"I wish to purchase one of your canine beasts." A huge man bellowed, entering the rescue center.

"Excuse me?" You asked, eyeing him from behind the counter.

"I said, I wish to-"

You held up your hand, "I heard you the first time. What, did you just come from drama club or something?"

He gave you a puzzled look. You had to admit, as strange as this dude was, he was kinda cute. "I do not understand."

"Never mind," You said, shaking your head, "So, you want a dog?"

"Yes. Where do you keep them?"

Getting up from your chair, you said, "I'll show you. Follow me."

After a half an hour of showing him the dogs, it seemed like he was never going to make up his mind. "Do you have any younger ones?"

"I think they just brought in a pair of puppies. The poor little guys were chained up behind an old, abandoned shack." You led him to where the puppies were being held.

There was already a family playing with them. One, a Yellow Lab pup was holding their attention. He was energetic and playful, and they were enamored with him. The other one was a small Chocolate Lab. He kept jumping around behind his 'brother', trying to get closer to the family, but the other puppy kept standing in his way. He let out little yelps sometimes in a futile attempt to gain their attention.

The family stood and announced their decision to adopt the yellow puppy. The children squealed in excitement and danced around, the dog jumping about at their feet.

The poor little Chocolate pup sat and looked up at them with an expression of confused sadness. Almost as if to say, 'You mean, you don't want me?'

The yellow dog leapt into a playful stance by him. The Chocolate dog squealed angrily and jumped back. He nipped the other one's ear before running away.

As the family cleared out of the room, taking their puppy with them, you looked up at the man beside you. He stood as still as a statue, staring at the little brown dog with glistening eyes.

"Are you alright?" You asked gently. You hadn't expected such a big man to be brought to tears by a couple of puppies. You wondered what he could possibly be thinking that could be so sad.

Your question seemed to startle him. Broken from his trance, he cleared his throat. "Yes. I'm fine." He continued to watch the puppy.

"You can play with him if you want."

With a sad smile, the man knelt beside the pup, who had curled up in a corner to sulk. "Hello, tiny friend." The little dog perked up at his voice. The man stroked the animal's head. "You shouldn't have reacted so harshly to your brother. He wished you to come along. He didn't realize that he had blocked you out. Surely, he wanted them to see you as well. I am sure he misses you dearly."

He was facing away from you, but you could hear his voice breaking. He really was crying. He continued, "You shouldn't be alone. I regret my actions toward you. I was blinded by my arrogance. If I could change the way I had treated you, brother, I would not hesitate. I am truly sorry."

The puppy watched him as he continued to pet it. It hummed with contentment when he scratched its ears.

After a few moments of silence, you cleared your throat. "So, do you think this is the one? He really likes you."

He obviously had forgotten that you were standing there. He looked up at you, then back to the puppy, who squealed when he stopped petting him. Rising to his feet, he said, "Yes. He is the one I want."

You took him back out to the front desk and pulled out some paperwork. "What's your name?"

He smiled while struggling to hold the squirming ball of fur. "I am Thor, son of Odin. What is your name?"

You blushed and chuckled a little bit. "No, I meant for the adoption certificate."

"Oh. I apologize." He paused before adding, "I still do not know your name. We are at a disadvantage, you and I. You know my name, yet I know not yours."

"Well, if you put it that way," your blush deepened, "I'm (Y/N)... daughter of (your father's name)."

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady (Y/N)." Setting the dog on the counter, he reached out to shake your hand. He took you by surprise, however, when, instead of shaking your hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly.

"Nice to meet you, Thor." You smiled, speechless at his polite gesture. "What do you want to name this little guy?"

He looked at the puppy for a second, thinking. "Aric."

You had him write it, for fear that you would misspell the name. Thor placed some cash on the counter and waited for you to finish.

"He's all yours!" You handed the certificate to him, smiling. You rubbed Aric's head.

"Thank you, (Y/N)." His expression dropped suddenly. "I am sorry... What you witnessed was uncalled for. Such weakness is unbecoming."

"Don't sweat it. It's good to let go sometimes."

"Thank you... again. I must away, but I wish to see you again."

"Well, you're always welcome to come visit with the other animals. If you ever want a cat or something-"

He grunted. "No, no. Those fiends disgust me. But I shall return. I look forward to visiting the other - not feline - creatures, and your company. Good day."

You giggled. "Good day."