GYWO Story 1 - Compassionate
Apr. 2nd, 2023 10:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mad_madam_mFandom: Original Fiction
Word count: 500
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Tags: Starving Animal, Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Setting
Summary: One traveler meets another on her way south, and accidentally ends up with a companion for the road.
Written for the prompt "compassionate."
~~~
The dog was brown and black with a brindled coat, so skinny she could count its ribs from ten feet away. One ear was missing a chunk, and a couple of scars ran along its blunt snout. It eyed her warily.
"You should find somewhere to hide," she warned it. "I saw a land dragon not far from here."
The dog continued to watch her. No, not her. Its eyes were fixed on her bag.
She reached into the side pocket without taking her eyes off the dog and pulled out a stick of jerky. The dog stepped forward cautiously, its whip-thin tail curling up.
She snapped the jerky in half and tossed it. The dog snatched it out of the air and retreated a safe distance away, chomping vigorously.
"It's not much, but at least it's something." She tossed the other half of the jerky to the dog, and it ate that just as fast. "Now, you'd better head south. There's a town that way."
She had no idea why she said it; it wasn't like the dog could understand her.
A sound like thunder in the distance, and the ground vibrated. She held her breath, waiting to see if another step was coming.
"The dragon's moving." She shouldered her bag. "So should we. Good luck."
She turned to head back to her old jalopy, parked just off the old broken road.
Footsteps padded on the dirt behind her. She glanced over her shoulder; the dog had left its hiding place and was trotting along behind her, tail wagging.
"Oh, no," she told it. "That jerky was a one-time thing. I'm not sharing more. Shoo."
The dog sat on the path, its pink tongue hanging out of its mouth, and it panted at her.
She ignored it and walked back to the jalopy. Being outside of a town while a land dragon was on the move was a bad idea. They avoided obvious settlements, but unwary travelers could end up pancaked if they weren't careful.
She tossed her bag in the backseat and climbed in. The dog sat at the edge of the road, still panting at her expectantly.
It'd be smartest to just leave it. Clearly the dog had been out awhile. It would be okay.
But she was on her way to Amsterdam, only a few miles south. She'd be there by nightfall. Wouldn't be much to take the dog with her.
With a sigh, she opened the passenger door. "Go on, get in."
The dog bounded over and scrambled into the seat, curling up like that had always been its spot.
She turned the engine over. "We'll see if we can find you a family in Amsterdam. This is a one-time trip, you hear me?"
The dog woofed.
"Good. Glad we're clear on that."
She peeled out and headed south. Beside her, the dog lifted its head and panted, tongue lolling out.
A one-time trip, she repeated firmly to herself. No matter how cute it was.
Word count: 500
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Tags: Starving Animal, Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Setting
Summary: One traveler meets another on her way south, and accidentally ends up with a companion for the road.
Written for the prompt "compassionate."
~~~
The dog was brown and black with a brindled coat, so skinny she could count its ribs from ten feet away. One ear was missing a chunk, and a couple of scars ran along its blunt snout. It eyed her warily.
"You should find somewhere to hide," she warned it. "I saw a land dragon not far from here."
The dog continued to watch her. No, not her. Its eyes were fixed on her bag.
She reached into the side pocket without taking her eyes off the dog and pulled out a stick of jerky. The dog stepped forward cautiously, its whip-thin tail curling up.
She snapped the jerky in half and tossed it. The dog snatched it out of the air and retreated a safe distance away, chomping vigorously.
"It's not much, but at least it's something." She tossed the other half of the jerky to the dog, and it ate that just as fast. "Now, you'd better head south. There's a town that way."
She had no idea why she said it; it wasn't like the dog could understand her.
A sound like thunder in the distance, and the ground vibrated. She held her breath, waiting to see if another step was coming.
"The dragon's moving." She shouldered her bag. "So should we. Good luck."
She turned to head back to her old jalopy, parked just off the old broken road.
Footsteps padded on the dirt behind her. She glanced over her shoulder; the dog had left its hiding place and was trotting along behind her, tail wagging.
"Oh, no," she told it. "That jerky was a one-time thing. I'm not sharing more. Shoo."
The dog sat on the path, its pink tongue hanging out of its mouth, and it panted at her.
She ignored it and walked back to the jalopy. Being outside of a town while a land dragon was on the move was a bad idea. They avoided obvious settlements, but unwary travelers could end up pancaked if they weren't careful.
She tossed her bag in the backseat and climbed in. The dog sat at the edge of the road, still panting at her expectantly.
It'd be smartest to just leave it. Clearly the dog had been out awhile. It would be okay.
But she was on her way to Amsterdam, only a few miles south. She'd be there by nightfall. Wouldn't be much to take the dog with her.
With a sigh, she opened the passenger door. "Go on, get in."
The dog bounded over and scrambled into the seat, curling up like that had always been its spot.
She turned the engine over. "We'll see if we can find you a family in Amsterdam. This is a one-time trip, you hear me?"
The dog woofed.
"Good. Glad we're clear on that."
She peeled out and headed south. Beside her, the dog lifted its head and panted, tongue lolling out.
A one-time trip, she repeated firmly to herself. No matter how cute it was.
