The "puppy" huddled in the corner of the filthy cell, ribs showing through matted fur, eyes wary but hopeful. Task Force 141 had cleared the facility, finding nothing but standard enemy operations - until this.
"Poor thing must've snuck in, got trapped," Soap said, already kneeling despite Ghost's warning to be careful. The small creature limped forward, barely bigger than Soap's boot.
Despite its pitiful state, Price noticed something odd. The pup's movements, though weakened, had a certain deliberate grace. And those eyes... there was an intelligence there that made him pause.
"Sir?" Ghost questioned, noticing Price's hesitation.
The pup looked up at them, and for a moment, Price could have sworn it was assessing them just as much as they were assessing it. Then it sneezed, a tiny sound that reminded them all it was still just a baby, dangerous facility or not.
"We're not keeping it," Price stated, then sighed as the pup looked up at him. "But we can't leave it here either."
The pup's ears perked up at his words, and it took a tentative step closer, its oversized paws suggesting it would grow to be much larger than any normal wolf. None of them realized just how much larger.
"Price!" Soap called out, trying not to laugh. "Your wolf's doing it again!"
Their massive rescue was attempting to be a lap dog, despite now being the size of a horse. It had started with Price sitting in his usual chair, reading mission reports. The wolf had padded over, still moving with that puppy-like clumsiness despite its size, and tried to squeeze itself into what little space was left of the chair.
"Every bloody time," Price muttered, but his hand automatically went up to scratch behind those massive ears. The wolf's tail thumped against the floor, the controlled motion barely making a sound despite its strength.
Ghost walked into the kitchen to find their wolf carefully carrying his morning coffee mug in its mouth - a habit it had picked up after seeing them do it daily. The mug looked comically tiny between teeth that could shatter reinforced steel, but the wolf handled it with perfect precision, not even leaving a mark on the ceramic.
"Thanks, mate," Ghost said, accepting his coffee as the wolf's tail wagged proudly at completing its self-appointed task.
During training: "Has anyone seen my- nevermind," Roach sighed, spotting their wolf trotting alongside Gaz, carrying Roach's tactical vest in its mouth like a puppy with a favorite toy.
The wolf had taken to helping during training exercises. Its sense of smell, ten times keener than any normal wolf's, could track a single person through a crowded city from miles away. They'd stopped being surprised when it would suddenly appear with equipment they hadn't even realized they'd dropped yet.
"You're not supposed to be in here," Soap told the wolf as it squeezed its massive frame through the armory door. It just looked at him with those intelligent eyes, then settled itself by the door like an oversized guard dog.
Every time they had night watch now, the wolf would join whoever was on duty. Its senses had detected threats their best equipment missed, and nothing could get within a mile of the base without those ears picking up the slightest sound.