Tak would walk her to school every day—her parents had no concept of canine flight risk—go about his official duties while she was in school, and be waiting to walk her home when class was dismissed. She never wondered or worried about what Tak went about while she was in school, she was convinced that he was more intelligent and competent than most people she knew.
And Tak was ever mindful of Elsa, even when going about his official duties; he had carefully selected a grove close to the school to meet his friend. In one instance, a bully much older than Elsa had started to push her around in the schoolyard. Tak was there in an instant, dragging the overgrown brute off of his Elsa. The boy's parents had started to raise a fuss but quickly dropped the matter when the boy persisted that the dog had spoken to him, warning him that the girl was under his protection. His further claim, that a little man had been in a tree, laughing at him, was even more concerning. The family had attempted to cover it up, but the rumors spread. They had professed that he was a wholly reasonable boy, momentarily confused by the trauma of the vicious attack by Tak, but their pleas were ignored. The boy was relocated to a state run school for the unreasonable and the scandalized family soon moved away. The boy was a notorious bully an everyone agreed that Tak was a hero--he was even allowed scraps from the table for a week—but the reminder of how unreasonable thoughts can sneak into even the most wholesome town hung like a shadow for months after the incident.
The fight with the bully and the resulting chaos had launched Elsa's parents into a new campaign to push Elsa into making new friends, human friends. She was told that Tak was the best dog friend a girl could have but it wasn't healthy for her to spend all of her time with a dog. And more seriously, her constant chatter to Tak was unsightly, especially after what had happened to the boy--his name had long since ceased to be spoken.
And so, the socialization of Elsa had begun. More tea parties were thrown at Elsa's house, with invitations specifically urging the guests to bring their children. Play dates were not so casually arranged by her father with his customers at the mill. Her mother began bringing her to ladies' meetings, sparking a trend amongst the other women who began bringing their daughters, and eventually creating the Junior Ladies' League. Her parents became overly active in school events, befriending the other parents and adding to the seemingly unending barrage of arranged friendships.
Now this posed several problems for Elsa, several problems on several different levels. A girl used to the companionship of an uncannily amiable, loyal, and intelligent dog was completely overwhelmed by the parade of strange children. She was not overly gifted in natural intellect but spending so much time with Tak—who was exceptionally intelligent amongst both humans and magical beasts—had placed her miles ahead of other children her age, both mentally and emotionally. The area in which she was lacking was the realm of social skills.
She was not hopeless or even noticeably unskilled in the art of socialization as many children are--children with human friends, I might add. She had perfect manners, impressing even the most posh members of the ladies' council. She was liked by her schoolmates, welcome in the schoolyard games, and selflessly helpful in the classroom. Before her parents' campaign, she had occasionally visited classmates' houses to help with homework or tutor a study group--always with Tak waiting, unobtrusive yet aware, outside of the house.
No, her problem was not finding friends, it was finding the desire for friends. Obviously, Tak was far superior to any human friend she would find in the town but she was a kind and loving soul, so that didn't hold her back. She simply found their company boring, no matter how hard she tried to enjoy herself. She would lose touch unless they reached out to her or her parents set up a play date. It was not out of malice, she genuinely liked them as people, it was pure apathy.
The other children didn't give Elsa much inspiration to keep in touch, though. They would not even consider playing any of the games that she and Tak had made up, instead insisting that she join in on their state-standard games; designed to promote strong morals and healthy rationality. Elsa, being so good natured, went along with these games without complaint; perfectly feigning enjoyment. The real issue was the other children's refusal to accept Tak as a playmate.
The most vocal members of the playgroups—leader was an unreasonable and archaic term, best avoided—informed Elsa that Tak did not belong in a group of children. Their fathers had hunting dogs who were caged when not hunting; their mothers had small decorative dogs, worn like jewelry and confined to the sitting room; even the farmers on the outskirts of town had herding dogs, guiding sheep and cattle; but no one had a friend dog, it simply wasn't done.
Elsa didn't know how to respond to this, she had no experience arguing with people and had rarely ever been angry. Tak continued to accompany her, on this she would not compromise, but as time progressed, Tak was spending more and more time keeping watch while remaining out of sight. Elsa had tried joking with the others, claiming that Tak was her herding dog but the vocal elite merely scoffed at her, professing that pretending to be a sheep was childish and irrational. A few children had tried to play with Tak before or after the games, having never encountered a friend dog, but mob mentality soon forced them to abandon these pursuits or face ostracization from the group.
Eventually, Tak would remain completely hidden while Elsa played with the other children. A few of them may have suspected his presence but without seeing or hearing him, they had no grounds to challenge Elsa. Darting eyes and investigations of broken sticks, however, made it clear to Elsa that Tak was to remain an unwelcome presence amongst her peers. She took to sneaking out into the forest to play with Tak. Sometimes, they would venture out at night and occasionally, she would even feign injury or illness in order to leave the playgroup early and sneak away with Tak.
Despite how strenuous these difficulties might sound, they were not the worst of Elsa's problems. Her biggest hurdle to clear during the friendship campaign was her own mind; specifically, how her mind perceived Tak. As a child, she imagined that Tak could understand her every word, she somehow sensed that he was more than just an ordinary dog.
The state had decreed that these illogical fantasies were acceptable, though not desired, in children. The proper course in dealing with this behavior was to gently discourage these flights of fancy and establish a firm base in rationality at an early age; punishment should not be introduced unless the thoughts persist beyond the age of six. Elsa's problem was that she was now twelve and the thoughts continued to persist.
She never spoke of these thoughts to anyone but Tak, she was terrified of what the consequences might be. And she tried her best to put an end to them. But she couldn't explain away what she had observed. Tak would respond to her slightest move, he would show signs of comprehension when she spoke to him. She would mention a desire to investigate a new path through the forest one day, only to find Tak veering towards it the next day, with no sign from her. She would ask him his opinion on what outfit to wear and even the most skeptical person would be forced to admit that Tak would make clear and comprehensible suggestions. Once she could have sworn she heard him laugh while doing her homework and turned to witness what seemed to be him reading over her shoulder. When she answered homework problems incorrectly, he would carelessly walk on the pages with wrong answers, allowing her to catch her mistakes while recopying them.
She began to test him, hoping to reaffirm her beliefs. But it almost appeared as if Tak was aware of her tests and willfully failing them. She couldn't imagine why Tak would do this. But instead of feeling angry or betrayed, she became more resolute that Tak was more than he seemed.
Elsa's one sided and constant conversations with Tak had continued, although not so publicly anymore. In addition to her usual chatter, she began to confide in him that she knew he was more than just a regular terrier. She would tell him that she was absolutely certain that he understood every word she spoke ti him. And she would beg him to respond, or at least to give her some sign that she was right about him. Amidst sincere promises to never reveal his secret, she would shout for him to watch out for the snake or some other silly nonsense, hoping to gauge his reaction. Whenever she did this, he would trot up to her, tongue out and face carefully composed in an uncharacteristically witless manner; he would then usually lick her hand and bark. During her intervention talks, he would wander off, chasing a rabbit or something else that normal dogs do but Tak had never before done.
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