Sarge

Sarge's conception is the result of human greed: like his father before him, he was bred in a puppy mill for the sole purpose of making money. Sarge's mother, knowing what fate was awaiting her puppies in this wretched place - especially her daughters - risked everything to slip them out of their run-down kennel, even drawing the humans' ire as she told her puppies to run; run and don't look back. Sarge and his siblings scattered to the wind, their mother throwing herself at their captors with tooth and claw to buy them as much time to escape as she could. An act that proved to be her last, as the puppy mill owners shot her in the midst of her rampage.

Sarge has no idea what become of his siblings, or even if they're still alive. When he ran, he bolted off to the north, running and running until he could run no longer. At the point of his collapse, tired and afraid, the puppy begged whatever gods might be listening to help him. The gods had never answered any prayers in captivity, leaving many to believe there were no such beings, but maybe, out here in the wild, they might.

Two things saved him that day. The first was the sacrifice of his mother, the second was that the place where Sarge collapsed was a grove. A small grove, yes, of tiny trees, but a grove nonetheless. And so Aleph heard his prayers, whispered in his domain. It was but the work of a moment to teleport there, and as soon as he saw the imperiled pup whisk him away. No more would Sarge languish in captivity; here in the Garden of the Gods, his children would never know anything but the freedom of the wild.

Aleph sees Sarge carefully organizing his belongings, paying little attention to anything else. The German Shepherd doesn't notice his god until Aleph is close enough to press his nose into Sarge's shoulder to get his attention.

Sarge had some problems with drawing a line between teamwork and playtime with his fellow puppies. Aleph, God of Groves was serious when he told him that bonding and working together were not the same thing.

Aleph finds Sarge carefully inspecting every inch of his nest for bugs, failing to notice the God of Groves's presence.

Sarge had a hard time distinguishing between nearly identical berries. In his opinion it was impossible to make such a decision as quickly as Nimbus wanted, but she explained that paying attention to detail was a must for an herbalist. When he complains that he wants to be a stalker and stalkers don't need to identify berries, Nimbus explains that no matter what role in the pack you have, everyone needs this skill.

Sarge leaped into the air, going after a dead bird that Athyrium had thrown into the air to simulate flight. He was able to grab it and pin it down, standing on the wings and going for the neck like Athyrium showed him.

When Sarge brings Aleph a gift with a confident smile, the god knows that he spent a considerable amount of their time picking the perfect thing. Aleph appreciates it as much as the gift itself.