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As soon as Buster entered his new home, he could smell his new Big Brother. Sure, he smelled like brimstone and car polish (two completely new smells for the golden retriever puppy), but underneath all of that was the unmistakable smell of dog. When the man who smelled like weird, sour milk put him down, he took off – nose to the ground – searching his new home for where the scent was coming from. Other smells fought for dominance in his nose – the cloves and ash of the one he dubbed Noisy Girl; the coconut oil and shea butter of Lotion Boy; baby powder and a sweet, honeyed perfume of Tall Lady; soap and oranges from Smiling Lady – but he ignored them all and zeroed in on his Big Brother. When he found him in the garage, he was surprised by how un-doglike he looked – he was big, like a Big Brother should be, but he was hard and cold and made scary noises! Buster yapped in alarm, confused by his senses, and Big Brother growled at him, revving his engine in the process. Buster yipped and fled, unsure what was happening, but when nothing bad came for him, he tentatively returned to the garage, peeking around the doorway, and studied the creature out there.
It growled again, but Buster was wise to this move now and barked back, wagging his tail in excitement. He might look odd, but Big Brother was definitely a dog! Buster ran back into the garage and began to bark some more: Play! Play! Play! but Big Brother spun his wheels and flashed his lights in an attempt to scare off the nuisance. When that didn’t work, he let out a funny bark which sent Buster running again, but only for a moment.
The noise caught the attention of Lotion Boy and Noisy Girl, and both came running to the garage to see what was going on.
“Hangman! What is all this noise?!” shouted Lotion Boy. “You know better than to sound your horn like that!”
“Master! This… cur is harassing me! Take it away, please!”
“Awwwww, Buster just wants to play with you, Hangman,” cooed Noisy Girl. “Why don’t you change forms and go run with him out in the yard? It’d be so cute!”
“I am not cute!” growled Big Brother, once more revving his engine. “I am a mighty hellhound!”
“You’re just a big puppy-wuppy, that’s what you are!”
“Master! Please, correct Mistress Archdevil!”
Lotion Boy smirked. “Stop teasing the Hangman, Fig.”
“I’m not teasing! It’s the truth! Ok, ok, just one quick picture with Buster on the seat and then I’ll take him inside.”
“Fig-!”
“Too late, I’m doing it!”
“Mistress, please, do not put that whelp atop me! Master, stop her!”
Buster was picked up and placed on top of Big Brother, and he wagged his tail joyously.
Big Brother howled in annoyance while Noisy Girl called for Buster to look her way and flashed dizzying lights at him and Big Brother. Then, before he knew it, Buster was picked up and taken back into the main house. When he was put back down, he rushed back towards Big Brother but found his way blocked by a closed door. He proceeded to whine and scratch at the door, but no one would give him access to the garage. Eventually Buster gave up and began to explore some more, but he didn’t forget where Big Brother was.
Every chance he had, Buster would try to enter the garage. He quickly learned that Big Brother loved Lotion Boy the most and that Lotion Boy would take him for long walks every day, so he began to follow him around the house in hopes of getting closer to Big Brother. When he would manage to sneak into the garage, Big Brother would begin to bark and growl, alerting the others, and soon Buster would be taken away, usually by Smiling Lady of Lotion Boy. But Buster never gave up. Eventually Lotion Boy grew tired of this and had Big Brother stay in his room, and that was the first time Buster saw Big Brother when he actually looked the way he smelled.
He was as tall as Lotion Boy and was mottled in grays, yellow, and black. He had no fur and tall ears that pointed out of his head like horns. On his back bristled short spikes that ran down to the point of his long tail. Long, sharp teeth lined his maw and in the back of his throat a roiling flame glowed. Buster cocked his head to the side at the sight of him, and then wagged his tail. Big Brother was strong! He made a beeline for him and nipped at his paws. Play! Play! Play! Big Brother spun around and snapped at him, his fearsome teeth a hair’s breadth from Buster’s face, and then he growled. It sounded nothing like before; this time it was a deep guttural roar buried deep within his chest, causing Buster’s hackles to rise and him to run away. Yipping, he fled to the safety of Weird Milk Man, who scooped him up and held him to his chest.
“Fabian, please control The Hangman! He almost bit Buster!” he scolded Lotion Boy.
Lotion Boy scoffed. “The Hangman knew what he was doing! He’s just trying to tell him off.”
“All the same, we cannot have them fighting!”
“Fine, I’ll talk to him about it. But you also need to train Buster not to nip at feet!”
Weird Milk Man sighed, but didn’t argue. Buster watched as Lotion Boy and Big Brother climbed the forbidden stairs and disappeared into the upper part of the house.
Of course as soon as he was put back on the ground, Buster attempted to follow them, but the detestable Gate had been closed and Buster had no way around it. He sat at the bottom of the stairs and howled, wishing that he could play with Big Brother. When Big Brother did not come back, he laid down at the foot of the stairs, waiting for him to return, but eventually fell asleep.
Finally, one day, the despicable Gate was left open and Buster took his chance. He began to inexpertly climb the stairs, but a strong whiff of Tall Lady’s perfume tickled his nose and he sneezed, tumbling down the three steps he had managed to climb.
Noisy Girl was there in an instant, scooping him up and kissing him on the top of the head.
“Buster! You poor thing! That was a nasty fall!”
Buster wriggled in her arms, desperate to follow the smell of brimstone and see Big Brother.
“What’s up? You want to go upstairs?”
Yes! Yes! Upstairs to Big Brother! He squirmed even more and gave a boisterous yap, but he was unable to escape her grasp.
“Sorry, Buster, but you aren't allowed upstairs yet,” she told him, placing him back on the ground and closing the evil Gate. He watched as she left the room and then he bounded back to the Gate and began to paw at it, desperate to reach Big Brother.
All of a sudden a click came from upstairs and the smell of brimstone and car polish grew stronger. Big Brother was coming!
“Honestly, Hangman, I don't see why you have to be so clingy!” said Lotion Boy from the top of the stairs.
“I am not the one who is clingy!” came the deep growl of Big Brother. “It is the cur that is referred to as Buster. ‘Bother’ is a better name for it!”
“Now, now, Hangman, he's just a puppy! Surely you remember what it was like to be a puppy.”
“No, I was birthed fully-formed from the fires of Hell, Sire.”
“Oh. .. Well, you just have to have a little patience.”
“I would rather return to Hell with The Ball and Gilear astride my back than have anything to do with that nuisance.”
Lotion Boy sighed. “Look, Hangman. I know you and I are both not excited about the new situations we're finding ourselves in, but some things we have to accept and move past. I have a baby sister now and that's a new responsibility for me. Think of Buster as a little brother and a new responsibility for you. Does it make you feel a little better to know that you're not alone in that regard?”
Big Brother snorted. “Hmph! I refuse to accept him! Master, I can smell him downstairs right now! Please, reconsider and let me exit the premises through your bedroom window.”
“Not a chance.”
“Then let me return to my other form!”
“No, Hangman! No motorcycles in the house! If you want to hide in my room, that's fine-”
“He keeps whining and scratching at the garage door otherwise!”
“But you remember the lecture from Cathilda earlier, right? You leave tire tracks in the house and that's not ok.”
“...Yes, Master…”
“Good boy. Now, let's go downstairs and be nice, alright?”
“No promises,” growled Big Brother.
Buster had no idea what they were saying, but he picked up on Big Brother's tone that he was not happy. Well, Buster knew how to cheer up anyone, and he whined in anticipation as the sound of footsteps drew louder. At last he saw Lotion Boy and Big Brother at the top of the stairs and his whining escalated to yapping as he bounced in excitement by the gate.
Big Brother! Big Brother!
“Sire, please hold him back!”
Lotion Boy sighed. “Very well, Hangman. But eventually this will have to stop.”
Lotion Boy descended the stairs, bent over, and picked up Buster, holding the squirming puppy to his chest as he opened the Gate. He stood to the side and Buster watched as Big Brother also made his way downstairs. He whined and howled, desperate to be free, but Lotion Boy’s grip was too strong. Big Brother vanished from sight and Buster was passed over to Smiling Lady who did her best to distract him with liver treats, but Buster ignored them.
He was determined to play with Big Brother if it was the last thing he did.
Buster’s opportunity came only a week later. While Smiling Lady had him outside to potty, he watched as Lotion Boy and Big Brother entered the house and headed upstairs. As usual, when he was let back inside, he loped over to the Gate to whine and howl, but this time the Gate wasn’t latched. Smiling Lady had taken off to the kitchen, leaving Buster all alone, and so he began to climb the stairs once more. He could hear Lotion Boy and Big Brother talking at the top, and he quickly scrambled up the stairs to catch up. As he got higher, he could see the back legs of Big Brother – he was so close! He crested the final step and announced his presence with an energetic bark. It had the opposite effect he had hoped for, though. Instead of Big Brother turning around to play, he spun around and once more snapped at him. Caught off-guard by his aggression, Buster stumbled backwards… and slipped off the top step.
“Buster!?” called out Lotion Boy. “How did you get up here??” But Buster was already beginning to tumble down the stairs.
Everything was spinning as Buster began to topple head over paws down the stairs, but as the world turned upside-down and spun round-and-round, he caught a grayish-yellow blur and felt jaws gently close down on him. The world stopped moving and Buster looked around; he was dangling above the ground with Big Brother holding him by the nape. He began to squirm again, uncomfortable, but Big Brother growled quietly and Buster stilled.
“Hangman! Good job! Good boy!” called Lotion Boy, hurrying over and grabbing Buster out of his jaws. He carried him downstairs with Big Brother warily following after, and placed him back on the ground. Buster once more made a beeline for Big Brother, but the larger dog sat down on his haunches and growled once more. Buster heeded his tone and sat down and looked up at him.
“You are weak and pathetic. How will you grow to protect your masters if you are like this?” Buster cocked his head, not understanding.
Big Brother stood up and circled Buster. He didn’t bother sniffing him, but he paused and stared deep into his eyes.
“I see determination within you. You want to love everything, do you not? It is a pathetic desire, but it is determination all the same and I respect that. …Maybe you shall grow to be stronger. Maybe you need help to do so.”
Big Brother sat down again and placed a heavy paw on Buster’s head.
“Very well. I shall help you. I shall toughen you up so you are worthy of protecting your Masters like I am.”
“Hangman?”
“Master, let us outside. I… I wish to run with the whelp.”
Lotion Boy grinned. Go have fun playing with Buster, Hangman.”
“We shall not play! We shall spar and he shall grow to be strong and mighty!”
“No biting the puppy!”
“Hmph!”
Every day was the best day for Buster. He got liver treats from Smiling Lady, Weird Milk Man would teach him new tricks, Noisy Girl would rub his belly, Tall Lady would let him sniff the human puppy, and Lotion Boy would bring him and Big Brother into the yard where they would run and play in the sweet-smelling grass and warm sunshine. And when Buster would eventually tire, Big Brother would let him curl up next to him and fall asleep. Life was good.