Paws

‘Why is this my life?’ The young witch thought to herself as she raced through the market stalls.

Amalia shoved past people giving her dirty looks, and her breathing was frantic as her eyes scanned the area, searching for any sign of pink. She was just here to pick up some ingredients for a potion she was making– That was it. Just a few bits of mandrake roots, and some ginger, then she would be gone!

Yet her life never could be that easy, could it? Because now she was running through the Homecrafter Market, chasing after her dog, Max, who had gotten loose.

Max was a clever, dumb dog. He was smart enough to get out of his harness, yet dumb enough to eat plastic. He annoyed her to no end, yet he was the only family she had left.

So now she was here, the mixture of homemade pies and homegrown vegetables filled her nose, the feeling of sweaty bodies pressed against her, she heard complaints as she whipped by, and tried to ignore how much her hands were shaking.

Her breath was caught in her throat when she saw a touch of pink– It was Max’s collar.

She was given the collar as a gift from her mother– She was an animal lover just like her, and the kindest woman to ever grace this planet. She could remember her face now– The smile, her brown eyes, and her red hair that matched her own.

It hurt to know that she didn’t get as much time with her as she should’ve.

She shook her head and pushed through the crowd. When she got to a break in the chaos, she felt her panic worsen when she realized that she had no clue where Max had run off too.

“Max?” She cried out. “Max? Where are ya, boy?” She wandered the streets for a moment, looking around as her hands shook. The corners of her mouth started to pull down when she noticed a puddle of mudd nearby, with paw prints leading off.

Her heart was pounding, she remembered her father’s teachings about following the tracks of what you’re hunting. He was always the hunter type– It was one of the few things that the two of them could bond over.

She rushed over to where she saw the prints and rushed to where she saw them going. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw a small white dog rushing through the crowd. “Max!” She shouted and whistled. The dog just yelped and kept running, it weaved through the people’s legs with ease, some tried to grab the dog for her, and others just looked at her with disgust.

She shouldered her way past others, she kept her eyes focused on just the dog, and when there was a sudden spot where the group separated, she lunged for the collar.

“Max– Ugh!” She went tumbling forward and landed on her face.

She groaned and cringed as pain erupted through her face. Her head was spinning as she tried to make sense of the world.

She had to get up– She just had to. She needed to find her dog–

“Huh, Are you okay?” A voice came from above her as she got up.

She nodded, “Ha-hu, I’m just–” She looked forward and saw a hand offering to help her up. She smiled and took it. “Thank you.” She dusted herself off and noticed something in the woman in front of her hands.

Her face lit up. “Max!” She shouted as the white dog barked at her, his tail wagging. “Is this your dog?” The lady asked as she handed Max to her. “Yes– Yes, he is! Little bastard got out of his leash–” She looked at the woman’s face, all smiles. “Thank– You–” She paused when she saw who she was talking to.

It was a lady with brown hair, green eyes, and wolf ears and tails. The woman smiled at her shock. “Took you a moment to notice.”

Her face burned with embarrassment. She looked around and saw that the crowd was actively avoiding the woman and was now staring at the two of them in horror.

She knew who this was. Roxann– The alpha of the most feared werewolf packed in the land, the Timber Strikes. She’s known to be rough and cruel to anyone outside of her pack. Amilia backed up a bit.

“Sorry for taking up your time,” she said. Roxann tilted her head a bit. “I’ll make sure this little ass stays on his leash,” she eyed her dog, who was still in the werewolf’s arms, but with one tiny bark, she melted. She took in the sight fully. She noticed how Roxann glanced down at Max with softness in her eyes. She petted her dog's head gently, and with a reassuring smile. She could feel her heart sputter a bit.

“Eh, it’s fine. Seems like this dog just saw another one, and wanted to make a new friend,” she joked. Amilia chuckled and let the grin on her face show. “He likes you– He always tries to get down when I pick him up.” Roxann shrugged, “What can I say– I speak dog. Literally.” They exchanged some laughs, and Amilia found herself loosening up. What was she so worried about?

She stepped forward and held out her arms. Roxann seemed to stiffen a bit. “May I have him now? I need to pick up some veggies.”

The wolf blinked at her for a long time, seemingly trying to process something. “Huh– Yeah! Yeah, of course– Hold on.” She watched as the wolf fidgeted with something before she held Max out to her.

“Here ya go– See if you can get a better leash for the smart thing.”

Amilia took her dog back and smiled at him. He looked at her with a big puppy grin and wagged his tail. An anger she might have had at him had seeped away.

“Yeah, that’s the plan at this point.” She set her dog down and put his leash back on. She looked over at Roxann, who had her hands in the pockets of her jeans, which were ripped. Her tank top was tucked into the blue pants.

“Well– Thanks again! Have a lovely day!” She said with a wave. Roxann simply smiled and waved back.

As she started to walk away, she felt her limbs shake a bit. Her mind kept wandering back to the encounter she had. She looked at her dog, which was following along happily now that he got his energy out.

“You know how to get into trouble, huh?” She asked with a smile. Max barked. Most likely to say ‘I don’t look for trouble, it finds me’ or something like that. She rolled her eyes.

That was when she noticed something in Max’s harness. She bent down and grabbed it. She brought it to her face and felt her heart skyrocket. It was an address, a time, and a date, along with a note that said.

‘Bring your pup to cook out– My pack would love a new doggy to play with, and your puppet could use the outlet. - Roxann.’

A smile forced its way onto her face. She just might take her up on that offer.