Title: Derde Naam is De Charme
Author: Jedi Buttercup
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: The words are mine; the world is not.
Summary: There had been a time, once, when Bear had not been called Bear. 1200 words.
Spoilers: Person of Interest, early Season 2
Notes: Written for thesmallhobbit, in Not Prime Time 2015. Posted elsewhere 7/17/2015. Title is (according to Google translate) Dutch for "Third Name's the Charm"; given that Bear was trained in Dutch, I thought it appropriate.
Bear pricked an ear as the sounds of tapping above him paused, then eagerly lifted his nose from the leash tucked between his paws. When the tapping only began again a few seconds later, though, he chuffed out a sigh and settled back down to wait.
There had been a time, once, when Bear had not been called Bear; when he'd run with a Handler, and his routine had been far more predictable. His current pack were very inconsistently trained, particularly the packbrother that denned at the place of buzzy lighting, bitter coffee, and stale human scents. But when Tapping Man called him Bear, it sounded of warmth and Braaf, Good, like the name Handler and his pack had used. That made it easy to respond to the new name, too.
The newest name, anyway; there'd been another word, between, that Angry Man had used for him. When Shadow-that-Bites had come to free that human's prey, he'd spoken to him in the same tone of voice he had used for 'Butcher', then given the first commands Bear had understood since Angry Man took him from Handler.
Bear hadn't needed any extra incentive to switch packs that day.
He did miss spending more time Outdoors, now. But eventually the Tapping Man would stop tapping, or Shadow-that-Bites would return from his latest ramble smelling of satisfaction and blood. Then, they would go for a Walk in the Park, or maybe a visit to one of their other packmembers. Or even a track, or a search! Something Bear could participate in.
He wagged his tail a few times at the thought, then lifted his head again as Tapping Man's chair moved, pushed away from the table and the plastic-smelling thing that made the tapping noise.
"Almost done, Bear," Tapping Man murmured. "We're meeting John in the park for lunch, remember?"
Bear picked out his name, the word Tapping Man used for Shadow-that-Bites, 'park', and a word that meant food; he wagged his tail again encouragingly, even though the words were undercut with a tone that would mean not now from anyone else. Tapping Man picked up the ball Bear had nosed onto the table, then threw it down the aisle of books behind Bear's bed, as an obvious distraction. Bear happily chased it down, but then brought it right back, dropping it at his feet and sitting in an attitude of attention.
"All right, all right," Tapping Man said with a sigh. He threw the ball again, but this time Bear refused to chase it; he shook his head, then spoke the words that meant a Walk was imminent. "I suppose we can leave early, if you're feeling energetic. Do you have your leash?"
Finally. Bear walked back to his bed and picked up the leather thing that told the other humans they met which one belonged to Bear, then waited patiently while Tapping Man attached it to his collar. He nosed the man's hand in praise, then followed happily as Tapping Man headed Outside at last, the human's tea and ozone and old paper scent spiking with pleased anticipation.
Outdoors, with Tapping Man and Shadow-that-Bites and food, had quickly become one of Bear's favorite times with his new pack. He'd been a little confused the first few days of his introduction to its members; Handler's pack had been Handler and female mate and packmates not of the same family who behaved like littermates anyway. When he'd met Shadow-that-Bites and the stern, kind female who smelled of adolescent human pup and sometimes mating scent while in Shadow-that-Bites' presence, he'd thought they were his new pack's alpha pair; but it hadn't taken him long to realize that he'd been very wrong about that.
Shadow-that-Bites had given him not to their packsister, but to Tapping Man, the one he called Harold. He'd made Bear a bed in Tapping Man's space, and continually brought things to Tapping Man: more of the tea he smelled like, food items, some of the detachable claws humans used called 'guns' and 'knives', and enemies howling their submission at his feet. And, of course, Bear. Though he sometimes came into Tapping Man's den smelling of mating with a female, it was never the packsister's scent; always, he came back to Tapping Man, marking his den with his presence.
Clearly, then, Tapping Man was the alpha of the pack- and Shadow-that-Bites was demonstrating his fitness as a mate. Bear hadn't seen any displaying or mounting behavior in response, but humans could be strange that way, and he could hear the shift in Tapping Man's tone when he spoke to Shadow-that-Bites. Yet Shadow-that-Bites still denned apart, rather than making a place for two among the old books. Clearly, the new pack's instincts were as inconsistently trained in that area as in every other; Bear was going to have to do his part to teach his packmates the proper course there as well as all the others Bear had been trying to help them with.
In the meantime, though... the sidewalk Outside was warm under his paws, and the scents of people and the sneeze-worthy stink of metal things on wheels were as fascinating as ever. Bear sniffed with abandon as they headed toward the Park, following close at Tapping Man's side; no threat scent, no enemy scent, just everything as it should be. After a little while, he started picking up leaf scent and the spoor of other dogs on the breeze as well, joined in the near distance by packsister and Shadow-that-Bites.
Bear pulled gently at the leash, encouraging Tapping Man to hurry. It wasn't one of the days where Tapping Man reeked of pain scent from old wounds, so Bear knew the battle-proven, mature alpha was unlikely to react poorly to it.
Very shortly, their packmates came into sight.
"Hello, Harold," Shadow-that-Bites said, in his quiet, firm voice. Always affectionate toward his pack, but very seldom around anyone else.
"Hello, John," Tapping Man replied, stopping a few paces away from Shadow-that-Bites and their packsister. "Detective Carter. I take it there has been a development in the case?"
Bear ignored the rest of the conversation, keeping an ear out for any words he recognized while carefully inspecting his pack. The packsister smelled mostly of the place their other packbrother lived today, and a little of her pup; Shadow-that-Bites smelled mostly of gun oil and the street scents around them. No evidence of any prizes for Tapping Man, though. Maybe he needed encouragement.
Bear chuffed another breath, then tugged hard on the leash, pulling Tapping Man off balance within arm's length of Shadow-that-Bites. Tapping Man let go the leash as the other human caught him; Bear innocently picked it up again, sitting at attention at their feet, watching carefully. But there was still no mating-like behavior; just a mildly scolding command from Shadow-that-Bites when he accepted the leash.
Bear looked up at their packsister, tilting his head. She stared back with that strange grimace that often accompanied contented or amused scents in humans, then reached out to scratch his head in acknowledgement.
"Hey, Bear," she said.
His tongue lolled out at the familiar, warm tone.
No, he did not mind answering to Bear.
-x-