Trollhunters: Claire Gets a Dog

Claire Gets a Dog

Rain spattered on the city sidewalk as Claire hurried home. She'd forgotten to pack an umbrella today, so she pulled her hood further over her face, shielding herself from the waves sent up by passing cars. Today was one of those days she couldn't wait to get home to the apartment she shared with Jim.

But then, turning onto a quieter side street, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. A soggy cardboard box tipped onto its side with a muffled thump.

Instantly Claire's hands were on her staff. Ever since moving into the city, goblins and all other sorts of nasty creatures had been causing a ruckus around the trolls.

But as she crept closer, a wet black nose poked out of the box, followed by a pink tongue and big brown eyes. It was a dog! Stepping out into the light, the small black-and-white Boston Terrier stared at Claire with hopeful eyes.

"Oh, you sweet thing!" Claire exclaimed, putting her staff away and stooping down, all caution forgotten. She reached out a hand for the dog to smell, and after a sniff, he started licking her fingers eagerly. "Are you hungry?" His ribs were showing plainly through his scruffy fur. "I'm sorry, I don't have any food on me. But..." The dog nuzzled her hand eagerly as an idea popped into Claire's head. "We do have food at the apartment."

The dog looked at Claire with loving eyes, and in that moment, her decision was made. She scooped up the small dog in her arms - he weighed so little she could easily carry him - and made her way down the street. He started licking her chin happily, and Claire laughed as her hood fell back. Rain splashed across her face, but the bundle of warmth in her arms was completely worth it.

When they got to the apartment building, Claire had to tuck the dog into her coat, as pets weren't allowed on the premises. But as soon as she locked the apartment door behind her, she set the dog down and watched with amusement as he began sniffing everything with deep curiosity.

"Jim!" She called as she strode into the kitchen and opened the fridge, looking for meat to feed the dog. Aha - Claire pulled out a package of ground beef. "Jim! Where are you?"

"Coming!" Jim stepped out of the door from the living room, which had been converted into a training room filled with dummies for Jim to practice attacking. "What is it?" Claire's heart skipped a beat at the sight of her boyfriend, shirtless and slightly sweaty from a hard practice. But then she was distracted by a loud, angry yelping. She looked down to see the dog racing at Jim, teeth bared. He launched himself at Jim and dug his teeth into Jim's arm.

Claire gasped in horror, but Jim simply stared at the dog with annoyance. Apparently his tiny, sharp teeth hadn't been enough to dig past Jim's tough troll skin. The dog simply hung off of his arm like a permanent handbag, glaring at him.

"I see you brought home an assassin," Jim said drily.

"He was homeless, and it was raining," Claire said hopelessly. "We can't just throw him out again." She walked up to them and gently dislodged the dog's teeth from Jim's arm, setting him gingerly down on the floor. "You two will just have to figure out how to get along."

"Get along with this creature?" Jim said disdainfully, watching the dog sniff the floor intently. "Claire, you're the best, but also you have no idea how much this dog smells. Like, he stinks. A lot." Now the dog was growling up at Jim, crouched at his feet. "Also, he hates me."

"Oh, he's probably just not used to trolls," Claire reassured Jim. "A few days and he'll be used to you. Now, where did I put that meat..."

As soon as her back was turned, Jim nudged the dog away with his foot. The dog snapped back at one of his toes and latched on again. Eyes narrowed in irritation, Jim picked up the dog by his scruff and held it up to eye level, glaring at it intensely -

"Oh, here it is!" Claire turned back around to see Jim cradling the dog in his arms, a smile plastered across his face. "I'm glad you two are getting along. C'mere, dog, have some of this to eat." She led the dog out of the kitchen and set the bowl of ground beef on the hallway floor.

Watching them go, Jim felt a growl build up in his throat. A few steps behind Claire, the dog turned and gave Jim what could only be described as a gloating smirk.

Jim felt his blood boil.

This was war.