AN: I'm so so sorry that I haven't updated this in so long. Different stories took priority and I had a bit of trouble with this one after I hit a block. Hope this makes up for it.
"Anyone home?" Gwen called as she let herself into the house. It was Saturday afternoon and she had just finished a shift at the care home. Arthur's car was in the driveway but he usually took Merlin to the park on the weekends. Gwen walked into the kitchen and glanced out the window. She looked out the window and opened the back door to step outside. Arthur and Merlin were in the back garden and they weren't alone. Arthur looked up at Gwen and Merlin ran over, beaming with excitement.
"Mummy! Look at what we found! We found a doggy!" Merlin said excitedly as he handed the puppy to Gwen. Gwen took the puppy into her arms and studied it. The puppy was male black Labrador and very skinny and timid. It had clearly been abandoned but only a few weeks old. The puppy timidly sniffed Gwen as she gently stroked his fur and Gwen walked over to Arthur and looked at him questioningly.
"You found him? Where?" Gwen asked.
"We found him in the park, well Merlin did." Arthur explained as Gwen handed the puppy back to Merlin.
"Merlin? What are you doing?" Arthur asked as without warning, Merlin stumbled off the roundabout and hurried towards the bin and fell to his knees. Arthur ran over and Merlin turned to him, his hands clutching something to his chest.
"Daddy look at what I found!" Merlin said and looked at him pleadingly. "Can I keep him?"
Arthur looked at the scrawny puppy. It was only a few weeks old and had clearly been abandoned. Arthur carefully took the puppy in his arms and looked at Merlin. He didn't want to upset Merlin but at the same time, the puppy didn't seem to be in the best of health. Arthur carefully shifted his hold on the puppy so that he was cradling the pup carefully with one hand and took Merlin's hand in his free one.
"We'll need to take him to the vet first. He's a baby and he might be sick." Arthur said and Merlin nodded. Arthur led him back to the house and got Merlin to sit in the car and hold the puppy carefully in his arms as he drove them to the vet's surgery. About an hour or so later they left the vet's office. The puppy had been cleared for health but needed plenty of feeding up on bread and milk to build his strength and aid his growth. Merlin spent the whole journey home happily chattering to the puppy, offering his hand for the pup to lick and sniff and by the time they returned home, Merlin was completely besotted with the puppy.
"So you decided to keep him?" Gwen asked and Arthur shrugged his shoulders as he looked over at Merlin who was running around the garden laughing as he ran around the garden with the puppy attempting to chase him.
"Merlin had a good argument for keeping him." Arthur commented and Gwen looked at him, wondering what Merlin could have said to ensure he would keep the dog. "He said that since we adopted him, we should also adopt the dog."
Gwen laughed and was also touched by Merlin's claim. Merlin had long since learnt of and accepted the fact he was adopted but she was impressed that he knew how to outwit Arthur and she had to admit, he looked so happy as he played with the dog. Arthur looked at her and raised his shoulders slightly.
"Could you say no?" Arthur asked and Gwen shook her head with a smile. They made sure not to spoil Merlin but every so often it was good to treat their son. It had been a few weeks since he had started school and he had been doing well. Elyan was full of praise at his behaviour as well as his development in his alphabet, writing and numbers as well as his friendship with Gwaine, Lancelot and Percival; claiming the boys were inseparable. They had been thinking of ways to reward him and a puppy seemed like a good gift for him.
"Merlin," Gwen said and Merlin ran over to give her a hug. Gwen lifted him into her arms and looked at the dog who was at their feet. "Does the dog have a name?"
"Yeah," Merlin replied.
"So what's his name?" Arthur asked Merlin.
"Killi-garrah." Merlin replied and Arthur looked at Gwen and back at Gwen confused.
"Kilgharragh?" Arthur repeated and Merlin nodded.
"Where did you get that name from?" Gwen asked and Merlin shrugged his shoulders and squirmed to be let down. Gwen set him down on the grass and Merlin continued playing with Kilgharragh.
"Where did he get that name from?" Arthur asked and Gwen looked at him.
"No idea, but until the dog's house trained, you're cleaning it up." Gwen replied as they stood in the garden and watched Merlin playing with Kilgharragh.