If you could pick any fictional animal to be your lifelong companion, what would it be?

My first reaction was that this might be one of the strangest questions WordPress has thrown at me. Maybe that makes me ancient, but when I hear the phrase “lifelong companion,” my mind does not immediately go to Pokémon, dragons, magical wolves or some fantasy creature that follows me around and does impressive things on command.

I already have a wife who is devoted, and I have a dog who cannot stand being away from us for more than a minute. Between Daryl and Princess, I feel like I have the companionship thing pretty well covered. I do not find myself walking through life thinking, “You know what would really complete this picture? Pikachu.”

Part of the problem is that most fictional animals still feel like pets, even if they happen to be magical ones. A dragon sounds impressive until you start wondering where it sleeps, what it eats and how much damage it does when it gets irritated. A Pokémon sounds like something I would have to train, manage and keep track of. I already spent years raising a child. I am not looking to start over with an electrically charged yellow creature.

But then I thought about The Golden Compass, and suddenly the question became more interesting.

In Philip Pullman’s world, every person has a dæmon, an animal form that is tied to that person’s very existence. It is not really a pet and not simply a companion. The dæmon is part of the person, almost like an external expression of the soul. The two are so closely connected that separation is painful and unnatural. They belong together in a way that goes far beyond affection or ownership.

That idea I can understand.

A fictional animal that I choose because it looks cool does not do much for me. A creature that somehow reflects who I am, understands me instinctively and shares my life at the deepest possible level is a very different thing. That is less about having a pet and more about having part of yourself walking beside you.

Of course, that creates another problem: What kind of animal would my dæmon be?

I would like to give some impressive answer. An eagle would sound noble. A wolf would suggest intelligence, loyalty and independence. Maybe some great cat would make me seem mysterious and composed.

But I know myself well enough to suspect the truth would be much less glamorous.

My dæmon would probably be an old dog. He would be loyal, stubborn, suspicious of unnecessary change and perfectly happy with a familiar chair, familiar people and a familiar routine. He would probably get irritated when people acted foolishly, perk up immediately at the mention of food and somehow always know when it was time to settle in for the evening.

The more I think about it, the more that actually sounds right.

So no, I still do not need a Pokémon. I already have a wife I love, a dog who shadows us constantly and a life that feels full enough without adding a fantasy creature to the household.

But if someone offered me a dæmon, that would be different.

That would not feel like adding another companion.

It would feel like meeting a part of myself.