[Noinkling]

Cullen cleans up Tommy

Luckily, the girl was paying more attention to speaking with his master than she was to wiping the frosting off the littler one’s face. Much of the sticky white frosting was still evident as were a few crumbs of cake on the boy’s tunic. Cullen rose up with a muffled little woof of greeting and curled up his lips in a smile. Drawing near, he sniffed Tommy in the ear, then proceeded to clean him off with very efficient swipes of his tongue. The boy’s face was small and it took only a couple of swipes before the dog’s keen nose sought out the crumbs and whisked them up, too.

‘No need for the napkin, Miss,’ Benat said, chuckling a bit at the sight of the wriggling boy and the persistent dog. Cullen had often made himself useful among the little ones at home. ‘I see that “Clean-up Cullen” has found himself a task to accomplish.’

The Hobbit men at the table laughed at the sight of the nursemaiding dog and Anyopâ pulled out a chair, offering it to Caity. ‘You’ve come just in time,’ he said, brushing the dirt from the seat – one of the Hobbits had been resting his feet there previously. ‘Benat is about to tell us of a very interesting battle his Grandfather was in. You’re more than welcome to join us.’

Benat nodded and spoke to Tommy. ‘And would you like to join us up here . . . or perhaps be the guest of Cullen, there, and sit with him on the floor?’