Luke watched the man from mismatched eyes, torn between his go-to expression (mild rebellion) and what Lucy often referred to as his "work face". The man was about the same height as he was, but seemed quite a lot taller due to the strength and breadth of his shoulders; Luke had yet to fully grow into his own long limbs, and thus looked like something of an awkward pup compared to the older man. The man's comment about looking for a dog settled it, and Luke put on a pleasant (albeit a still decidedly "teenage male") expression as he nodded. Theoden seemed to be considering the possibilities - and there were many, really, to choose from - so Luke remained silent while the man thought it over.
Of course, Sasha decided then it was time to interrupt, but even as Luke swept up his mischievous lass his mind was turning over the various options currently available at the kennels. His mind kept snagging on one of his particular favorites, a middle-aged fellow of slate-gray that was a superb companion and retriever, but... Luke steeled himself against the "buts". He knew, had always known, that not every dog in residence would stay there, and this Theoden, the way he spoke of the dog he sought, it seemed he both understood dogs and liked them, and so the lad would probably be in good care with him. Not to mention the fact that Theoden was rather kind about Sasha's potential, or lack thereof.
"Oh, sorry," Luke said, juggling Sasha a bit to offer a hand to the man. "I'm Luke, and yes, I'm an apprentice here." He almost added the bit about having potential of his own, but felt that might be a bit more braggartish than he liked to appear. "The kennel master's away, but I can help you. I mean, we can always wait for him if you wanted, but I think I might have a good dog for you. Uhm, hold on just a moment."
Luke set Sasha down again, and though she was still obviously curious about their visitor, she plopped her bottom on the ground and looked at Luke with adoration in her brown eyes. "Sit," he said, and then rewarded her with a piece of meat from the special pouch at his waist. Sasha gobbled the treat and, apparently not associating the command or the treat with her action, popped to her feet to follow after him as he started off. Sighing and shaking his head a bit, the boy ventured down a row of kennels until he reached Indy's cage. As always, the laid-back lad lifted his head, thumped his tail twice in greeting, and waited patiently for Luke to open his door and give the command before stepping daintily from the cage. Sasha instantly covered the older dog in puppy kisses, wiggling about while Indy gave her a polite sniff in return. He followed Luke just a few steps behind, and out of the way (a procedure Sasha had yet to figure out, as proven when she nearly tripped Luke on the way back).
"This is Little Indian, but we call him Indy for short," Luke said by way of introduction. Hearing his name, Indy plopped his bottom to the floor and offered a paw, his expression rather gentlemanly. His tail thumped the ground again, but compared to Sasha (who was now desperately trying to get his attention) he looked rather steady and handsome. "His master passed away a few months ago, and willed him to the kennels," Luke said, his voice a bit low (almost as if he was afraid Indy would hear and become upset). "He was bred to retrieve, and he's from one of the best lines in Shaman, plus his old master did a lot of work with him. He's steady and loyal, with a lot of patience." Luke glanced at the dog - who was now patiently allowing Sasha to tug at his flopped ears with the long-suffering expression of an uncle being harassed by a particularly exuberant child - and cleared his throat. "As you can tell..."
"If he's not what you're looking for I have a few other ideas, but Indy's really a great fellow. He's not so old you'll have to worry about losing him any time soon, but he's done with his wild years, and he's one of the smartest pups I've ever met." |