A rich, throaty, nickering response met her delighted ears. She approached and, on opening the gate, his velvety nose sought her caress. He was drenched " ...and evidently hungry," she thought. He barged past her, straight to the stable and his hay net.The four pups, now very aware that she was about, raised a din of impatience and as she opened the door they spilled out yipping and yelping. They were undecided in their excitement, to seek food, parents or Hermione herself. She watched them dart about the yard, turbocharged and tangled in gossamer. They were oblivious to the cold - and now to their hunger - as life itself fuelled their erratic activity. Every so often, chaotic trajectories collided and they coiled round each other in scuffling, squealing midget ferocity. They were eight weeks into their lives and all their wildness was intact. Hermione's smiles alternated with laughter at their antics, stark against the bright, silent stillness of the Universe.

Moving towards the barn to fill their bowls, she found herself engulfed by all six dogs intending to help. Further assistance was proffered by Puzzle. Replete with hay, he arrived to join the affray. Hermione had to shout sternly, claiming a stunned moment to open the door and enter the barn alone, to dish up. Puzzle peered over the top of the door. She watched his breath cloud the air around him and he returned her stare. Filling the six bowls with biscuits and meat, she knew that Puzzle was formulating a strategy - he would steal the dog biscuits for the hell of it. One step ahead of him, Hermione collected a handful of carrots from the sack in the metal bin. Slipping out of the door she pushed him firmly back, coaxing him several feet across the yard. She piled the carrots on the ground and, pacified, he began munching.

The dogs, as one, attacked their bowls, though the babies, ever suspicious they might be missing out, had to inspect them all. Luna, their father, they treated with caution, he being a strict disciplinarian regarding his food, and so disliking his offspring. They soon followed their mother's example and settled to eat. The quiet air filled with the crunch of contentment.