Page 27 of Sun Warrior

O’Bryan nodded. “Yep. Rose’s Fala is their mother. Here, take one. They’re friendly.” He pulled one by the scruff of her neck from inside his shirt and handed her to Sora.

She took the pup automatically. Then Sora just stood there, holding her by the scruff of her neck as she kicked her four little legs and started to whine in complaint.

“It doesn’t like me.” She tried to hand the pup back to O’Bryan.

“Shedoesn’t know whether to like or dislike you. Don’t dangle her like that. It’s okay to pick them up by their scruff when they’re young, but not particularly comfortable for them to be held that way. She needs to feel secure. Hold her close to you. Like this.” O’Bryan demonstrated by pulling another puppy from inside his shirt and then cradling it, infant-like, against his body.

Sora looked up at him, her expression clearly saying that she wanted to toss the pup back to him.

“Go ahead, Sora. Hold her close. I want to see what happens.” Isabelhad quietly come to stand a little behind Sora and was peeking over her shoulder at the wriggling puppy.

With a sigh and a stifled cough, Sora cupped the squirming little creature in her hands, holding her close to her body as she would a baby. The pup instantly quieted and then turned her little face up, sniffing curiously at Sora.

Sora sniffed back at the pup. She glanced at O’Bryan in surprise. “It smells nice.”

“Yes,shedoes,” O’Bryan said.

“Does she have a name?” Isabel asked.

“No. Or rather, yes, she probably does know her name already, but we won’t know it until she chooses her Companion. Then her new Companion will announce her name to the Tribe.”

“When do they choose?” Sora asked, ready to give the puppy back to O’Bryan if he said she was ready to choose anytime. The last thing she needed was a baby canine to look after!

“Pups begin choosing their Companions right around the time they’re weaned.” Seeing the question mark expressions on the two young women’s faces, he explained, “That’s usually when they’re about eight weeks old. They rarely choose that early, though. And also usually no later than when they turn six months old.”

“How old is she?” Sora asked, running her finger down the soft fur of the puppy’s back.

“Almost two weeks old. Her eyes just opened not long ago,” Davis said.

“Puppies are born with closed eyes?” Isabel asked.

“Yep, they are,” O’Bryan said.

“And this little canine will really tell a person her name?” Isabel seemed more intrigued than shocked as she slowly reached out a finger to stroke the top of the puppy’s head.

“Oh yes, absolutely,” O’Bryan said.

“You mean,she’ll talk?” Isabel said the last words in a voice hushed with shock.

“Sort of—but not aloud. When she chooses her Companion, they’llshare a bond that’s more intimate than mere words,” O’Bryan explained.

“I’m not surprised. Rigel tells Mari all sorts of crazy things. Do you know that creature is absolutely insane about leather balls? Mari started making these strange ball-things for him because he loves chasing them so much. I asked her how she knew he’d like them, and she saidhe told me he would.” Sora looked pointedly at O’Bryan. “So you’re saying that’snormal?”

O’Bryan’s smile was genuine and warm. “Completely normal.”

Sora thought he wasn’t too terrible looking for a Tribesman, though he was awfully tall and blond—which was weird, but she’d already started to get used to the physical strangeness of Companions because of Nik.

“May I hold one?” Isabel asked tentatively.

“Of course!” O’Bryan was pulling another pup from his shirt when Rose and Fala joined them.

“Is there something wrong with the pups?” Rose was at O’Bryan’s side in an instant, running her hands over the pups he was holding and eyeing the one Sora was still holding—awkwardly—as Isabel ducked her head and began to turn away.

“The pups are perfect,” O’Bryan assured Rose hastily. “Isabel, wait.” She paused and he continued. “Don’t go. I’m sure Rose won’t mind you holding one of them.”

Sora saw him exchange a look with Rose, who let out a long breath and nodded before turning to Isabel. “I don’t mind if you want to hold one of Fala’s pups.”

Hesitantly, Isabel moved to O’Bryan’s side. She sent a nervous smile to Rose. “Thank you. I’ll be very careful. I’ve never seen a puppy before.”