Whiskers

Bare Your Teeth

(Say hello to my new dog... cause I don't already have enough pets. Pulled her on her euthanasia day. Heartworm positive and very sick, but she's already doing better after a few days of meds. Her name is Erma, after my late grandmother) 

Literal flying might have been a bit of an exaggeration for what Palace was able to accomplish on such short notice. They had, indeed, gotten above the ground in a wing-flapping manner, but had they stayed that way for very long? Definitely not. 

Jamie, especially, had found himself landing hard when Palace ungracefully snagged a branch with his front talons, halting their forward motion too abruptly for Jamie to be able to hold on. The drop from the large tree was thankfully cushioned by some sharp thorn bushes, followed by a finishing tumble onto a small area of overgrown, damp weeds. 

I told you to hold on, lion. Came Palace's grumble in his mind as he looked up just in time to see the giant wolf glide nonchalantly to the forest floor a few feet away from him. 

Instead of replying right away, Jamie just groaned and flopped back on the tall grass, closing his eyes to try and stem the headache he felt right behind them. He could hear Palace approach after a few moments of listening to his panting. There was then was a bout sniffing, followed by a nudge against his head and a lick there. 

"The hell are you doing?" He complained, wincing slightly as an injury there made itself known with a flare of pain. 

Ah, right. I think I was grazed by a bullet right there. 

"I'm fine, Pal. It missed me, mostly." He said, lifting one arm to run his fingers through Palace's thick, dirty coat. 

When Palace didn't stop bothering the painful spot, Jamie nudged him away, only to get a snarl in response and a snap of Palace's jaws. 

"Don't give me that. I know that you're just worried, weather you're good at showing it or not." He said as he reached over and gently closed Palace's jaw before tugging it slightly, getting him to move forward so that he could press a kiss on the fuzzy spot between his eyes. 

"You're a good wolf, and I guess your other half isn't bad when he doesn't want to be, either." He noted, earning a snort from the giant animal. 

"Thank you for the save, by the way." Jamie said as he scratched behind one of Palace's ears. "So, what do you say we head back for now and maybe just order delivery?" He said, laughing a little as he used Palace's huge body to help get himself to his feet. 

He was still a bit shaken up, but at least he didn't have any serious injuries. "I'm feeling Chinese for dinner." He said as he started walking, brushing off dirt and a few thorny twigs from his clothing. 

Jamie continued walking for a few moments before realizing that Palace had stopped several yards back. Turning, he raised an eyebrow at the wolf, but it seemed distracted by something, because he didn't get any kind of response with the eye contact. 

"What is it, Pal?" He asked as he looked around, trying to hear what was obviously distracting Palace. When he couldn't he walked over and gently touched Palace's coat. 

He was about to shift to see if he could pick up the sound better as a lion when he saw Palace jerk his head abruptly, slamming his skull into Jamie's chest faster than he could even consider dodging. The hit blurred his vision instantly as he staggered, barely staying upright, and the second slam, this time against his head, knocked him out like a light. 

Wake up, bro. 

His head hurt like hell.