With the smooth, cool stone beneath his paws and the shimmering sky above him, Dog is happy. The air tastes sweet and fresh, and his nose is wet and twitching with all the wonderful smells. Dog missed Denerim, watching all the humans talk and run, the spices and silks and tiny humans chasing each other's tails. His human keeps pace beside him, brushing against him every so often and Dog thinks yes, scratches! But they never come. His human's hands are full, cradled around the kitten-not-kitten. Why does she touch it? It is a monster, why doesn't she see it, she kills things like that! Dog chomps on their bones when they thaw.
But the kitten is not so much of a monster, now. Dog growls in his throat, teeth bared and hackles raised at the memory. The kitten could hurt him, but not enemies, no. One nearly smushed him with one paw. And now he is curled up, sickly and sad, mewing in pain. Dog hates this sound even more than his meows, because, somehow, it makes him sad.
Night comes, and his human goes to sleep with slow, even breaths. She is unhappy because the kitten is unhappy, and that makes dog unhappy. The inn is warm and safe, his belly full and a savoury bone trapped between his teeth, but he can't shake from his fur the feeling of wrong.
And the kitten - he kitten still doesn't look happy.
It is a monster. Dog watches from the corner of his eye as he chews his bone. Bad kitty. His nose still stings from when they met. But it looks sad, too. Hurt and sad and like him at the fortress, before he met Therrin. And there was a cat there, wasn't there? A cat who licked him and growled friendly-like and rubbed against him when he was sad.
So why doesn't a cat appear for this kitten?
There is no other cat. Dog sniffs, grunting as he stands. No other cat, and the kitten is unhappy and his human is unhappy. This must be fixed. And maybe he is the only dog to do it.
The kitten doesn't stir as dog ambles over, only his soft, scarred belly rising and falling in sleep. His human healed the kitten well, but it is still in pain and scared. Like he was, so long ago. Dog settles, snuffling the little cat. Then, with a soft growl, he licks it. It tastes like blood and fur and fear, but dog licks again. The kitten awakes and cries, rolling over to face him with wide eyes.
Kitty monster! Dog freezes. Bad kitten. Don't bite. Don't scratch.
Kitty stands on shaky legs, making his way towards Dog. It stumbles, and lands between his legs with another mewl. Stupid, stupid kitten. Dog sighs. It can't take care of itself. He sniffs around its neck, gently grasping the thick scruff and lifting the kitten off his feet. Kitten is stupid monster. Kitten needs to be taught.
There is room enough for two in Dog's bed, and Dog dozes off with the kitty nestled against him. The kitten will learn. First, how to bark.