A King among Canines

By FantasiCat

Disclaimer: The world and characters of Sorcery 101 belong to Kel “Kell Hound” McDonald. I’m just playing with them for awhile; I promise to put them back when I’m done.

A forlorn figure stood on the street corner attempting to light a cigarette. He sighed as the pouring rain extinguished his lighter for the third time and gave it up as a lost cause. Looking up at the oppressive clouds, Daniel Gunn, Prince of Terra, sighed ruefully as he contemplated the mess he had made of his life.

“I’ve alienated my best friend at the time when he needs me most, I’m married to a woman I can’t stand, I’m first in line for a throne I don’t want, and I can’t even have a smoke to make myself feel better because it’s fucking raining,” he muttered, sliding down the nondescript brick wall to sit staring at his hands. “My life sucks.” A sudden sharp clatter from his left caused him to jerk his head up in alarm, heart slamming in his chest as he was unceremoniously jerked out of his self-pitying reverie.

A small black dog with dirty, matted fur scrounged for food in a trashcan a few feet away. Danny laughed at his overreaction, causing the dog to look up and peer at him, tilting its head to the side in curiosity. “Don’t mind me, little guy. I’m just a loser moping in the rain,” Danny informed the dog, who continued to watch him solemnly. Suddenly, the dog shook himself—futilely, since the rain continued unabated—and trotted over to him and sat down. “I don’t have any food for you,” Danny said regretfully. “You should go find some before another stray beats you to it.”

The dog kept looking at him, placing a paw on his leg in what appeared to Danny to be a gesture of comfort. Here he was sulking about his horrible life, when as soon as he got tired of being cold and wet he could go home to warm, dry clothes and a hot meal, and this mutt, who would continue to be wet and cold until it stopped raining and even then probably would go to bed without dinner, was giving him what little reassurance he could. The poor dog was acting like more of a prince than Danny ever had in his life. Touched, he patted the little dog’s head. He accepted it with a doggy grin, tongue lolling out of his mouth, dispelling the aura of dignity that had surrounded him throughout the exchange.

Danny made a decision. “Come on, little one,” he declared, picking up the dog. “Let’s go dry off and have some dinner.” And then, he resolved, I’m going to call Brad. It’s time to stop brooding about my mistakes and start trying to fix him. The dog licked his face as the he and the prince strode off into the night, both of their lives changing for the better.