Saturday November 29th 2008
Who: Max and Garret What: Picking up a pup Where: The local tire yard When: Saturday Afternoon Rating: PG 13
"I know you're here, little thing." Sitting himself on a large and tattered truck tire, Garret rested his elbows on his knees, looking into the dark pile of tires stacked high. He didn't know why Max was in the tire yard, the place reeked like burning rubber and sulfur and it was not a pleasant place to sit. But he had been here for the past two days, laying inside the methane flame being given off the burning pile. "Come on, Max. C'mere."
The pup had smelled Garret long before he'd arrived, but he hadn't moved. Maybe it was some coincidence that the human had shown up, maybe he was looking for one of the black round things here. But no, Garret was here for him, which probably meant Malcoda had sent him. Which meant he was going to have to go back to Hades. Well, he wouldn't. He would go someplace else where Malcoda wouldn't find him and he would get away from Garret because the human was weak and Max could outrun him. "No," he said defiantly.
Garret sighed. "I'm alone. He's not here."
"I won't go back to there. No."
"No, you won't." He paused a moment, waiting for Max to speak. He heard nothing, but he knew he had the pup's attention. "He didn't mean to scare you, you know. I think he was just scared." There was another pause, then Garret's voice softened. "Your master banished him. Because of... well, me, I guess. Because he's not the ruthless killer they want him to be."
Ears perked, brow furrowed, the little pup stared at Garret. How could it be that Malcoda was banished? He was always the master's favorite, everyone spoke so highly of him. He was what the young pups aspired to be. Maybe Alasucia had been right. Things were changing in Hades, and the master was cracking down. Nobody was safe from it. But he had seen Malcoda and his humans, and they had made Max feel warm, and happy. It was so different than being home. He liked it more. He liked being happy instead of ordered about, having people smiling at him instead of barking. He liked Rrrie, and Grit. He liked the campus. He liked his new friend Devon. And as hard as it was to admit, he liked this better than home. This felt more like a home. "Why did he hurt Rrrie?" Max asked quietly, crawling forward a little.
"He didn't mean to. He was... desperate." There was a small, confused noise from Max, and Garret sighed. They probably didn't have a word for 'desperate' where he came from. "They told him that if he brought you back, he could come home. And he wanted to go home. And he wasn't thinking right."
"But... he promised." Max whimpered softly. Malcoda had promised to keep him safe, and he hadn't. He was going to bring him back to Hades and they would kill him there.
Again, Garret sighed, his heart breaking. This kid was so sad, and so sincere in his hurt, in his feeling of betrayal. It was hard to resist wanting to hug him. "He didn't break his promise. You're still here. And Rorie kept you safe, like Mal promised."
"He wanted to send me away."
"No, no. He didn't. He loves you."
Again, little eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. What the heck did that mean, what Grit had said? And how did Malcoda do it? Was it something nice, like eating a steak? Was it something Max could do too? "Don't understand," he admitted.
"Can you just come out of there? I'm not leaving without you, and I can't go in there and get you, so just... c'mere."
Contemplating, Max hesitated a moment, then crept out of the flames. The little pup looked thin, as though he hadn't eaten in days. "Scratch ears?" he asked hopefully.
Supressing a groan, Garret nodded, waving the little guy over. "Fine. Just... come on already." Treading carefully on the tires, Max trotted over to Garret, climbing in his lap and settling himself down. The pathfinder was less than thrilled, but he let the pup sit on him, then begrudgingly started rubbing his head. "Why did you come here?" he asked after a moment.
Nuzzling against Garret's chest, Max sighed a little doggy sigh. "He can't smell me," he explained, mumbling sleepily. "Can't find me, can't smell me. Safe."
Actually, Garret was impressed. That was some pretty good foresight on the pup's part. But how could he have known to hide his smell when he didn't know how not to run head first into walls when chasing a chew toy? And then a thought occurred to him. "What were you supposed to do, down there in hades? What did they make you for?" It was the worst case of puppy mill available, hounds being bred for specific purposes and the weaker and useless ones being killed off.
"Vražda," he said simply.
Garret paused, frowning. "English, Max. Or Portuguese."
"Assassinato."
Another frown, though this one in understanding and disapproval. "Oh," he said flatly. Max was an assassin. Fantastic. At least it had given him the stealth and intelligence necessary to hide out for awhile, to get somewhere safe. "Well... you don't do that up here."
"No?" Max asked curiously.
"No. Up here, you just... do whatever small pups do. Like... run, and chew on things, and... uh..." What had he done as a kid? Stuff he wasn't supposed to, like riding mattresses down the grand staircase. "Well just don't do that, okay?"
"Yup yup, Grit." Oh this was so nice. Grit smelled comfortable, and he was warm, and he was big and Max felt so safe, and sleepy. He hadn't slept in days. "Where will I go if Malcoda does not want me?" he asked, eyes drooping closed.
Malcoda? That was Mal's real name? How... fitting. He probably would not like Garret knowing his demon name, so that information was stored for later. "He does want you," Garret said softly, giving the pup's head one last scratch before scooping him up and getting to his feet. "You're coming home, and you'll stay with me for a little bit while he... gets better." The thought of the pup in his house made Garret absolutely cringe, but what choice did he have? Rorie was too shaken to deal with a little one, and Mal was the last person Max needed to see.
"He'll send me away," Max whimpered.
"He won't. Because I'm not going to let him. So... just shut up now."
And Max did shut up, at least for awhile. Snuggling into Garret's hands, he let himself be carried back to the car, feeling happy that Grit had come looking for him. That meant Grit wanted him, and if Grit wanted him, then maybe Malcoda did too. But maybe he didn't. But Grit would keep him safe, he felt certain of it. "Thank you, Grit," he said quietly, looking up at the human as he was placed on the passenger's seat.
Garret paused, looking down at Max, at his little puppy face and his dark eyes and the sheer lucidity of his words, how he understood exactly what he was saying even though he had probably never learned this kind of thing in hades. It was hard to imagine this pup and Mal had come from the same place. It made Garret very aware that this was his influence, or part of it, the humanity of this kid. It also made him realize he was totally falling in love with the thing. "Sure," he said tightly, shutting the door.