Blood's Possessive Heart

A Boy and His Dog

Charts the dog's emotional campaign to reclaim Vic: sarcasm, guilt, threats, and, finally, the unconditional wait that wins him back.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The First Sarcasm The First Sarcasm from "A Boy and His Dog". The First Sarcasm The Bitter Observer Blood listens to the hours of coupling and finally breaks his pretense of sleep: he is hungry and hurt, and his master is…

The First Sarcasm from "A Boy and His Dog". The First Sarcasm The Bitter Observer Blood listens to the hours of coupling and finally breaks his pretense of sleep: he is hungry and hurt, and his master is…

The First Sarcasm The Bitter Observer Blood listens to the hours of coupling and finally breaks his pretense of sleep: he is hungry and hurt, and his master is coitusing his brains out. The dog's contempt is territorial, there is a rival in the den. The Jealousy Begins The fight that follows, 'You're no fucking rose garden yourself, Albert!', is the first time the partnership grinds against a third presence. Blood's hostility to Quilla June is not prejudice; it is the accurate sensing of a genuine threat.

The Prophecy of Trouble The Prophecy of Trouble from "A Boy and His Dog". The Prophecy of Trouble The Warning Issued 'She's going to make trouble.' Blood states it flatly, without evidence, and is instantly right.

The Prophecy of Trouble from "A Boy and His Dog". The Prophecy of Trouble The Warning Issued 'She's going to make trouble.' Blood states it flatly, without evidence, and is instantly right.

The Prophecy of Trouble The Warning Issued 'She's going to make trouble.' Blood states it flatly, without evidence, and is instantly right. The warning is also a bid: he is telling Vic that the girl costs more than she returns. The Unequal Battle Vic dismisses the prophecy, and the dog swallows his anger. The dynamic is now triangular, boy, girl, dog, and Blood knows that words will not beat a woman's body. He switches to memory and guilt.

The Debt Collector The Debt Collector from "A Boy and His Dog". The Debt Collector The Burnpit Story Blood reminds Vic of the burnpit-screamer: the glowing green thing, the attack, the near-death.

The Debt Collector from "A Boy and His Dog". The Debt Collector The Burnpit Story Blood reminds Vic of the burnpit-screamer: the glowing green thing, the attack, the near-death.

The Debt Collector The Burnpit Story Blood reminds Vic of the burnpit-screamer: the glowing green thing, the attack, the near-death. The story is his trump card, the proof that he, not any woman, has bled for the boy. 'But I did it, right?' The Guilt That Fails Vic acknowledges the debt and goes anyway. The one moment when Blood's claim on him should be strongest is the moment Vic's new attachment proves stronger. The dog has lost, for now.

The Threat of a Better Solo The Threat of a Better Solo from "A Boy and His Dog". The Threat of a Better Solo The Ultimatum Blood threatens to find a couple of hip solos who would welcome a sharp tail-scent like him; Vic threatens to break…

The Threat of a Better Solo from "A Boy and His Dog". The Threat of a Better Solo The Ultimatum Blood threatens to find a couple of hip solos who would welcome a sharp tail-scent like him; Vic threatens to break…

The Threat of a Better Solo The Ultimatum Blood threatens to find a couple of hip solos who would welcome a sharp tail-scent like him; Vic threatens to break his leg. The partnership's foundation trembles: each knows the other needs him more than he will admit. The Unused Exit Neither follows through. The threat itself is the measure of desperation, a dog who loves his boy so badly he would pretend to leave him. The rift is profound, but it is also a performance of pain.

The Wait That Won The Wait That Won from "A Boy and His Dog". The Wait That Won The Wordless Argument Blood is starving, wounded, weak, and present. He did not find a better solo; he did not go low mutt with a roverpak.

The Wait That Won from "A Boy and His Dog". The Wait That Won The Wordless Argument Blood is starving, wounded, weak, and present. He did not find a better solo; he did not go low mutt with a roverpak.

The Wait That Won The Wordless Argument Blood is starving, wounded, weak, and present. He did not find a better solo; he did not go low mutt with a roverpak. He waited. The one word 'Hey' contains everything his jealousy, sarcasm, and threats could not say. The Possession Completed Vic's final choice confirms Blood's victory: the girl is killed, the dog is fed. The possessive heart is satisfied, and the satisfaction is the darkest moment in the book, because the dog's love has cost a human life.

the night in the boiler

the morning after, outside the gym

the walk to the dropshaft

the same scene, minutes later

the reunion at the access pillar