Chapter Text
"What about this big guy? Is he up for adoption?" You inquired, pointing to the kennel at the end of the hall. Curled up in the back lay a large black dog with an uncanny resemblance to a wolf. He didn't acknowledge your presence, even when you crouched down in front of his cage. The shelter employee shifted on her feet nervously and clicked her pen against her clipboard.
"Oh him. . .well, he was found a month ago and well. . . We think he's feral. Unfortunately, the city has marked him as dangerous and erm, he'll be put down this week. We've been trying to desensitize him but he just hasn't made any progress." She explained. You frowned and looked back at the dog. He didn't seem aggressive or feral, just tired. He hadn't raised his head from where it rested on his paws, and his eyes stared at the wall listlessly. You clicked your tongue to try and engage him, but he remained on the floor.
"Really? That's awful. Do you think I could go in there with him? He doesn't seem too aggressive." You asked the worker. She seemed shocked but regained her composure after a few seconds.
"Well sure, but I really don't think that's a good idea- you see, every time one of our handlers tries to go in with him he lashes out." She frowned and quirked an eyebrow at you as if you were insane. While the two of you talked, the big dog had finally raised his head and stared at you with tired, but gentle, eyes. You smiled back at him, he didn't seem like he could hurt a fly. Maybe you were insane, but something in your gut told you that this dog wasn't a danger to you at all. You decided to listen to your gut for once and responded,
" He seems pretty tuckered out right now. I'm sure that I want to go in." You smiled at the worker but on the inside, you were itching to get inside and pet the dog's fluffy black fur.
"S-sure. Of course." The worker stammered, surprised that you were still interested. She fumbled with her keys and quickly unlocked the kennel door, holding it open for you. The dog stayed on the floor and barely paid attention. Once you stepped inside she shut the door behind you.
"Take your time, I'll be outside whenever you're done." With that, she turned around and scurried out of the room. Turning back to the dog you saw that he was now looking at you curiously.
*Maybe he would feel more comfortable if I was more on his level.*
You slid down the wall to sit on the floor with your legs crossed."Hey puppy," You whispered nervously. The earlier bravery had dissolved and left you wondering if you really were insane. The worker had mentioned he was aggressive towards handlers.
*What is wrong with me!? If I get killed by a dog I swear-*
Your thoughts were cut off by the dog raising to his feet. He stretched leisurely then straightened up and stared straight at you. Now that he was on his feet you could really tell just how giant this dog was. He was much taller than you while you sat on the floor and even had to tilt his head down to stare at you. You reached a shaky hand towards him, wondering if that would be the last time you ever saw your hand. However, instead of chomping down on your wrist, he just raised his snout to your hand and sniffed you gingerly. After briefly sniffing your hand he quickly made his way up to your arm until he reached your neck. You sat frozen, afraid that any wrong move would be your last. He seemed content to sniff and press his cold nose against the spot where your neck met your collarbone, causing you to shiver.
You wondered if he would let you pet his fluffy fur yet, but as you raised your hand to his shoulder, a warm tongue lapped at the junction of your neck. You shrieked and scrambled backward. The big dog seemed unbothered and kept his nose buried in your neck, following your movements. Contrary to what you thought, he did not bite your neck or even nibble at it. He was content to just lap at your neck and occasionally press his cold nose to your skin. You were shocked and remained completely still. That is until your neck began to become extremely ticklish and tingled at the attention the wolfish dog was giving it. You slowly gained enough courage to raise one hand to his chest and push lightly, trying to get him away from your neck. It was becoming increasingly ticklish and while admittedly it did feel really good, it was becoming annoyingly tingly.
As soon as you applied just a little bit of pressure to his chest, a low growl erupted from his throat and the long strokes of his tongue paused.
*Shit. Shit Shit Shit is this how I die? I shouldn't have done that. Shit!*
I
t seemed that the dog was full of surprises because instead of snapping your neck with his powerful jaws, he just stepped back and looked at you with an annoyed gaze. You let out a sigh of relief and rubbed at your neck. It seemed a lot more sensitive than before, but it was probably due to the wolf licking the skin raw. The dog huffed and sat back on his haunches, eyeing you tiredly. He seemed rather offended that you had pushed him away and whined at the lack of attention you were giving him. You reached out to him again, but this time you gingerly ran your fingers through the fuzzy fur on his chest. That seemed to placate him and he leaned into your hand. You laughed quietly, he seemed so scary but he really was a softy.
"Hey big guy. Does that feel good? Would you mind coming home with me? I'll buy you the biggest dog bed I can find." You rambled, stopping when a low rumble came from the dog's chest.
*That's not a growl. . . Is- Is he purring? I didn't know dogs could purr?!?*
You giggled and scratched behind his furry ears, causing the rumbling to get louder. Even though you had had a few scares, you had already made your decision. You were gonna bring this dog home as soon as possible.