To Love a Stray

Chapter 29

Micah:

 “Rosy come here!” I repeat my command but Rosy continues to pace, her ears are back and a long low snarl rumbles from her ominously. She stops once or twice to scratch the ground with her front claws before moving forward to kick up the loosened dirt with her hind feet. I catch sight of a glistening patch on her side and reach out to catch hold of her scruff as she stalks by but Rosy snarls and lashes out with a front paw, claws fully extended.

 “Calm down Rosy!” I order but she snarls at me as she stamps her front feet. I stumble backwards several steps and give a gasp as she lunges at me, luckily it is only a mock charge but I withdraw further, clearly she is in no frame of mind for us to approach her.

 “Rosy, Steven’s been shot!” Malcolm exclaims and Rosy looks his way sharply. “I think it might be real bad!”

 Steven groans and slumps to sit at the base of the tree he had been leaning on, I turn to go to him but Rosy leaps towards him and nudges past Malcolm roughly. I see the way Malcolm moves, quickly scanning the far side of her before leaning back slightly as he runs his eyes over the side I saw the patch on.

 “Ouch, that’s gotta sting,” Malcolm mutters quietly. Rosy’s ears flatten and she moves her head to look Malcolm in the face, her top lips curls baring her long canines and then she opens her mouth wide as she roars. Her fur stands on end making her seem much larger than she is and she swings away from both Malcolm and Steven before taking several leaps. She pauses a moment, looks around assessingly then swings into a smooth flowing trot around the group. I watch her as she moves, her head is low and she moves it towards any bush or long grass she passes.

 “A nasty graze across her ribs,” Malcolm says quietly. “Think she was leaping as it hit, bullet tracked along a rib or between ribs. Came out up high near the backbone where the last rib joins. The bullet might even be in the fur there,”

 “Donovan race back and let them know we don’t need reinforcements and get Mitchell to call Doc we’ll need him to remove a bullet or possibly two. And take that damned gun with you!” I order as I look away from Rosy reluctantly. I can’t get the sight of her changing and charging towards a pointed gun out of my mind. My stomach still churns sickenly with the knowledge I could have lost her in less than a heartbeat, one bullet was all it would have taken.

 I glance back down at the redhead at my feet, the colour is returning to her face and she is glancing between everyone with fear on her face. There is only a slight smell of blood on her and she seems relatively unharmed as I grasp both of her arms and lift her onto her feet. 

 “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh,” she exclaims breathlessly in an almost nonexistent voice as she watches Rosy.

 “Shut up! I don’t want to hear a sound out of you!” I snap and tear a strip off her already ripped jacket and use it as a gag. Rosy snarls, her tail lashes wildly as she watches me do it and suddenly my heart aches for her. Hadn’t she said this human was important to her? Hadn’t she credited her with saving her sanity at some time?

 “I’ll carry Jazzy back,” I say and glance at Dwayne. “You take this one back, we will have to work out what to do with her later. Malcolm help Steven back,”

 “I can make it on my own feet,” Steven says standing up and taking a step forward, Malcolm close by ready to help if needed. Dwayne comes over takes hold of my prisoner leaving me free to go to Jazzy. Carefully I lift my sister into my arms and turn for home. I glance towards Rosy every few minutes, she is trotting along side us,

a bit out from everyone and seems to be searching for signs or scents of intruders. A few minutes later and she has disappeared, I halt as I look around for her frantic not to let her out of my sight.