Christmas Shorts

I am Stalwart

The quiet was unsettling.

The tiny pup would have been less nervous if there had been some sort of noise, as he would at least know where the potential danger was. The absence of sound brought thoughts of silent predators that lurked at the edge of his instinct.

A moist black nose poked out of the wooden doghouse, and sniffed the stale air. He could tell there was definitely something alive inside the big room.

The doghouse smelled of freshly cut wood, which brought some small comfort to his canine heart. His new owners had placed him inside the box when night had come, and he wasn't keen on being all alone. Even though he was inside a house, safe from prowling creatures outside, he still wasn't completely convinced he was also safe within.

There was a window on one of the walls, letting in a fair amount of moonlight, allowing the pup to see parts of the room. On the far side was a strange wall that had opened vertically to let them inside after they had traveled in a gargantuan vehicle of some sort. The vehicle itself was inside the room as well, lying dormant.

The pup was a little scared of the big, blue thing, wondering if it had a mind of its own - if it would come to life and roar with abandon with its strange engines.

The pup poked his head out of the opening of his doghouse a little further, and slowly let his eyes survey the entirety of the room. Nothing was moving, so that gave him some assurance.

That was, until he saw a pair of eyes, glowing by the light of the moon. His tiny puppy heart picked up its pace.

The eyes belonged to a medium-sized cat, of what color he couldn't be sure. He only knew the color of those daunting eyes: a heart-pounding shade of amber. The cat was higher up on a shelf, which meant he was in a prime pouncing position. The pup began whining, his young canine voice high pitched and monotone.

"Stop that," said the cat impassively.

The pup didn't stop, but did lessen his volume.

"If you keep whining," the cat continued, "then you will wake up our Keepers. If you wake up our humans, then they have the potential of being somewhat cross with you. If they are cross with you, then there is the distinct possibility they will turn their ire subconsciously toward me when morning comes. It's the night of Christmas, you see, and they've had a long day. I know you are but an infantile creature, but I would think you are at least smart enough to realize that there is such a thing as cause and effect in the universe."

The little dog blinked, his whining reduced to a quiet whimper. He looked at the cat in awe and wondered if this was the wisest creature known to the mortal realm.

"I...I'm frightened."

The cat didn't seem to move one bit, except for his mouth as he spoke. "I don't doubt it," he said in his dispassionate way. "You are quite new to the world, and your trepidation is understandable."

The fact that the cat was not moving was a little unnerving, but it was not being aggressive, so the pup began to calm down. "This room is so big...are there any other...things living in here?"

The cat blinked - the first time he had done so since the pup had seen him. "That question has two levels of answers. On the level at which you intended it, the answer is: no, there are no other large animals like you or I living in this garage. On a deeper level of meaning, well, there are undoubtedly numerous insects living in all nooks and crannies of this place, and not to mention microscopic organisms existing in innumerable measures."

The small dog stared.

The cat sighed. "Sorry. Dry humor. What's your name, small golden dog?"