Dogs of War

Chapter 5

Soap and I stared down at Wolf who was blatantly ignoring the pair of us despite our copious amounts of bribery bacon on hand.

"Come on, Uilebheist, are ye really not gonnae say bye to us?" Soap asked softly. "What if this is our last memory of you, refusing ta say bye?"

I saw her shoulders slump and she pouted. "Yer cannae stay pissed at us forever, lass," Soap smiles sensing defeat and approaches the bed that Archiel had re-located Wolf too at some point during the night. He leaned down kissing her nose and leaving the bacon close by for her. She snuffled her nose up against his neck and I saw the stifled shiver as her wet nose goosed along his flesh. 

"Love you, Uilebheist. Be good for the docs, alright? Don't go giving them grief." She whined softly in response and licked his cheek. He backed up, smiling and glad to at least have been given a goodbye. She looked towards me, her ears dropping low as she pouted as only Wolf knew how to pout.

"Aye, pup. Don't be starting that now. We'll be back in no time at all. Johnny's got my back, and I've got Johnnys."

"And Price is looking after all of us."

"And Price is out there two. We'll be home before you know it." I fed her a piece of the bacon I'd bought her, heart warming as she licks my fingers clean of the grease. That she'd accepted the peace offering was a start. She pushed her head into my hand demanding to be pat and I obliged her, cupping her face in my hands and kissing her forehead. 

"As Johnny said, yeah? Behave. We'll be back soon. Be good, pup."

Her response was a soft whine that I took to be agreement as she nudged her nose against my face. I figured she was demanding more patting and I bought her in close, hands running along her body scruffing up her fur aggressively. I chuckle as she whuffs at me, irritated I had been so rough with the scritches. "Better irritated than mad or sad, pup."

I gave her one last pat on the head and left without further goodbyes. If the mission went to plan, we were only due to be out for two weeks at most. Soap on the other hand stepped back up to her and kissed her on the head one more time before departing with me.

"Am I coming back alive, L.T?" her mutters, side eying me with a distrust that hurt more than I had expected it to.

"Johnny," his name comes out as a low growl. "Even if I wanted you dead, she'd skin me alive if she found out I let you die."

"Comforting, but if?"

"Are ye daft? I might want to knock you into next week on occasion, but I don't want you dead."

"You really do like me."

"I like you alive."

"You've got a heart," he persists.

"Of ice and two sizes too small."

"Someone's been watching the Grinch who stole Christmas."

"Lilly has taken the Christmas obsession to heart. Anything Christmas related."

"I had noticed that... D'ye ken that's Wolf's fault?"

"Likely."

"When we come back, we're sitting down and watching something not Christmas related with her."

"Such as?"

"Dunno, we'll figure it out when we get back."

"So now you trust me to bring you back alive?"

"As ye said, if she ken you killed me, she'd eat you alive."

"You think she loves your ugly mug that much?"