My First Pack
In his excellent work titled "His Dark Materials", Phillip Pullman describes a world in alternative Oxford where adults and Children alike are born into this physical world with the (subconscious) ability to manifest a familiar that co-exists with the human. In his books he calls it the Daemon.
In this alternate Oxford, and of course the entire world at large, all Daemons go through the four cycles of birth, old age, sickness and death alongside their human counterparts. The Humans and Daemons cannot physically be too far from each other, because it'll cause excruciating pain to both entities. If the link is cut between Human and Daemon, the Familiar dies/fades away and the Human becomes souless...turning into a freak of nature with a twisted existence.
The Daemon's of children can mold itself into any animal/insect form, since a child has yet to settle into a personal identity and their Daemons reflect this. The Daemons of Adults however cannot mold themselves into different shapes once the Human has reached the age of maturity, with a solidified identity and all that comes with it; the "adult" Daemons will remain in a single form, most likely an animal.
Daemons reflect the characteristics of the Human. Some have Peacocks with exquisite vibrant feathers; some have Dogs as a companion; another may have a Spider; one may have a Leopard, a Raven or a Vulture; or the more pleasant such as a Cat or Mouse. It all depends on the trait of the Human.
Dogs came into my life at a time of turbulence. If it wasn't for my three Labradors i would have gone crazy very quickly.
These are my beloved, my first pack. Meet Oscar the Gentle Dog (White), Lik the Roguish Brown (Lik means "Strength in Cantonese"; the word "Lik" also appears in my Chinese Birth name "Yung" meaning "Brave"; he is my most beloved), and Bao (Bao means "Steamed Bun" and also "Encompassing") the Adventure Dog (Black).
They loved me as much as i loved them. I consider us four equals. We eat together, we play together. I will always make time. If i get a sofa seat, my three boys will also get a sofa seat. If they don't i don't either. They eat raw food; sometimes they eat what i eat (minus the things canines cannot eat - high processed foods, high salt, high sugar, high flavourings is a nono); they also eat a lot of blueberries, bananas and apples. Oh and hide the avocadoes cuz they go NUTS over them!
They sleep indoors, with three king/queen size duvets stacked on top of each other as their soft, cozy bedding during the colder seasons; for the warmer seasons two or three lighter breathable duvets are used as bedding.
When i walk them they roam free unleashed, as they trust me to not shout at them or give them a ear-beating by overloading their heads with commands; the trust is mutual as i know our sympathetic link is strong...they can sense my mood through my tone, they observe my gestures (coming from the world of Prestidigitation and having studied Neuro Linguistic Programming, i applied this to my Labradors too....crafting for them certain trigger words and trigger-gestures as well as trigger-tones, all seperate from the human spoken language/tone/gesture). They understand me clearly, as do i with them.
All three are dead now. I immortalize them here.
I will love you forever my boys....
No matter how vast the Heavens
or wide the Earth,
temporarily we part on this plane
that we must traverse.
Wait a while longer for my duty's end nears
and we shall unite again
free on the milkyway.
