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Hunter stayed with Magnus more these days; he couldn’t quite keep up with the pace of the hunt anymore. He still followed Alec around the apartment like a canine shadow, matching him step for step. But his joints clicked when he walked now, his muscles seized up when he’d been laying down too long. Countless times Magnus had witnessed Alec call him from across the apartment; but the poor dog’s deaf ears could no longer tune into his words. It was a warm Sunday morning, just after Alec had left for the institute that Magnus noticed the change.
“Good morning Chairman Meow” Magnus greeted the tabby cat lounging on the breakfast island. The cat gave a great rumbling purr in answer, coiling himself around Magnus’ arms that were braced on the counter in front of him.
“Hunter!” The warlock called, clicking his fingers at a higher frequency that only the dog could hear; only made possible by his magic. After a short pause and silence in return, Magnus called again. When this too failed to attract the dog to its breakfast, Magnus went looking for him.
He found the hound splayed out on the balcony, warming his fur in the morning sun.
“Here you are you silly dog, what’s the matter, not hungry?” Magnus crouched down and spread his hand out across the dog’s shoulder. Beneath the sun-warmed fur, his magic felt for the aches and pains of age; he found none.
“Oh”
He dropped to sit down beside Hunter, stroking his hand over soft brown ears and looked into the bay-full dog’s eyes.
“Is it time my dear friend?”
The imploring look he got in return gave Magnus all the answer he needed, he reached in to his pocket, and pulled out his phone to call Alec.
“Hi babe, look I always love to hear your voice but I’m really busy here and I need to get this paperwork done and....”
“Alec, you need to come home”
“What?! What’s wrong? Magnus are you okay?!”
Magnus dropped his head onto his chin and closed his eyes before answering.
“It’s Hunter, Alexander I...Alec...he” his eyes welled with tears as he struggled to get the words out.
“Okay, I’m coming Mags...I’m coming now”
.~.
It took Alec exactly 17 minutes to get to the apartment, Magnus knows because he counted each second with his fingers buried deep into Hunter’s soft fur. The Shadowhunter rushed through the apartment on silent feet, and dropped into a crouch beside his Warlock boyfriend. The dog attempted to raise his head at the approach of his master, but could only manage a weak thump of his tail.
“Hey Hunts, you feeling tired?” Alec mummered to the old hound, running his fingers through the soft fur on the dog’s back.
The small sigh that Hunter gave in return, gave Alec all the answer he needed. Alec dropped to sit cross-legged on the ground, drawing the dog’s head into his lap as he did so.
“It’s okay my friend, you’ve done your best, you can rest now”
Magnus couldn’t cope with the sight of the young Shadowhunter crumpled over the faithful hound in his lap, whispering praise into the downy fur of his forehead.
“It’s okay, it’s okay”
“Everything’s alright, you can sleep”
“You did your duty, you kept me safe”
Tears spilled from Magnus’ eyes at the sight before his, it was at this moment that Chairman Meow, as if sensing what was going on, decided to crawl into Magnus’ lap. Magnus hugged the tabby cat close to his chest, trying to take comfort from the feline.
After a few minutes Chairman wiggled his way out of Magnus’ hold and crawled across the tiled floor, tucking himself against Hunter’s chest. The dog gave a deep sigh that rattled through his chest.
“Rest now good lad, I’m here, everything’s alright now”
Alec continued to whisper into the dog’s fur until the wise old eyes of the faithful hound drifted shut. His tired body rose in one final breath and became still. The room lay silent for a few minutes before Magnus reached out and clamped his hand round the back of Alec’s neck. The young Shadowhunter’s shoulders started to shake in silent sobs that caused Magnus to move round the body of the dog in-between them and pull Alec into his arms. Alec has never seemed so innocent and childlike to Magnus in that moment, grieving over his loyal companion.
“It’s okay Alec, it’ll be okay I promise, he’s at peace now” Magnus whispered into Alec’s neck
“I know Magnus, if you’re with me, then everything’s alright”