(Untitled)

[hbc_dresden]

When I was a kid, I tried to convince my dad to turn a lady into a tiger. I'd seen one of my dad's (considerably more successful) magician friends do it in a show, and afterward we'd gone backstage and he'd let me pet the tiger. I was really young; this was before I found out about real magic, and it was the coolest thing to me. Not because of

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[redeem_yourself]

There are quite a lot of surprising things to see on the island. Dinosaurs, for one, and Ferris wheels. After awhile, though, those things begin to seem ordinary -- The dinosaurs? Oh aye, try to not go out that way if you can help it, like you're talking about the bad part of town instead of giant, man-eating lizards from the depths of history.

Nicholas isn't certain why a man staring at a dog in a cage is odd, when he considers where he is. But it is odd, a bit.

"Does he bite?" he asks, having paused on his way to or from the clinic. There doesn't seem much other cause for having a dog in a cage around here.

[hbc_dresden]

I heard the voice and looked up from the cage, one hand going to the back of my neck. "I don't think so..." I admitted, if only because I could swear the dog was grinning at me, and besides, if he was anything like Mouse, he wouldn't hurt a fly--well, unless that fly happened to be a bad guy. "We haven't exactly become acquainted yet."

Though I guessed now was as good a time as any, and it seemed mean to keep him cooped up in there, so I leaned down and unfastened the latch. I guess I should have expected it, but I still wasn't prepared for when the dog bounded out of the cage, leaping with all of his weight into me, knocking me down into the grass on my back.

I imagine it might have looked like the dog was eating my face, but he was actually licking it.

[redeem_yourself]

"Jesus bloody Christ!" exclaims Nicholas, wheeling backwards with all the gracelessness of the truly wimpy; he's a doctor, not a lion tamer, and considers shimmying up the closest tree until he takes note of the lack of blood or wails of pain.

The thing is licking the guy.

"Well, at least we know he's not going to bite you," he sighs, fingers pushing through his hair like he wasn't practically pissing himself a moment before.

[hbc_dresden]

In the midst of this I finally managed to shove the dog off of me, but he seemed good natured enough about it, taking to running around in circles instead.

"I guess he's glad to be out of the cage," I said. "You okay?" I added, even as I crouched down in front of the cage, reaching down to find the false bottom. The cage was raised just slightly off of the ground, with an elaborate, rounded bottom that gave the illusion that there was certainly nowhere for anyone to go but inside the cage, but I knew from experience that a small woman could easily fit underneath. There's a reason that magician's assistants are generally pretty small.

[adamant_command]

One of the most irritating effects of Adora Belle Dearheart's disappearance, Lord Asriel had found, was that it left him with an obligation to care for her oversized and thoroughly misbehaved mutt. The thing had no hope of learning any real discipline, and so Asriel endured its incessant keening for attention by ignoring it.

Most of the time, this seemed to work.

However, when the animal spotted another man and dog, her excitement flared up again and she launched herself at the cage, bounding around it and wriggling from nose to tail.

"Down!" scolded Asriel sharply, but the dog paid no mind whatsoever.

[hbc_dresden]

Still in a bit of shock from finding the caged dog there in the first place, I nearly jumped out of my skin when another one appeared out of nowhere and rattled the cage. The air was suddenly filled with the sounds of two barking dogs, one trying to get into the cage and the other trying to get out.

I looked up at the man (the other dog's owner, I guessed) helplessly. "I'm not sure if it would be better or worse to let him out."

[adamant_command]

Stelmaria rounded Lord Asriel's legs and sat down at his feet when they came to a stop, evidently more amused by the situation than her human counterpart. The monstrous puppy, meanwhile, continued bounding around the cage, sticking her snout through the bars and attempting to squeeze inside, but to no avail.

"I apologize," said Lord Asriel gruffly as he eyed his unmanageable burden. "She seems taken with your animal. If you think letting him out might satisfy her curiosity, please do so."

[hbc_dresden]

My animal? I scratched the back of my neck. I guessed he (or she, I couldn't exactly tell from this angle) was. "Well, be on your guard," I said. "I haven't exactly met this guy yet, so for all I know he could be a biter." Of course, I doubted it, not if he was anything like Mouse.

I managed to squeeze in between the other dog and the cage to unlatch it, and the huge dog came bounding out.

It was only then that I noticed the other animal standing beside the man. I blinked. "Ironically, it's usually the big cat in the cage..."