01

"What's the matter with that one?"

The men took advantage of a cool evening after a hot day. Only a fool would have tried to fix the kennel in the heat, and that fool would have fried themselves like a slice of ham on that metal roof before they'd put a single nail down. No, far better to wait until things had cooled down a bit, even if the light had more than halfway faded..

"Which one? Kelanbrod? Flappy ears, long tail?"

"The one that just stares all day. Green eyes."

"Yeah, that's Kel."

"What's the matter with him?"

The Kennel Master shrugged. "Don't know. He's just like that. Born that way. You know how Tandolisi can be, and he's proof of it."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"I don't know yet. He's not going to be a good hunter, I don't think he's going to be able to learn much... I can't imagine anyone else will have much use for him, either."

"Sounds like a waste of food to keep him here," the Attendant muttered.

"Lucky for Kelanbrod you're not in charge, then."

"He's one of Hosh's? There's got to be some value in that, at least."

"Believe me, there's a lot of value in that. Hosh was a fabulous war hound. A Tandolisi with self-restraint, if you can believe it. Remarkable dog, I miss her very much. She was a great hunter."

Kelanbrod gazed gently into the middle of nowhere while the men talked and hammered. He liked to hear stories about his mother. It made him feel proud to be the son of such a good dog. The Master said she was a great hunter. Maybe he'd get to meet her one day and be a great hunter too!