The Captive Titan [ManxMan]

Chapter Twenty-six: When a God Dies

~Chapter Twenty-six: When a God Dies~

Gwyn is nowhere in sight when we reach the house, but two of his white hounds are sitting on the front porch. The first one to spot us yips, though it is not necessarily a happy sound so much as one meant to grab attention, and then two more hounds appear from around the side of the house, freezing when they see us. And while their earlier howling had my hairs raising, their long stares and hunting stillness makes me stop altogether.

Ullr, though, has a much more overt reaction, as he promptly stumbles away from me, likely trying to escape the stares but only attracting the hounds' attention instead. "Ainmire," he hisses softly, "call off your uncle's crazy hounds."

The hounds' ears go back, all of them well within hearing range of Ullr's quiet words and capable of understanding when they are being insulted. They likely will not kill him for it, but just as Ullr has never been fond of them, they do not like him much either. One of the hounds, Maelgwyn, in the short time he was babysitting me during my initial bout of freedom, had grown a bit fond of him from what I remember, but the hounds collectively like neither Ullr or Veles.

Or anyone I ever brought before them, now that I think about it. Maybe they just aren't friendly.

Still, as tempting as it is to leave Ullr to his rapidly-dimming fate, I only hesitate for a moment before whistling a high, short tone that immediately has their attention shifting to me, and then I drop down to one knee, holding my arms out. They are not like domesticated puppies, so they do not bound over like bouncing balls of happy energy; they are hunting beasts and are far too majestic for that.

Which is why the first one literally sprints into me, colliding with me with enough speed that I end up on my back, blinking away black spots in my vision. And the others were apparently right behind the first one, as there is suddenly not one but four noses in my face. One starts nipping at my hair, grooming, while another moves lower to place one paw on my chest to sniff around at my shirt. The other two merely keep their noses around my face, nudging my cheeks, sniffing my neck, seemingly checking for something but not knowing where to look.

After a long moment, one of the ones sniffing my face lifts its head and growls, which prompts the one grooming my hair to also look up, tilting its head for a brief moment before raising its muzzle high in the air and howling. And even though they are no longer hunting me, up close, that low, keening sound makes me shudder.

Shortly after the howl ends, the hounds give me space, allowing me to first sit up and then, after a short stare off with the one that howled, stand up. They continue to hover, however, and Ullr, who would probably be amused under any other circumstances, is warily keeping his distance from the small pack. When another pair of white hounds appear from a yard near the end of the street, he quickly moves closer, though, and I hear him grumble, "Someone should call animal control."

Though I do not actually remember what that is, it is not hard to figure out what he is probably referring to, and I cut in before he can say anything that will offend the Cŵn Annwn more. "Unless the neighbors are not human and thus should know better, no one's going to see them. Not until my uncle-"

-drops the spell, is what I mean to finish with, but the sudden loss of color in Ullr's face is the only warning I have before I am grabbed from behind, spun around, and then pulled into a hug. The fur lining of a coat tickles my nose, long hair covers my eyes, and my first instinct is to pull back - not to get away since I know who it is without needing to actually see him but to just look at his face - but Gwyn hugs me tighter, so I just hug him back.

Though I am sure he has things he wants to say, words seem to be all but beyond him at the moment, as the most vocal response I receive is the deep sigh that tickles my ear. Even in his silence, though, his concern is still very obvious, and based on how it feels like he is trying to engulf me in his hug, he is probably vowing to never let me out of his sight again. However, that is a problem for me to worry about later, once he eventually refuses to leave me alone, so I just lean further into him, grabbing onto the back of his coat and bowing my head to bury my face into his shirt.