The hellhound's tail thumped harder against the ground at the sound of Harper's voice, sending another shower of fiery wisps through his thick black fur. His enormous pink tongue lolled out in a happy grin as he gazed up at them adoringly.
Nathan ran his fingers through hair, mussed from trying to wrestle the oversized puppy. "If being distressed makes the fire stuff appear in his fur..." He swallowed hard. "I really don't want to see what happens when he gets angry."
"If he were angry, you'd see full-on flames." Kayja's voice was laced with humor, filling the night air as she grinned at Nathan, her pointed teeth gleaming in the porch light. The sight made Beth's breath catch - there was something both beautiful and terrifying about the demoness's smile.
Kayja's expression softened, her gaze fixed on the puppy still sprawled in the snow.
"As for being distressed..." Kayja stroked the pup's head affectionately. "He's not in his own dimension, or plane, if you will. The underworld is a very different type of place." Her voice softened, carrying a note of sympathy. "Plus, he's young enough to still need his mother."
Whisper stirred restlessly in Beth's mind, responding to the distress of a young creature separated from its pack. The thought made Beth want to wrap her arms around the enormous pup. Despite his size and supernatural nature, he was still just a baby. No wonder he'd been drawn to Nathan and Harper's love.
Nathan glanced around the quiet suburban neighborhood, his expression anxious. "Maybe we should go inside." He shifted his weight, the climbing rope still hanging slack in his hands. "Before someone notices the, uh, wings. Or the flames."
The moment Nathan opened the front door, the hellhound bounded inside with enough enthusiasm to make the whole house shake. His long tail with its feathery black fur knocked over an umbrella stand as he attempted to investigate every corner of the entryway at once.
Beth hurried in after him, not wanting to miss any of Kayja's insights about their unusual visitor. The demoness followed, her wings somehow passing through the doorframe without touching it. The sight made Beth's eyes hurt as she tried to understand how that was possible.
"Please, sit." Kayja gestured to the couches with an elegant wave of her hand. "Let me see what our young friend has to tell us."
The demoness crouched down beside the enormous puppy, who immediately stilled, his ears perked at attention, his entire body quivering with barely contained energy. Grating sounds rolled from Kayja's tongue, making Beth massage the spot just in front of her ears as the vibrations created a dull ache. To her amazement, the hellhound responded with a series of low whuffsand rumbling sounds, tilting his massive head as if truly engaged in conversation.
"Did you just... talk to him?" Beth leaned forward, unable to contain her curiosity. "And he answered you?"
Kayja's lips curved into that pointed-tooth smile that was both beautiful and unnerving. "Hellhounds are far more intelligent than Earth's animals." She scratched behind the puppy's enormous ears, earning a happy puppy groan. "While we cannot have detailed conversations, they can certainly communicate rough ideas and concepts."
The hellhound woofed again, his tail thumping against the floor hard enough to rattle the coffee table.
"See?" Kayja's eyes swirled between green and blue as she regarded the puppy with obvious fondness. "He may be young, but he understands far more than you might expect."
Fascinated, Beth watched as the demoness as she spoke in that alien sounding language again. The hellhound immediately dropped into a perfect sit, his tail still wagging enthusiastically despite his otherwise perfect stillness. More of the ruby embers danced through his thick black fur, creating tiny scorch marks on the hardwood floor.
"Sit," Kayja said clearly in English, her voice infused with command, emphasizing the word. She glanced at the puppy, who remained perfectly still except for his wagging tail.
Another string of otherworldly sounds rolled off her tongue, and the hellhound bounded to his feet, nearly knocking over a side table in his excitement.
Kayja turned to Harper and Nathan, her eyes flickering from green to blue, then back again. "Now you try. Tell him to sit."
Nathan stepped forward, gripping the climbing rope leash nervously. "Sit?"
The hellhound's enormous head tilted to one side as he stared at Nathan, his tail swishing back and forth. Then, toBeth's amazement, the puppy lowered his hindquarters to the floor in a perfect sit.
Beth couldn't help grinning as Harper's shoulders slumped with relief.
"Oh thank God," Harper breathed, making them all laugh.
The hellhound's tail thumped harder against the floor at their laughter. His enormous pink tongue lolled out in a happy grin as he gazed up at them adoringly, but he held his sitting position.
Kayja's rich laughter filled the room. "Now, let's try 'down.'" She demonstrated the command first in the gravelly demonic language, then in English. The oversized pup immediately flopped onto his belly, though his tail continued wagging enthusiastically.
The demoness ran the pup through more commands - "up" and "come" - having Nathan and Harper practice each one. The hellhound responded perfectly every time, his entire body quivering with barely contained excitement as he obeyed.
"He's a quick learner," Kayja praised, scratching behind the puppy's enormous ears. "He already knows the commands, of course, he only had to learn to recognize the English.
She had another short incomprehensible conversation with the pup, then returned her attention to Harper and Nathan, indicating the patio door with a tilt of her head. "He'll let you know when he has to go out."
"How long before we need to feed him?" Tyr asked. "They'll need to arrange something with the butcher."
Kayja's eyes swirled between green and blue as she regarded the puppy. Those otherworldly words rolled off her tongue again. The hellhound responded with a series of low whuffs and rumbling sounds.
