the fire once more, grabbing the spare blanket and settled on the ground. He reached for the pack, and used it as a makeshift pillow. "You're free to do what you want, just try not to get caught in another trap." He let out a yawn, and glanced up at the sky; the darkness was receding, which meant dawn was fast approaching. He let out a sigh, then shifted into a comfortable position. "As for me, I'm going to try and get some sleep…"

The mabari's gaze never left Garrett until he was asleep, then the dog sniffed at the bandages on his leg. With one final look at the sleeping man, the dog went back to finishing what was left of the mutton legs, enjoying calm atmosphere.

"Garrett. Garrett wake up!" He let out a low groan, then attempted to get into an upright position before falling onto his back again.

"I've only gotten a couple hours of sleep. Come back later…" he felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders and gently pull him up.

"Come on, if you get home you can sleep in a real bed. Mother was worried sick all night about you. I could barely keep her from going out and finding you herself."

He chuckled at her expense, but stretched out to get the stiffness out of his muscles. Daryl was standing next to them, with a smile on his face. He glanced around the camp and saw that the mabari was gone.

"So I see you were able to free the dog without me. And not a bit on you! I'm impressed!" Garrett chuckled once more, cracking his neck to get the kinks out.

"That's me; sheep herder, weed picker, and now professional dog handler. Next on my to-do list is to become the lord of the dance. I think I can do it before the festival." Bethany rolled her eyes while helping him to his feet. "Looks like he didn't stay long after I fell asleep; but I was expecting that."

"Can't really say what a mabari thinks about. But I know he'll remem-" he went silent when the bushes rustled not far ahead of them. Garrett grabbed a thick stick, putting Bethany behind him while Daryl pulled out a crossbow, aiming it at the bushes.

It was several tense seconds before that same mabari happily trotted out of the foliage, with something in its jaws. He walked right up to Garrett, ignoring the crossbow, then placed that something on the ground in front of Garrett. The dog let out an excited bark, openly panting and tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. Bethany glanced down at what the dog dropped, then paled.

"Is that a…"

It was a dead rabbit. No puncture marks or open wounds to be seen, only a mangled back. The dog broke the poor things back with its jaw.

"Umm…Thanks?" the dog let out another bark, then nudged the rabbit towards him with him nose. Daryl openly laughed at this point, slinging his crossbow onto his back.

"Looks like he's imprinted on you Garrett." Garrett dropped the stick and bent down to pick up the rabbit by its neck.

"Odd way of telling me." But grinned down at the hound, chuckling softly. "You're quite the hunter aren't you?" he grabbed the empty sack from the mutton legs and put the hare in there. The dog's stubby tail wagged quickly, and he moved excitedly around Garrett feet. "Well if you're going to stay with me we got to lay down some ground rules. But we'll go over that when we introduce you to mother. So just stick with me for now. And no biting people unless I say so." He added at the end, to which the dog answered with another excited bark, then nudged his hand with his massive head. Garrett responded by scratching his ears.

"Looks like we'll have another mouth to feed. I hope mother won't get too upset." He heard Bethany say, though he could tell that she was already fond of the dog.

"I don't think she'll mind. It'll be like Carver's home again." She let out a snort, before trying to cover up her mouth with a hand. He teased her by pushing up his nose, making it look like a snout, then jumped away as she swatted at him. He went back to petting the dog, his grin never leaving his face. He pointed at Bethany with a thumb over his shoulder. "You treat her like you would with me. She's family, understand?" another excited bark and the dog was suddenly head-butting her waist. "And thank Daryl, he had the bandages." The dog "woofed" at Daryl, though he was thoroughly enjoying the scratches he was getting from Bethany. Garrett mussed his hair, glancing over at Daryl apprehensively. "I have to say I don't know the first thing about caring for a mabari."

Daryl bent down to grab the backpack, then threw an arm around Garrett's shoulder, leading them back towards the village. Bethany kept pace while the mabari trotted around the group, disappearing into the bushes.

"Bring him along when you come to help, and I'll teach you everything you need to know. A mabari is completely different from a normal dog, so I'll mostly be training you than you training him. but for now I wou-"

"So look who's come to grace us with his presence."

"Oh Maker…" Bethany groaned. Tucker was standing at the edge of the tree line, along with three of his friends. He looked like hell, and smelled like a dwarven brewery which meant he drank a lot last night and was still feeling its effects this early in the morning. It appeared that he gained some courage from his liquid friend, as he was unabashed at his appearance or his attitude.

"I know there's a Chasind saying of being one with the animals Tucker, but for the love of Andraste there's no reason to go that far for the pigs." Garrett lightly quipped. Tucker tensed, his face turning a lovely shade of red.

"You think you're so bloody clever!" he sneered.

"It's a wonder why you never got along with Carver, you both are so much alike it's terrifying." Garrett's expression darkened considerably "But my brother is still a 100 times the man you'll ever be. Not that he'll ever hear it from me. That'll just inflate his ego." He could see the veins in Tucker's neck pop out, and he could see his hand twitching towards his belt.

"That's enough! Both of you! Acting like a bunch of brats fresh off the teat is embarrassing at your age." Daryl cut in, causing Garrett to relax and take a step back. But Tucker wasn't ready to let it go.

"Where's the dog?"

"Right there." Garrett pointed at Sid, who barked in return.

"The mabari! Where's the mabari?" he shrugged

"Who knows? Maybe if you try communing with the pigs again they'll tell you."

Tucker reached for his belt and pulled out a small hunting knife.

"I've had enough of you and your damn mouth!" then drunkenly stumbled towards him. Before he could get within five feet, the mabari jumped from the bushes, snarling and snapping his jaws. The sound alone caused everyone to jump, and Tucker to fall backwards in terror, dropping his knife in the process.

The mabari was standing in front of Garrett protectively; his growling seemed much fiercer than last night. His muscles were tensed, ready to jump Tucker if Garrett gave the word. Tucker himself was petrified, scooting back several feet until his friends pulled him up. Garrett could help but grin to himself.

"Well…there he is. Although he doesn't look too happy to see you."

"Boy if you want to keep your life I suggest you go crawl back into your hole in the ground. This hound is still wild and the only reason he isn't mauling you is because Garrett is here! Now move you stupid gits! " Daryl shouted, which was punctuated by the mabari's barks. Tucker and his friends bolted back to town, stumbling over each other to be first. The dog's hackles lowered, and he let out one last huff before turning back to Garrett, tail wagging and all. A slow grin spread across his face before he patted the dogs head.

"I love this dog." Said dog was rather pleased with the praise, and licked his hand eagerly.

"Bloody idiots…the lot of them. Tucker's been a menace for a long time, but to actually come at you with a knife…I'll be having a word with Miriam about this." Daryl started back to the village, scooping up the knife that Tucker dropped. "You two head home, get the hound settled in. I'll come in the afternoon and we can start your training early."

"Take care Daryl." Bethany replied as he made a brisk pace back to the village. She turned back to Garrett. "Are you alright?" who was hunched down, face to face with the mabari.

"Who's a good doggy? You are!" he said with a child-like voice, in which the dog licked his face eagerly

"Garrett I'm serious! You were almost stabbed!" he stopped his babying of the dog, and got up give Bethany a reassuring hug.
"I'm alright. Carver charged at me with bigger blades than that in training. I think I'm more than qualified to handle a drunk with a knife."

"I can't believe he actually did that."

"I did break his arm." He lead her back towards their home, the dog trotting next to him.

"I thought that was Carver."

"Carver likes to think he broke his arm, but that was me."

"He begs to differ."

"Well I'm willing to let it slide this time, since we both were in agreement that Tucker needed the beating." She shook her head, though he heard her giggling softly. She motioned towards the dog.

"So what are you going to name him?" she felt him shrug

"I have no idea."

"Well you have to name him something. You can't just call him dog all the time."

Well I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.