A tall figure suddenly appeared at the farmhouse door, looking outward into the night, laboratory coat flapping in the wind.
The giant figure before me leaned forward, staring into my face. Slowly, unthreateningly, he extended his right hand toward me and touched me on the head.
"Good — dog," he said in a harsh, cracked voice, "good — dog," as he patted me.
Then he turned his attention to Graymalk, and moving with a speed that belied his earlier gesture, he snatched her up from the ground and held her to his breast.
"Kit-ty," he said then. "Pret-ty kit-ty."
Clumsily, he moved to stroke her with his other hand, rain streaming down his face now, dripping from his garments.
"Pret-ty — "
"Snuff!" Graymalk wailed. "He's hurting me! Too tight! His grip's too tight!"
I began barking immediately, hoping to distract him into relaxing his grip.
"Hello!" came a call from the man at the farmhouse. "Come back! You must come back now!"
I kept barking, and the man dashed outside, rushing in our direction.
"He's let up a little, but I still can't get free!" Graymalk told me.
Apparently confused, the huge man turned to the approaching figure, and back again. It appeared to be the Good Doctor headed our way. I kept up the barking, since it seemed to have worked.
When the Good Doctor came up beside the giant he placed a hand upon his arm.
"Raining cats and dogs, I see," he said.
I stopped barking as the giant turned his head and stared at him, doubtless at a loss for words in the face of such a sallying of wit.
"The doggy wants you to put the kitty down," he told him. "The kitty wants to get down, too. Put her down and come back with me now. It's a bad night to be outside — with all this rain."
"Bad — night," the big man responded.
"Yes. So put the kitty down and come with me."