Chapter 32: The M Word
WINTER TERM - January 21st
I'd like to say my familiar is better behaved than Whim, but Whisper has already chewed Aries's loafers, then found and ate a whole stash of manticore jerky he'd been saving from home.
I'd been under the impression that familiars summoned would be fully-formed, mature, and a kind of representation of their mage. I had limited experience seeing them in real life. It was a little surprising perhaps that Marblebrook's familiar was a pigeon, but maybe she was secretly a bit quirkier than she let on? I don't know.
There was a famous mage, Hamil Crowfoot, who had a lion familiar. I hadn't expected a lion. I don't think anyone who has met me would have expected me to have a lion as a familiar. That's not the point, but a puppy?
I've named him Whisper. He's technically a hellhound puppy. He's not housebroken. He requires an unnecessary amount of attention, occasionally he burps up literal fire, and leaves my bed smelling like smoke.
Naturally, Aries loved him immediately.
Whisper has short black fur and red eyes that glow like embers in the dark. He's smaller than I'd expected for a hellhound, but I guess he's still a puppy. I admittedly have no clue how big hellhounds get, but as of now, he's maybe 20 pounds, only half a head taller than Whim. I took him to Marblebrook's office yesterday to meet her. She confirmed he's definitely a hellhound. Apparently a favored beast of Orendell, because of course even my familiar is tied to him.
He'll get bigger, bigger than an ordinary dog, but not significantly larger than that.
I got an earful from Blackclaw this morning when Whisper lifted his leg to piss on the wood barrel construct he'd brought for us to duel later. Apparently combat classes going forward would be a "familiar-free" zone. How was I meant to know? He's not a pet. He's not on a leash. Even now, as I write this, he's asleep, drooling on my lap. He's kind of just always around. I didn't choose him. I don't even know exactly if I like him. But he's mine.
WINTER TERM - January 22nd
Some days I really just don't know how not to put my foot in my mouth. It was a bad one. A really bad one.