Red Roses - (FCRAs 2016 Winner)

Bullet Wounds

"Hey! Come back here!"

Lorelie stood under the willow tree and watched as Ally tried to drag the golden wolf out of a cave he'd run off into. Bramble pawed at her skirts and she glanced down at him.

"Go on then, it looks like we'll be here a while," she said and Bramble raced off and belly-flopped into the lake, the wolves around the shore line sitting up to watch.

She, in the meantime, adjusted her skirts and knelt down, opening her bag to find the things she'd need for a bullet wound. She hadn't ever dealt with a bullet wound before but she had dealt with enough farming accidents to have an idea about what to do.

That was assuming her patient came back and stopped hiding.

"So, what did you say happened?" she asked as Ozzy trotted over and sat beside her.

"He got in the way of a hunter who was after another wolf – not one of us mind you, just a normal wolf. Dealt with the hunter but got a bullet in the process, very unlike him to be so careless."

"And what was his name?"

"Sissy."

Lorelie looked at him and the wolf shrugged.

"Well he's being a sissy at the moment. Hey! Sissy! Come on, your lady doesn't have all night!"

Ally appeared first, a tail in his mouth as he dragged the other wolf out.

"Is he scared of me?" Lorelie asked.

"No, just embarrassed," Ozzy said.

"Why?"

Ozzy laughed at that and shook his head.

Seconds later, the hide-away wolf was dumped in front of her and Ally sat on him.

"Here's your patient."

"Sissy, how good of you to join us," Lorelie said with a frown and Ozzy started laughing hysterically while the gold wold stopped his fussing and glared at her.

"Lorelie May, this is Grey, the alpha," Ally said.

"What an impressive show of leadership," Lorelie said and suddenly Grey shot to his feet, knocking Ally off him and shoving his face right up close to Lorelie, making her drop the bandages she was holding.

"You certainly have an attitude for someone who's scared of wolves," he snapped and Ozzy shouldered him aside.

"Don't be rude," he said, "She came all the way out here to help the wolves she doesn't like. Be grateful you even get to talk to her."

"Show her the wound so she can go home," Ally said.

"It'll heal in its own time," Grey said and Lorelie raised an eyebrow. Was he pouting? Could wolves pout?

Rather than questioning it, she reached into her bag and took out her gloves, pulling them on and pulling out a pair a clippers to get past the fur.

"Come along now, like they said, I don't have all night," she said, hooking on a mask over her mouth and nose. "Go lie over there; I need the moonlight to see."

Ally shoved Grey in the shoulder and pushed him towards the patch Lorelie indicated. She spread out a blanket beside him once he lay on his side, set out the instruments she'd picked out and leant forwards.

"This will hurt, so no biting," she ordered, starting to clip away the patch of fur around the bullet hole.

Another of the wolf came over, sitting beside her and tapping the purple flowers that illuminated the ground. The colours shifted.