The wind howled outside the cave as the first flakes of snow began to fall. Inside, the tribe huddled around a small fire, its flickering light casting shadows on the stone walls. Thog lay near the entrance, alert as always, ready to warn his human friends of any approaching danger.
It hadn't always been this way. Long ago, before Thog joined the tribe, the humans had no fire, no light or warmth to keep the darkness and cold at bay. They struggled to survive each long winter, never knowing if they'd live to see the spring.
But Thog changed everything. He was just a pup when a young boy found him, shivering and alone after a sabretooth attack. The boy brought Thog back to the tribe, and over time, the scrappy bully wormed his way into everyone's hearts.
Thog helped the humans hunt woolly mammoths, warning them of cliffs and gullies. During a hunt one day, a mammoth charged and would have trampled the chief if not for Thog's loud barking distracting it at the last second.
But Thog's greatest gift came after lightning struck a tree near the humans' cave, setting it ablaze. Drawn by curiosity, Thog ventured close to the flames. He yelped as a burning stick singed his paw, but then carried it back to the cave, amazed by the light and warmth it gave off. The humans, startled at first, soon understood what Thog had found - their first fire.
Thanks to their bully friend, the humans now had fire to sustain them through the long winters. They took to calling him Thog, a word that over time became "dog." Thog stayed by their side, helping to usher in a new dawn for the tribe. They would never be cold or afraid of the dark again.
Originally published November 16, 2023 by Jason Lau