Tree of Wishes

Guardian's Best Friend: A Cypress Perspective

Living up on the mountainside can make you more attuned to nature to an extent, but it does require being open and respectful to its residents. Fortunately, animals are far easier to deal with than people and can sometimes serve as better company. That's why I was more than happy to leave out seeds for the birds in the northeast corner of the fortress, nuts for the squirrels in the northwest, and oats for the ducks that visit the pond in the southeast. The southwest corner was where I placed the shed, and next to that was a little, wooden hut for any pets I decided to keep. For those curious, my home was in the middle of the western side, so I had a reasonably good view of the area.

Speaking of pets, it had been a while since I had one present. The problem was that it wasn't as simple as going to a store and purchasing one. If the animal wasn't comfortable where it was living, it wasn't going to stay for very long, and the tree's natural radiance could be extremely off-putting. Still, those who were willing to stay were always pleasant to have around, and I missed that.

Perhaps the tree had noticed my loneliness, or it might have done it for its own benefit, but one day I was given the opportunity to have just that. While returning from a shopping trip, I spotted a black dog sitting right next to the gate, almost as if it was waiting for me. The dog was most likely a mutt since it had the short, sleek fur of a Doberman, but the small, round body of a Corgi. It was holding a long bone in its mouth, and as I got closer its small tail wagged faster from excitement.

Kneeling down to its level, I asked, "Were you planning on going inside?"

The dog stared up at me with beady, black eyes threatening to swallow me up in its cuteness. I wasn't sure what it meant, so I slipped the plastic bag I was carrying down to my elbow and unlocked the gate to see how it reacted. It walked inside without hesitation.

We made our way to the altar, and once there the dog gazed up at the tree like it was expecting something. There wasn't much room to guess what needed to be done.

I held out my hand and said in a calm, assuring voice, "Give me the bone so I can place it on the altar."

Having heard me, the dog turned its attention to me, but it did not obey. It soon became apparent that I was going to have to take it by force. I grabbed the larger end of the bone and began to tug, immediately feeling the dog resist as it pulled back. The dog emitted a low growl as a warning, yet I was not deterred. After a minute of playing tug-of-war with the canine, its hold on the bone loosened and I was able to pull it free. The sad whine that came from the dog's defeat was heartbreaking, but this was a necessary process.

"I'm sorry," I said as I gently stroked its head to console it. That seemed to cheer it up a little, its ear relaxing in response.

Now that I had obtained the offering, the next step was to give the dog a name. If the dog was brought here for an intended purpose, it needed a name to match that. I thought about how the offering was a bone and how that could be significant. The first thing that came to mind was death, and when it came to death and dogs, one name in particular stood out to me.

I closed my eyes, pressed my palms together, and began to serve as a proxy for a prayer. "Hear me, Lagdrygis. This dog shall henceforth be named Anubis, so take this bone to have them become your loyal guardian."

The tree wasted no time working its magic, and by the time I opened my eyes, the bone was already being absorbed by the dog. The dog was swallowed by the light and rose up into the air, its body morphing into an entirely new creature. It was difficult to predict what the outcome would be at first, but as its limbs stretched and repositioned themselves, it became clear that the body was meant to be somewhat humanoid. I nearly gasped when the light dissipated, revealing the newly transformed being.