Based on a prompt for Red Cricket Week - Tuesday July 16th
While in wolf form Red gets a pesky splinter/thorn in her paw and is unable to remove it herself. Jiminy to the rescue!
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Ruby let out a whine. She'd ignored the itch in her paw for the previous ten minutes. It was the start of the night and she didn't want to be kept from her monthly run. She'd run through a thicket of brambles a couple of miles out of town and the thorn had pierced the soft pads of her paw before she could extract herself. Now the itch was blossoming into pain, hot waves prickled over her fur every time she stepped on her front right paw. It was impossible to hold her leg up and hop but at least she had reached the outskirts of town.
Looking down Storybrooke's main street she let out another whine which rose in volume until it morphed into a howl. Perhaps Granny would hear and come to her aid, Granny had keen hearing but she was at the wrong side of town. Huffing she limped over to the pavement and collapsed outside the nearest building.
Red closed her eyes, as if the darkness she saw behind her lids would be a barrier for the pain. Barely two minutes had passed before her long ears pricked up, she could hear a noise getting closer, scuffles in the building she was resting against. A door opened, not further than two feet in front of her nose, Red tried to reduce her soft whines to a minimum. Even now, after everything, not everybody in Storybrooke trusted her when she was in wolf form.
She lay as still as she could, eyes closed, hoping the shadows would cloak her. She felt gentle hands, cautiously running over her fur, a gentle voice not far from her ears and a smell that could only be Archie. 'Dr. Hopper!' she announced before realising that she was in wolf form. Opening one large eye, she looked up at him, hoping to see recognition.
He gasped, fingers trembling as the wolf opened an eye, from the erratic way she was breathing Archie could tell she was in pain.
'Where does it hurt, Red?' he whispered into the cool night air.
She lifted her leg and pawed at the air. Frowning, Archie tenderly brushed his fingers over her paw, eliciting a small whimper from the back of Ruby's throat.
'This damn light,' Archie muttered under his breath, and then, louder, 'I can't see a thing out here, may I…' He held his hands out as if to gesture carrying.
Ruby gave a short nod of her head, shifting her body as much as she could to help him lift her into his arms. He pushed open the door that he had not yet locked, all the while keeping a comforting grip on Ruby's fur, his strength surprising her. Reaching his destination he laid her on the couch, settling her down as gently as possible before retrieving the desk lamp, setting it down on the table next to him.
'Ah, let's have a look then,' he leaned forward to inspect her paw, registering the thorn. 'I see it,' his voice rumbled, 'it looks to be set in pretty deep, but we'll have you right as rain in no time.'
He retrieved his tweezers from the first aid kit, an odd thing to have in a first aid kit, some might say. Archie, however, remembered his life in the enchanted forest, when a splinter in a finger was a frequent occurrence living with a caravan full of puppets. He was glad of it now though, and he was sure Ruby would be too.
Returning with the tweezers, he hushed her in soft tones as he began to pull the thorn out. The volume of Ruby's cries rose until it was practically unbearable but eventually he succeeded in his task. They both let out a sigh of relief, Archie letting out a shaky laugh, covering her paw with his hand. She seemed to be smiling, and suddenly she rolled off the couch and onto the floor, testing her paw against the soft carpet. Turning to where he was sat on the coffee table she lifted her paws onto his shoulders, much like she'd seen Pongo do. Instead of licking his face, she buried her wet nose into his neck, in an approximation of a hug. Recognising her gesture as thanks, Archie pressed his face into her soft fur, running his fingers down her back.
'Come on then,' he mumbled quietly, 'I'll walk you out.'
Switching off the lights and locking up again, he looked down at her. She was looking at the moon with a wistful look.
Crouching down beside her he said, 'go on then, go play.' She looked at him eagerly, 'but try not to get anymore thorns in those paws of yours.' She smiled at him again giving his hand one more nudge before bounding down the darkened street. Archie stood up and watched her, the pull of the moon calling her.