A Suikoden III Short. Usual disclaimers apply.

Main Characters: Muto, Tuta, Mio, Bazba and Peggi

Pairings Warning: None

Chapters Read: Thomas 1-2 helpful, up to Chapter 4

Explanation: One of the comments you can receive in the comment box refers to 'the son of the Kobold warehouse keeper'. I couldn't get the idea out of my head, so I decided to write a short-fic about the incident. Please note that I have no clue what the 'official name' of Muto's son is, so this would be entirely my interpretation.

~ * Like Father Like Pup * ~

Muto stood at his desk, tail wagging, eagerly waiting for somebody to come and request his services. He didn't care if it was to put something away for safekeeping, take something out, or even a request to accompany the Flame Champion's party for a while (though the chances of that last possibility occurring seemed slim to none). All that mattered was helping out his friends and all the newcomers to the castle -- who he considered to be his friends too, even if he really didn't know all of them quite so well as he did people like Master Thomas and Cecille and Eike and Juan and…

Actually, Juan liked to bug Muto a lot about his duties as warehouse keeper, though the Kobold didn't mind this.

'Don't you get bored?' he'd ask now and then. 'Standing around all day looking after stuff that doesn't belong to you? Don't you ever get tired of it?'

Actually the truth was that Muto never got bored. Guard duty wasn't as dull a job as the Bujitsu teacher liked to make it sound. Lots of interesting things happened, lots of stuff that Juan missed because he was usually at his dojo anyway, snoozing away between visits from trainees. Lots and lots and lots of interesting things…

The loud crash from just behind that made Muto nearly jump out of his fur, that was a perfect example.

He turned and bolted into the back room, ears perked upright and looking frantically from side to side as he searched for the source of the sound. It didn't take him long to locate it in the form of a small furry form sprawled on the ground with the remains of what had been sitting on the third shelf from the top from the file in front of him scattered around him. Paying no attention to the broken goods, Muto dropped to his knees next to the figure, pulling it upright.

"Woof! Menchi, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"It's okay, Daddy! I'm fine, woof!"

The pup grinned toothily, and Muto sighed with relief. It was such a load off his mind to see his son had survived his fall without so much as a scratch – which, unfortunately, could not be said of some of the more breakable objects that had accompanied the pup on his trip down. Oh well. Maybe Duke and his friends wouldn't need those vials of Mega Medicine B, since they always bragged about what great mercenaries they were and all…

Still, even Muto could tell when he had a slight problem. Little Menchi was the most precious possession Muto had, more valuable than everything else in the vault combined. But there was no denying that the four-year-old was a bit…

"Daddy, watch me!" CRASH! "Uh-oh…"

…Klutzy. Hopefully Borus wouldn't notice the fresh new dents in his spare suit of armor. Muto, however, was more concerned with the fact that his son had been buried underneath the heavy metal.

"Menchi!" Hurriedly digging the pup out, Muto gasped in horror when he glimpsed a spot of red forming on his left knee. "Oh, no, woof, you're hurt! Wait here, I'll get the doctor…"

"I'm okay, Daddy, it's just a scratch… Daddy?" Menchi stared at the empty space where his father had been, then at the open door to the vault. "Daddy?"

Muto tore upstairs and through the first floor of the castle, nearly bowling over Yumi, Yuiri and Dios in his haste to get to the guest bedroom-turned-medical ward. He rapped on the door three times rapidly -- it was only polite to knock before entering after all, and Muto always liked to be polite -- then flung it open, heedless of the startled cry that caused or the thump that followed.

"Hi-Doctor-Tuta-can-I-borrow-some-medicine-please?" he blurted out the instant he flung the door open. There was no sign of the doctor, only Mio, staring at the floor in front of him looking mildly concerned. "Mio-hi-wheres-the-doctor?"

"Oh… Hi, Muto," the nurse waved weakly at the Kobold. Gesturing with one hand, she added hesitantly, "The doctor is right… there…"

Muto looked down. Tuta was lying on the floor in front of the doorway, spiral-eyed. Well, that wasn't very helpful, was it? Muto briefly wondered why the doctor was spending time like that, especially when there were people -- and puppies -- that needed immediate assistance from someone like him, but the thought was pushed out of his mind by the more pressing matter of obtaining medicine for his child.

"Mio-can-I-borrow-some-medicine-Ill-pay-you-back-promise!"

"Um… Sure, but you don't have to worry about that…" Mio pointed over to a nearby cabinet, instructing, "There's some vials sitting out right there…"

A tan blur shot past her in the direction of the cabinet then streaked past again seconds later before she could collect herself.

"Thank-you-bye-bye!"

"Oh dear…" Mio blinked, then looked down at the unconscious Tuta. It looked like the doctor was out cold for the time being…

Muto skidded to a stop in front of his desk, setting the vials down. He double-blinked; something hadn't looked quite right when he ran past the Graveyard… Peeking back around the corner, the Kobold's jaw promptly dropped when he got a good look at what he'd glimpsed before.

"Whee--! Daddy, lookit me--!"

Menchi was clearly feeling better, and was happily enjoying swinging off the new perch he'd found when he'd wandered away from his father's workplace. Bazba, however, was clearly not as thrilled as the child. Considering that the kid had clambered up on his back, seized the point of his headgear and was currently swinging off of it, bending the lizard's neck back to an angle that couldn't be comfortable, he had several reasons to not share in the pup's pleasure.

"Get. This kid. Off of me," he grated, in a tone that could have sent chills down even Dupa's spine. "Right. Now."

"Menchi!"

Muto hurriedly extracted his kid from the lizard's headgear, much to Menchi's unhappiness, and backed out of striking range. Bazba grumbled under his breath while massaging his neck with both hands, glaring at the squirming puppy and his parent.

"…You should take better care of your kid," he muttered under his breath, turning his back on the pair. "He's too heavy for his size…"

Muto's sharp hearing picked up the insult, and he flinched, ears drooping. Bazba was right; maybe he did need to take better care of his kid. Were all pups supposed to be this clumsy at this age? He didn't know. Maybe Menchi's klutziness could be fixed? But how? He couldn't get him checked by Tuta right now, seeing as the doctor was sleeping on the floor last he saw him…

"Hey Mister Lizard! Can we play later?" Menchi barked, tail wagging happily.

"No!"

Bazba stomped off, while Muto perked up. The upset lizardman's sharp snap had just reminded him of something…!

~ * ~

The steady sound of hammering against steel and metal continuously rang loud and clear from the blacksmith's shop. When he wasn't working on making somebody's weapon harder, better, faster and stronger, Peggi often spent his free time forging knick-knacks out of scraps sitting around the place. Any work was good work in the lizard's eyes, and he'd been able to create some… unique things from otherwise useless oddments he'd found lying around.

However, he was always attuned to the footfalls outside, always listening for a pair to draw closer to his workplace. Peggi wasn't about to keep some customer waiting on his account, no sir…!

So it didn't take him long to react when he heard the sound of rapid approach over the familiar rhythm of the pounding hammer and the snoring from next door. Shouldering his trusty hammer, Peggi turned to greet his guest with a hearty smile and a booming "Hello…!!!"

Then he noticed exactly who his visitor was, and actually trailed off in surprise. The Kobold warehouse keeper was standing in front of his stall, balancing what looked remarkably like a miniature version of himself on his shoulder. Peggi blinked and cocked his head to one side.

"Hello…!!" There was a bit of confusion in his greeting, dampening its usual enthusiasm. "Did you bring something for Peggi to fix…!!"

"Uh-huh," nodded Muto. Setting the mini-Muto down in front of him, hands on the pup's shoulders, he asked, "Could you please hammer little Menchi here into shape, please?"

"Menchi!!"

Peggi wondered if this was like that 'Branky' weapon the girl with the bow hauled around. It had taken him a while to figure out how to sharpen the wolf-thing's claws, and its squirming and squealing hadn't helped… Still, he couldn't deny anybody the chance to strengthen their weapon.

"Sure, sure!!! Set Menchi right up here, then!!!" he invited, patting the anvil invitingly.

Muto nodded, and walked Menchi over to the anvil. Instead of seating him on the anvil right away, however, the warehouse keeper knelt in front of the pup, face to face with him, hands still gripping his shoulders.

"Okay, now, Menchi, be good for the nice blacksmith, he's going to fix it so you won't trip over your own two feet anymore," he told the boy.

"Really, Daddy?" Menchi blinked at him. "That'll be neat, woof!"

(DADDY!!!! SON!!!! WHAT THE--!!!!) Peggi thought.

"What's going on here!!!!" he bellowed, startling his guests.

"I was just telling Menchi you were going to fix him so that he won't…"

"Peggi doesn't fix kids!!!! Peggi fixes weapons!!!!!"

"What? …Oh," Muto looked considerably crestfallen at this. His floppy ears drooped. "I just thought that…"

"Hey, Daddy, what's that up there?"

Menchi scrabbled to climb up on the anvil to reach the shelves above it, but ended up banging his scraped knee against the hard surface in the process. The pup paused, looked down at his leg, then back up at the adults. Tears welled up in his big brown eyes, and he promptly burst into tears.

"Oh, no, Menchi--!"

Muto immediately dropped to his knees to comfort his sobbing son, while Peggi watched, distinctly uncomfortable. The blacksmith didn't know exactly what was going on, but understood that the Kobold had come seeking assistance. He couldn't offer what the warehouse keeper had wanted, but…

Peggi turned and reached up to another shelf, then turned back to his guests and crouched down. Muto stopped panicking and looked in confusion over at the large blacksmith, and Menchi stopped crying long enough to see what the lizard was holding.

"Now this… Peggi can fix," Peggi told them.

He quickly and expertly applied the healing medicine to the pup's knee, watching as the trickle of blood matting the fur disappeared. Menchi stopped sniffling, blinked, then flung his arms around the crouching lizard's neck.

"Thank you, Mister Peggi!" he barked joyfully.

"Thanks, Peggi!" echoed Muto, glomping his neck as well. "Woof!"

"No problem… but… could you let go…!! Peggi need air, too!!!"