His mistress' new companion smelled of lightning without the scent of rain. That was the first thing he noticed about the man. He liked it; her father and sister had that smell. Both were gone, missing from their lives for many days and nights.

The next time he saw the man at home, he smelled of his mistress and Rabbit heard the sounds of them mating. He missed the others like him—nothing was better than a bitch in heat. But since the trip over the water, he rarely smelled another mabari, let alone one in heat. He rarely left the house, having been told to protect the one called Leandra. He thought it unneeded with the new house, but his mistress said to do it so he obeyed.

The next time he saw the man who his mistress called Anders, it was after the one called Leandra never came back. His mistress was on the bed, inconsolable. She blamed herself for her mother's death and even his head in her lap did not help. So he left her to her tears and went in search of Anders. He was the only person Rabbit knew she let into her rooms at night. Other than him, of course. Rabbit knew where to find the man in the warren. He had been there before and the place was filled with the smell of the man and illness. That's where the man must be.

He was right and the man was there. Rabbit gently grasped his robes in his mouth and sneezed at the mustiness. He resettled his grip and tugged on the smelly fabric. The man looked down at him and asked, "What is it, Rabbit?" The mabari was pleased the man remembered his name. Rabbit released the cloth and whined. "Something wrong?" He nodded his large head before tugging on the robes again. He felt Anders take a step so he let go. "Is it Hawke?" He nodded again and barked.

The lightning scented man ran and Rabbit followed him home. Rabbit had to nudge Anders into her bedroom where his mistress was still sobbing. The mage sat down next to her and put an arm around her. When she leaned into his embrace, Rabbit turned around and nudged the door closed with his nose.

###

A few days later, Rabbit slipped out of the estate. He was bored and remembered she said they would be at the Hanged Man. He knew where to find it; he had been playing Diamondback with the dwarf's relative's dogs. They owed him several sovereigns and it was time for them to pay up. He nosed the door open to find an unexpected battle. His mistress was holding her own but a man with a sword was about to reach Anders. He snarled and lunged at the man, wrapping his large jaw around the man's leg and yanked. The man fell to the floor and screamed. He guards the man while watching the rest of the battle, but no one else needed his help.

###

Rabbit heard the sadness in the man's voice when he told Rabbit's mistress about the loss of his cat. Rabbit remembered cats from his time in Lothering – small furry things that thought they were smarter than everyone else. A mabari knows better than that, of course.

The next day, Rabbit left the estate to go searching. A mabari never forgets a scent, and he remembers the characteristic smell of a cat. When they lived in Lowtown, the smell could be found occasionally, so he started there. First he went to check on his mistress' uncle, even if the man never had a kind word to say. Seeing the cranky man was fine, he hunted for cats.

After what felt like a long time, he found one. It was tiny and mewling, hiding under some stairs. Remembering how his dam carried him as a pup, he gently tried picking it up by the scruff of its neck, but it was so small it fit into his mouth. Rabbit held the cat, which he guessed must be a pup, carefully in his mouth all the way back to Hightown.

When Rabbit reached his home, he nosed open the door and went in search of his mistress' mate. He wondered when they would have pups—that's what mates were for, after all. He found the mage in the library, dozing in front of the fireplace. Rabbit deposited his passenger onto the mage and barked once. The tiny cat added its own voice and dug its tiny claws into the mage's leg.

The mage opened his eyes and reached out for the cat. The little thing was wet from its journey in the mabari's mouth and shivering. The mage picked it up and left the room, calling out over his shoulder, "Good boy, Rabbit." The mabari barked in acknowledgement.

###

The mabari waited by the door for his mistress to return, so she could see what he brought her mate. Rabbit thought she would be pleased. The door opened and she was there and scratching his ears. He led her to the library where her mate waited with the cat.

"Hawke, look what Rabbit found for me." The cat was sleeping on his lap. "I'll never underestimate his intelligence again. He must have heard us talking about Ser Pounce-a-lot." He stroked its calico fur and it started to purr.

"And you call yourself a Fereldan? You heard what Fenris said—they chose to leave the Tevinter magisters."

"What can I say? We had no mabari in the Circle. If what the elf said is true, they wouldn't want to associate with the Templars."

"Have you given any thought to a name?"

He nods and inclines his head towards Rabbit. "Considering who gave her to me, I'm naming her Bunny."