Magnus The Maternal

I mentioned that when Little Bear first joined us, Magnus (literally) drooled all over him in welcome. That enthusiasm cooled markedly within 24 hours: Magnus is an old dog and likes his quiet time. He doesn't welcome me disturbing him when he's trying to nap - which is most of the time - and was not prepared to put up with it from some little noob. So there were growls, and sometimes worse. He didn't reject the pup, just didn't want him crawling all over him.

But every now and then Magnus shows me a flash of warmer feeling. We were all clustered around the front of the lair yesterday evening, something that has quickly settled back into a habit since the precipitous arrival of summer. Magnus lay next to the low porch; Little Bear was doing something puppy-like on the porch itself. I was reading a book and paying no attention to either of them. Now, the porch is made of 2X6s, with maybe 2 inches between boards. Little Bear got one of his wide, flat paws between two boards and then turned himself around. I suspect it scared him more than it hurt him - suddenly his paw is in pain and unable to move. It didn't last but a second or two, but that was enough for him to cut loose with some fairly panicked yelps.

Magnus, right next the puppy, was on his feet in a flash. He whirled around, sniffed that little guy all over, and - apparently deciding it was a false alarm - licked his head for comfort and laid back down.

The incident only took a few moments, but it reassured me. Our little pack is disrupted a bit at the moment, and that has bothered me. I love my guys, and hate the thought that an action of mine has caused them all this turmoil. But it'll be all right. It's gonna be all right.