Chapter Text
Chapter 1:
"SEVEN BUGGERING HELLS!"
Sansa startles from playing fetch with her two dogs, Lady and Jess. A sleek grey Northern Inuit and a small smooth black brindle coated crossbreed.
She glances across the park towards where the curse came from to see a broad shouldered man with shoulder length hair, black like a ravens wing crouching down where an enormous black shepherd dog is sat holding it’s paw up gingerly. She sees the owner carefully take his dog’s front paw in his hand to examine, hears the dog whimper and the man curse something under his breath and shake his head.
"Lady, Jess, to me" Sansa calls with a quick whistle to get their attention. Lady cocks her head and saunters over whilst Jess quick as a whip is by her side leaning against her calves. She's such a clingy little thing she muses, but I guess that is understandable... Sansa's thoughts trail off when Lady reaches her and Jess. "Good girls" she utters and begins to walk steadily towards the owner of the black shepherd dog.
As she approaches she can hear him mumbling soothing words to his dog. The roughness of his voice almost sounds like a deep growl and Sansa feels the hairs at the nape of her neck and the back of her arms raise and send a shiver down her spine. She can see blood on his hands but he has his back to her and has not seen her approach.
"Excuse me, sir?" she breathes out and his spine stiffens at her words, he glances over his shoulder as his dog makes eye contact with her and curls his lip into a snarl.
"I'm no sir and now isn't a good time" he rasps out "Stranger is not good with people at the best of times, least of all when he's hurt"
Sansa glances over at Stranger what a peculiar name for a dog, his whole profile is defensive but she cannot help but see the steady pool of red collecting beneath his left front paw. "He's injured his paw” she observes but before she can speak further he cuts her off with a harsh rasping laugh "no shit, sweetheart" He levels a harsh gaze at her and her breath hitches as she takes in the angry scars running from the bridge of his nose and extending into his hair line on the left side of his face. The scars are a fearful sight but it is the fury in his stormy grey eyes that makes her avert her gaze back to Stranger's paw. He goes on to growl out "neither of us are a pretty sight, you've had your look, now bugger off!"
Sansa gasps at his rudeness and levels him with a glare "I have bandages in my bag" she swings her small green rucksack off her slender shoulder, unzips it and pulls out her first aid kit and some silver curved scissors. "I can bandage that up for you to stem the bleeding until you can get him to the vets" she says matter of factly.
The tall angry stranger's eyes widen in surprise at her tone, looks down at Stranger's paw, glances back up at her face and nods his assent with a gruff 'ok... Thank you'
Sansa exhales and kneels down to Stranger, he grumbles and eyes her warily before staring at his owner "it's ok Strange he mutters soothingly" to his companion.
"Ok" she says "can you hold Stranger as if you’re giving him a big hug. But hold his head firmly to your shoulder whilst extending his left leg from the elbow toward me?" He glances back at her and nods his understanding. "Make sure you hold his head firmly, he's not likely going to appreciate me touching his sore paw and I don't want to get bitten."
The man arranges himself so he has Stranger nestled into his broad chest. She can't help but appreciate his muscular physique and his biceps bulging out of his white t-shirt and blushes, glancing down at her supplies arranging her bandage materials. She now turns her focus to Stranger's paw; there is a deep cut through the centre of his main pad, blood dripping steadily from the wound. She hmms and frowns a little that causes the dog’s owner to gaze at her with furrowed eyebrows. "What is it?" He says, his voice deep and rumbling.
"The cut is deep and will need suturing" she replies "right, I'm going to begin dressing his wound now, you got him?"
"Yeah I've got him." he rumbles back
Sansa begins by placing cotton wool between Stranger's toes, then lightly places a square contact layer against the cut on the main pad. Stranger growls and tries to pull his paw back but true to his word his owner holds him firm muttering into the thick gruff of Strangers neck. Stranger’s eyes are wide but as his master mutters to him, he stills and allows her to continue dressing his wound. 3 layers of padding, conforming and a protective layer are applied swiftly now that he has relaxed and Sansa, now finished attempts to rock back to get up into a crouch but finds her legs have been pinned by her small black shadow of a hound curled up in the bend of her knees when did she arrange herself there, I never felt a thing?! She chuckles under her breath then murmurs "get off me pup". Jess reluctantly creeps off her legs and Sansa now makes a reattempt to stand when a large hand appears in her field of vision, she slips her tiny hand in compariosn into his large and slightly calloused one and then he pulls her up. Only now she realizes how tall he is... She is tall women herself but he is another head over her and her eyes are level with the collar of his shirt: white and slightly torn.
She glances down at Stranger who is now placing his paw delicately to the floor. "You best get him to a vets shortly, has he had his breakfast? If not best to leave off as he will most likely need a general anaesthetic to close the wound, don't take that dressing off, even if you see blood soaking through, the pressure will help slow the flow until he can get seen to" she reels off quickly. He gently squeezes her hand, she hadn't realized she hadn't let go and gazes into his eyes, there is no anger in the grey depths now and her stomach flips.
He takes a step back, let's go of her hand and runs the same hand through his long hair, gazing back at her he gruffly responds "thanks for seeing to Stranger, sorry for being an ass, I will take him to the vets now...
"It's not a problem" she responds curtly "sorting Stranger or you being an ass” she glances quickly at him “it's stressful when your buddy is hurt... Stress can bring out the worst in people" He sharply glances at her, then a smirk plays across his features "I'm an ass to everyone but I appreciate what you did for Stranger here" he replies fondling Stranger's ears.
Sansa blushes and holds out her hand to this abrasive man "my names is Sansa…"
The man hesitates before taking her hand "Sandor"
"Well Sandor, it was nice to meet you… sort of. I hope Stranger feels better soon" she glances towards Lady and Jess and says "come on girls, we best get back home, I need to get ready for work." The dogs spring up and she gazes back at Sandor giving him a small smile. "See you around, then" she turns and walks towards the gate where she entered early this morning.
She hears him call out a gruff g'bye and she turns and waves. She checks her watch and realising the time hurries home...