Duncan, who had been sitting patiently as they talked, perked his ears up. He barked once at Natalya, looking as pleased as a dog could look.

"He's a marbari - they're native to my country," he said, reaching out to pat the mabari on the head. He was growing more affectionate with him lately, even though he doubted he'd be a good owner when he first showed up for him. "They're war hounds. Basically they look nice and friendly - if a bit large - until you make them mad. Then it's chomp and you've lost your arm or some other important body part. I don't suspect you'll be pulling any weapons on me any time soon, though, so not to worry too much about that second part."