Snapshot Nine: Puppy

Game: Awakening

Outtake: No relation

Summary: The Exalted family comes home after the Valmese war to find...there's a new addition to their family...?

Note: Inspired by my own two rambunctious fluffballs (seriously, my dogs are the fluffiest, softest, and cutest dogs around, and for those of you curious, they are Havanese, otherwise known as Havana Silk Dogs). Early morning walks with said fluffballs at the beginning of summer as well as their daily antics brought this one...

So enjoy!


The war had been long and hard, and the Exalted family was happy to be home. Chrom and Silver were eager to be reunited with their not-so-newborn baby, while their time traveling children merely marveled at the sight of Ylisstol's palace. As they entered the foyer, though, they received a surprise in firm of scrabbling paws on the hard marble floor.

A puppy flew into the room, yipping and waving its tail. Quickly following it was the palace's steward. "My lord, I am so sorry!" he apologized. "Buddy, sit!"

The dog obeyed, though it wiggled in place with excitement, its tail still going. Lucina, a nostalgic look on her face, crouched in front of it, letting it sniff her hand.

"Where'd a dog come from?" Silver asked. She, too, allowed the dog to sniff her hand.

"The dog is the runt of a litter, my lady, and he took immediately to her highness, the princess. We couldn't possibly get rid of it once we saw the bond between the two. It seemed cruel to deprive her highness of the friendship while you were away." The steward glanced at Buddy, who was enjoying a nice rub behind the ears courtesy of Lucina. The older princess had buried her face in the dog's soft head fur. "He's pretty much house trained at this point, so no need to worry for accidents, but we can send him back to the kennel if you do not want him in the palace."

Silver, Lucina, and Morgan, who had joined in stroking the fuzzy canine, all looked up at Chrom, their expressions reading the same thing. Chrom laughed. "He can stay."

The young Exalt joined his family next to the puppy, who was blissfully offering his belly for rubs, tail still wagging. Another few minutes flew by, until another door opened, admitting the young princess of Ylisse and her caretakers. She toddled towards her parents, who immediately started cooing over the fact that the little girl they had left here was now walking – she had only started to crawl when they had left all those months ago. Buddy, too, went to greet his young human, leaving the two time travelers smiling at the sight of their family.

Morgan glanced at his sister. "So Buddy is special…" he began.

Lucina nodded. "Sometimes I forget you've got amnesia. He was our dog, the only comfort we had when Mother and Father…" She trailed off and shook her head. "Of course, dogs don't live forever, and he died a year or so before things got really bad and we had to time travel." The princess shook her head, her eyes filling with sadness. She sighed.

Morgan wrapped his arms around his sister. "Don't forget you have us now," he said. "We've got a second chance. Mother and Father won't let Grima destroy the world."

"I know." She smiled as Buddy came back over. The dog went straight past her hand – which she had extended to stroke his head – and licked her face, his paws on her shoulders in his attempt. Lucina fell backwards, laughing, but made no attempt to stop the dog from licking her.

Morgan watched, grinning. "Dang, sis, I don't think I've seen you laugh so hard before." He laughed as Buddy slipped off Lucina's shoulders, only to pop back to his paws, ears askew.

"So, why "Buddy?"

Lucina grinned and gathered Buddy into her arms so she could cuddle the fluff-ball again. "It's because that's about all I could say, or so the story goes. They took my baby talk and made it into something understandable." She laughed again as the dog licked her face.

Morgan smiled. "Dogs are great stress relievers. We should have some in camp when we start marching again."

Lucina could only nod.


Author's note: By the way, I'm writing again. True, most of it's on my phone, but the fact is I'm writing. Snapshots shall live on!


Published 11/19/2014