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Something moved in the bushes. They were at the edge of the forest, so at first, Wolfram paid no mind to this. However, the whimpering caught his attention, and he looked between the bushes to see if the animal there wasn't injured.
On the ground, obscured by thorny branches, stood an old wooden box lined with a dirty blanket. Laying there were five puppies, but only one seemed to be still alive.
"Capitan?" One of his men separated from the group and approached him.
"It's nothing. Everything's ready?"
"Yes!" The soldier saluted.
Wolfram stared at him for a while – it was the newest member of his unit, who still had problems with excessive formality but followed him everywhere like a dog. From the crate came again a quiet whine.
"You're a stubborn one." Wolfram smiled at the animal and took it carefully from the box. The puppy fit in one hand, its eyes not yet fully opened. It had a dark gold fur, cobbled together from the grime. He had no idea how to take care of such a small animal, but Gisela should be able to help.
The puppy was small enough to fit in the inside pocket of his jacket, so Wolfram tucked it in there carefully, making sure it wouldn't fall out. The animal did not protest and let him do what he wanted. Before returning, he took another look at the remaining, dead, puppies. He didn't understand why somebody had done this. Even if someone hoped that one of the travelers would decide to take care of them, why did he hide the box in the bushes? It wasn't even a heavily traveled road, especially now when it was claimed by bandits - now sitting tied up on the ground and watching him from under their heads. They felt too confident and ended up with a few burns.
He ordered the soldier standing next to him to bury the puppies so that forest animals would not get to them.
When he walked over to his horse, the bandits were forced to stand up. Road to the castle would take them longer now when they would trail behind them, but there was nothing he could do. Duties first.
During the stop, Wolfram wrapped the puppy in a blanket and placed it near the campfire. The animal was too small to eat like a normal dog. However, he had seen veterinarians feed cubs that had lost their mothers with goat's milk using a hollowed-out cow's horn. They were not far from the village, so he sent one of his men to go and see if he could get the needed things. Fortunately, the man took his task seriously and returned with everything.
Wolfram heated the milk and poured it into the horn, then lifted the puppy's head and put the tip in its mouth. At first, the animal didn't react, but after some seconds, it wrinkled its nose and started sucking. Wolfram's face brightened as the milk slowly disappeared from the horn. He didn't know how much the puppy should eat but doubted that such a little body would hold much and didn't refill the horn.
After eating, the animal started to wriggle around, squealing and sniffing. Wolfram smiled, pleased that the puppy had started regaining strength. He took a piece of cloth from his bag and soaked it in warm water, gently cleaning the dog. After finishing, the fur gained a brighter shade.
If they hurried, they should be in town before dark, so after eating, Wolfram ordered the march to continue on their way. Most of the time, his attention was mainly on the animal tucked inside his now unzipped jacket, which was leaning clumsily out of its pocket and sniffing around. Every so often, it would whine quietly, and then Wolfram would stroke it reassuringly on the head. However, when that no longer helped, he ordered a stop to feed it.
The sun had almost completely hidden behind the horizon when they reached the city and turned the bandits over to prison guards. They returned to the castle, and Wolfram went straight to Gisela with the puppy. She said there were no problems with its health, but it would be best if it stayed with her.
Given the late hour, Wolfram had no intention of doing anything other than taking a bath and going to sleep. When he entered the bedroom, Greta was already asleep in their bed, but there was no sign of Yuuri. Too tired to wonder where he had gone, Wolfram fixed the bedding and settled to sleep next to his daughter.
In the morning, he reported to Gwendal about his patrol, skipping any details about the puppy he found. After breakfast, he went to Gisela to check how the animal was doing. It slept under a blanket on a dog bed set up in the corner of the room until it was time to feed. Wolfram helped with that, and after eating, it became lively again. The healer asked if he could come to help with the dog, and because he didn't have intentions to left the castle in the next couple of days, Wolfram agreed.
For the following days, he visited the infirmary at certain times. The puppy's eyes had already fully opened, and he explored the area with increasing confidence. He even started wagging his tail every time Wolfram entered the room. Once he began slowly drinking water from the bowl, Gisela let him take him outside.
Walking clumsily, the dog sniffed everything around in the small courtyard. A well stood in the middle, and it was used mainly by servants. The maids were delighted at the sight of the curious puppy, who approached them excited to see something new.
Quickly, Greta also started coming to the yard and immediately decided that the dog needed a name. So she came up with a Yoshi, which sounded like something Yuuri would think up. But Yoshi was happy with his new name and immediately started reacting to it.
Unfortunately, soon after, news of the dog reached Gwendal. Wolfram had no intention of discussing the subject with him alone and took Greta with him. His daughter had already become too attached to Yoshi, and there was no way Gwendal would be able to take him away from her.
His brother was not fond of dogs. He thought they were too loud and scared away all the small animals. However, as Wolfram sat in his office, with one puppy on his lap and another sitting next to him (in the form of a little girl with a pleading look), Gwendal had problems getting his voice out.
"Why you didn't report about it right away?" He asked finally.
"It has nothing to do with my duty," Wolfram answered him, and on Gwendal's forehead showed a new wrinkle.
"Can we keep it?" Greta pleaded.
Gwendal was going through an internal battle. He looked at the animal sitting on Wolfram's lap, which was acting calmly. It had managed to grow considerably in those few weeks, and Gisela said it would get even bigger. He and Greta had already started teaching him basic commands, and Wolfram thought he would be a great defense dog for his daughter. And she will also have company. The dog was already sleeping with her in her room, but Wolfram was still unsure about letting him into the royal bedroom, even though Yoshi had already tried to follow him there several times.
"You have to watch over him and train him properly. And I don't want to see him anywhere near me. Is that clear?"
Greta jumped off her chair and started bouncing with joy. Seeing his owner's excitement, Yoshi also began to cheer. Gwendal sighed and ordered them with his hand to leave.
Wolfram stood under a shade canopy in the courtyard, trying to restrain himself from laughing. Yuuri was running in circles behind Yoshi, who had taken the ball from him and had absolutely no intention of giving it back. The puppy showed an extraordinary interest in baseball, especially balls to run after and bats that were perfect for chewing. Several of them were no longer suitable for anything else, but fortunately, Conrad told him how to teach the dog not to chew on things, and now, only occasionally, Yoshi would do little pranks, like stealing the balls.
Conrad was much more knowledgeable about dog training, and often helped him with this. Yoshi was intelligent, and they had no problems with that if you don't count Greta, who spoiled him too much, giving him treats every time he looked at her with his big blue eyes. The dog's fur was fluffy and golden in color, and Greta loved brushing it. However, he had to be bathed every time it rained, and mud appeared in the yard.
He slept in turns either with Greta or with Wolfram and Yuuri. At first, Yuuri was against it but soon stopped protesting, claiming that Yoshi was a better sleep companion than Wolfram. It was also common to hear him confide in or complain about something to the dog. He claimed he was the only person in the castle who understood him.
The dog suddenly stopped right in front of Gwendal's feet, who looked at him threateningly. Yoshi, however, did not frighten or retreat. He sat up and let the ball out of his mouth, nudging it toward Gwendal with his nose and looking at him with big eyes.
"I think he wants you to throw it." Conrad laughed, walking over to his brother.
"I said already that I want nothing to do with this animal."
Yoshi nudged the ball again and looked up, this time tilting his head to the side.
Gwendal lost this battle. He bent down, picked up the ball, and threw it to the far end of the courtyard. Yoshi ran after it overjoyed and returned a moment later, dropping the ball again in front of Gwendal.
After that day, usually while Greta had lessons, Wolfram could often find Yoshi in Gwendal's office, sleeping near his desk. Conrad teased him about it, but his brother only claimed that Yoshi was an exceptionally intelligent dog.