A/N: Bones owns, Warg plays, Words without supervises. As a tribute to my original fandom, a present for you all on my b-day: a new update!
The hospital coffee wasn't much better than the restaurant's had been, but even a muddy-flavored decaf helped to soothe my nerves. At least I could drink it. The nurses clucked at me as if it were a Styrofoam cupful of my father's cheapest vodka, but I wasn't too worried about thinning my blood, superficial lacerations and bite wounds or no superficial lacerations and bite wounds. I'd make it. It wasn't exactly the hair of the dog that had bit me, after all.
Irish coffee appealed to about a quarter of me at that moment, I'm not ashamed to admit. The other three fourths were divided into shame that Pops wouldn't be able to join me and a serious urge to throw up as soon as look at a strong drink. I couldn't say which part was more pressing.
"It's a good thing you got him here when you did, Ms. Yaiden," one of the nurses said, clapping my unbandaged shoulder and offering me more mud. "He could've bled out from that arm."
"Those dogs are a menace, I swear," another added authoritatively. "They go absolutely wild when they get loose. Oh, I do wish the train station would stop hiring them. It just encourages irresponsible breeding."
Having fulfilled her duties to me, the nurse returning to the desk had no reservations about chiming in with her opinion on the state of canines today. "That Zali Sashkovitch man must have twenty of the beasties, and do you think he even owns that many leashes? Ha!"
"Twenty?" I asked faintly. Moss and Wormwood and Ethan and Cole and Gauss… Well, not him any longer. How many other wolves had been in that bar or at the station, fully aware of Moss's plans?
Both nurses nodded confirmation. "I don't care if his wife runs a vet clinic. No one man needs to own a full team of sled dogs."
"I don't think he's gotten any of them fixed. It just means that they'll be more aggressive and eager to leap the fences, if you know what I'm saying."
The nurse on receptionist duty "mm-hmm"ed in agreement. "I don't let my kids out if I see working dogs going by our place."
"They'll have the traps and service trucks out now, of course, so Zali and his wild bunch will watch their steps more carefully. Don't you worry, miss, they'll put down the beast that did that to your father." Her coworker noticed my unease and tried to offer me a reassuring smile. Her teeth were flat, I noticed thankfully.
"You don't have to worry about that," I said.
"No, they'll send word to Lady Jaguara," the nurse continued, obviously not catching my shiver of regret. "She knows how to regulate dog ownership."