Gift-Fic: Pets Are Always Important
by: Flaming Trails

“And he’s really mine?”

“Yup!” Victor said, grinning as Chester hugged his new corgi puppy to his chest. “All yours. “Though that means feeding and walking him as well as playing with him, don’t forget.”

“I won’t.” Chester gave the puppy some scritches behind the ears, making the stubby little tail wag. “I’m gonna take real good care of you, okay buddy?” he declared, looking the dog in the eyes. “You’re gonna get all the best food, and lots of walks, and I’m gonna teach you how to fetch and sit and stay and – ”

He paused suddenly, blinking and squinting at the corgi’s back for no reason Victor could see. “Something wrong?” Victor asked, immediately concerned.

“Uh…” Chester tilted his head. “Does he look kinda – funny to you?”

“Funny?” Victor examined the little dog. “Well, I know the ears are rather over-sized, but that’s apparently typical for them. They’re herding dogs – they need to hear well to do their jobs.”

“No, no – though the ears are weird,” Chester said with a little grin. “It’s his fur.”

“What about it?” Victor ran his hand over the corgi’s back, getting a pleased yip. “Feels fine to me…”

“It’s not how it feels, it’s how it looks,” Chester explained, holding up the dog and peering at it intently. The corgi panted at him, little legs beating the air. “Like – the bits that aren’t white are – I dunno how to put it? But they’re not gray.”

Understanding hit Victor like a tree to the face. “Oh…that’s – that’s tan,” he whispered, smiling bright. “That’s the color the woman told us he was.”

Chester’s eyes went wide. “Color?” he repeated, hastily putting the corgi back in his lap.

“Yes,” Victor nodded, heart swelling at the delight on his son’s face. “That’s your first color.”

“Oh wow!” Chester gave the corgi a big hug. “You hear that, boy? You’re my first color!” The delight faded into confusion. “Even though you’re a dog.”

The corgi yipped again and tried to lick his ear. “It doesn’t matter – I got my first color from my dog,” Victor told him. “And Mummy Alice got her second one from her cat Dinah, back when she was little.” He rested a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Pets can be as important to you as people. Never let anyone tell you different.”

“Oh! Okay!” Chester looked up at him curiously. “What color did you get from Scraps?”

“Brown – Scraps had splotches of it all over him.” Victor reached over and scratched the corgi’s head. “And he was my absolute best friend growing up. Maybe it’ll be the same with you and – well. Still need to give him a name, don’t we?”

“Yeah…guess we could call him Tan,” Chester mumbled, running a finger down the corgi’s back. “But that’s not much of a name…” He examined the dog for a minute, then snapped his fingers. “I know! We can call him Lightning! Cause he’s got a zigzag on his head, look.”

“That he does,” Victor said, amused. “All right then – Lightning.” He booped the corgi’s nose, getting a happy bark in return. “Welcome to the family. I can’t wait to see how you fit in.”

The End