Bones

The bond between a man and his dog is something that you can almost taste at a distance. An ethereal tendril connects them, pumping love and devotion and loyalty betwixt.

There's a silent knowing in the look they share, every outing a mission in staying alive and together.

Thousands of years of parallel evolution and dependency intertwined with necessity and survival.

No matter the length of time or distance between them, there's a deep, ancient need to be together.

Bones is my dog.

I'm his best friend.

He teaches me patience and nurturing.

I teach him how to survive in the city.

He makes me smile with every wet nose pressed against my forehead in the early morning.

I show him how much I love him by spoiling him with a thousand toys.

There'll be a day when I come home, and he won't be there. I'll smile at the memory of him greeting me at the door like it was the first time, every single time, no matter how long I was gone.

I'm sure I'll drop a tear onto my cheek, the same cheek he would've licked to cheer me up after a bad day. I'm sure there'll be a day he'll be a distant memory.

For now, he's the greatest weapon against the bad things in the world, and I'll be his best friend for his entire life.

I'll love him no matter how ornery he gets or how crazy he is when he's been cooped up for too long.

I'm his steward.

He's mine.

Together, and the time we share will be something worth fighting for, because he will never stop loving me more than himself.

And I'll love him more than I love anything on this Earth.