New Puppies
Challenge: Pet

Early Summer, Year 3014 of the Third Age
The Eastfold of Rohan

"Oh, how clever they all look, Aunt Frythegith!" a young girl of nine summers exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. Her name was Elffled, and she had an identical twin sister called Elfhild. Daughters of a peasant farmer, the girls lived with their mother, father, older brother and grandmother in a thatched-roof cottage a short distance away from the village of Grenefeld. The village was located in the Eastfold of the Mark, just a short distance from the Mering Stream which formed the border between Rohan and Gondor. Elfhild was a cheerful, outgoing girl and an idealistic dreamer who was prone to fantasy and flights of imagination. Elffled, on the other hand, had a tendency to be shy and far more cynical than her twin, thinking more often than speaking.

Frythegith was the twins' aunt on their father's side, and she lived on a neighboring farm with her husband and two young children, Eadweard and Friede. Their dog had been expecting puppies, and just the night before, she had given birth to a litter of six. Now the proud mother rested upon a bed of soft, sweet-smelling hay in a quiet corner of the family's small barn, six tiny babies rooting at her white belly, greedy for more milk. Outside could be heard the cackling of chickens, the lowing of cows, and the ever-present drone of flies hovering around the various piles of manure scattered over the ground. Eaweard and Friede were scurrying about the yard, chasing chickens for sport as they made their way to the well to draw water for the animals.

"Would you like one of them?" Frythegith asked, looking to the twins. "Your uncle and I already have seven dogs as it is, and soon it shall as though we are running the thane's kennel."

The girls giggled at their aunt's words. "Well, Gamolfeax is getting old, and Father says that a new pup would bring some life to him," Elfhild remarked, thinking of her family's dog. The shaggy gray animal was older than she was, and she was going to turn ten on midsummer.

"Take a look at the pups, but do not bother them overlong - they are only a day old, and their mother has been through so much," Frythegith warned.

The girls knelt down beside the mother dog, petting her soothingly as they cautiously inspected the puppies. The pups looked much like their mother: golden to gingery brown with white socks and tails that curled over their backs. The dogs were of a common sort of breed, nothing fancy: a working beast used by the Eastfold peasants to guard their flocks and herds from wild animals and intruders. The girls glanced up as their two younger cousins came running into the barn: Eadweard and Friede had just finished their chores, and were excited to see their cousins again.

"Oh, you are looking at the puppies!" Eadweard exclaimed as he rushed over to stand beside the twins. "That one is my favorite." He pointed to the darkest pup in the litter. Eadweard was seven summers old, and was a happy, exuberant child with a face full of freckles and hair the color of straw.

"I think this one is the prettiest." Friede squatted down and petted a tan and white spotted puppy. "She is a girl, too." She looked up at everyone and giggled. Friede was five, and she had lost several of her front baby teeth, so her smile was a gap-toothed one.

"I like this little fellow the best." Elffled pointed to a chestnut brown pup with a white strip that ran from his forehead to his chest like a baby's bib.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Elfhild asked curiously, looking up at her aunt.

"That one is a boy," Frythegith replied, gently picking up the pup. The long-suffering mother dog craned her head to watch, her folded over ears pricking up slightly. "What would you call him?" Frythegith asked, smiling.

Elfhild thought a moment before replying. "Brúwann."

"Oh, that is such a boring name," Elffled grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Can you not think of a better one?"

"Well, I like it," Elfhild protested, glaring at her twin. "Gamolfaex is called that because he is gray, so why not call this pup Brúwann because he is brown?"

"I think Brúwann is a good name," Frythegith replied in that indulgent tone adults use to soothe over children's disagreements. She returned the pup to his mother and brushed off her skirt, which had particles of hay clinging to the material. "Mother Dog has had enough visitors for the time, so let us leave her in peace for a while." She looked to her son and daughter and her two nieces. "Come, Eadweard and Friede, there is work to be done in the garden, and you two, Elfhild and Elffled, need to get back home to help your parents. The children and I picked a basket of strawberries earlier this morning, and I want you to take them back to your grandmother." Frythegith's husband's mother had not been feeling well lately… She hoped that the gift would cheer the elderly lady.

"Oh, I am sure that Grandmother will like that!" Elfhild exclaimed as she gave the mother dog a final pat upon her head.

"Mayhap she will make a strawberry tart for dessert tonight," Elffled remarked, a dreamy expression upon her face. "Oh, that sounds so delicious!"

As the twins walked the short distance back to their parents' farm, they speculated upon what sort of scrumptious treats their grandmother would create from the strawberries, all the while sampling the juicy red fruits. Though there would not be as many berries in the basket as there had once been, there would still be plenty for Grandmother to use in cooking.

***

NOTES

The dog owned by Frythegith's family is based upon the Austrian Pinscher, a dog which was traditionally used upon farms to kill rats and guard the animals.