Generated word of the day: Better

___

This is for readers of "Secrets Beneath the Lies." If you haven't read that book, you could still read this one shot, you just won't know the backstory behind why the character's feeling the way they're feeling. 

For those who have read SBTL, this takes place during the time-skip in between chapter 23 and 24 (The time Jesse was in hospital after the bridge incident.) Time doesn't really matter however, it could literally refer to any scenario in which they are upset.

___

The room was dark, the only light coming from the moon outside the open window. Cold gusts of wind slipped inside every now and then, causing the small figure on the bed to shiver.

The small wolf lifted his head, a small whine coming from his throat. His blue eyes scanned the dark room, before he lowered his head back onto his front paws, obediently waiting.

He didn't understand this, and he didn't like it. He's been alone all day now, she still haven't come back. The person who left food for him this morning wasn't her. When was she coming back?

Why was the window open? She closed it every night, no light came into the room while they slept. No wind either. He didn't like being cold.

His small ears pricked, hearing sounds in the distance. Arguing. Fighting between two people. The puppy whimpered, his fur raising slightly. He hated the sound.

All of the sudden, there was the creak of a door opening, fresh light spilling into the room. He stood up on the bed, his tail starting to wag. It was her!

She closed the door behind her as she came in, immediately walking over to the window and shutting it, keeping out the cold.

He wagged his tail, panting excitedly. Usually she would scoop him up and hug him. If they're alone, she'd sometimes even kiss him. But tonight, there was no show of affection.

She sat down on the side of the bed, her back facing towards the excited puppy. He titled his head to the side in puzzlement.

Something was off about her. Her scent was different.. he was too young to understand what emotion she was feeling, but he knew she wasn't happy. That bit was obvious.

Whining softly, he pawed at her back. She shifted at his touch, clearly taking notice of his presence.

"Not right now, Rascal." Petra said softly.

Rascal whined again, slightly louder. He didn't like this tone of voice from her... She didn't sound angry, but she wasn't happy either. She's always been either happy or angry, sometimes concerned. But what was this?

He wanted to understand. He wanted her to be happy. He didn't like this new emotion.

Rascal pushed underneath Petra's arm, climbing onto her lap and looking up at her. She wasn't looking down at him, staring into the distance. He turned his head to follow her gaze, but all he saw was the wall.

Petra looked down at him for the first time, when he whined again. She looked different than usual. Tired, drained and... upset.

Rascal's ears pulled back and he gently pawed at her T-shit. She lifted her hand, carefully stroking his back. Why was she so hesitant?

He licked her hand affectionately. Not in his normal, playful way, more of a comforting matter. Would this make her smile again?

She didn't smile, but a part of her seemed to relax. She continued stroking him, seeming to calm down slightly at the touch.

"I'm sorry for leaving you here all day, boy." She whispered softly, looking down.

He tilted his head to the side. He didn't understand her words, but he knew she was addressing him. He stepped forward on her lap, nuzzling his head against her stomach.

Petra looked down at Rascal, picking him up and holding him to her chest. His tail gave a few enthusiastic wags. Was everything OK now?

But this hug was different. She held him like he could disappear at any second. Her fingers knotted themselves into his grey fur, desperately clutching him to her chest. Rascal didn't make a movement, nor a sound. He could hear her heartbeat, the pattern uneven, not how it's supposed to be. If he wasn't sure before, it was now clear – something was wrong.

Did it have anything to do with the yelling he heard? Had someone fought with her?

As small and young as Rascal was, the fur on his neck raised up slightly. Who had hurt her and why? Had they just been mean to her, or was she physically hurt? He's never felt so protective.

A strange feeling on top of his head caught Rascal's attention. Something wet... it was warm, unlike rain.

He looked up just in time to see another droplet drip down from Petra's face. Her eyes were wet, maybe even slightly red.

Rascal has seen this many times before on the other people, especially Jesse. But never on Petra... what did it mean?

Rascal whined again, licking her wet cheek. And for the first time that evening, a faint smile appeared on her lips. Barely, but it was there.

Rascal gave her another comforting lick, realising this action seemed to help. He didn't know what was going on, but he wanted to help her.

Petra looked down at him, her eyes meeting his. She seemed to relax, calm down slightly. Rascal wagged his tail, happy that he was able to make a difference.

"Rascal." She said softly, bringing him back to her chest in another hug. "How can you always manage to make me feel better?"

___

At 848 words, I'm not proud of this one shot's length. I didn't really know how to drag it out longer, but I did really like the idea. 

I didn't want to write anything linked to Secrets Beneath the Lies, but when I got this idea I knew I had to write it. I really like the idea of Rascal being Petra's main form of comfort during that part of the story, considering both Radar and Lukas turned against her. 
I have plans for Rascal being very loyal and protective as a grown wolf, so it was a lot of fun to add that into him as a puppy. 

For some reason I had an annoying case of writers block today, so I'm sorry for the crappy length of this chapter. I just really didn't feel like writing for some reason. I will hopefully be doing a rewrite in my normal one shot book in the future! 

Well, for now I hope you all enjoyed this one shot! I'll see tomorrow with whatever the word generator spits out next!