"I'm sorry about just barging in," Jasmine said while exposing her ear from the chestnut brown hair. "but I'm new to this city and don't really know anyone." she sqeezed her eyes together.
Josh wasn't really sure why he said what he said, but he ended up saying it anyway. "Well, you do now. My name is Josh Fields." Arrow howled behind him and rubbed her snout against his thigh. He tripped forward and look over his shoulder. "And this is Arrow." he added, stepping aside to introduce the white and dark grey siberian husky of eight years of age.
Jasmine squatted down and streched her arm out towards Arrow, but stopped at the midway point. "May I?" she asked and looked up at Josh. He did an approving hand gesture and told Arrow to come out from behind him. She was reluctant at first, but as Jasmine's hand came closer, Arrow took in the smell and suddenly Josh witnessed something he never before had seen:
Jasmine screamed as Arrow's teeth ingraved themselves into her skin. Time moved in slowmotion. It was as though Josh watched himself from the outside and he saw everything like it was. Saw himself try hard to get Arrow away from Jasmine. He saw the fear in the newcomer's eyes as Arrow tightened her grib and shook its head form side to side. Jasmine's armedmoved accordingly to Arrow's movement like a slave. Josh's other self resorted to the last thing he thought he would ever find himself doing. He hit his dog.
Arrow, who in all her eight years had never experienced the fury of her master, whimpered under the force of his hand and with that she let go of Jasmine's hand. Josh pushed Arrow outside in the yard and hurried Jasmine inside to see to her wound. As the door closed behind him, time moved normally and he was within himself once again.
"I'm so sorry!" he said desperately as he moved with Jasmine to the sink. "She doesn't act like that normally! I don't know what's with her..."
Jasmine's eyes were closed and her head bended backwards. "How bad is it?" she said. Josh sent a look to her hand and examined the damaged caused by Arrow's teeth. He bid his lip and didn't answer his guest, which worried her. Instead he opened for the waterflow.
"Here," he said and drenched a cloth in the warm water. He twined it around her hand. "Hold it there." she did as he said and he bowed down under the sink to find the first-aid kit.
Outside the endless howling from Arrow speared through his heart. She had always been able to behave herself. Never had he had any trouble with raising her to be the best dog possible. When he bought her the saleslady had warned him that the siberian husky was one of the more aggressive breeds. However, he had never seen that in arrow. Now he feared what he would have to do with her.
He had heard horror tales about owners who were forced to put their dogs to sleep because of assault on another human. He didn't want to lose Arrow, even if she had acted in the wrongs. There had to be a way for him to convince Jazz to not press charges. There had to be.
"Find anything down there?" Jasmine asked and by the suprise of her words, Josh hammered his head into one of the sink pipes. He cursed and stood up with the first-aid kit.
Jasmine had lowered her head and was now looking directly at him. She wasn't scared anymore. Didn't even look mad. Josh was happy. That had to be a good thing. He opened the kit and took the bandages. Jasmine removed the cloth and the disgust was painted on her face. The cloth had removed most of the blood, which left her with four deep holes in her hand. Josh could not even begin to think of all the bacterium hidden on Arrow's teeth. Hopefully Jasmine would not suffer an infection.
He began wrapping her hand in the white bandages. She didn't say anything. It worried Josh. He needed her to understand. To go away from here with a smile instead of heading to the police office.
"You know," he began. "Arrow usually doesn't act that way."
Jasmine shrugged. "I guess she doesn't like me then." Josh saw the disappointment in her eyes. She looked up at him. The mint green eyes shining like they had done outside. "I'd hoped she would. But I'm probably more of a cat person."
That still didn't explain Arrow's behavior. She had seen cats before. Hell, she even played with them from time to time whenever one dared to enter the yard. They knew what they were getting into; A brawling match with the unbeaten champion. But doing one of these matched she had never hurt the cats. All she ever did was push them around until they got tired of her and walked away. She would follow them to the fence and stand up to watch they walk off into the sunset. When she then came back into the house she would lay her head on Josh's thigh and look at him with her eyes shining from the victory. And he would rubb her head and call her a good dog.
He decided to not tell Jasmine about Arrow's love for cats. He didn't want her thinking Arrow had something personal against her. So he just agreed with her and said that had to be the reason. He tied the bandages in a bow to seal it off and Jasmine twisted her wrist to test the mobility of her hand. It looked perfectly fine.
"Well..." Jasmine said, but didn't continue. She rubbed her hands against each other and looked everywhere but at Josh.
A scratching could be heard on the door and Josh peeped over Jasmine's shoulder. He bit his lip. It hurted as Arrow's wining got louder. He couldn't keep it out.
Josh shook his head and tried to say something, but Jasmine held up her hand to stop him. "It's okay." she said and stroke his shoulder. Her touch was warm. Like honey in a cup of tea on a winter afternoon. "I'll see you around, I guess." she turned away from him and her long hair hit his chest in the turn.
"Jazz?" he cried as her fingers closed around the doorknob. Her gorgeous face turned to see him. "I want to make it up to you. Would you allow me to take you out for coffee some time?" his heart was pounding, and he was sure it would burst out of his chest in a minute. He couldn't believe himself. It wasn't in his nature to act so direct. Maybe he thought that all hope had already went out of the window, so he had nothing else to lose.
Jasmine opened the door and stepped aside while Arrow rushed in and hit behind Josh's legs. He didn't pay her any attention, his eyes locked on the beauty at his door. She stepped over the doorstep. "I like my coffee with caramel cream and whipped cream on top." she closed the door behind her, leaving Josh alone with Arrow, who had never looked smaller.
To be continued...
Keep Calm and Write On.
- Nanna.
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