Thunk.
"Eh? What's that yer settin' down?"
Sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff
"Happy birthday, Todd."
Todd? thought the thing in question, cocking its tiny head to the side to evaluate the unfamiliar sound.
"A dog? A ruddy dog?" The complaint came from across the room, leaning against a wall, and Manchee's ears perked with interest at seeing a puppy-boy.
"Todd, you'd best be grateful-"
That name again.
"But…yer knife…"
"An almost man needs a dog to protect him, Todd, and that's that."
Todd?
The dog tripped over uncoordinated paws as it crept across the wood floor to a handsome young man leaning against a wall. Yapping softly, the dog bounded up under a callosued, tanned hand and looked up at him with wide, trusting eyes.
Todd. The word belonged to the puppy-boy with the gravelly voice and hard brown eyes.
The boy's gaze might've softened a little under the stare of the little thing, but you'd best not tell no one that.
"Eff you, Cillian," he added for good effect as he swept out of the house, taking his newfound friend with him.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The damn fence had broke again, and Manchee bounded in circles around a rather frustrated Todd Hewitt.
"Goddam it, Manchee, back!" He growled, smacking the dog across the rump. Todd stood up, stretching his arms and muttering curses when he heard the worst sound possible to the ears of a farmhand with a hyper pup-
"Todd! Fence, Todd! Todd!"
The boy in question stared blankly at Manchee for a brief second, before rubbing his temples and leaning back against a fencepost and resting his hands on his knees.
"Doesn't my life just KEEP getting better," he muttered with a sigh tacked on at the end and rubbed his face with the backside off his hand.
"Life, Todd! Better, Todd! Todd!"
"Congradulations, Manchee, you've discovered my name," he grumbled, Noise filled with sounds of annoyance and drowsiness.
With another long, weary sigh, the boy set off down the road while a little rambunctious mutt ran circles around his legs.
.
.
.
.
"TODD!" He roared, smashing into the evil man who threatened his master, his keeper, his friend.
Manchee went all teeth and claws and growls, digging into the blood-splattered face of the former preacher of Prentisstown.
He felt the man relinquish his grip on Todd, and the dog slowed his attack in satisfaction. Todd would be fine. Listening closely, he strained to hear the sound of Todd getting in the boat so he could join him. Manchee could hear rushing water and pounding feet and the sound of his name-
"Manchee?"
The dog turned his head for a brief second to smile at his Todd, his buddy and got ready to jump into the boat-
And then it moved.
The boat moved.
Todd and Viola were moving away-
"Todd?" Manchee asked, confused and hurt and scared.
"Leaving, Todd?"
"Manchee, Todd?"
"Todd?"
Within another heartbeat, the boat was around the corner and Aaron was yelling and there were hands on his throat and he was scared and wanted Ben and Cillian and Todd and Todd-
Then, with a broken, crushed yelp of Todd?, there was no more Todd and no more Viola and only blackness, dark blackness full of loss and empty.
And no Todd Hewitt.
-Fin-