You enter a town ransacked by the BBEG and find the local law enforcement post. The Jennies and their Arcanines litter the ground, slain in a futile fight.

But if you examine the scene carefully, you can realize that one group was protecting something. It turns out to be a badly injured Growlithe, just starting being trained as a Jenny's companion.

You can take it and make several difficult Heal checks. If you succeed, the Growlithe recovers well. It becomes very attached to you and fights at your side. You have a lot of discussions about purpose-- it lost its purpose when its family and its Jennies were killed, and your purpose-- to fight evil-- weighs on you heavily.

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Eventually, the Growlithe finds a Fire Stone and weighs the need to evolve. It's a big decision, and they aren't sure they're ready yet. If you take the romantic pathway, once you max out Relationship the Growlithe decides that its purpose is to keep the person that they love safe, and takes up the Fire Stone to become the most powerful guardian they can be.

Also because she'd like to be big enough for things to, ah, fit.