(Author's Note: Well, guess who started another Newsies fanfiction? That's pretty much all I write, so it's no big surprise. Don't worry, Wherever You Go will still be updated regularly, and this will probably only be three or four chapters anyway unless I get some really good ideas to keep it going. I'm always up for new ideas if you have any!
Standard disclaimers apply, I own nothing but my own imagination.)
Crutchie stumbled aimlessly through Central Park, leaning very heavily on his crutch. He'd sold all his papes fairly early; the cold weather coupled with the holiday season made it pretty easy to sell papes, and his limp-which tended to increase in severity in the cold-admittedly didn't hurt his selling ability either. Crutchie didn't want to bug the other guys, so he'd decided just to go for a walk, er, a limp.
It being December, the sidewalks were coated with a thick layer of fresh snow. The icy pathways seemed to practically jump out from under Crutchie's good foot, and before long, he tripped over something lying in his path and landed face first in a snowbank.
"Augh!" He cried, upon sitting up, immediately spotting the object causing his fall. It was a scruffy, yellow dog, about the size of a loaf of bread, curled up in the middle of the path. The dog immediately bolted upright, having been awoken when Crutchie fell over it, and stretched out, padding to him through the snow awkwardly. Crutchie swatted it away and tried to stand up, but he had yet to even put one foot on the ground before he fell back into the snow, and soon he realized why.
His crutch was broken. Crutchie stared at it in disbelief. His crutch, his constant companion and support system was cracked right down the center, leaving it in two rough, jagged pieces. As much as he hated that he needed it, the crutch was as much a part of him as any other appendage. For a brief moment, he felt nothing, but them a wave of anger rushed over him.
"Damn dog," he spat, shoving the animal backwards with his foot, causing it to whimper pathetically. Crutchie sat still for a minute. He was already cold and soaking wet, and the only thing helping him walk home was broken-he had nothing left to lose. The dog barked at him, as if to ask what he was doing.
"Haven't you done enough?" Crutchie shouted at it, holding up the pieces of his broken crutch. Hot tears started to streak down his face, and he cursed himself for crying. "Jus' get lost!" The dog seemed to obey, yipping at him once more before running off in the direction of a patch of trees. There was something odd about it, the way it ran wasn't quite… symmetrical, but Crutchie shook the thought from his mind and focused on trying to stand up.
He pulled himself into a standing position with the help of a low tree branch above him, but he still had no idea how he was going to make it all the way back to the lodging house, which was about a ten minute walk away. The slippery sidewalks made it near impossible for him to hop back on one foot like he might have done in the warmer months, and without a crutch, well, walking sure wasn't an option. He pondered his choices for several minutes, before realizing he didn't have any. He had absolutely no clue how he was going to get home.
Suddenly he heard a muffled barking behind him. Crutchie turned sharply, ready to kick the scrawny little dog for everything it had done to him, but stopped himself when he saw that the tiny dog was dragging a large, Y-shaped stick behind it. The stick looked to be about three feet long, and Crutchie wondered how an animal that small-and probably very underfed-could carry something that big. The dog trotted up to Crutchie slowly, and dropped the stick at his feet as if it were a peace offering. Crutchie was in awe.
The dog had brought him a new crutch. He'd need to wrap something around the top of the Y so he could lean on it better, but it would do to get back to the lodging house. He shoved the crutch under his arm and tested it out. It was tricky, but after a couple of minutes he was getting the hang of it. Crutchie reached down to pet the little dog's head.
"Thanks buddy, I guess I was a little hard on ya, huh." The dog barked loudly in response, making Crutchie laugh. "Ah, you ain't so bad." Crutchie started back to the lodging house, gripping his new crutch tightly, but the dog wouldn't leave him alone. It yipped at his heels as he walked, and skidded precariously on the ice around him.
"What do ya want little guy? Ain't you got a home to go to? A family or somethin'?" Crutchie wondered aloud, staring at the yellow ball of matted fur in confusion. That was when he spotted it, the reason the dog had looked so awkward running to get him the stick.
The little yellow dog had a gimp leg.
(Aww, Crutchie! He's one of my favorite characters, so how could I not write a cute Christmas-y fic about the little guy? Please review if you liked it or have any ideas for some more in-depth plot lines! I could use all the inspiration I can get...
Much love,
PrettyLittleMonster Xxx)