Word Count » 814
He had done it, he had really done it. He had managed to figure out some very important things for Salsola and he was looking forward to being able to go back home to see his cherub. But he didn’t exactly feel right just coming home empty handed. But he supposed that that was something that he would figure out on the way home. Packing up what few belongings he had, his fingers traced over his newest scar, a mark that he had left on himself, something that he did so hope that his master would love as much as he loved his other scars. Looking back over his campsite that he had called home, his fire pit was filled in and he seemed to have remembered everything that he had to do in order to make sure that the forest wouldn’t burn down. Perhaps if he hadn’t been happy in Salsola he would have ended up in Ichika, but as it was, he was happy right where he was because it meant that he would be at home with his cherub and that was the only thing that mattered to him. No matter if his master decided that he wanted to go to another pack or if he decided to stay with Salsola, the arbiter would be with his dear master until the end of time or until he was released, one of the two. After making sure that his tracks were covered, he began to walk away, hands in his pockets with a knife in each hand, his ears swiveling in hopes to catch the sound of someone foolish enough to approach him long before they had time to do anything foolish like try to attack him.
On his way home, he became aware of a distinct…stench that was clogging up the air around him, making it difficult to breathe and he gave a little sniff of the air around him before he moved towards the scent. There, just on the far edge of his hearing was the sound of a pup’s soft, pitiful sounds. Judging from the tone, it was a young pup and because he could hear it, it meant to him that the pup was close to him, very close indeed and he gave a little frown. Why wasn’t its mother comforting him? Deciding against his better judgment to not go and check this out, footfalls carried him towards the sound that he now realized was accompanying the stench of decay, the horrid scent that it was. He peaked around a tree, holding his back against the bark and what he saw was the bloated form of a young female with a barely two week old pup by the look of it huddled against her, squeaking and giving the most pathetic of sounds. After sniffing the air to make sure that the sire was nowhere in sight, he went over to the little brown and red-spotted baby. The mother smelled of a rogue so the pup was also a rogue. Well…he wasn’t a rogue any longer. Looking into those blue eyes that were trying so hard to focus on a wobbly neck, he felt himself softening up and he knew then what he would bring back to his master and love.
Holding the pup oddly softly in one hand, he reached into his few belongings and pulled out his only blanket, a small and ratty thing, something that he had found in his time away. It had been newly washed by Janos just before he left and so he took the baby and wrapped it up gently and carefully in the blanket before he tucked the pup in one arm and stood with his things, giving a little bow to the dead mother before he turned and left, taking the little boy with him. He wasted no time in getting back to Salsola, taking his time to not jostle the young one too much. Once he got across the border, he went to one of his favorite little spots and set the pup down gently before rolling in the grass, reintegrating his body with the scent of his pack land before he unbundled the child and laid him down before gently rolling him over a bit in the soft grass. A soft little puppy whine escaped from the boy in protest and Janos scooped him up and went to where his home was with Bastion and he poked his head in, sniffing around. ”Master? Master where are you?” he called to him, a light whine to his voice. He wanted his master and he wanted him to see what he thought of the pup more importantly. He held the child gently despite the squirming, but the boy seemed to be settling down as if prepared to take a little nap, maybe even feeling safe in his new daddy’s arms.
