Angel
written by: Belegwen Lightningblade (AKA Mabry)

When I was five years old a puppy followed me home. He found me on a lonely road in the forest. He was not very big, maybe up to my knees, which was not very high. His fur was soft and golden, and he had the biggest, brownest, sweetest puppy-dog eyes you have ever seen. I didn't really like dogs. They were usually big and dumb and slobbery.
"Go away," I told the puppy.
It looked up at me with adoration.
"Go away," I repeated sternly. It didn't respond, and I began walking home, not looking at it, so it would know that I would have nothing to do with it. No luck. It followed me all the way home. It stayed right at my feet, even when I went into our house. At the threshold I stopped to yell at it to go home.

Luna came home from work in the middle of this. "Leave the puppy alone, Lina. We have enough food that we can afford to feed an extra mouth, even with as much as you eat."

So I had a puppy, whether I wanted one or not. Luna even made me name it, and she would not except "you dumb dog." I wound up naming him Angel for lack of a better name and because I didn't really care.

But, like puppies tend to do, he began to grow on me, slowly. I didn't even notice when I started slipping him treats under the table, and when I started patting his shiny golden head. I still called him "you dumb dog" when Luna wasn't around, even when he went with me on my wanderings in the woods. Poor Angel put up with an awful lot from me, during those years as he grew from a small puppy to a rather large dog.

He was the best friend I had. He slept at the foot of my bed, and he went with me everywhere.
I loved that dog, even if he was big and dumb; he didn't slobber, however.
I never really knew that I loved him until some rotten older boy who lived a mile down the road decided to show off what a hotshot wizard he was by shooting off a flare arrow at my dog.
I was not impressed; I was pissed off. That was the first time I cast the dragon slave. It didn't make me feel any better about it. I had lost my Angel, my best friend, and I was going to hold a grudge for a long time.

It's sort of funny, a few years ago a puppy followed me home, in so much as I have a home. He found me on a lonely road in the forest.
He was a very big, a huge tall man, at least six feet. His hair was shiny and blond, and he had the biggest bluest sweetest eyes of any man I have ever seen. I didn't really like men. They were big and dumb and patronizing.

He offered to protect me on the way to Atlas City. I didn't need his protection, but I didn't say so. I let him follow me. I wasn't very happy about it, but I let him follow me on my adventures.

He followed me, whether I wanted him to or not. His name was Gourry Gabriev, though I sometimes called him "you jellyfish for brains."

But like puppies tend to do, he began to grow on me, slowly. I didn't even realize when I started letting him occaisionally get away with stealing food off of my plate, and when I started holding his deep, vacuous blue gaze for longer than was necessary. I still called him "you jellyfish for brains," even when he went with me on my wanderings everywhere. Poor Gourry put up with an awful lot from me in those first few years of our adventuring.

He was the best friend I had. Sometimes he would sleep on the floor of my inn-room if money was tight or if he thought I needed protection, and he went with me everywhere. I loved that, even if he was big and dumb; he wasn't patronizing, however, not after the first few days of our meeting, after he realized that I wasn't a helpless little girl. I never really knew that I loved him until some stupid little kid of a Hellmaster decided to use him to get to me by capturing him to make me cast the Giga Slave.

I was not impressed; I was pissed off. I did cast the Giga Slave, and I did rescue Gourry, because whether I'm willing to admit it or not, he's my Angel now, and I will not lose him too.