Ow...

Ear pulling...

Never had this problem before...

Lacchi sighed as his head involuntarily tilted to the side, wincing away from the tugging fingers before realising that that wouldn't help. The nerves there sent a very sharp message that they didn't appreciate the move. With a yelp, he stood up and shook out the lingering aftereffects of being too patient with an over eager child. When Darlond found a new target to grab, the cursed thief simply stood for a moment, silky tail firmly grasped by the growing toddler and a sorely agrieved pleading in his brown eyes. The guard he turned to, however, was too busy trying not to laugh to be of any help. Fortunately, Khani was also used to seeing Lacchi interact with the little boy, he knew the hound wouldn't harm him. So Lacchi felt no need to be circumspect when Darlond started pulling. He'd grown too insistent since their last visit together, and what used to be cute, was now painful. 

Little boys had to learn sometime that pulling tails and ears wasn't wise. Better that it was with a dog who wouldn't bite, but he was a little young for scaring. Turning quickly, he surprised the little boy with the movement and won his tail free. But he didn't stop there. He butted Darlond with his muzzle, knocking the young prince over and then lying on him. No injuries and no teeth bared, just a bit of startling, and the bonus of having his arms pinned for a while. And when the poor brat started sniffling, Lacchi just wagged his tail and licked his face. It took Khani two minutes to try coaxing and then just haul him off the boy. And as soon as he was up, the cursed thief changed tactics, jumping off the ground and grabbing a toy to play with. He knew why Darlond was being restless. There'd been no visit from his mother yet today. Well, that the boy knew of, he'd been asleep when the Queen stopped to check in on him. Lacchi was curious himself, for she'd been more anxious than usual. He didn't like a mother acting anxious over her children. 

It usually meant trouble. He wanted to get out so they could find Queen Elya, but he'd overheard the maid telling Khani that Darlond needed to stay in his room until further word came from the Queen. It only concerned him further, but also took away the opportunity to do anything about it. The last time he'd left a child when he was worried, he'd been turned into a dog. She'd also died... The two facts weren't entirely connected, but neither helped with his nerves. So he did what he could, prancing back to the boy and shaking the wooden block about until he was dizzy. The toothmarks probably wouldn't be appreciated, but that wasn't really a problem he'd have to deal with. Then a sharp corner dug into the roof of his mouth and he dropped the square with a snort. Well, that showed him, didn't it? 

Come on boy, let's have a bit of fun if we're stuck here then. 

He nudged the block with his nose, wagging his tail and panting encouragement when Darlond reached for it. Fetch was not, ordinarily, something he'd want to take part in, but it would do as a distraction. Or it would have... "Don't want it, Woof." His name, or the one the prince had assigned him anyway, emerged even more emphatically than usual as the boy handed the block back. He took it, because it was expected of him, but simply dropped it again after a moment. He didn't really want it either. So he sighed and lay down again. If there was anything goingfor being stuck in a room with a petulant child it was that at least he wasn't lying amongst all those other dogs in the hall, jostling about for space and scraps. He might not have minded so much if he was better able to read a dog's mannerisms, which you'd think he'd have learned by now, but Lacchi was still learning the subtleties. Granted, being in a room away from the other dogs wasn't helping him there, but it did mean he didn't [i]have[/i] to know them, didn't it? He got all the dropped food during mealtimes and had only had to endure one bath to get himself the position. Seemed a fair deal, better than the kennels, anyway. 

Now he only had to figure out what was happening, make sure it wasn't a change that would effect him.