I don’t know what that thing is, but it smells weird.

They brought it home in a bundle of blankets, all soft and squirmy and louder than the vacuum cleaner. I barked once. Just once! And got the Look from Mom. You know the one. So I backed off. Sat down like a good boy. Watched from the corner like I was spying on a squirrel.

They call it “the baby.” Apparently, it’s important. Suddenly, everyone’s walking around on tiptoe, whispering like the whole house turned into a library. Even Dad, who usually wrestles me on the carpet after work, now just pats my head distractedly and mutters, “Not now, Champ.”

I don’t know what “Not now” means, but I’m starting to think it’s permanent.

The baby sleeps a lot. Or cries. Or sleeps while crying? I’m still figuring that part out. Sometimes, Mom looks like she’s going to cry too, and I nuzzle her leg, just in case she forgot I’m here. She scratches behind my ears without looking. That helps, I think.

At night, the baby sleeps in their room now. My bed got moved to the hallway. I don’t mind, really. I can keep watch better this way. Last night, the baby made tiny hiccup sounds, and I pressed my nose to the nursery door. Mom opened it and smiled at me. “Just checking on your little brother?”

Little brother.

Huh.

Okay. Maybe he’s not so bad. He smells funny, sure, but he’s small. Helpless. Kinda like a squirrel without the tree-jumping part. I think I get it now.

I curled up outside his door last night.

And maybe I’ll bark again. Just once. Just to let the world know: this is my family. And now, I’ve got one more human to protect.

THE END

Another lazy story! sry guys. I've been brainstorming ideas for pt 3 of my story. pls go check out pt 1 and pt 2 of The Velari. It's on my account and I really enjoyed writing the characters and the story! ty for reading!