The only way to receive his teeth is a bite, is it? Well, he doesn't fear pain or death, even in a dream. He's been tormented at the hands of worse.

He doesn't dodge this oncoming strike, though he knows Rex's strength is likely comparative to his mother's. He doesn't so much as flinch; he just watches Rex, his gaze level and calm, as the blow goes straight through him, inexorable, unstoppable.

You're not an animal to be put down, he almost says, but he likes dogs. To kill them, even though they suffer, is still its own kind of tragedy.