It had started as an easy call. Emma and David had been debating getting a pizza at the station as the cold winter night dragged on without much action when the phone had rang. David had answered it while Emma had continued pondering what kind of pizza she wanted and if she was willing to bribe one of the dwarves to deliver it. Storybrooke Pizza was so cheap.

"Hey, sheriff?" David called, teasing Emma with her title and a glint in his eyes. "Phone's for you."

"Forward it through to my phone," she sighed. Her deputy smirked at her.

"Or you could come get the phone from my hand?"

"It's so far away!" She moaned. Secretly she just didn't want to leave the blanket she had wrapped around her shoulders or the mug of hot cocoa with cinnamon that sat on her desk beside her sleeping computer. Her father shot her a look which had her rolling her eyes and shrugging off the blanket. "Fine. But you're paying for the pizza now."

He chuckled as she stretched and made her way over, then handed her the phone.

"Go for Sheriff Swan," she sighed into the receiver.

"It's about time, sister!" came Grumpy's loud voice through the phone. Emma jerked and held the phone out for a second.

"Good to hear your voice too, Leroy," she said in a cheeky manner that earned her a grin from David who was digging through a phone book looking for the pizza number. Wifi in the station sucked. "What can I do for you tonight?"

Leroy, Storybrooke's most notorious complainer, sounded pissed tonight. "Well maybe answering the phone when someone calls would be nice!"

"Well David did answer, didn't he? Leroy, it's late and we have a lot going on so—"

"Yeah yeah, I know. Listen, there's a dog in a dumpster."

"A dog? Really?" She frowned and grabbed her notepad, jotting down Stray dog. Dumpster. "Can you tell me where you are?"

"Outside the Rabbit Hole. It's making a huge racket, hard to miss."

Emma added that detail to her book. "Got it. I'll be there in a sec." She rolled her eyes at David. Nothing better than chasing around a dog in subfreezing weather.

"Try to be a little faster getting here than answering the phone!" Then he hung up. Emma grimaced and then set the phone down.

"Well, duty calls. I must go save a dog from a dumpster. Why me?"

"Because dogs like you. And I am busy buying pizza."

"Yeah, get on that! I'll be back soon." She grabbed her warm black parka and her black beanie cap before looking out at the deserted street where a light dusting of snow was falling. She shuddered and grabbed her badge from the desk. David didn't even look up as she left.

A block away from the Rabbit Hole, Emma could hear the dog. It was howling so loudly and mournfully that the air seemed to hang still around it. She gulped and nodded to herself, holding out her catch pole in front of her. Her breath ringed around her face like a wreath, reminding her of the cold as she walked towards the dumpster with the dog in it.

As soon as she was in sight of the ugly green box, the noise stopped. The sheriff froze as well, head tilting to the side as she waited to see what the dog would do. There was a thump and a scrabble as well as a whine, but both lids were down so the dog couldn't escape.

"Hey in there," Emma called as she got closer to the box. There was more frantic scrabbling and a growl. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just here to let you out."

She was standing beside the dumpster now, pole out and at the ready. She opened one of the heavy lids and peered inside. The dog had pressed itself to the opposite side of the dumpster. Even without good light, Emma could see that it was massive and had been trapped for awhile. The dumpster was half full, and the rank odour of garbage almost masked the scent of fear and piss that coated the area around the dog. Claw marks gouged massive hunks out of the plastic coating inside the dumpster and there was blood and fur everywhere.

"Are you even a dog?" She whispered to herself. The very wolflike dog stared back at her, unsure about her voice. It was bathed in a puddle of watery orange light, drifting in from a small crack in the corner of the creature's prison. It's eyes were huge and hazel in color—do dogs have that color of eyes?—and it's snout was long and curled in a snarl. It's ears, short and pointed, were pressed flat against the top of it's head and it panted in anxiety.

"It's okay, I'll get you outta there. But first—" Emma broke off and pulled her phone out of her coat pocket. She stuck it in the crack she was peering through and snapped a quick picture. The flash went off and the wolf/dog creature yelped in panic and scratched frantically at the corner of the dumpster. Attaching the photo to a text message, she sent Henry a message and then forwarded it to David and then to Belle.

EMMA: Is this a dog or a wolf? I need to know what I'm getting into. Thx.

She fired it off to those three and while waiting for a response, tried to figure out how to get the canine out, and how it got in there in the first place. The lids were heavy and difficult to open, even for a human. The creature must've gotten in when one or both were open, and the wind probably took it, trapping it in there. It would've been a scramble, but as Emma peered closer at the dumpster she could see a tuft of grey-brown fur caught on a rusted bit of metal at the lip of the container, and claw marks scratching thin lines in the green paint of the outside. Her phone buzzed with two messages, one from David and one from Henry.

DAVID: No idea. Could be mutt. I'm no good with dogs. Sorry. -D

Emma scoffed and made a face at the phone—so much for the animal shelter geek to help—before she read Henry's message.

HENRY: Ugh. Was tryin 2 sleep, Ma. Crap pic btw, but looks like wolf 2 me. Gtg, Mom heard fone. Nite!

This she smiled at. Knowing Henry was bound to be grounded if Regina caught him up, Emma fired another message off, this time to the Queen herself.

EMMA: Be easy on the Kid. It was just me texting him. Trying to figure out what this creature is so I can work on my case. Sorry

Almost immediately, another text came in. Instantly, Emma was filled with nerves at the thought that it could be Regina. From inside the dumpster the dog/wolf growled.

"Easy in there, you'll be out in a jiffy once I figure out what you are."

She glanced at her phone and saw that the text was just from Belle. The knot in her stomach subsided and Emma felt… Relieved? Disappointed?

BELLE: That's a wolf. How did it end up in the dumpster?

EMMA: No idea. Been trying to figure that out myself. Have you heard anything from Red?

Ruby, Belle's girlfriend, had been missing since the beginning of October. Granny wasn't overly concerned, but Belle was frantically looking for her. Emma knew she shouldn't be having this conversation, especially when there was a confirmed wolf—two against one says it's a wolf was her logic—in a dumpster beside her head scratching to get out. But she missed her best friend, and she knew Belle was aching for the brunette with an addiction to the color red. After two minutes of waiting for a response, Emma reluctantly slid her phone back into her pocket.

"Alright, Mr. Wolf, let's get you outta there." The blonde once again picked up her catch pole and peered in the crack. The wolf glared at her witheringly and for one whole second, she could've sworn she'd seen those eyes before. Then she shook off the feeling and stuck the catch pole in the dumpster.

The wolf's posture went from slightly wary to extremely uncomfortable in a second. A growl rumbled up in it's throat that only got louder the closer Emma thrust the catch pole.

"Easy now, easy," Emma whispered, more to herself than to the wolf. She was trying to reassure the wolf but she was also ashamed to admit that she was slightly nervous. Her pole wasn't close enough, so she was forced to open the lid wider and crawl her shoulders through. The light glimmered on those unnervingly hazel eyes as the wolf snarled full force, glaring first at Emma and then the pole. The silver ring was right in front of it's nose now. But this wolf, however exhausted it may've been, wasn't going down without a fight. It snapped at the pole, nearly ripping it out of Emma's hand as it made contact.

"Easy!"

It's hackles were on edge and it's teeth were bared, the gums bloody from trying to gnaw it's way out.

"I'm getting you out," she protested before adding under her breath "Flea bitten mutt." The wolf let out a growl that could've been described as being disdainful. Emma would've found it funny if she hadn't had been so frustrated. She waited until the wolf relaxed a little to move the pole. It was trapped in the corner, afraid of the pole and not willing to risk it's life trying to get by it.

It fought every time the ring got close, biting and swatting a large paw at it. Finally though it just seemed to give up, sighing in an almost human way and ducking it's head in frustration. Emma managed to slip the ring around it's neck but now the wolf was exhausted. The sheriff sighed in exasperation and tugged on the pole.

"C'mon, wolf! Come to freedom!" But it seemed to not want to move, snarling every time the ring around it's neck made it's paws slide forward. Emma opened the lid further and finally, the wolf caught a glimpse of the night beyond the dumpster. The sight of the world beyond the human seemed to give the creature a second wind and a willingness to comply. She suddenly sprang up and darted for Emma.

"Whoa!" Emma scrambled back as the large canine launched itself out of it's prison. The sheriff landed on the cold pavement while the wolf with the catch pole still around it's neck landed just beyond her. Almost without thinking, Emma grabbed the pole's handle and watched in slow motion as the heavy lid of the dumpster, thrown up in the commotion, came crashing back down to rest position with a loud bang.

The wolf jumped and then tried to make a run for it before realizing it still had something around it's neck. Emma tugged back out of instinct, and then realized her mistake when she saw the wolf stiffen.

Oh no. Was all she had time to think before the wolf was on her, snarling wildly. The sheriff managed to fend off the wolf's teeth as she went for her face and throat, but then it seemed to realize what she was doing, and managed to latch onto her wrist. Emma let out a cry as the wolf's sharp teeth broke skin and rubbed tendons and bone. She managed to get a knee up and kick the massive thing away, the catch pole releasing in the process.

The wolf seemed satisfied anyways. It huffed and coughed once before shooting Emma a glare from abnormal hazel eyes and turning tail. It was gone in the time Emma took to blink.

She swore once, twice, three times, as she cradled her wrist and got to her feet.

"I hate dogs!" She bellowed.