It's cold. Very, very cold. He doesn't like the cold. His mom was always warm. Squished in between his siblings he was warm even on chilly days.
But something happened. People came and took him away from his mother and siblings. They took him somewhere else where he didn't like. They got angry when he wouldn't listen to them and threw him out of their car in a backstreet. Now he's cold and hungry.
He's lost wandering the streets. He's trying to find something to eat but there's nothing. The small bites of food he can sniff out are hidden away in giant metal containers that he can't get into. And he has tried.
Wandering the streets he finds some shelter under some wooden pallets. It's not warm but it keeps the wind off of him. It's not much but it's better than nothing. He wants to go home. Wants to be with his mom and siblings again. Why was he taken away from them.
Lost in his pain the little puppy begins to whine. A noise mostly blocked out by the sound of traffic rushing by. No one can hear him. No one cares enough.
That is until he smells something delicious. It smells really close as well. At the smell he stops whining and slowly creeps forward out of his makeshift shelter. That is when he spots her. A person. A nice smelling female person. "Hey, Buddy." A soft voice says as she kneels down in front of him leaving a lot of space between the two of them. "What are you doing out here."
He does not say anything to her. People can be bad. People took him away from his family. People got angry and loud with him. People threw him out onto the streets.
But she seems different.
Tilting his head to the side he watches the woman who throws something in front of him. That delicious smell. It's food. A white meat. Slowly and always watching the woman he limps forwards and nibbles on the edge of the meat. It's tasty. Very tasty.
The woman doesn't move from her position just looking at him. Feeling a little bit brave, he eats the rest of the nice meat before facing the woman again. "Did you like that." She asks and he licks at his lips in response. He did like that. He wonders if she has any more. "Here you go." The woman says as if reading his mind and offers him some more pale meat.
Just like before she threw it over to him so he could eat it in peace. When he finishes the next bit, he thinks the woman is probably a good person. He decides to walk closer to the woman. Investigate her some more.
"You're limping." She states quietly as he tries to get over to her. "You've hurt your paw." He didn't hurt his paw. The people who took him did when they threw him out onto the street. It hurt when he landed. His front right paw most of all.
He makes his way over to the nice woman and nuzzles against her knee. She's warm. Very warm. He likes that. He likes her.
The woman gently stokes his head. It feels nice. Warmer and comforting. He wants more strokes from her. He licks at her in thanks. A breathless laugh escapes the woman when he does that. She offers him some more meat and he climbs onto her laugh soaking in her warmth.
She smells safe he figures. She's safe. And nice. Very nice. He likes her. He doesn't want her to go.
Luckily that doesn't seem to be an issue as she carefully picks him up and warps him in something warm. It smells like her... and someone else. Another woman he knows that much. "OK, I'm going to take you home now. The vets aren't open this late so we can get your paw looked at tomorrow and see if you have any family to go back to."
He has a family. He just doesn't think he can go back. He wants to stay with her. She's good. She doesn't carry him far until they enter a building and she is running up the stairs. She enters one of the many doors on the floor and he is instantly greeted with warmth. So much warmth.
That other female scent is in here as well. The whole room smells friendly. It takes a second before he spots the other person. She's lying on the couch reading something. "You're back later then usual is everything alrigh-" The woman stops mid sentence upon noticing the other woman and him. "Is that a puppy."
"Yes." The woman holding him simply replies.
The darker haired human eyes narrow at him before being directed to the lighter haired woman. "Where did you find a puppy."
His new friend carries him further into the room dropping down on the couch next to the other woman. "Under some wooden pellets in the backstreets. I saw him walking around and couldn't leave him there." She says.
"Alice." The other draws out Alice's name... he thinks that's her name. Alice... he likes it.
"I know. But he's cute and it's winter. He wouldn't survive out on the streets. Besides he's hurt." He whines in agreement with Alice. He doesn't want to leave or go back out onto the streets. It's cold and scary out there. He wants to stay with Alice.
The other woman takes a deep breath sinking into the sofa. "I can't believe you just picked up and puppy and brought him home." He whines again and the woman closes her eyes for a brief moment before opening them and sitting back up. "Fine. If he doesn't have any owners we can keep him."
He can stay. YEY. He lets out a yelp of joy. His tail begins to wag in excitement. And Alice laughs thanking the other woman before leaning forward and kissing her. Oh, their mates.
He later learns the other woman's name is Jill. The dark haired human. She feeds him some more of that nice meat. She called it chicken and pets him. She's nice as well. Alice gets him some water and he curls up on her lap.
Before he was taken away his mother told him that all dogs have their own humans. And that was why they would be taken away. They had to find their humans. The people who took him weren't his humans. But maybe Alice and Jill were his.
I once read a fic like this. It was ages ago but I thought it was an Alice/Jill fic but I couldn't find it. I may have got the paring wrong. All I remember was one of my ship's blonde female and dark-haired female taking in a dog thrown out onto the streets. Since I couldn't find it I thought why not write it. So here we are.
For those of you wondering the puppy is a Rhodesian Ridgeback.