Note to readers,

This fic seems to have short chapters, ah well it's easyer writing, and after my philosophy final I kind of need something easy to work on. Because I am writing this does not mean I've given up on Shards, I'm just taking a few days break from it becasue Shards is so draining to work on and after a 20 page in-class final on good and evil that I did yesterday I still am drained. So I'll be focusing on this fic for a span, and don't worry this isn't a pointless drizzle fic, it will follow the structure of a normal story. So yes there will be some excitement, though I doubt any fighting scenes on par to DES. Oh and all review responses are now on the bottem of my stories ( at least for this fic). Warning Noishe POV attempted mid chapter.

Kasan

Chapter 2

Understanding

His breath steamed in the air, let out a small puff of white cloud. He shivered, scared and worried, but not for himself. It had been a handful of months, time seemed to fly when you were chasing a youngling around day in and out. It had been winter when he'd found the boy, it had been the beginning of the cold season, a time filled with icy rains and yellow grass. Now it was the beginning of spring, or it was supposed to be. The crown of the thane hung over heaven, the diamond crown of wisdom and light were what the sages of his people called it. Human's called it Martel's crown, as did his boy. His boy who was supposed to be tucked in a nice warm bed in this all too cold night and not outside! Stomping and muttering white clouds that were all too pure for the words he used Dirk stomped to the mess of boards and posts that served as the dog's new house. Too many nights of yalps and squeaks, too many nights of tussling had kept him up and he'd had enough. It was the one thing he'd done that had set his charge to tears, and even tears would not sway him. No one was getting enough sleep with that dog pouncing Lloyd all hours of the night, and since it had been proven the dog couldn't behave itself a little pen had been made for it outside. For the first month every single night he'd hear Lloyd sneak outside, he'd gone after him, dragged him back inside and the boy seemed to get the idea he was supposed to stay in bed at night. He'd been good for the last two weeks, spending and hour or so with the dog before turning in then staying in bed through all the dark hours. Tonight, of all the cold and chilly nights, why'd the boy have to now act up and go outside? He was going to get sick in this cold, and knowing him he'd again forgotten coat, blanket, and boots. Dirk had come armed with all three, tromped across half green half frozen grass and went to the stall a few scolding words on his lips.

Hearing his approach the creature in the pen whined and draped it's huge head over the side of it's home. It stared at him blearily as if it had just been woken up. That froze Dirk in his tracks, he scanned the shadows around the pen and did not see the boy, and in building panic even opened the door to the animal's pen and looked inside. There was no hint of Lloyd, and catching the dwarf's panicked search Noishe whined. He strolled out of the pen, sniffed at the air then calmly trotted off to the other side of the house. Baffled Dirk followed and as he passed the locked shed that served him as a smithy and rounded the corner.

And they found Lloyd, and where he was set the dwarf's stomach and heart to clenching.

He lay, asleep, having forgotten coat, boots, blanket, or tunic, at the base of a stone. It was a stone Dirk had been working on, a project that he'd set himself to though he wasn't sure if it was right. He'd spent a long time mulling it over, then finally had asked the boy if it would be alright since he was the only surviving kin. Lloyd had, after understanding a concept that left most others uncomfortable, agreed. He had said in a small somber voice that he'd "be able to visit Mommy lots now" and with that permission and encouragement Dirk had set to carving the stone into a grave. It wasn't where the poor lasses body lay but Dirk was not taking Lloyd to the edge of the ranch, it would be best for the sake of safety to have the grave here.

And that thought had been wise, the part that wasn't hurting now saw it, that thought had been very wise.

Small hands draped around the stone, his cheek was pillowed on cold stone and his wild brown hair had fallen into his face. By the starlight he could see tracks running down the boy's cheeks, wet tracks that looked silver in the light. His legs were tucked under him, and even in sleep he shivered and looked horribly lonely. Quietly setting the boots and coat aside Dirk went to Lloyd, he was limp, cold, and did not wake up even as the dwarf wrapped him in the blanket and carried him back to the house. He could not manage stairs and boy, so he took the child to his room and tucked him in his bed. Through it all Lloyd slept, muttered something in his sleep, then rolled over.

"Poor lad," Dirk pushed aside a strand of dark brown that obscured his charge's face. "My poor lad, time will make it stop hurting, I promise."

And as if to respond Lloyd rolled away from the touch, a subconscious denial of the dwarf's words. Gulping down on that annoying lump that gathered in his throat from time to time Dirk slipped out of the room, and left his boy to what sleep he could find on a dwarf's bed.

Xxx xxx xxx xxx

"What are you doing still out, in the ca- errr pen with you!" Dirk waved his hands at the massive silver and green dog who had taken Lloyd's place at the grave.

Noishe only looked up from staring at the half carved rock, and it was to the dwarf's surprise to see tears run down that great furry face.

"I'm sorry lad," Dirk stuttered, shocked by the emotion on the animal's face. "She must have been something special to you eh?"

"Whine..." Noishe's ears drooped and he went back to staring at the grave.

"Did I do wrong to take the lad in, to make this grave?" Dirk whispered, he came forward, stroked the side of the stone that was still warm from Lloyd's touch. "If I have will you forgive me? I took your child, you were dying and you told me to, and now I raise your little boy and don't even know your name yet I owe you all of this. I... I don't think your man is coming back for the boy, it's been too long...If it were my boy I'd have come even if both legs were broke and I was wounded that wouldn't have stopped me and if your man was anything like your boy then I'd say the only way he was stopped is if the Desian's that killed you killed him. How do I tell him that, that his pa is dead? Should I or wait until he comes to that idea himself? "

Dirk sighed, sniffed at a winter laden breeze that whispered around him and chuckled at himself.

"Superstitious star chasing dwarf." He grumbled at himself with a slight smile on his lips. "She aint there, she's gone to Gnome now, or where ever humans go when gone... Just a rock... and you you're just a dog!" He growled, whirling on the massive hound. "A dog who should be in his pen, now go! Inside with you, you catch a cold from cuddling a rock and my boy will skin you and me both alive."

Noishe stared at him for a long time, met his eyes and a chill ran down Dirk's back, the look the dog was giving him was at best described as unfriendly. But the dog did get up, arched it's back and let out a tremendous yawn as it found it's paws. Before leading though the dog rubbed his face against the grave, a doggish caress Dirk guessed, then wandered out of the dwarf's sight. There was the sound of a door opening, and not the pen's door, that made Dirk run back to his house. He got there just in time to hear the door's lock click closed. After a moment of banging on the door the dog strolled to a window, those flat unfriendly brown eyes glared at him from behind the glass panel, then the dog turned his head and stared at him with a thread in those jaws.

"Don't you dare!" Dirk howled, fighting with the door and giving the dog a good of a death glare as he was getting.

The thread was tugged and the curtain closed. And every curtain on the ground level was closed in the same manner. Desperate the dwarf tried to open one of the windows and crawl through, and he'd be damned that dog locked all of them too. Shivering, cold, miserable Dirk stormed to the grave, snatched up the boots and coat then snarling a few curses, and since it was the only shelter he had he went to the pen. It was a long cold and miserable night for Dirk, a very long cold and miserable night, and he spent it wondering if there was some way he couldn't get rid of the mutt.

Xxx xxx xxx xxx

"Faster Noshy!" Lloyd his sides a firm tap. Needing no other prompts Noishe ran around the clearing around the house. He dodged this way and that, ducking under the close line and barking with cheer as his rider squeaked at the multi colored garment that hung ghost like in mid air. The ride ended with a whine and squeal as both of them went flying into a grassy patch of ground. A series of loud clangs and hisses from the smithy told the two who were at play that Dirk was yet again working on some random project, they paid no heed though since they were both banned from going anywhere near the place. So Lloyd took his energy out on Noishe, and they both ran around tagging each other or in whirlwind rides that always made "Mr. Dirk" go very pale and make him shake.

Noishe always made a point of doing these rides when Dirk was watching, when he was taking a break from his work and wanted to relax. The dwarf with a mutter would go back into the nice comforting inside of the smithy and leave them alone after watching one of those rides. It was petty he knew, stupid even, but they could spend a lot of time without the dwarf's company and that was what Noishe wanted. He fought down a growl as he heard the dwarf walk over to them, managed a bark instead that while friendly sounding did nothing to warm his eyes. He whined with true feeling behind it when Lloyd stopped petting his belly and turned to the dwarf.

"Do you ever play any normal dog games with your dog by any chance?"

"No." Lloyd looked confused, but Noishe had a faint inkling where this idea was going and didn't quite like it. He would have run off, braved the monsters of the forest if he'd seen a leash or any slip of leather that resembled a collar, as it was the stick in the dwarf's hand was not very comforting.

"Fetch, fetch is a normal dog game. You take this here stick and give it a throw and the dog goes after the stick and brings it back."

"And?" Lloyd looked like he wasn't getting it at all.

"Well you throw the stick again and he fetches it back to you."

"That sounds boring, Noshy rides are funner."

Noishe barked his agreement, and licked Lloyd's head in gratitude.

"Smart dogs like fetch." Dirk said with a evil look on his face.

So this was payback for last night hmm. Fine he could play that game too. Noishe whined, barked, and then snatched the stick from Dirk's hand. The dwarf managed to put up a struggle, held onto the stick, but a sharp shake on Noishe's part made Dirk lose his grip and fall to the earth. The dog then jerked his head as sharply as he could and set the stick to flying, he barked, shoved on the downed dwarf with his paws and Dirk staggered a few steps after the stick against his will. Wagging his tail Noishe met the short creature's eyes then winked.

Lloyd of course was laughing, which was what Noishe had really wanted to get anyways.

"Silly Noshy, you're supposed to chase the stick not make Mr. Dirk chase it!"

Noishe managed a whine that sounded as unapologetic as he felt and Lloyd went back to giving his belly a rub. Dirk only grumbled, went after the stick, and took it and his wounded pride back to his smithy and went back to work.

Xxx xxx xxx xxx

It was war, a war for the boy's time and Dirk realized that he was losing, and losing badly. He had access to the boy every meal, at night and in the very wee hours of the morning. But that dog had him every other second. Lloyd was nice enough to him, was polite, good natured, but nothing more then that. He still went to the dog when lonely, scared, every nightmare, every time he missed his family he would hear those little feet slip outside. It was hard to admit, hard to take, but Dirk was jealous. He wanted the boy to come to him, he wanted to be there for the lad, but Lloyd did not see him like that. Noishe was Lloyd's family, his only family, and he wasn't opening himself up to anyone else.

Dirk knew he didn't know much about humans but what he did know was that the boy was doing himself no good by only opening himself to one person. And the dwarf didn't quite see Noishe as a person, he wasn't he was just a very sneaky dog. Grumbling to himself Dirk set aside the bowls from dinner, and glared at the huge green and silver dog. It was raining, and Lloyd had gone so far as to yell, to keep the dog indoors tonight. Dirk had folded, grudgingly, and while Lloyd went to bed in his room dog and dwarf were trapped with each other in the living room.

"Don't you bite me mutt, don't you growl, or bark, or out you go." Dirk warned, waving a finger at the massive creature that if it sat on him would probably crush him.

Noishe only glared at him, then found his paws and took himself to the far corner of the room. Satisfied there would be no trouble from that one Dirk walked to his long table that was covered with wood and nails and odd and ends and went to working on the jewelry box for the local high priestess Phardia. He'd finished with the box itself, it was sturdy, of that he was sure, now all it needed was some decoration. He frowned at the grain of the wood, tried to figure where best to start, then finding that spot he wanted Dirk set his small carving knife to the maple and went to work. It was only two hours later when he heard the ladder smash down into the stairs.

So soon? Lloyd had only had a nightmare two eve's ago! Dirk frowned and shook his head, setting tool and craft aside waited. Noishe did not wait, he got to his paws and went to the stairs, taking them with a soundless grace that was sur-real. There was a sob, a whimper that came from a human throat and it was then Dirk scooted out of his chair. He worked his way up the steps, and came to a sight that made his heart ache. They stood on the landing, Lloyd had his hands wrapped around the dog's mane and was sobbing like a lost thing into the beasts chest. A soft sound, a kind of hum and rumble came from the dog's chest, a cooing. Noishe worked a paw around the lad's shoulders and awkwardly swatted the boy in an attempt to hug? Impossible, it was a dog, not a human, it wouldn't understand...

And yet Noishe did, it seemed as if the dog understood better then the dwarf.

Shammed Dirk flushed, considered giving them privacy.

As he had all the times before, as he merely lay in his bed eyes opened wondering if it was his place to intervene, to intrude. He could do that, just stand and watch, or he could try to do something of his own. He had made an offer, a promise to the child, and lying in bed, turning away, that would be breaking his word.

"Shh lad, it's alright, there aren't any bad people here, it's just me and your dog."

He stepped forward, and that landing became very cramped but he managed to get his arms around Lloyd. Noishe didn't so much tower over them as press around them, and for one fleeting moment Dirk wondered how in Gnomes name they were going to get off of this little landing, but that thought soon dissolved as he continued to hold the child and felt those tears came out.

"Shh lad, you're safe here with us... Shh no more tears."

Lloyd hic-upped, and the tears did slow, did stop. He rested his head on Dirk's shoulder and sniffled.

"You want to tell me about it, talk?"

Dirk felt Lloyd shake his head, felt it as he felt the wild heart beat. The boy was pale as a ghost, his face pinched with terror. Dirk would not demean what the boy felt by calling it fear, it was beyond fear, almost hysterics.

"You feeling a bit better now?"

Lloyd nodded, and Noishe worked his huge head around to lick away the tears. Lloyd giggled, patted the dog on it's huge head then looked at Dirk. It seemed as if he didn't quite know what to do, like he'd never been comforted by a person before. Dirk almost protested as he too was patted but bit his tongue and with a hug set the boy on his way. Dog and dwarf were alone on the stair way, they both watched the ladder disappear into the boy's room then looked at each other. Noishe squirmed, nearly crushed Dirk into a wall in his haste to get away from him. A silent hop, and the dog seemed to glide down the ten steps that separated landing from floor. He turned looked back to him, and perhaps there wasn't so much hostility in those dark eyes.

Well it was a start, Dirk told himself as the dog turned away from him to go back to it's corner. It wasn't much but a start. But that's how starts were.

ReveiwResponses

MoonCannon: Thanks, Lloyd is really silly isn't he? He gets more so in this chapter and a few up comming ones as well.

Ark Navy: Thanks.. I haven't seen any other Dirk Lloyd bonding fics actually, guess it wasn't as original an idea as I thought. Lloyd is starting to pick up on Dirk's word usage, you notice how Dirk makes references to his Pa? Well Lloyd is picking up on it and playing with the word like all little kids tend to do.

GameCubeGirl1: No it's not a deversion, it's a break and a fufilment of a promise. Don't worry I will be putting up more of Shards, it's just going to get harder for me to do so as time wears on and I have mroe then one class to attend. At worst I imagine I'll be updating my profile once a month during the fall semseter. I've got a forign language, english, science, and creative writing class all at once next semester so I'm going to be very busy, as it is I was working on finals last week for my philosophy class and that's why I was not updating. You'll have to be patient with me alright? I have several other obligations I need to keep on top of.

Eevetta: Thanks, I think Noishe takes the cake with this chapter making Dirk play fetch personally.