Dare to Listen

They say that if you hold a brand new puppy to your heart, they will always remember your first embrace.

It was hard to decide, but this is the reason that when she picked the black and white newborn from a litter of siblings, she held it close to her chest, almost as if she was trying to protect it from something that was somewhere out there. The animal whimpered as Winry Rockbell carried her away, all too fascinated with the passing scenery of the Resembool plains and greenery when they rode on a horse drawn wagon back to their home.

"Daddy thanks for letting me get a puppy! I can't wait to tell Ed and Al!"

Urey grinned at his precious daughter, "Do you have a name for it yet?" And he went on to whip the reigns to make the horses trot a little faster. Dinner and stew were awaiting them and he could hardly wait any longer. When his stomach growled, Winry only giggled.

"Nope! I'll see what Granny says first!"

She was four years old, a youthful and rather pretty little girl with eyes like the ocean and a combination of numerous tinges of blue, and light blonde hair like a fresh cob of corn that flickered brilliantly against the afternoon sunlight. Her skin was fair and smooth, albeit a slight pigment darker than normal as she had been recently attempting to assist her mother, Sara Rockbell, with the gathering of weeds outside their yellow home. The year was 1903 and although the town they lived in was surely not a bustling one, they could never have been any happier.

The next morning, Ed and Al came rushing up to the front door of the Rockbells' porch and the home stirred with the unique hustle and sleepy groans of an early rise. Trisha had made an honest try at halting her boys from all the excitement, but in the end, she came running up behind them with a disappointed expression and the heavy heaves of an accelerated run.

"Boys," the young brunette mother said sternly, "You really shouldn't—"

And then the door opened wide.

Winry stood there, still a little dozy from just barely being able to wake up, but nonetheless took the intense effort of holding the puppy to her chest. When she spotted that her childhood friends had come to visit in order to see her surprise, the sleep suddenly rubbed out of her eyes and she beamed, hugging the puppy a little further away so they could see.

"See?" She said joyfully, "It's a girl puppy!"

Edward pouted and placed his hands on his hips, golden irises sweeping over the resting creature and a raised eyebrow. "Does it have to be a girl? Boys are better!" At that, his mother gave him a warning glance, but he made no note of it. He was such a stubborn boy.

"Nuh-uh, Ed! Girls are!" Then soon a short banter ensued, causing a modest amount more of havoc than they needed that morning.

"Why are you holding it so close? Afraid Granny's going to cook her?" Ed smirked and crossed his arms from his waist over to his chest in a confident manner. From this point, Trisha knew better than to interrupt. Both children were hopeless when it came to arguing amongst themselves. She just hoped that Al would be better than his older brother at that. She simply shook her head and sighed, arms dropping to her sides.

The Rockbell girl glowered, "Because, Ed," she huffed, "I'm holding her close to my heart so she gets to know me!"

"That's stupid! Puppies don't need to know anything but how to go to the bathroom!"

Then an interruption came. "I like dog, brother!" Alphonse exclaimed animatedly. He was only three-years-old, but the words were nothing short of wisdom. His hands slowly tried to reach up and out toward the puppy and Winry let him stroke her soft fur for a bit before she heard Granny Pinako call out from inside the kitchen to invite the guests for a round of breakfast.

And from there, the day was perfect. The Elrics and the Rockbells spent their whole day together, a perfect end to the weekend before Sara and Urey had to go off into town again to work as surgeons and when the customers returned to Pinako's automail workshop for fittings, adjustments, repair, and replacements. It was great, of course, until after supper came.

"Um, Daddy?" The azure-eyed girl wandered around from her block game with the Elric brothers to her father who was reading a medical textbook on the couch in the living room. "Where's the puppy? I can't find her."

"Winry, didn't you take her out to go?"

She nodded while rubbing her cheek. "Yeah but I took her back in."

Worry grazed his features and she knew something was wrong. She had taken the black and white puppy out over an hour ago. Their house wasn't easy to get lost in, and he was so sure that if the puppy needed something, she wouldn't hesitate to make a sound or an endeavor to bark. Where could the new pet have gone so suddenly?

They had checked everywhere, even gathering up the entire family plus Ed, Al, and Trisha Elric for some extra help, but the puppy was nowhere to be found and it had been hours already. All the rooms were devoid of the missing pet, save for a few things that were shaped like a dog like stuffed animals that made them believe that she was there, and the hard to reach corners were empty of nothing but dust bunnies. The sky was dimming and the light fading fast. They had to find her before night fell completely.

"We'll split up," Sara Rockbell stated, "Dad and I will check in town. Granny will check on the farm, and Trisha?"

"Yes," she replied when she heard her name, "I'll check with the neighbors."

Winry looked up, tears welling up near her full eyelashes. "B-But what about Ed, Al, and me?" She blinked and a steady tributary of something wet slowly descended down her cheeks and past the crevice of her mouth. They tasted salty, and she hated it. All she wanted was her new friend back.

Sara tapped her chin as if she was thinking hard. "Well," she responded, "Why don't you three take a look over by the caves? Granny is nearby, so she can watch all of you." At this statement, Pinako nodded in understanding. "Just be careful."

With a new determination, the parents went their separate ways, asking here and there if anyone had seen a lost and confused puppy somewhere in Resembool.

Ed led the way across the river with Granny Pinako's consent, and they passed a gently flowing and narrow body of water. The sun's muted rays hit the waves in supple orange-red lights and the rocks that they hit against shone with a slight sparkle of a colorless shine when their shoes touched them and they were careful not to slip, Ed tightly grasping onto his little brother's hand and Winry not too far in tow.

In a few moments, they had finally reached the infamous caves, dens of ledges and a genuine labyrinth of sorts where the children loved to play in. Most of the entrances were blocked off by boulders, however, so parents were almost never worried about them getting lost. Anyway, they knew that these three were all bright for their age. They could handle themselves for a while.

The three children hesitantly took a few steps inside the cave, having not been there without the sunlight ever before, and Ed felt Al cling to him closely. It was one of these times when he had to be a good and strong older brother. "I got you, Al," he murmured in reassurance.

It was silent for a long while, until they all started at a whine that came not too far off to their left.

"Puppy!" Winry grinned so wide, her appearance only had the capacity to glow. "You're back! I knew you'd come back!" She turned to her friends and flailed her arms in the air. "Ed! Al! She's here! We found her! Can you believe it? We found her! Wait till we tell mom and dad and your mom!"

She continued to keep her wide smile and picked up the lost and whimpering animal. She held her close to her chest again, this time hugging her firmly, whispering that she would never ever lose her another time. She plainly would not allow it anymore. She had to keep it safe and sound, after all.

Edward marveled at the scene. He had never seen anyone quite so happy to be in a forsaken cave in the middle of the night before. It made him wonder just how much something like a newborn dog could mean to someone, maybe even to someone like his automail-medical junkie of a companion. He supposed he couldn't blame her. She was an only child and had no idea just how much a responsibility having a little brother to care for and protect was.

Maybe, he mused, maybe the puppy is her little sister?

It was a ridiculous thought, but somehow he just could not seem to shake it. Was this how he looked like when he made the decision that he would do anything for his younger brother? Did he look as excited when he first saved Al from falling into the deep end on the river? He could only imagine, but he knew that there was some connection.

"Den!" Alphonse giggled happily. "Den! Den! Puppy den!"

Winry and Ed glimpsed over at the child who was a year younger then the both of them and laughed. It was a puppy den alright, a cave filled with shameless rocks and rubble every which place and with the darkness that seemed a little too engulfing when the crickets began to chirp with the beginning of the evening, but with a ray of light in between.

"You're right, Al," Edward patted his brother's head.

The girl joined in, finding herself just brimming with that fact that they had finally found her lost puppy. "I think I like that name," she laughed, "Den."

The elder Elric couldn't help but be a little curious. He had to know for sure, would a puppy really remember you better if you held it to your heart? With how carefree it was making everyone and how much his friend seemed to care for the creature like she was a long lost sister, he had to try it out. Maybe he could tell if Winry had felt as accomplished and relieved as he first had when he pulled and rescued his little brother from receiving a severe head injury and falling into the stream, or maybe he would feel as loving and protective.

And so, he cautiously asked her if he could hold Den for a while, earning a shocked gasp, and he dared her to listen.

AN: This was a oneshot that was inspired by something my dad said to me when I first got my puppy a year ago, and that I'm an only child myself.