RR Presents Oneshots

How do You Walk a Hellhound? (Storm Runner)

On Isla Holbox

𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹~Zane~𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹

"Whoa, easy girl," I said as Rosie jumped up and down and barked loudly. Ever since she had been turned into a hellhound, things had been getting... difficult, to say the least.

She was now the size of a fully grown male lion, and whenever she heard the trigger word dead, fire spewed uncontrollably out of her mouth and nostrils. Sometimes she wouldn't even listen to me yell steak to stop her, and we'd have to find other means of calming her down. Unless we wanted her to burn down Isla Holbox.

And we definitely didn't.

Don't get me wrong, she was still my best friend and I loved her to Xib'alb'a, but with her around, things were bound to get a little toasty.

I was out on the beach. The sky above was cloudy and looked like it might rain, but I wasn't going inside until a drop of water hit me in the face.

"Rosie!" I said. "Stop barking! You're going to kill my eardrums."

Then I noticed she wasn't barking at me. Her head was tilted up into the sky. I squinted to see a large bird of prey soaring in circles high above us. Rosie wasn't going crazy and shooting fire at it, which meant it could only be one person.

"BROOKS!" I shouted, waving my arms like a madman. "Hey, Brooks!"

Even from this far, I could hear her piercing cry. She swooped in and landed, turning back to her normal beautiful self with a few feathers in her hair. She smiled, and I momentarily forgot to breathe. "Hey Zane."

"Uh, hi," I mentally slapped myself.

Rosie butted her nose against her shoulder and Brooks scratched the top of Rosie's head, saving me from any weird looks she might have given me otherwise.

"So what you doing flying around so early?" I asked. "You're normally still asleep at this time."

She threw me a suspicious look. "How do you know that?"

My face burned red. "I just- I never see you around this early."

"And you assume I'm sleeping or do you peek through my window? Holy K, I knew I should close the curtains-"

"No!" I cut her off, my cheeks still burning. "I just assume."

She glared at me. "Idiot."

I puffed out my chest. "Excuse me, if not for this idiot you'd be dead-"

Rosie roared and shot flames, barely avoiding frying me.

"STEAK!" I screamed. Thankfully, she calmed down and sat in the sand by my feet.

"-and the world would also be destroyed," I finished.

"After you made that stupid deal with Puke and let him out to almost destroy the world." Brooks retorted, not even startled from Rosie's flame-throwing episode.

"Shut up." I grumbled.

"I see you get my point."

"I never said that!"

"Basically," she said with a triumphant grin.

I sighed. There was no point in arguing with the half-nawal. "Anyway, what are you doing?"

"I was flying," Brooks said with an eye roll. "Until you screamed for me to come down."

"I did not-" I caught myself. I guess I really did scream. "Whatever. Doing anything in particular?"

"Like what?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Looking for something?" I suggested. "Did you get a message from Jazz or Quinn or someone?"

"No, no," she said with a slight smile. "I was just flying for fun. It's like asking someone, 'hey, why do you walk around by yourself?' It's kinda relaxing."

"Oh," I said, feeling more than a little stupid. "Sorry. I wouldn't know, not being a shape-shifter. Or a regular walker."

"Yeah, I know," Brooks said nonchalantly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

Rosie barked and yapped, tapping the sand with her paws. I chuckled and picked up a stick lying on the sand, throwing it as far as I can down the beach. Rosie sprinted after it as Brooks watched in amusement.

"She's a good hound," she said. "How'd you get her?"

"I didn't tell you?" I asked, to which she shook her head.

"Well," I said. "I was out on the desert one day, doing goodness-knows-what, and I found her wandering around by herself. She was all skin and bones, and her leg was missing already, so I took her back to the house to give her a bath and pleaded with my mom to let me keep her. At first she said no, since we couldn't afford a dog, but I promised to earn money for her food and stuff, so she agreed. That's how I found myself being a receptionist for Ms. Cab's psychic line. And she's stuck by my side ever since, until last fall, when all this stuff started happening."

"Sorry," Brooks said. "I know it was my fault she got killed and turned into a hellhound. I shouldn't have-"

"No Brooks, it's fine, really. I wouldn't have it any other way," I said.

She smiled, but it was quickly gone. "A hellhound is very different from a normal dog."

"At least she has something other than her fangs to defend herself with," I said. "I doubt any demon runners will be getting their hands on her anytime soon."

"True," she said. Her shoulder leaned into mine. "I can't help but still feel guilty though."

"Don't," I assured her. "Everything's perfect now."

"Hm... I suppose."

I smiled. "There is one thing I've been wondering though."

"What?"

"How do you walk a hellhound?"

Brooks pulled away and laughed, causing my heart to involuntarily soar. "To that, I don't have an answer."