Another fanfic for @notllorstel‘s joml au where Stan adopts an omen of death and it is such a good doggie, yes it is, such a good little harbinger of doom.
Bonding With Your Human is here. This follows it in continuity, but you don’t really need to read them in any specific order.
From then on, the Grim spent a lot of
time with Friend. She couldn’t always be there, of course. She had
important work to do. Sometimes it was nearby, even in town. (For a
solid week she had sat howling outside the Mayor’s home, while he
shook his cane and shouted “Not yet, Reaper!” at her.) More
often, though, she had to walk many miles and was gone for several
days. Friend got used to seeing her come and go. He was always ready
to welcome her when she returned.One day, when she was out in a place
where the snow was piled deep everywhere, and flakes of it sat on her
fur like stars in a night sky, she scented something on the wind that
startled her. Death was coming close to Friend again. He needed her
help. She turned and began going south at a full run.It took her a few days to get back to
Friend’s house, and when she did the sun was low in the sky. She went
in through the locked back door and up the stairs to the bedroom,
where his scent was the strongest. The lights were out, and he was
lying in bed, but he wasn’t sleeping. She put her paws up on the side
of the bed and sniffed him over. He turned over when he felt her nose
pressing into his back and looked at her, reaching a hand out to pet.“Hey girl.” He muttered, “Where
did you come from?”