Tiger Winter - 21. Influence

“But it’s Sunday,” Emmett grunted, trying to stop Jian from poking at him whilst simultaneously rolling over with the duvet. The little tiger grunted as he was nearly squashed by the weight of his lover.

“Xue! Air!”

Emmett growled, rolled away again, and opened his eyes. Pitanê gazed happily back, face not six inches from his own, and his tail wagging furiously.

“I thought you shut Pita in his crate?”

“I did,” Jian mumbled, opening one fire-coloured eye, “ah shit.” The dog licked him happily. “He learnt how to open the door.”

Emmett doubted that a five month old husky had worked out how to open both the latch on his cage, and work the lever action door handle. He fussed the dog, then took him back across the hallway and shut him in. It was still early for a Sunday, but Emmett padded downstairs to make toast for his lover. Three minutes later he was joined by Pitanê, who trotted along waving his tail as though his path had been magically unobstructed. The polar bear returned with breakfast goods and puppy.

“Who’s a clever boy?” Jian purred happily, snuggling into the dog’s ruff as he climbed onto the bed.

“Too damn clever. What are we going to do with him now?” Emmett sat on Jian’s side of the bed with a sigh and instantly found the tiger wrapped around his hips and lower back. Jian kissed his thigh where he could reach it, one hand still in Pitanê’s fur.

“Don’t worry babe. He’s not a bad boy. He’ll do as he’s told.”

“But…” Emmett sighed, “We can’t take him with us everywhere we go. There are some places that don’t allow dogs.”

Jian frowned at him, his half imagined conical ears flicked forwards, full of curiosity. Emmett sighed: he had so wanted the trip to be a surprise.

“Where are we going?”

“Well, we’ve only really had like, one proper date…”

“Xue?”

“So I thought it would be a nice thing to do, since it’s a weekend and everything…”

“Xue? Where are we going?”

Emmett couldn’t deny that the little tiger’s frustration was funny. He turned to tickle Jian’s ribs, making the slender young man yelp and laugh, and causing Pitanê to dance around them, yapping happily.

“Xue!” Jian gasped.

He smiled, suddenly calm and composed, and Emmett found himself braced over his lover, motionless, watching the boy he loved, and unable to move. In the cage made by his body, Jian purred softly, smoothing a palm down his chest and abdomen towards his crotch. His hard cock twitched and pulsed, and Jian pressed the pad of one finger against the tip, leaving a wet, shining mark that he painted on his tongue. Emmett shivered, unable to tear his eyes away from the beauty of his lover.

Jian jacked himself slowly, never breaking eye contact, his pink tongue moving erotically over his lips. Emmett desperately wanted to kiss him, but he could barely even breath, let alone actually lean forwards to touch the man he loved. The tiger reached up and pushed two fingers against Emmett lips, invading his mouth with a sly smile. Emmett sucked the digits hungrily, and when Jian removed them, a thin string of saliva joined lips and fingers lewdly. Jian skimmed them across his own abdomen, parting his thighs and pushing his slicked up fingers into his body with a groan.

Then he grinned in smug satisfaction.

“Wake up, Xue.”

Emmett blinked, looking down at the giggling shape of his boyfriend. Though he sported a semi, there was no evidence of anything else Emmett had seen him do, and the polar bear snarled as he realised he’d been tricked.

“You bastard,” he fell against Jian, grabbing the boy and pulling him hard against his chest. His own throbbing erection thrust against the boy’s thighs.

“So you liked it then?” Jian was still smug.

“Tease,” Emmett accused hotly.

“Not if I deliver.” Jian smiled happily, and then without changing his tone, “go away Pitanê.” The dog put his head on one side, but turned and paced out of the room. Jian grinned like a Cheshire cat. “I love getting what I want.”

Emmett arched an eyebrow, but soon enough Jian had taken his hand, kissed his palm wetly and suckled on his fingers. Emmett was the one to invade the privacy of the little tiger’s body, causing him to purr and writhe. The polar bear loved to watch his mate squirm, and knelt back, placing an awkward kiss on Jian’s tense abdomen before breathing hotly on his crotch.

“Ahhh!”

Emmett growled in pleasure and took the young man’s length into his mouth, sucking and massaging the hard flesh with his tongue until Jian was a bundle of raw ecstatic energy. Emmett felt his self-control ripped out of his mind as the boy thrust forwards into his mouth.

“More!”

It didn’t matter that it was still relatively early on a Sunday morning, or that Emmett had been planning on cuddling his mate and going back to sleep: his vision went gold at the edges, and there was nothing more important to Emmett than giving his boyfriend the most pleasure possible.

Afterwards they lay on the bed, both breathing hard and barely able to speak, until Jian groaned, and rolled off the bed.

“You think maybe we should have a shower?”

“Probably,” Emmett glanced down at his sweat and come stained chest. “That was excellent.”

“You have a very talented mouth,” Jian breathed the words, but even so, his satisfaction was inescapable. “C’mon big guy.”

Emmett loved being in the shower with Jian, even though neither of them had the libido left to be deliberately sexy. The tiger moved with all the grace and confidence of his species, even when soaking wet and covered in frothy shower gel. Emmett washed his hair and stood under the spray while Jian soaped his chest lovingly. The polar bear touched the tea-dark stripe that crept just into vision on Jian’s narrow waist.

“Tiger?”

“Hmmm…”

“We still have to talk about what you’re going to do?”

“Now? I thought you said you had a surprise for me?”

“No, I mean, I do- I meant later. Y’know: like a job.”

“Oh…” Jian face fell, “I don’t know.” His shoulders sagged, and Emmett pulled the boy instantly against his chest. “I’m not good at anything, Xue.”

“Oh well that’s not true,” Emmett walked his fingers down Jian’s spine, eliciting a happy purr, “you’re very good at lots of things.”

Jian slapped his bicep ineffectually.

“Nothing useful for a job!” Jian glared at him without feeling, “I’m not smart like you Xue.”

“And yet you can make that husky do whatever you want. Me too. Where is he, by the way?”

Jian whistled, and a moment later, Pitanê shouldered his way in through the bathroom door and sat patiently, looking up at them through the frosted glass.

“So what’s my surprise?”

“Well first we should get out of the shower,” Emmett grinned, “and take him for a walk: but then I’m taking you to the zoo!”

*

It was Emmett’s treat, and even though Jian hadn’t got enough money left to even cover half his entrance fee, the young tiger blushed and hid inside his hood when Emmett went to pay. They stepped through the green façade, and Emmett wrapped his arm around his boyfriend’s narrow waist. Emmett had been nervous about leaving Pitanê by himself, but after the husky’s first twenty-minute walk around the park, Jian had packed them all into Emmett’s truck and driven north of the city and out into the semi wilderness. They had taken a footpath used by walkers and tourists, and for a while Pitanê had trotted happily along next to them. When they had let the young dog off the lead, he had streaked away so quickly Emmett thought they might have lost him forever, but within a moment he was back, dancing with his front paws in the snow, his tail wagging happily. Jian had brought a tennis ball and by the time Pitanê showed any signs of tiring, both of their throwing arms were worn out. Emmett made himself a promise to buy a baseball bat at the next available opportunity.

Toronto Zoo was the largest in Canada, and it was also the only zoo which Emmett had ever visited: he knew its reputation as a beacon of conservation, and he supported their efforts to breed animals in order to reintroduce endangered species into the wild. Jian on the other hand, had apparently never been to a zoo – ever.

“Never?” Emmett gaped at his boyfriend, “really?”

“There just didn’t seem like much point,” Jian shrugged, “and a lot of Chinese zoos have terrible reputations for keeping animals in bad conditions: why would I want to give them money?”

“Fair enough,” Emmett grinned. “You’re going to love this.”

Jian was like a child, and in his tiger striped hoodie with distinctive markings and unusual ears, he drew everyone’s attention as he dashed about. Emmett was more than happy to stroll along with his thumbs tucked into the front pockets of his jeans; and happier still to be grabbed by the wrist by his hyperactive and overexcited lover and dragged across the paths to see animals who he had observed many times before. Jian’s babble of interest was littered with random animal facts read from information points around the zoo and the displays, but equally peppered with strange emotions.

“This is Indah.” They were standing at edge of the Sumatran tiger exhibit, in the Indo-Malaya exhibit, and the tiger in question was sitting looking patiently at them through the double fence, his tail curled around his feet, the tip flicking back and forth as his pink nose twitched. His eyes were almost the exact same colour as Jian’s own, and he flicked his ears forwards as the boy spoke. “He was born here, and his name means “Beautiful”. He is eight years old. There are only five hundred Sumatran tigers left in the wild, but five have been born here since two thousand and three. Indah says his parents fuck like bunnies!” Jian grinned, “He likes it when they feed turkey, because the bones are crunchy, but he hates smelling the fried chicken from the food stands because he never gets to eat it.” Jian stopped and smiled at the tiger, who watched them with interest. “Sorry Indah: I’d give you some, but I’d probably get arrested. It was nice to meet you.”

As Emmett watched, the tiger blinked softly and deliberately. Then he chuffed gently, blowing air through his mouth making his whiskers twitch.

“Bye Indah!” Jian waved as he pulled Emmett away towards the wooden pavilion which held the zoo’s collection of butterflies, rat snakes, whistling ducks and clouded leopards. When Emmett looked back at the exhibit, the tiger was watching them go. He inclined his head slightly as he stood, and Emmett would have sworn that the animal nodded to him.

Remembering he still owned not one single picture of the man he adored, though he had hundreds of the husky, Emmett got out his phone as they entered the butterfly house. It was huge and lovely, and packed full of tropical plants. Jian pushed down his hood as he walked in; drinking the thick wet air like it was water. Emmett on the other hand was instantly much too hot, and the close atmosphere made him wish suddenly to be outside and roll in the snow. Heat was one thing, but humidity was quite another, and within minutes Emmett was wiping sweat from his forehead in an irritated manner.

“Oh, mummy, look!” Emmett heard the delight in the little girl’s voice, “look at the tiger!”

Emmett turned, and took the photo. It was the first one he had of Jian, and the little tiger was facing the other way, but smiling over his shoulder. In his outstretched hand was a butterfly the size of his palm, several little yellow and blue specimens adorend the edge of his fallen hood, and more flocked around his knees and shoulders, settling and taking off again, landing on his clothes and skin. Emmett couldn’t help but laugh.

“They like you babe.”

“Maybe I look like a flower?” Jian wondered.

Emmett took a deep breath. Even over the many layered trails of animals, human traffic, and rich plants, Jian’s exotic jasmine scent stood out like new green shoots in snow. The polar bear stepped forwards to take his mate’s hand carefully in his own: a gorgeous green butterfly on his thumb knuckle flittered up to land on Jian’s nose, and then whisked itself away.

“You smell like one. Maybe if all animals like you this much you should get a job here?”

“Huh,” Jian shook himself very slightly, and each of the colourful insects took off from him in a cloud, “maybe.” He glanced up at Emmett as they left the pavilion through the airlock style doors, being visually inspected for any lingering butterflies. “How do you go about getting a job?”

“Generally, you have to apply for one,” Emmett hugged the little tiger to his side and flicked his hood back up as they entered the much cooler main part of the pavilion, “It’s a Sunday, enjoy your date. Lets’ go see the clouded leopards; they’re really pretty.”

They were lucky enough that there was a keeper standing on the outside of the clouded leopard enclosure, giving a little talk about the leopards and their natural habitat, conservation status and diet. The latter was rather important since next to the keeper was a Styrofoam cooler, and Emmett’s nose tickled his senses with the satisfying red-brown scent of raw meat.

“So, why do you shut them in the little cages when they eat?” someone asked.

“The lock-outs are very useful. We get the cats to eat in there and get used to it as a positive thing, because it gives us an opportunity to check them over visually, to dart them for the vet, if needed, and also the chance to clean and poop-pick the enclosure. We try not to leave them in there after they have finished eating, and it beats putting them in their inside space and then trying to hunt for leopard poo in the dark.”

Emmett grinned: the keeper’s tone was knowledgeable and friendly, and Emmett liked him instantly.

“Now this lovely creature is Makalu,” the clouded leopard watched them from a high branch; it’s beautifully patterned body lying languid along the natural wood. For a creature with such striking markings, it blended in with the soft dappled shadows brilliantly. “She’s normally quite friendly, for a leopard, but she’s been off her food for a couple of days. So today it’s really important we get her to come down and shut her into the lock out so we can inspect her and see if anything’s wrong. Ah, there’s Vienne now…” Emmett turned to see a pretty woman in her early thirties wearing a zookeeper’s sweater and carrying a thick wooden pole tipped with a short spike. “Since it’s really important that we see what’s wrong with Makalu today, we thought it would be easier to have two of us.”

“And the stick?” a child in the crowd asked.

“That’s for spearing little bits of meat,” Vienne replied, “to poke through the cage, and hopefully lure her down. Also if she’s having trouble eating, small pieces of lean soft meat might be more appealing to her. It also provides the opportunity to look in her mouth. All set Jez?”

Jian and Emmett watched, along with the rest of the crowd, as the two keepers walked along to the end of the glass walled section of the enclosure and stepped across the first boundary rail between the visitors and the animal exhibits. The fencing was set into the ceiling nearly twenty feet up, and the entire enclosure was full of plants, trees, support beams and climbing frames. As the keepers neared the lock out cage, Makalu didn’t seem the slightest bit interested in them. Most of the crowd were watching the keepers as they placed the meat onto the slab in the corner of the cage and refilled the water bowl, but Emmett was watching Jian, and the little tiger was watching the leopard.

More interestingly, the leopard was watching him back. Makalu had raised her elegant head from her large paws, and her tail slithered down from the branch like a snake and hung in the air, flicking with interest.

“C’mon pretty girl,” Jian purred softly, “Piàoliang de nǚhái,” he had switched to his native language, “Láile láile.”

Whether the Himalayan clouded leopard spoke Chinese or not was up for debate, but whatever Jian had said to her, her ears pricked forwards, and she slipped down from her high perch, wandered along another support beam, and then landed softly on all four paws in the brown dust. Jian smiled happily, clicked his tongue, and began a soft litany that Emmett couldn’t decipher at all. Makalu wandered up to the glass, pacing along back and forth in front of the little tiger, and Jian walked away from them, his fingers trailing against the other side of the barrier between them as the big cat chuffed and snuffled at him.

“Come on Makalu!” Jez called to the big cat, tapping the meat-treat stick against the bars of the lock out. “Here lady! Come on sweetheart, its dinner time!” The clouded leopard turned to look at him, took two steps and hissed between her teeth. “Come on babe…” Jez tapped the stick again, sighing heavily. “She’s not going for it.”

“Her teeth hurt,” Jian murmured softly, “she’s hungry, but it hurts when she chews.” He walked up to the edge of the metal mesh and stepped over the first railing as if it was nothing: Makalu followed him softly. When Jian hunkered down, still perfectly safe on the other side of a double width of fence separated by two feet of empty dirt, the leopard sat, then lay on her belly facing him. “Tángguǒ, show me little darling.”

Obediently, the leopard opened her jaw and yawned, pink tongue curling like a question mark. Her teeth were as long as Emmett own, and yellow. One at the back on the left side was black.

“I think you should show them,” Jian jerked his head towards where Vienne stood with the rest of the food at the lock out. “They can fix it.”

The leopard yowled at the little tiger, rubbing herself against the inner fencing. For a moment, Emmett tricked his brain to show his boyfriend running his fingers through her thick pelt. Jian spun around and shot him a look full of love and surprise at the vision. By the time he had turned back, Makalu was in the lock out, and Vienne was passing lumps of minced meat to the leopard, taking away the halved rabbits and chuck steak that had been presented before. Still with the meat stick in his hand and brandishing a piece of nice red beef, Jez walked up to Jian as the little tiger stepped back over the barrier.

“Which zoo are you from; Beijing? You’re Chinese, right?”

“Yes, I am, but,” Jian flashed a confused glance at the polar bear, “I’m not from a zoo.”

“But you work with animals? You’re a vet?” Jez looked unbelievingly at Jian when the little tiger shook his head. “I have to go help Vienne check her over: don’t go anywhere.”

“Babe?” Jian reached out blindly for Emmett’s hand as the keeper jogged away, “am I in trouble?”

“I think it might be the opposite,” Emmett smiled, “looks like Pitanê and I aren’t the only ones you can command. What did you say to her?”

“I just said she was beautiful. Her tooth is badly rotten. No wonder she doesn’t want to chew things.” Jian turned to look back to where Makalu was licking at her minced meat, tail tucked up around her feet. “Do you think she’ll be OK?”

“We’ll get the vet out as soon as the exhibit closes tonight, put her under and get her checked over at the Wildlife Health Centre on site. I expect that tooth will have to come out.” Jez ran a hand through his short hair, “you’re seriously just here as a visitor?”

“My boyfriend’s taking me on a date,” Jian replied proudly.

“Well maybe you should be looking for a job, eh?” Jez grinned. “It was nice to meet you…?”

“Jian Kiang,” the tiger smiled, “this is Emmett Garrick.”

“I look forwards to working with you someday,” Jez smiled. “Have a nice rest of your visit.”

Jian stared blankly at the currently empty enclosure as Jez walked away, talking into his belt radio. After a while he blinked at Emmett.

“Is it really that easy?”

“I don’t think so babe, you have to have a college degree in an animal specialty to become a zookeeper.” Emmett had once looked up the job requirements for a student who had wanted to take bio-sciences with a cold weather mammal focus with the intent on working with polar bears and tundra wolves. “I’m sorry. You could go to school here though, if you wanted.”

“There is another way.” Vienne had opened the drop-gate which separated the lock out from the main pen. “We’ll have the vet dart her later I expect; I doubt she’ll be hungry enough to come back to lock out.” Vienne wiped her hands all over with a little bottle of alcohol rub from her pocket. “That was some trick back there. You say you’ve no experience with large animals?”

“I haven’t worked with any, but I know a lot of tigers.” Jian grinned happily, then lied through his teeth, “my uncle runs a sanctuary. He rescues tigers from people intending to make them into Chinese ‘medicine’. But I don’t have a degree or anything…”

“Like I said, there’s another way.” Vienne gestured for them to follow her through the pavilion. “If you apply to work here as an intern, I expect we can get you a space in a part time course in animal management and basic healthcare. Give it a year or so, and you’ll be all set for zookeeper grade one. Hang on,” Vienne nipped through a door labelled ‘staff only’ and returned with a folded piece of paper, “call this number and speak to Richard in human resources. Tell him Vienne Beck sent you.” She smiled widely, “the qualifications are one thing, but it’s the love that matters more, and anyone could see how much you care about them. I assume you’re a tiger person at heart?”

Jian beamed.

“I got stripes!”

Vienne laughed, and wished them good luck. Emmett walked with his boyfriend out into the cold, heading for the route that would take them to the Tundra Trek. After the heat of the butterfly house, Emmett could hardly wait to be back out in the snow, aiming for the only area of the zoo where snow was welcome all year round.

“You realise she had no idea what you meant?” Emmett chuckled, his hands pressing into the small of Jian’s back, at just about the place where Jian’s markings were most obvious. “Are you going to call?”

“You think I should?” Jian pulled the paper out of his pocket, flipped it over and put it back, “intern positions aren’t paid, and I don’t think that I’ll be able to juggle being here, going to school part time, and training Pitanê with having a paying job as well.”

“But it’s something you want to do?”

Jian nodded silently, biting his lower lip.

“We can work it out.”

“But, Xue!” Jian gaped at him, “I can’t just live off your money for a year!”

“I’ve got savings,” Emmett shrugged, “really it’s very cheap; when your main hobby is being a bear.”

“Really?” Jian stopped and turned to him, “I need to know this is something you really want Xue. It’s a big commitment.”

Emmett laughed, and scooped the little tiger up into his arms. Jian yelped in surprise.

“For you I would live in a tropical jungle,” Emmett kissed his boyfriend with fervour, “we can do anything you want Tiger, and if this is something you want, then there is no commitment too large.”

“You’re going to spoil me,” Jian flicked an ear at him, “I can tell.”

“Only the best for my man. Now let’s meet my long lost relatives, then go home and rescue your cousin from our dog.”

*

“Sorry Pita, but you’ve got to come with me today.” The dog cocked his head to one side, and looked past Emmett to where Jian was standing in front of the long mirror, wearing nothing but a towel and a smile, drying his damp hair. “He’s got an interview.”

The husky whimpered softly, and Jian shot him a hard look from under his drippy bangs.

“Don’t give me that. You like Xue just as much as you like me.” Pitanê’s tail wagged from side to side, “Babe, do you think I should wear a suit?”

“Do you even own a suit?” Emmett pulled on his socks and boots, then cast about for his beanie; it was snowing again.

“No.”

“And it’s not an office job.” Emmett paused as his husky placed the red knit hat into his hand gently: the polar bear petted him, rubbing the fur between his ears and under his chin until Pitanê’s tail reached maximum wagging velocity. “Look neat, but practical. You saw what Vienne and Jez wore: just try and look like you belong.”

“I’m scared.” Jian was staring at himself in the mirror. “I have no idea what I’m going to say.”

Emmett crossed the room to stand behind his lover, and wrapped his arms tightly around Jian’s narrow chest. He smoothed his palm down the tiger’s abdomen, delighting in every ridge of muscle until he got to the tight folds of his towel. Emmett pressed his hand over the heat of Jian’s covered crotch, and felt the muscles of his groin instantly twitch and flex against his touch.

“Scared?” Emmett whispered against Jian’s ear, his voice as soft as he could make it. “The boy who fought a polar bear; scared? The man who frightened off a bull moose and sent it running away over the ice; scared? The only tiger I know who can command every animal he meets doesn’t know what to say?” Emmett brushed his lips against the soft skin of Jian’s neck as he squeezed gently at the thickening erection under his fingers. “No one else is as talented and gifted as you… go show them that.”

Emmett stepped away quickly, and Jian’s purr turned to a groan as he suddenly had to support the weight of his own body, his muscles quivering with pleasure.

“Xue! No fair!” Jian threw the towel at him, exposing his erect cock. Emmett grinned and arched an eyebrow.

“Show them what you’re made of little Tiger,” Emmett kissed him in an uncharacteristically chaste manner, “and tonight I’ll give you anything you want.”

“Anything?” Jian arched an eyebrow and licked his teeth with a sly smile.

“Yes,” Emmett knew exactly what his boyfriend meant, and he was only too happy to agree to give up his self-control for the evening, “anything. Have a good interview, Tiger.” Emmett pulled his beanie over his pale hair. It was long enough now for Jian to run his fingers through it, but unlike the tiger’s silky locks, Emmett’s hair did not fall naturally into neat order, and he could never be bothered to style it: now he was remembering why he had kept it short. Pitanê nuzzled Jian’s thigh as the tiger said his goodbyes, and then followed Emmett downstairs without a sound. Emmett clipped his lead to his collar and shrugged into his jacket as he left the house.

Originally, one of the reasons Emmett had moved across the city to the house on Collier Street was for the ease with which he could then access the university. But now he had a young and energy-filled husky accompanying him, and so Emmett headed along their road in the opposite direction and headed for the park. As soon as they were safely within the first green border and away from the roads, Emmett let the husky off his lead and the puppy danced around his feet yapping happily before dashing away. Emmett had noticed that if Jian was with them, Pitanê would run off way out of sight and stay away longer, but when it was only bear and dog, the husky never quite left Emmett’s fields of vision. It was as though the young dog didn’t trust Emmett not to panic.

Emmett chose a path that would take them around the longest loop in the park and began to jog at a steady pace, his boots crunching through the snow. Sometimes Pitanê ran next to him, his white paws clipping along neatly, leaving very characteristic paw prints in the snow, sometimes the dog stopped to sniff at things, and more often he thought he saw a squirrel or rabbit in the snow and streaked away like a white and blue-grey bolt of lightning. Fast as he was, and throwing up flurries from his feet, he never caught anything, but always returned to Emmett with his tail in the air, happy and satisfied with his efforts. As they neared the edge of the park closest to town and the university lands, Emmett reminded the dog he could not foul on the college grounds, and Pitanê obediently went to squat in the snow. Emmett cleared up, found a poop bin, and then the husky followed at his heel, as though already back on the lead.

He was giving a lecture to a completely different group of first year students who, at the beginning of their second semester, had been told to go off and get a more rounded education. All the students were, at some point, expected to study something outside their specialty, and Emmett had prepared his lecture notes to suit the mixed group of students, most of who which came from sports coaching and athletic sciences. He was slightly surprised to find half the college’s hockey team, most of them in their jerseys, taking up the front row. There was a great deal of general ‘ooh-ing’ and interest from the lecture theatre when Pitanê followed him in, tongue out and ears forward.

“Sir, is that your dog?”

“Emmett; please,” he smiled up at the expectant faces, “calling me ‘sir’ makes me feel old. And yes, this is Pitanê. He’ll be joining us for the lecture.” Several of the students leant forwards in their seats, and most of the hockey players looked like they rather wanted to call the husky over and play with him, but were sure it would be inappropriate. Emmett smiled, and unclipped Pitanê’s lead, coiling it on the lectern. “Go on then, make friends.” Pitanê smiled, hopped up on his hind paws and nuzzled Emmett’s chest. “Just don’t leave the room.”

As the husky trotted away between the rows of students, Emmett readied the first slide of his presentation. Even though the students would be torn the entire time between the information shared and the presence of the dog in their midst, Emmett decided it could only be a nice thing to have his furry companion so easily accepted. He started the lecture, and hoped that Jian was having just as successful a morning.