Happy to be getting some attention, the dog lay down on its side, its tail tapping against the ground which was as excited as a dog that age could get, and Cal sat a little less straight in his chair when David said he was going to stay. Although was used to living in the city now, dressed, walked and talked like the people here - most of the time - he still didn't feel like he belonged.
Part of him doubted he ever would and that part was determined to leave when he was old enough. Maybe not back to where he used to live but he wanted to live somewhere else - somewhere not in a huge city like London. Somewhere where people went about their lives without worrying about monsters and ghosts and magical things. Somewhere nice.
"Dogs are cool. Not creepy like cats or birds." Nobody ever used dogs for magic. His mum only ever talked about cats and birds when she told her scary stories.
"Even though they can be bullies sometimes," Cal added after a small pause, "and get smelly when they're old, but they're still much nicer than other pets. What kind would you get?"