Zombie apoc you say??? Hmm how about this for a prompt: Patton adopts every stray dog he finds, that now he has this doggo army that helps keep him safe from zombies. Ppl whisper tales of this tamer of wolves (even though none of them are wolves) and how fearsome he is, so when any of the otehr sides (you pick who/how may) meet him, they're kind of shocked he's this big sweetie
Janus's fingers tightened their hold on his crossbow, his other hand gripping his cane just as tightly as he made his way through the undergrowth. It was hard for him to move silently with his limp, so he already had a disadvantage. And he kept hearing things in the thick trees around the overgrown path.
There was a rustling behind him, and he turned, crossbow at the ready, only to see... a dog. A German Shepherd, panting and looking at him with a tilted head. He sighed and relaxed a little, letting the crossbow drop to his side. "Hi, lil' guy," he said, allowing himself a small smile.
Footsteps. Shambling footsteps. Janus whirled again, only to be knocked down, his crossbow falling from his hand and just out of his reach. A mass of rotting flesh, barely recognizable as a former human being at this point, stood over him. Janus closed his eyes.
A snarl sounded from behind Janus, and when he opened his eyes again, the dog was tearing into the creature's arm, driving it backwards and backwards and backwards. Janus scrambled to grab his crossbow, then turned toward the creature again. He took a deep breath, aimed, then fired with another breath, straight into the creature's skull.
"Dough!" a voice called. A man stumbled onto the path, flanked on either side by a dog, a St. Bernard on his left, and a bloodhound on his right. When he saw the scene before him his eyes crinkled in a smile above the bandana that covered his nose and mouth. "Good boy, Dough!"
Janus turned his crossbow on the man quickly, and the dogs all three growled lowly. "You're the Wolf Tamer..." Janus said slowly.
The man let out a bubbly giggle, lifting his hands in surrender. "I guess that's me. You alright, Buddy?"
"I just want to pass through the woods peacefully," Janus said, not lowering the crossbow. The dogs still had their teeth bared at him.
"I'm not gonna stop ya, Kiddo!" the Wolf Tamer answered, still appearing to be smiling behind the once-baby-blue bandana. "I was just gonna offer ya a warm meal and a place to sleep for the night."
Janus frowned, turning the idea over in his head. He could accept and be led straight into a path. Or he could go on, having run out of food and about to run out of medical supplies. "...Okay..." he said, finally lowering the crossbow.
"Great!" The man exclaimed. "My name's Patton, and the good boy who helped you is Cookie Dough!"
"...Janus," he answered as Dough licked his cheek, causing him to give another little smile. He stood up carefully, using his cane to help himself, and waving Patton away when he tried to get closer to help.
He crouched down carefully next to the dead creature to retrieve his crossbow bolt, laying his cane at his side. Then he stood carefully again with help from the cane, rolling his shoulders. "Lead the way."
Patton scooped some of the stew, made with a mixture of canned vegetables and vegetables from Patton's own garden, into a bowl, offering it to Janus with a smile.
Janus took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the stew, before taking the offered spoon and getting a bite into his mouth. "Mmmh... That's delicious, Patton."
"And vegetarian!" Patton said proudly. "I only hunt to feed the puppers! But if you want meat, I can get some from the ice box for you!"
Janus shook his head. "This is fine, thank you..." He tilted his head. "Why do you have so many dogs?"
"Well... They need someone to take care of them," Patton said, occupying his hands with petting a little Chihuahua. "And they take care of me, too." He paused, frowning slightly. "They're no replacement for human company, though, that's for sure."
Janus sighed. "I hate to impose on you, but would you mind if a stayed for a few days?"
Patton brightened instantly. "Of course you can stay!"
Janus couldn't help but smile slightly back. "Only because I like Dough here so much, of course."
"Of course!" Patton answered with a grin.
Janus smiled, scratching behind Dough's ears. And if he caught Patton staring at him, he didn't say anything. But he may have smiled a bit more.
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