A/N
Welcome, everyone. To the readers who have wondered what I have been doing, and where I have been for the last fandom I wrote for, I'm sorry. Try as I might, I couldn't get the words to come out and the stories wouldn't move, even after the break I took from writing. So I'm leaving them behind, perhaps for awhile, perhaps forever, and am starting a new fandom. I appreciate that you read my stories, and your encouragement meant the world to me. To the new readers, please excuse my story if it doesn't move in the correct fashion. This is my first time writing for the Harry Dresden fandom, and I'd appreciate any comments I can get on my writing. Thank you for taking the time to read this. On with the show!
Disclaimer: I own not Harry Dresden or the Dresden Files. I kind of wish I owned the rights to Bob, but I doubt I could write either version half as well as they are now.
Title(Working): The Third Type of Day
Genre: Humor/Drama
Main pairings: Wouldn't you prefer a surprise?
Chapter 1: Witness Protection or He's Got His Own Tongue
Chicago, 8:35 AM.
There as generally three types of day. The first type is the type of day in which everything goes well, and it feels like you're walking on air. This day is usually reserved for first loves, weddings, and all sorts of happy occasions. The second is a normal day, in which the world is going fine, no big mishaps. I yearn for more of these days. The third is the type of day that you know you shouldn't have gotten out of bed for.
My life is riddled with the third kind.
And today? Today was going to be one of them.
Murphy and I were looking at the scene of an accident. If cars were ripped apart by what looked like teeth and claws, judging by the hood of a now ignited SUV, could be called an accident. Usually that sort of thing is intentional.
Five or six cars were in various stages of demolished. Two were still on fire, with Chicago Firemen keeping everyone back from them. Murphy had told me that they refused to stop burning. Not being an expert on burning vehicles, I don't know if that's weird or not, but it's probably not good. The most torn apart vehicle, not even recognizable anymore, was in the approximate center of the disaster area. It had been parked up next to the curb. Now part of it was parked on the curb, another part a half a block away. At least, I'm fairly sure it was the same car.
Kirmani had his back turned to us, talking to some uniforms. A small group of spectators were gathering behind the police tape.
"Pedestrians a few blocks over called it in. Said they heard a pack of dogs howling and then car alarms going off." Murphy said, breaking me from my observations.
"What, dogs did this?" I asked incredulously. They were either some really big dogs or something that resembled dogs…no, better not get ahead of myself. Better exhaust the possibilities of non-monster canines running around the Chicago area.
"Don't know. Only one witness. Found him under the center car."
I did a double take and stared at the unrecognizable piece of wreckage.
"Under there? What did he say?"
"He has his own tongue." Murphy deadpanned.
"Hunh?" I looked at her, totally confused and a little creeped out.
Kirmani walked up to Murphy, gave me an exasperated look, then turned to her. "Butters got the cat. Said he can take the tooth out, but doesn't know if the cat will make it."
Oh. Got his own tongue. I get it.
"Right. Take a look around Dresden- we're going to the morgue after this."
"Joy. Hey, I thought you usually take cats to vets, Murph."
"Not when they're carrying important evidence on or in their bodies. Hurry up." She gave me the 'don't-give-me-crap' look before turning back around to give Kirmani orders.
So I didn't. I started looking around.
It's rare for Murphy to call me in on a case that doesn't involve dead people. But then again, it's rare that four or five cars to get torn apart, presumably by animals. I bent down to look at one of the doors that had been flung haphazardly from it's owner. The claw marks were huge. Bigger than anything I'd every seen. Not the spread of the Lycanthropes last spring, but the piercing went much deeper.
I started to sweat a little. Sure, a bear could have probably caused those marks, but it was unlikely that a pack of bears was ravaging SUVs in broad daylight in Chicago.
At least they weren't hellhounds. Not even hellhounds had claw marks like that. They like biting.
That didn't matter though. I had something big in Chicago. And judging by testimony Murphy had told me about, there could be a whole pack of these things. Even worse, I didn't know what they were. Other than not dogs, bears, or hellhounds.
"Dresden! Get in the car!" Murphy hollered at me. I jumped a little, surprised.
Yeah. It's gonna be one of those days.
'It hurts.'
Bleary eyes opened, and then closed against the bright light. Andy couldn't swallow. His mouth was too dry, and the light only reminded him of it, made him so thirsty.
Voices swirled around him. Incoherent.
'I must have gotten smacked around pretty good.'
Twitching muscles across his body, he horrifiedly realized something.
'I can't feel my leg.'
……
'I can't feel my leg!!'
Panic proved to be his undoing-as soon as he tried to get up, to test his leg, to make sure it was really there, that everything was just a horrible, horrible misunderstanding, his head swirled with sudden dizziness, and he blacked out, falling forward against the hard surface.
"We managed to extract the tooth safely." Butters commented while he sewed up the unconscious cat on the metal table. "Our witness actually might make it. I'm just sewing him up, but the Urban Veterinary Care clinic is sending over a doctor to take a look at him. Apparently he gets priority, being a police witness and all. Though, I kinda wonder who would wanna-"
"Butters!" Murphy barked. He jumped (lot of that happening around here) and looked up.
"Sorry. I was babbling, wasn't I?"
"The tooth."
"On the counter." He pointed one bloody-gloved hand. "Take a look under the microscope. It looks just like a dog's but it's huge. I'm surprised it didn't sever limbs."
On that happy note, Murphy and I took turns looking into the microscope.
Damn. It was big. At least four times bigger than any dog tooth I'd ever seen. With a mouthful of these, it'd be easy to rip up a car door. Or a person.
Damn.
"Any ideas, Dresden?"
"I'd have to consult my notes, but I think you may want to issue an alert for everyone to be off the street before nightfall."
"The attack happened this morning." Murphy said, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's just say," I glanced back at Butters, who was fully engrossed with sewing up the poor cat, and lowered my voice. "Let's just say that these things, these …dog things? They're probably going to be more active at night. And it may not be a cat they chase around next."
Murphy pursed her lips. Obviously she'd already considered this. "Any idea why they went after a cat in the first place? I mean, if these things are as big as I'm led to believe, I doubt the cat would have been much of a meal."
"Maybe they're on a diet? Or reliving the long standing animosity of cats and dogs? I don't know Murph." I turned and looked behind me again, this time at the cat.
Just a cat. Yellow, I think. Hard to tell with the blood. He didn't look good. But the breathing was regular and most of the wounds had been sewed up. But Murphy was right. He was too small for a meal.
"You might want to put the cat into witness protection or something." I said wryly, only half-joking. "It's just a cat, but if they were chasing him, maybe he's important."
"I know somebody who'd love to take him."
"Who?"
"Kirmani."
"Kirmani's a cat person?" News to me.
"No. Drank my coffee this morning."
Ouch. Kinda feel sorry for the guy.
She looked at me. "Any way to tell where, when, how, anything about this pack?"
"I'm going to need something." I looked pointedly at the tooth.
"That's evidence."
"I need it for comparison." I didn't want to tell her I could track them with the tooth, she'd try to come with. I wasn't sure I wanted to track them.
"I'll get you a picture." Her statement had the note of finality to it. I knew better than to argue. Might make her group me with Kirmani.
I'd have to make do. It was probably for the best. I'd go home, pick Bob's brain over what it could be, and then figure up a defense. If I needed to track them, well, we'd cross that bridge when we came to it.
Please leave constructive criticisms at your leisure, flames will be analyzed, then most like laughed at and ignored, compliments are greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the story so far.