The debriefing room of the Los Angeles Police Department, Precinct 1, was a large and fairly sparse room. Four long steel tables cluttered with chairs, a podium at the front facing the tables, and several white boards filled with open cases, suspect mugshots, and maps of LA's neighborhoods hung on the wall behind the podium was all that made up the space.
Floor to ceiling windows lined the entire west side of the wall, filling the room with warm bright July sunlight. The debriefing room was K-9 Unit Ronan Trager's favorite room for that reason. Every morning he trudged through the Precinct with his head down, not making eye contact or speaking to any human as he made his way down the hall to debriefing. He was usually the first wolf to arrive, but this morning Riley and Landon were already seated at one of the tables, having a very animated conversation. When Ronan pushed through the door with his forehead, the two other wolves immediately stopped talking. They glanced at Ronan for a second, but did not bother to greet him. Ronan didn't even twitch an ear in their direction. He walked right past Riley and Landon and went to the same spot he sat in everyday. The last chair at the last table closest to the windows, the one spot that was bathed in the most sunlight. Ronan pulled out a chair and sat down with a heavy thud. Although he wanted to sit in the warmth of the direct summer sun, Ronan wore sunglasses over his eyes to nurse the colossal hangover he was trying to recover from. He sighed loudly and laid his massive head down on the cold steel table, sprawling his front legs out in either direction to deter anyone from sitting right next to him. Although it didn't really matter, all the other K-9 Unit wolves gave Ronan a wide berth.
Precinct 1 of the Los Angeles Police Department was the first to receive werewolves as a replacement for the dwindling usefulness of the German Shepherd as a police dog. These werewolves were not the same creatures described in old human fairytales and folklore. They did not exist as humans and only shifted into monsters on the full moon, they were always wolves, and they were enormous creatures. Over the centuries they had learned to live in harmony with humans, and in turn live mostly like humans themselves. They could talk just like humans, they attended school, lived in houses and apartments, drove cars, and even lived monogamously, though they still had small pack families and an Alpha male and female. Most of the wolves were bipeds, walking upright on two legs they stood at over 10 feet tall, some even taller. Although many wolves didn't wear any clothing, the LAPD's wolves wore matching black bullet proof vests with white lettering that read 'LAPD K-9 UNIT' on the back. They also wore thick leather collars around their necks where their badges hung from.
Including Ronan, there were seven K-9 Unit werewolves employed with the LAPD, and Ronan was easily the largest wolf on the force. He was the only quadruped in the group, he claimed that it felt unnatural to him to walk on two legs, although he could when he needed to, he just preferred not. Even down on all fours Ronan stood almost 7 feet tall at his shoulders, and he was built like a rhinoceros. Although there was no accurate way to get a weight on him, short of taking him to a semi truck weigh station off the Interstate, most of the veterinarians that gave the K-9's their yearly check-ups estimated that Ronan was easily 4,000 plus pounds. The other six wolves, Landon, Riley, Dexter, Quinn, Hunter and the only female wolf on the force, Layla, were all leaner and more agile looking than Ronan, which is one of the reasons Ronan assumed he hadn't had a human partner in over a year. He wasn't appealing to have as the dog protecting your six while out on patrol. Or maybe it was because of the accident he had last year with his previous partner. The accident that, no matter how many times it was reviewed and determined an accident, still earned Ronan the nickname of 'Cop Killer' and was also the main reason the other K-9 wolves didn't interact with him anymore. Ronan didn't care, he passed the point of caring months ago. Now he just focused on existing, getting through day after day functioning on some varying level of intoxication. Sergeant Hillman gave up trying to find him a new human partner months ago, she now just assigned him to the same task everyday, parking tickets and traffic violations in the LAX area.
As the four other wolves slowly made their way into the debriefing room, Ronan gazed lazily through the huge windows, looking out into the vast wasteland of Los Angeles. If he cocked his head to the right just perfectly, his line of sight made it through the tall, crumbling skyscrapers and he could see the beauty of clear, green Elftown to the west. The overwhelming heat of midsummer made everything look so lush and healthy, especially because Elftown didn't have a water usage restriction. God he wished he could walk on thick green grass, but most of LA was in ruins, thanks to the Orc gangs, the ongoing drought issues, and extreme level of poverty throughout the city. Ronan's ears twitched towards the doors, he could hear the human officers coming to collect their K-9 partners. He grumbled to himself, the humans and their wolf partners were so buddy-buddy it was disgusting. Deep down, Ronan admitted to himself that he was jealous. He had had that kind of relationship with his previous partner.
Officer John Thomas was one of the first seven people to receive a K-9 wolf partner on the force. When Ronan arrived at Precinct 1 with the six other Rookie wolves that were in his graduating class, they were all eager and excited to be partnered up with a human and start their civil servant careers. That was almost 10 years ago, and John was dead and buried for over a year now. Ronan laughed to himself, he was so naive back then. Thinking he could actually make a difference in this rotting decrepit city overrun with Orcs and self-entitled Elves.
"Alright mutts!" Sergeant Michelle Hillman called attention to the group, Ronan hadn't even realized she had entered the room. She was a sharp and disciplined woman, nothing like her predecessor Sergeant Ching was. Ronan liked Ching, she was easier to approach than Hillman. He was sad to learn that Ching had died with Hicks, Pollard, and Brown in the whole 'magic wand incident' 6 months ago. Ching always treated Ronan fairly, Sergeant Hillman always had a look of disappointment on her face when she looked at him.
"That's enough!" Hillman snapped. The other K-9 officers silenced their private conversations and gave Sergeant Hillman their full attention, Ronan didn't even bother to lift his head off the table. He was too busy watching the clouds and listening to the birds.
The K-9 Unit human officers filed into the debriefing room, found their wolves, and sat down next to them.
Sergeant Hillman addressed the room, "okay listen for your assignments, get your shotguns and radios and deploy. Clear your damn calls quickly and respond to each other for back up. There has been lots of gang activity recently, Fogteeth and the 18th Street have been causing shit with each other. Wear your vests, even though its fucking hot as hell. Officer Samuels and Landon, Sun Valley. Officer Kent and Riley, Santa Monica. Davidson and Quinn, Hollywood." Ronan tuned her out and went back to daydreaming. He knew his assignment already. His head was pounding and he was trying hard to keep the room from spinning. In retrospect, he probably should have stopped at 2 bottles of tequila.
"Trager! Trager! RONAN!" He jerked back into reality finally at the sound of his name being shouted. Ronan lifted his sunglasses onto his forehead and addressed his superior.
"Sergeant?" He still didn't bother to lift his head off the table, or stand at attention for that matter, displaying his defiance for authority in front of the rest of the Unit.
Hillman gave him a pointed look. "I thought you'd like to meet your new partner."
Now he did lift his head off the table and cocked it slightly, just like a confused dog. "New partner?" Hillman nodded slowly. The rest of the room was silent and staring at Ronan. "Deploy!" Hillman barked. The officers and wolves immediately moved in a flurry, gathering their paperwork and belongings.
The room began to empty as humans and wolves filed out the door, discussing how they spent their weekends and what their assignments entailed for the day. When the last pair exited the debriefing room and only Ronan and Sergeant Hillman remained, she addressed him again.
"A senior Uni lost his partner to Vice last week, he seemed like a good fit for you." Hillman pulled the door open and in walked an officer Ronan had seen before. He was the one that had the Orc as a partner. Ronan tried to hide his look of disappointment and surprise, but it was clear both Hillman and this Officer saw his response. This was the last person he thought they would give him as a partner. Actually, the second to last. If they ever tried to pair him with the Orc, he would commit murder.
"Officer Daryl Ward, meet your new partner. K-9 Unit Ronan Trager."
Ronan sighed deeply and pushed the chair away from the table with a loud scrape. He dropped down to his front paws and sauntered over to Ward. He was a good 2 feet taller than the man, and that made him happy. Ward took a hesitant step backward as Ronan approached, a little too close for comfort for the human apparently. Ronan loved intimidating everyone he encountered.
Daryl Ward gave Ronan a once over, and then seemed to regain his composure, laughing with a cocky smirk. "Big mother fucker ain't you?"
Ronan didn't respond, he just stood his ground glaring daggers at Ward. Hillman spoke up, trying to ease some of the tension between the two. "Ward, he's the best dog on the force. You're lucky to have him. Ronan, behave yourself. Unless you want to write parking tickets for the rest of your life, Officer Ward here is your last chance to be back on full patrol."
Ronan growled, "fine."
Ward squared his shoulders and made himself look as tall as possible. "A'ight. This ain't my first rodeo with weird. Let's see if the mutt is any smarter than the Orc was." He turned on his heel and headed out the debriefing room door.
Ronan paused before following out the door, he turned to Hillman with a snarl, "if this guy turns out to be a jackass, I'm handing in my resignation." He pushed through the door and followed his new partner down the hall, less than enthusiastic about the situation he found himself stuck in. At that moment, he wished for nothing but a quiet routine day writing parking tickets at the airport.
Ward looked over his shoulder to address his new partner, who was in no hurry to catch up with him. "So you walk on all fours huh? Isn't that sort of weird for your kind?"
Ronan didn't make eye contact, he just kept walking, slow and leisurely. It was already starting to irritate Ward, he could tell. "I walk the way nature intended us to walk, I can do the biped thing when I feel like it."
"So what do you prefer? Trager? Ronan?"
"Ronan is fine."
"Alright, well you can call me Ward. Only my Momma and my wife get to call me Daryl."
Ronan snorted obstinately, "Sure thing."
They stopped at the weapons dispensary to pick up their shotguns and radios, and then headed to the garage to find their car for the day. As they exited the building the heat of the second week of July hit them in the face like a brick wall. The forecast said the high for the day was expected to be 97 degrees, with the humidity reaching an unbreathable level.
They found their car quickly, eager to get the air conditioning started. "You gonna fit in this truck? No offense but you're kind of enormous." Ward tried to make the comment sound snarky, but he was honestly concerned that the wolf wouldn't fit in the SUV.
Ronan snarled at Ward, "yeah I'll fit." He flipped his sunglasses back over his eyes to shield them from the blinding sun and opened the passenger side door. Ronan reclined the seat as far back as it would go, and maneuvered himself in. It was a tight fit, and he had to sit kind of awkwardly, but there was no way he was going to ride in the backseat like some kind of pet dog.
Ward watched him curiously for a moment, before jumping into the driver's seat. He started the engine with a roar, and Ronan immediately rolled the window completely down and rested his head on the sill, nose hanging out the open window. He had every intention of sleeping off the rest of his hangover.
Ward shook his head and pulled out of the police headquarters. He cranked the air on full blast, it came out stinking and hot for a few minutes, before finally starting to cool down. Ward figured the wolf would get the hint once he felt the cold of the air conditioning and roll his window back up, but the car was old, and the air conditioning would need a few minutes to get working well. Ward turned east onto 1st street.
"I got a beat I patrol everyday." He spoke loudly, hoping to catch Ronan's attention. "First we hit the Gardens, and then we do a lap around the Heights. I do it in a different pattern everyday. Keeps the neighborhoods on their toes."
Ronan twitched his ears in the wind, but did not respond. They drove in silence for a long while, giving Ward a chance to finally give his partner a good once over. This wolf they gave him, this beast that he was supposed to trust his life with, was surprisingly kind of fat. At first Ward thought he was just fluffy, he had longer fur than the other wolves on the force, so Ward thought the extra hair just gave him a bulkier appearance. But now seeing Ronan up close, he was indeed overweight, probably from his year of doing nothing but cruising around and writing parking tickets day after day. He was the most brilliant obsidian black Ward had ever seen. So dark in fact that his coat almost shined in the sunlight. Not a single hair on the animal was faded or a lighter shade. Ward guessed that was a rarity in the werewolves, because Ronan was the first all black wolf he'd ever seen. The other wolves on the force were of varying colors. Riley was just your generic grey and white, that was the most common coat color it seemed. Quinn was a chocolate brown, Dexter was like a charcoal and white, Hunter was a rusty red and white, and then Landon and Layla, although they were not related in any way, were both pure white wolves.
Ronan must have sensed Ward criticizing him. "If you stare long enough I might do a trick for you." He mumbled.
Ward rolled his eyes, "Sorry. It's just that I've never really been up close and personal with a werewolf before."
Ronan lifted his head and peered at Ward over the rim of his sunglasses, "you scared?"
Ward scoffed, "I'm not scared of no damn dog. Just a little uneasy that I have four thousand pounds of teeth and claws riding shotgun with me."
Ronan shifted in his seat and laid his head back down on the open window. "Well trust me. I'm no more excited about this situation than you are."
Ward cocked a confused eyebrow at him, "aren't you hot? I've got the a/c going."
"I like the fresh air." Ronan stated flatly.
Ward shook his head in silent amusement. "Alright well first thing I do is stop for a burrito at Alonzo's, you want anything?"
"Nnhf" Ronan huffed. Ward didn't bother asking if that was a yes or a no. Seeing the size of this wolf, Ward assumed that Ronan would never say no to food.
He pulled right into a empty street spot in front of Alonzo's and jumped out of the SUV.
"Goddamn it's hot!" Ward said to no one in particular. He wiped sweat off his forehead.
"I'll be back in 5." He called to Ronan. The wolf didn't respond, he figured he had fallen asleep.
Ward entered the small Mexican take-out restaurant just as a huge Orc dressed in all black was walking out. They rubbed elbows for a moment, but Ward didn't even give him a second thought. Just as Ward walked up to the empty counter to begin his order, an explosion of barking and snarling erupted from outside. He turned back towards the door just in time to see his brand new 4,000 pound werewolf partner scrambling out of the open door of the SUV and barrel down the sidewalk at a full gallop after the Orc that had just left Alonzo's. Ronan's sunglasses layed dropped and forgotten in the middle of the sidewalk.
"What in the holy mother of hell!?" Ward shouted as he pushed through the restaurant door.
"Trager what the fuck are you doing!?" He screamed after the dog, but Ronan was too far down the street already. Ward jumped back into the car, flipped on the pursuit lights and sirens and slammed on the gas, chasing his new wolf partner and whatever Orc he was chasing down the street. The reason why he was involved in this pursuit was still a mystery to him.
Ward got on the car's radio and called dispatch. "Unit 3 Adam 9, K-9 in foot pursuit of Orc southbound on Palm Valley Blvd."
Dispatch responded, informing they were sending back up.
Ward switched channels on the radio, hoping that Ronan would enlighten him as to why they were chasing this Orc. "Trager copy!" He shouted into the mouthpiece of the car's radio.
No response, Ward tried again. "Ronan! What the hell are you chasing that Orc for!?" Still nothing.
Ward finally caught up as close as he could to Ronan and the Orc, but traffic was too heavy to cut in front of them and stop the pursuit.
Ward could do nothing but follow as close as possible, weaving in and out of traffic and informing dispatch of Ronan's and the Orc's movements.
Ward had to admit, the wolf was an impressive creature. The Orc he was chasing was fast, but considering Ronan's size, he was keeping up rather well, especially in this extreme heat. They were nearing 3 miles of all out sprinting and Ronan was not letting up, he had to be close to crapping out. As jet black as he was, absorbing all the hot sunlight into his fur, on top of wearing the heavy bulletproof vest with all his gear attached to it. Ward couldn't see Ronan lasting much longer at this pace. The Orc made a sharp right down an alley and Ronan didn't miss a beat.
"Shit!" Ward made a screeching turn down the next side street to keep up.
"Unit 3 Adam 9, K-9 foot pursuit turned east down Palmetto Street alley."
Dispatch responded with a, "copy, back up enroute."
Ward chucked the radio mouthpiece into the truck's console, "well where the fuck are they!?" He cursed at no one.
They were nearing 6 miles of chasing. There was no way that Ronan could keep this pace up much longer in this heat. Ward could catch short glimpses of Ronan still on the Orc's heels through the backyards and fences that separated the road he was on from the alley. Finally, just ahead, Ward spotted an exit driveway for the alley. He slammed on the gas and turned into it just enough to stay hidden behind the last garage in the alley.
He scrambled for the mouthpiece and switched the channel back to Ronan's private radio. "Okay Ronan listen to me. Just before the Orc comes up to this last garage give a good loud howl and I'll cut him off."
Ward didn't expect a response. He threw the radio onto the passenger seat and gripped the steering wheel with both hands, foot ready to slam on the gas the moment he heard Ronan's howl. Sweat poured down his face and neck, Ward was thoroughly concerned that Ronan was going to die of a heart attack if he kept running at this pace. A wave of panic surged through Ward at the thought that maybe Ronan didn't hear his instructions. But a split second later a thunderous howl echoed through the air and Ward slammed on the gas pedal, launching the SUV forward into the middle of the alley. His plan worked perfectly, the Orc and the truck collided and the suspect went flying over the hood of the SUV. Ronan followed still, leaping over the car hood and tackling the Orc, who was already trying to stand and continue to run. Four thousand pounds of solid killer werewolf landed dead center on the Orc's back. Ronan flattened his suspect into the ground, and was still for a long moment before attempting to move.
Ward threw the car into park and jumped out as fast as he could. He already had his handcuffs off his belt, ready to take their running Orc into custody. With an incredible amount of effort, Ronan managed to roll off the Orc and land in the dead grass of the front yard they had ended their pursuit in. He was dry heaving and gasping for air so hard it sounded like he was suffocating.
Ward cuffed the Orc rather harshly and gave him a good kick in the back. "I can have my gun out in 3 seconds, don't even think about moving."
He went to Ronan, who was laying practically unconscious and breathing very erratically. Ward was seriously concerned that Ronan was at risk of dying from heat stroke. The car's thermostat read 96 degrees when Ward jumped out of the truck, and this enormous wolf who hadn't been on any beat patrol for over a year just ran nearly 7 miles at a dead gallop. By sheer luck, the house that they were currently occupying the front yard of had a garden hose coiled up next to the long dead flower beds.
Ward ran for it and turned the spigot on full blast. "Fuck the water restrictions" he growled.
He clenched the hose off and ran back to Ronan. Ward opened the hose, letting the water hit right on top of Ronan's head, drenching him in cold crisp hydration. "Hey! Hey! Ronan c'mon man. Wake up!" He slapped the wolf's neck a few times in an attempt to bring the animal around. Ronan sputtered and gasped for air, but did not fully regain consciousness.
Ward sighed with worry. "C'mon big man, let's get this vest off." Ward started unsnapping Ronan's heavy bullet proof vest and pulling apart velcro when the Orc started to wiggle and roll around a few feet away.
"Hey!" Ward all but scream shouted. "What the fuck did I tell you about moving!?" He pulled Ronan's cuffs off his vest and secured them around the Orc's ankles. "Try and move now you mother fucker."
Ward turned his attention back to his new partner who was in extremely dire condition. Somehow he managed to maneuver the vest completely off of Ronan's enormous body and tossed it aside. He moved the hose from the wolf's head and neck down to his shoulders and back, saturating his thick black fur with cold water as much as he could. Ronan's breathing slowed a little, but he was still delirious and unresponsive.
"We gotta get you out of the sun big man." Ward slapped the wolf's head hard a few times. "C'mon Ronan, wake up." Still nothing.
Finally, as if an eternity passed by, their back up casually rolled up in front of the yard they were currently occupying.
"Call an ambulance and get a veterinarian out here!" Ward screamed to the first uniformed officer he saw. He didn't even comprehend who he was yelling at, he was too focused on keeping Ronan drenched with water. He sensed movement next to him and turned to see Landon, the white wolf, down on all fours next to Ronan's head.
"What happened?" Landon muttered quietly.
Ward turned his attention back to Ronan. "He chased that Orc for damn near 7 miles in this heat. I think he's having a stroke."
Ward moved from slapping Ronan's neck and head to full on hitting him. "Ronan!" He shouted at the wolf. "Wake up man!" Ronan's eyes fluttered open for a moment and he groaned loudly.
"We have to get him out of this sun," he spoke at Landon without turning towards him. "I can soak him in all the water in the world, but this sun is killing him with how black he is."
Landon stood up and gave a sharp whistle. "Riley, Dexter, get over here!" The two other wolves trotted over to Landon. Ward looked up to see 4 more squad cars pull up to their position. He quickly scanned their immediate area for anywhere shady they could move Ronan to.
"There." Ward pointed towards a window awning about 8 feet from where Ronan was laying now that gave just enough shade to get the critically ill wolf out of the direct sunlight.
Landon, Riley, and Dexter grabbed Ronan's collar and the scruff of his shoulders.
"One-two-three!" Landon counted off, and the 3 wolves heaved and dragged Ronan's dead weight body the 8 short feet into the tiny shaded spot. Ward never stopped drenching him with water from the hose. These people were going to get an outrageous fine for inappropriate water usage. He'd deal with that later, Ward said to himself. Ronan's life was more important right now.
The familiar 'whoop whoop' of the ambulance finally arrived and Ward managed to breathe a small sigh of relief.
"The vet is here!" Landon yelled to Ward.
A young woman in blue scrubs carrying a large duffel bag and a oxygen tank scurried over to where Ronan laid, still mostly unresponsive.
"That's good Officer, keep soaking him" the vet encouraged Ward. She pulled an oxygen mask out of her bag, hooked it up to the tank and strapped the mask over Ronan's mouth and nose.
Next she clipped a pulse oximeter to one of Ronan's toes. She clicked her tongue when the little screen gave her a read out. "84, that's really low." She cranked the oxygen tank up to full blast.
She pulled a thermometer out of her front scrub pocket and dipped it in a small tube of lubricant. "Considering he is practically completely unconscious right now and this is the fastest way to get a body temperature, I don't think he'll mind."
She moved towards Ronan's back end and lifted his tail. The wolf didn't even flinch when the vet inserted the thermometer into his rectum.
That made Ward worry even more. If a stick up his butt didn't get a reaction out of the beast, what would?
"Keep drenching his body," the vet coached. "Especially around his heart and lungs."
The thermometer beeped and the vet extracted it from his rear end. "109.3, that's very bad. The hose isn't cooling him off fast enough, he needs an IV right now. Wilson, O'Malley get over here!" The vet shouted for the two human paramedics to come assist her. "You can stop with the hose now Officer, I'm going to put double IV's in him."
Ward reached over to the spigot that was now only a foot away and cut off the water. He tossed the hose aside to give the vet and medics more room to work.
"Is — is he gonna die?" Ward could barely choke out the word.
The vet turned to him, she looked concerned. "Honestly, I don't know. He's in pretty critical condition. He could have permanent brain damage if we don't get his body temperature down soon."
Ward turned away from Ronan's limp body as the paramedics and vet worked on inserting IV's into both of his front legs.
"Hey," the vet called back to Ward. He turned to face her, clearly she was aggravated at him. "What the hell were you thinking anyway? Running this animal like that in this heat? Especially with how heavy and out of shape he is!?"
Ward practically saw red. "I didn't do this. He took off by himself." His voice was low and menacing.
"After who?" Landon spoke up. "This Orc?"
Ward had been so panicked about Ronan that he had completely forgotten about the Orc the wolf had chased down for 7 miles. His eyes scanned the spot he last left the Orc. He found the pig skinned trash now upright, seated on the curb next to a squad car, his ankles and wrists were still cuffed.
Ward charged toward the Orc and kicked him hard square in the back. The Orc fell forward off the curb. "You piece of shit mother fucker! If you're the reason my dog dies I'll kill you myself!"
The Orc did nothing but laugh.
"Get an ID off this asshole. He got a wallet?" It was Sergeant Hillman who spoke.
Ward was surprised to see her. "Sergeant, I didn't know you were here."
She smiled stiffly at Ward, "well when you hear about a 7 mile foot pursuit and no reason given for it, that's something you gotta check out. Grab his wallet Landon." She called to the white wolf. Landon pulled the Orc back up onto the curb and fished his wallet out of the pocket of his pants.
He opened the folded leather and read the name on the ID out loud. "Julio King." Landon paused and cocked his head. "Julio King" he said again, "why does that name sound so familiar?"
It was Sergeant Hillman that answered, "because Julio King is the biggest Orc crime boss in all of LA. Drugs, guns, pussy, you name it, Julio King controls it. We've been after this asshole for over 5 years, and he always manages to slip away." Hillman shook her head in amazement. "Julio fucking King. Not so elusive now, are you douchebag?"
Hillman sighed long and loud, she spoke again, this time with utter shock in her voice. "First day back on patrol and the fat ass catches Julio King." She laughed shortly. "He did that to spite me." She turned to face Ronan, who was still laying in the same spot, unmoving, while the vet and paramedics continued to work on him. "You better not die Trager" she said softly, almost pleading with Ronan to fight. She sniffed hard like she was fighting back tears and turned back to the Orc and Landon.
"Confirm his identity with prints and DNA, and if this is really Julio King, you and your brand new mutt just won the Commendation of the Year award."
Hillman paused again and sighed, "that is, if he lives."
Ward's heart sank. The Sergeant really thought Ronan wasn't going to live. He turned to walk back to his new partner, who in the first hour of their first shift together had already proven himself 10 times over as an exemplary K-9. Ward listened vaguely as Hillman barked orders at the other Officers and wolves to 'get this place cleared out' and 'get that pigface back to the station and processed'. Ward knew he should be the one to process King, but he couldn't bare to leave Ronan's side.
He knelt in the soaked dead grass next to Ronan's head and watched his breathing, it was shallow and rapid. He didn't listen to the vet and paramedic's medical banter back and forth, he didn't want to know if Ronan was slipping away.
As Ward watched his new companion struggle for air, he couldn't stop himself from reaching out and petting the wolf's massive head. If Ronan was conscious and he tried to do this, he probably would have gotten his hand bitten off. But with his prognosis so unsure, at that moment, petting Ronan's head felt like the right thing to do.
"Please live, big man. Please live" was all Ward could say.