Fin

Species/Type

Dog (Chihuahua)

First Appearance

Episode 1

TL;DR

Fin is a six-pound black Chihuahua who carries himself like the biggest animal on the property. He chose Kagen as his person and has never once considered himself too small to protect him.

Fin — Original

Entirely black and eight inches tall at the shoulder, Fin likes a soft seat with a clear view of the room and, ideally, some part of him touching Kagen.

Fin — Night Gremlin

Same small black dog, same high opinion of himself, plus a pair of bat wings. The wings change where Fin can go. His personality stays exactly where it was.

Fin — Fin-O-Tron

A bigger Fin, part dog and part machine, a foot tall at the shoulder and about three times his usual weight. The hardware adds strength and reach. Underneath it he is still the same dog, still expecting the best seat in the room.

Backstory

Fin was born on April Fools' Day, 2018, into a loving home that already had another Chihuahua named Chewie. He grew up with warm laps, familiar people and no competition for affection. As far as Fin could tell, being adored was simply what happened when he walked into a room.

Years later, the husband in the family died of cancer. His widow could no longer care for Fin the way she had. It was a hard choice, but she placed him at Sunrise Sanctuary. Fin arrived there already used to being loved.

He adapted fast. New people were potential admirers, and soft surfaces were available seating. Animals many times his size gave him no reason to lower his expectations. He never did.

When Cheeseball the fennec fox first turned up in the barn, Fin climbed off his jacket and went to inspect her with his head held high. Kagen told him to give her room. Fin got close enough to look her over and not one step closer, then went back to Kagen's side. A few minutes later he was sitting under the shelf where Kagen had put the cheese-ball tub, staring up at it.

Fin's bond with Kagen started with repetition. Kagen understood animals. He gave them room and let them make their own choices. So Fin made one: he followed Kagen through the workday. Kagen let him. Fin lay down nearby while Kagen worked, came back the next day and did it again. Neither of them ever announced anything. Now Kagen checks where Fin is before he shuts a door, and at the end of the day he lets Fin curl up against his side.

Fin has two settings. When he is merely offended, he stares, shifts position, refuses to give up his spot and drifts back into the middle of whatever is getting attention. When he senses real danger, the performance disappears. He closes the distance to Kagen, plants himself in front of him and gives sharp warnings. If he has to, he bites. When a red-eyed otter floated near a Sunrise picnic, Fin left his jacket and planted himself at the edge of the stream between Kagen and the far bank, every hair on his back standing up. The otter was twenty feet away and in the water. Fin held his ground anyway.

For all the attitude, Fin is no bully. He stops the moment a threat backs off and has never picked on a smaller animal just to prove a point. He will take admiration from almost anyone. His loyalty belongs to Kagen.

Fin does have one mistaken belief: if he stays close enough and reacts fast enough, nothing bad can ever reach Kagen. He takes closed doors personally. Orders to stay behind, gates he cannot open and the limits of a six-pound body have never convinced Fin that he is unqualified for the job.