A Fairy's Tale (Eustass Kid X OC) (ORIGINAL)

Chapter 27: "Uh... Nice Doggy?"

"Fuckin' jeez, man... the hell is goin' through the bossman's head?" Heat muttered to Wire on their way from the galley to the cabin quarters. He was carrying a plate of leftover spaghetti bolognese while the taller man toted a five pound sack of ground beef over his shoulder. Killer, knowing that Kai wasn't likely to seek them out on her own after the bloody debacle on deck, told them to drop the food off to their guests after they finished their own meals.

"I mean... I get why he made the deal and all, but did he really have to bring a stray Animal to the ship? And a dog?"

Heat received a shrug and a smirk for his question.

"You've been with us for over a year, dude; I'm shocked you're still trying to figure him out. Just give up like the rest of us," Wire chuckled.

"Whatever. That little runt gives me the Goddamn chills," the pyro muttered. "And don't get me started on the mutt... I've never seen an animal with eyes like that; The thing looked at us like it could understand what we were saying. Like it knew exactly what was going on! Fuckin' creepy."

The tall man lightly nudged his friend's shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly with an irritated growl. "Quit being a sissy. It might be a massive freak of nature-"

"-Pot, meet kettle-"

"-But it's still just a dog," the massive freak of nature concluded, pointedly ignoring that comment. "You're being paranoid. Let's just drop the food off in front of Loklynn's room and... and..."

He and his sentence, along with Wire, all stopped in their tracks as they turned the corner and saw none other than Maizie Black herself lounging in the hallway in front of the showers. The canine was curled up slightly with her paws tucked in and her head down, making her look more like a massive pile of fur rather than a sentient creature. Even curled like she was, Maizie took up nearly the entire width of the hallway.

"Speak of the hell hound..." Heat muttered, to which Wire nodded numbly.

"No shit."

The men struggled not to flinch as she slowly raised her head and turned to fix them with a lazy, half lidded stare. Her giant maw gaped open wide in a long yawn that showcased a set of sharp white teeth; it was as if she was saying, 'I can bite your throat out any time I want, peasant, but I don't consider you enough of a threat.'
The pirates each cast a sidelong glance at one another, the same thought running through each of their heads: they needed to pass by... that to get to Loklynn's room down the hall. Fuck.

They apparently took too long to ponder their options, because Maizie made the decision for them. With a soft rumble of lazy reluctance and a big, sleepy stretch, she hefted herself up and lumbered over. The men stiffened, neither one daring to move. The thing was bigger than a tiger, around five feet and six hundred pounds of fang and fluff and muscle; the floorboards were creaking for fuck's sake!
Sure, she was just an animal and they could probably take her... but since she was a guest, they couldn't do anything but run if she decided to lunge.

"Uh... nice doggy," Heat whispered, wincing when her head swung slightly towards him. He got the impression that, if she were a human, she'd have raised an eyebrow and given him the side-eye. He gulped, feeling a light sheen of sweat forming on the back of his neck. "S-Sorry...? I guess...?"

"Okay, I'll admit it," Wire muttered as Maizie stuck her snout up to sniff at the plate in Heat's hand, "I see what you mean about the eyes."

Luckily, the dog didn't seem to have any hostile intentions. After she was done checking out the food, she padded around the two men, snuffling  at their legs, torsos, and feet like it was just a Normal thing to do... which, for a dog, it was. That didn't make it any less weird, though.