I stopped walking. “Hello?”
A little growl answered me, followed by a whimper that tore at my heart. Poor thing was scared.
“It’s okay,” I said in my best soothing voice. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”
Reaching the bush, I carefully moved the leaves aside. As my eyes adjusted, I made out the form of a black puppy with pointed ears and a poofy tail. A wolf, maybe? It was hard to be sure.
“Hey there, little guy.”
The puppy cocked his head.
“Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”
He growled and inched away from me, curving his little foot under his body.
“Ah. Is it your paw?” Slowly, I reached toward him.
He snapped at my fingers.
I jerked away and fell backward. Pain radiated through my knee, making me cry out.
The puppy’s ears shot upward, and he sniffed the air a few times. He unfurled from his spot and inched toward me, whining each time pressure was placed on his paw. Yep. Definitely the culprit. But he seemed more concerned about me.
“I’m okay,” I said with another wince. “It looks worse than it is.”
Probably.
No longer hidden in the leaves, more of the puppy’s features were noticeable. Black fur, light blue eyes, and a white streak going down his chest.
“You remind me of one of my favorite cookies.” I smiled. “I’ll call you Oreo. Is that okay?”
One ear flopped while the other stayed straight up.
“I’m Evan. Not that you can speak or understand what I’m saying, but still.” I moved my hand closer. “Can I see?”
Oreo bared his teeth, as though on impulse, before sniffing the air again. He then placed his paw in my palm.
Holy crap.He actually understood.
“You’re so brave.” I petted the top of his trembling foot. “You know that? The cutest and bravest boy ever.”
Oreo watched me with eyes that seemed more aware than other animals. As if he really could understand every word I said. He stayed still as I examined his paw. I gently turned it from side to side, not seeing any blood or signs of what was causing him pain. He whimpered.
“I know it hurts.” Being as careful as I could, I felt around the area, lightly pressing on the pad and telling him I was sorry when he whined. My finger then brushed something hard. “Oh. What’s this?” It took several tries, but I managed to grab the intrusive object and pull it out. “A thorn?”
A huge ass thorn. Two inches at least. No wonder he’d been in pain.
Oreo made a hyper little sound before excitedly licking my finger.
“Feel better?”
He licked me again and wagged his tail.
“Thorns are evil, huh? That’s how I got hurt.” I smiled as he came closer, allowing me to pet the top of his head. “I guess this makes us war buddies. We faced down thorn bushes and lived to tell the tale.”
Oreo rolled to his back and panted up at me, one ear going lopsided and his tongue poking out.
“Oh my goodness, you’re the cutest thing ever.” I rubbed his belly. “Do you want to come home with me? Yep, I think you do. A certain grump of a captain might not be too happy about it, so be sure to look at him just like you’re looking at me now. He won’t be able to resist that cute wittle face. No, he won’t.”
