Sheep and Wolf Ch. 03-04

The wolf looked up at Gary, back at Larry, then growled something at him. Larry whined and she looked back at Gary, giving him a nod.

'It's okay now?' he asked and she nodded again.

He moved carefully closer and went down on one knee, holding out his hand. 'It's okay boy, we won't hurt you.'

Larry looked at Gary, the wolf, then back at Gary again and crawled closer, whining softly. Gary leaned closer and let Larry sniff his hand before petting his head. 'That's better.' he said. 'There's nothing to be, afraid of.'

Larry wagged his tail slowly and Gary smiled softly at the wolf. 'Thanks for, saving, me.'

She gave him a smile and a nod.

Gary looked at Larry's fur. 'How, about you come with us, Larry?' he said. 'Give you, a bath, and something to eat, a dry place to sleep.'

Larry's ears pricked up and his tail wagged a little quicker.

'Let's go then.' Gary said, and the three of them went to his place.

Larry had relaxed more on the way and Gary was hopeful he would return to being a happy dog soon. 'You're in luck,' he said to Larry as they and the wolf arrived on his floor. 'I bought extra pork today so you won't be hungry for long.' Larry barked twice before Gary could shush him. 'No barking. People are sleeping at this time.' he said, then mumbled 'With some exceptions.'.

As he expected, the bald neighbour opened his door and looked at the three of them. Gary opened his mouth but the neighbour held up his hand, backed into his apartment and closed the door.

'O-kay..' Gary said and let the wolf and Larry into his apartment.

'Bathroom's here.' he said, leading Larry into it and turning on the water. Larry looked nervously at it. 'It's okay.' Gary said. 'I'm just going to rinse the dirt out of your fur.'

Larry didn't want to get closer so Gary picked him up and put him in the tub. The moment the water from the shower head hit him Larry yelped and jumped out of the tub. Gary slipped and grabbed the edge. 'Larry!'

The collie ran out of the bathroom but the wolf was quicker and grabbed him. A short growl from her made him surrender.

'Thanks aga-ain.' Gary said as she put Larry in the tub again. He rinsed the dog and cleaned his fur, then used a couple of towels to dry him off as best as he could. 'There. Clean.' he said, then noticed the wolf pointing at him. He looked down at his own coat covered in dirt. 'Right.' he said and stepped into the tub to clean his wool. 'You might, want to get that dirt out of your own fur too.' he said as he dried himself. 'I'll go get a few more towels.'

'Here.' he said as he came back into the bathroom with the towels, then froze on the spot when he saw the wolf in the tub, her fur clinging to her body and no longer hiding her curves.

The wolf tilted her head as she looked at him in wonder, then looked down at herself quickly and tried to cover herself with her hands and arms.

'Sorry!' Gary said, turning around at once. 'I.., forgot for a second!' He dropped the towels on the laundry basket and rushed out the door. 'I'll prepare our meals now!'

The wolf peeked a minute later around the corner into the kitchen. 'I laid a large t-shirt on the couch.' Gary said when he saw her. 'You can wear that.' She gave a nod and hurried past the doorway. 'Oh boy..' Gary sighed, glad his parts were hidden in the wool because he had no pants that would fit him now.

Both wolf and collie pricked up their ears and smelled the air when Gary walked into the living room with two plates and a bowl. 'Feeding time.' he said with a grin. He handed one plate to the wolf. 'This is for you.' She licked her lips and smiled at the big cut of pork. 'And this is for you.' he said as he put the bowl down for Larry, who eagerly dug into the small cuts.

He sat down and chuckled at the sight of the two predators enjoying their meal, then started on his own which was less pork and more vegetable.

'Say, what is your name?' Gary asked the wolf.

She looked up for a second, then shook her head.

'Don't know that, either, eh?' he said and she looked down, flattening her ears. 'Oh, don't, worry about it. It, means you can choose your own, name. One you like.' She looked up and smiled softly with a nod. Gary put away his empty plate. 'What, name would fit you?' he said and scratched his chin. 'I suppose we should, leave out things like Whitefang, Shadowborn, Moonbeam.'

She nodded quickly with a frown.

'Hang on.' he said and went over to a desk in the corner, took his laptop and went back to the couch. Some taps on the keyboard later he handed it to her. 'This is one site with, names.' he said. 'Maybe you'll find something, there that you like.' She nodded and perused through the list while Gary gathered the dishes and went to the kitchen.

He was barely done when she stepped into the kitchen with the laptop and showed him the screen.

'Chuck?' he asked.

She looked at the screen and shook her head, pointing out the name above it.

He chuckled. 'Just kidding.' he said and smiled at her. 'I like it, Chelsea sounds good.'

She smiled and he held out his hand. 'Good to meet you, Chelsea.'

She shook his hand and nodded.

'Okay, now that's done, let's, see what's next on the agenda.' he said and looked at Larry who sat at the doorway. 'You need a new permanent home. Somewhere you'll be taken good care of.'

Larry looked left and right, then tilted his head as he gazed at Gary again.

'Hang on, I've never had a pet before.' Gary said. 'And I work all day.'

Chelsea sat down next to Larry and gazed at Gary as she let out a soft whine.

'Okay, okay. I guess you can stay.' Gary sighed and threw up his hands. The two pairs of puppy eyes had left him no choice and Chelsea and Larry grinned as they sat on the floor in front of him, wagging their tails. 'Now I know how prey feels when cornered by a pack of predators.' he said, then looked at Larry. 'But you're going to get a check-up at the vet to make sure you're okay.' Larry barked once to seal the deal.

Chelsea moved next to Gary on the couch when they returned to the living room and gave him a hug. 'Wow.' he said, thinking he could use a shearing to cool down. She let him go and smiled at him. 'Okay, time to get some sleep.' he said.

Chelsea made herself comfortable on the couch again and Larry received his own blanket to lie in front of it. Gary stared at his ceiling for long time, thinking not only about having Chelsea spending the night again, but also about how a certain part of her anatomy felt when she hugged him, and how he suddenly became owner of a dog. "Goodbye, quiet days." he thought as he drifted away.

***

As soon as Gary opened the door to leave for work Larry pulled on his leash and dragged Gary to Suzy's door. 'What's up with that?' he asked the collie who looked back at him expectedly. He heard the fiddling at the door and Suzy opened it, startled by the sudden appearance of the two right outside her door.

'Gary?' she asked, then looked at Larry. 'And, Larry!?' She squatted to ruffle the dog's cheeks. 'Where did you find him?'

'It's more like he found me.' Gary said, smiling at Gary licking her face and wagging his tail. 'I took a walk late at night when I couldn't sleep and he crossed my path at the park.' He was glad he didn't have to think up a lie and only needed to omit certain things.

Suzy frowned. 'Oh.' she said, studied Larry for a moment, then shook her head.

'Something wrong?'

She stood up and gave him a quick smile. 'It's nothing.' she said. 'What are you going to do with him? It seems he's fine and attached to you already.'

'Yeah, that's what I wanted to ask.' Gary said, looking at Larry. 'Can you check to make sure he's fine? He seems healthy, and I am thinking of keeping him unless there's family that wanted to take him in.'

Suzy shook her head. 'The only family mister Jones has is his daughter who lives on the other side of the country.' she said. 'I think Larry would be better off with you.' She smiled once more at Gary. 'I think he even suits you.'

Gary raised an eyebrow as he looked at Larry, who looked up at him and barked once. 'Really?'

'I can have a look at Larry now if you'd like? There are no appointments this morning.'

'That would be great.' Gary said and pulled out his phone. 'Just let me check with the office and we'll go with you right away, if it's no problem.'

Gary handed the leash to Suzy while he stepped aside to call and she squatted in front of Larry again. 'Why do I have the feeling I'm not surprised to see you here with Gary?' she whispered and stroked his head. Larry gave her another lick and wagged his tail.

'All set.' Gary said. 'We can go right now.'

'Larry?' said Johan, the vet at the clinic as the three of them walked in and he spotted the dog.

'Indeed.' said Suzy, putting away her things. 'This is Gary, my neighbour who found Larry at the park at night.'

Johan shook Gary's hand. 'Nice to meet you.' he said and gave Larry a pat on his head. 'He gave you no trouble?'

'Not really.' Gary said with a little grin.

'He's a friendly dog, but I've only seen him close with Frank Jones.'

'Oh.' Gary said as Suzy took Larry from him and lifted him on the examination table. 'He's been behaving very well.'

'Good, good.' Johan said, watching Suzy while she checked Larry.

'He's in good shape.' Suzy said after she was done with Larry. 'I bet he'll grow very old.'

'Guess you'll be stuck with him for a long time then.' Johan said to Gary.

Gary grinned. 'Yeah, I'm afraid so since it looks like he chose me.'

'Here, a couple of vitamin pills for him.' said Suzy, handing Gary a small bottle. 'For an extra boost after the lack of food in the last days.'

'Thanks.' Gary said and put it in his pocket. 'So what do I owe you?'

'Only your word on taking care of Larry.' Johan said. 'He's a good dog and I'm glad he's at a good home again.'

'Thanks a lot.' Gary said and shook Johan's hand again. 'I'll take care of him. He's family now.'

Suzy walked Gary and Larry out and they enjoyed the fresh morning air for a bit. 'I'm glad it turned out okay.' she said.

'Me too.' Gary said. 'And the others at the office have no problems with taking him with me, so he won't be alone during the day.'

She smiled at Gary, then at Larry. 'Would you mind if I check up on him later?'

Gary's heart went a little faster. 'Of course not! We would love to have you come over!' he said, then cleared his throat, looking at Larry. 'Right?'

Larry looked from Gary to Suzy and gave her a happy bark.

She chuckled and ruffled Larry's head and cheeks. 'All right then.' she said. 'See you later then.' She kept an eye on them and waved when they went on their way to Gary's office, then went back inside with a big smile on her face.

***

Suzy met with Gary and Larry at the convenience store at the end of the day. He had called her to ask for her help on getting the right food for Larry and to invite her to dinner. She saw him at the aisle, frowning at the different cans, bags, and boxes of dog food. He was discussing the various brands with Larry, who approved and disapproved various items. She chuckled and snuck closer.

'This? Seriously?' Gary asked when he pointed at an orange box with a white poodle on it. Larry barked once and Gary hummed. 'You're just liking it because of the cute chick on it.' Larry barked twice. 'Sure, as if you're any different from any other male species walking this Earth.' he said. 'Stamp a picture of a hot girl on it and every guy goes for it, no matter how much junk is in it and how expensive it is.' Larry barked twice again. 'I'll bet Suzy would agree with me.' Larry flattened his ears and whined softly.

'I do indeed.' Suzy said, startling the men. She smirked. 'And I didn't know you were one to go for girls of other species, Gary.' she said and looked at the poodle picture. 'I do admit cute, but to call her hot?'

'I didn't mean it was my personal preference!' Gary said, looking between Suzy and the poodle. 'I was merely getting into the mindset of a male dog. I prefer humans. Women. Like you.' Gary felt his face getting hot and looked away. 'I mean, in general, because I'm a human man, and I go for human women like any other normal man, not that I say other choices are not normal, just that,' he gestured with his index fingers going in circles. 'you know, a humans with humans thing.'

Suzy cleared her throat and chuckled. 'I was just teasing you.' she said and smiled a little deviously.

Larry barked at Gary. 'You're not helping.' Gary said.

Suzy helped Gary buy the right food and gave Larry a chewing bone as a present before they went home. Gary rushed through his apartment to check for any embarrassing things lying around while she dropped her things at her own apartment.

He heard her knock and call out 'Gary?' as she came inside at the same second he saw his dirty laundry spread out on the floor of his bedroom. With a few swift kicks it disappeared under his bed and he rushed to the kitchen, leaning against the doorway when she saw him. 'Hey.' he said. 'I hope you had no trouble finding this place.'

She chuckled. 'I almost took a wrong turn.'

'Yeah, they should put up better signs around here.' he said. 'I was just starting on dinner, so make yourself comfortable.'

Larry walked up to her and gave her a friendly bark. 'Okay.' she said. 'Lead on.' She followed Larry into the living room and Gary dove into the kitchen to start cooking.

When he came into the living room with two plates he found her sitting on the couch with Larry draped all over her lap clearly enjoying her attention as she scritched his belly and chest.

'All right, Larry,' Gary said. 'time for belly rubs is over. Time to eat.'

Suzy and Larry sniffed at the same time. 'Smells great.' she said. Larry rolled onto the floor and sat down.

'It's a simple Italian recipe.' he said, putting down the plates. 'Hope you like it.' He turned to Larry. 'And you're getting your own meal, buddy. This human food isn't good for you, or so I'm told. If it's not true, you know who to blame.' he said and titled his head toward Suzy.

'Larry trusts me, don't you?' Suzy said, petting Larry and he confirmed with a bark.

Gary chuckled on his way to the kitchen and came back with a bowl of warm food for Larry.

'This is good.' Suzy said nodding. 'Made it yourself?'

'Yep.' Gary said, holding back on stuffing his face as he tended to each time he got his hands on good food.

'Maybe I should check up on Larry more often.' she said with a sly smile at the collie.

Gary smiled. 'You're welcome to.' he said. 'I don't mind demonstrating more of my cooking skills.' Larry cleaned his bowl, picked it up in his mouth and went to the kitchen. 'What's he doing now?'

'Oh!' said Suzy as she watched him leave. 'That's right. I heard mister Jones had taught him some tricks so he could help around the house. This must be one of those things.'

'Clever.' Gary said. 'I wonder what else he can do.'

'Maybe he can help you cook?' Suzy said and chuckled.

'I think that might be a bit too much.' Gary said and leaned back. 'It took me a while before I could put meals like this together.'

Suzy tilted her head and leaned a little closer. 'Really? Does it take a lot of work to make something like this?'

He nodded. 'It's easier once you've done it a few times, then it takes less time. But you do need to know what you're doing, like getting the right ingredients.'

'Ingredients are indeed the number one thing for cooking, yes.' Suzy said and smiled. 'It's not like one takes a ready made meal, then puts it on a plate and dresses it up to make it look like real home made cooking.'

Gary saw Suzy looking at something next to him, then heard plastic crumple. 'He's sitting next to me with the packaging in his mouth, isn't he?'

She gave him a big grin and he slapped his hand in his face. 'Larry, you suck as a wingman.'

The collie just tilted his head and wagged his tail.

'Thanks for dinner.' Suzy said when she and Gary stood at his door. 'You did manage to make it taste much better than straight out of the wrapping.'

'Yeah, yeah.' he said, glancing at Larry. 'I think mister Jones has taught him too many tricks.'

She chuckled. 'I'm sure the two of you will have lots of fun together.'

'You'll be the first to find out.' he said with a slight grin. 'Anyway, thanks again for all you did today.'

She smiled softly at him. 'No problem.' she said, clasping her hands and twiddling her thumbs. 'I'm just glad everything turned out great.' She sighed a little. 'I'd better go shower and study now.'

'Yeah.' Gary said, returning her smile and opening his door for her. 'Good luck with that, although I think you'll manage just fine.'

She nodded, looked down a little, then stepped into the hallway. She turned around and gave Gary a peck on his cheek. 'You're a really good guy.' she said softly with a quick smile, then went quickly into her apartment.

Gary stared at her door for a short while when their bald neighbour stepped out of his apartment and looked at Gary. Gary looked back at him, nodded, and stepped back to close his door.

The neighbour shook his head and went downstairs.