Love at First Bite

[capt_facepalm]

Title: Love at First Bite
Author: capt_facepalm
Rating: PG
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (Gaslight ACD)
Characters: Dr John Watson, Roy (the wolfhound)
Summary: the aftermath of CREE
Warning: cave canem
Word Count: 100
Author's Notes: July 3rd 2021 prompt: Love at first sight.

.oOOo.

It was not love at first sight. The first time I encountered Roy, he was fiercely attacking his master. My concern for the professor was paramount. Afterwards, fatigued from tending to Presbury’s wounds, I withdrew for some fresh air and found myself at the stables where the grooms were discussing the wolfhound’s fate. Poor Roy lay quivering in chains.

Our eyes met. It was not love, but recognition; one weary veteran to another. I knelt beside him. His tail gave a small tentative thump.

‘It’s all right, Roy, I won’t let anyone harm you,’ I promised and the grooms retreated.

.oOOo.

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Supplementary Notes: So, on the topic of wolfhounds. In Watson's time, wolfhounds were not as they are today. CREE does not identify which type of wolfhound Roy is. Our contemporary minds immediately think of Irish wolfhounds, but it is possible Roy was Borzoi, the Russian wolfhound. The Irish variety had been in decline for years and was much smaller than what we see today. So if Roy was an Irish wolfhound, he would more closely resemble today's Scottish deerhound. The question is: what type of wolfhound would Professor Presbury have? Personally, I imagine Roy as the latter, since Borzoi are more delicate and floofy.

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you for the lesson on wolfhounds! I, too, fell into the thinking that Roy was an Irish wolfhound. I have, in fact, been bitten by a Borzoi!

[methylviolet10b]

I always feel sorry for Roy. It's nice thinking Watson would be able to find him a good home. (I can't see him fitting into Baker Street, but then again, some people do keep Great Danes in small apartments, so...

[debriswoman]

Nicely done, and I learned something about wolfhounds:-)

[gardnerhill]

Awwww. Watson has a soft spot for wounded soldiers of every species. I'm sure Mr. Sherman (or whoever took up his mantle afterward) can help him find a good home for Roy.