Ruth is first and foremost, a dog. He may have a human form and complex emotions and thoughts, but he still a dog and does dog things. He licks and smells everything in his vicinity, circles this way and that to lay down and has a collection of toys under the couch ranging from proper dog toys, a single winter glove of Chise's, Silver's favorite measuring spoons and a gnarled pair of Elias' Oxfords.

Chise was sitting in the window seat, happily reading Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman with the warm spring sunlight beaming down on her and her book when a harangue of vicious barking startled her. Dropping her book, she looked out the window and saw the black mass of fur named Ruth fighting something in the bushes.

Chise hurried outside. Unfortunate fates of dogs stormed through her mind, Marley, Old Dan, and Little Anne, Yeller, Hachikō…Chise's mind numbly thought what Ruth's potential death would mean for her, but she was more focused on his wellbeing.

"Ruth!" She called, pulling the Grim out by his shoulders. Luckily, he looked unscathed. Then, it hit her.

Chise covered her nose in revolt, "Ruth! You reek!" She exclaimed.

"There is a rodent in the bushes!" Ruth exclaimed.

Realization dawned on Chise, "Ruth, what color was it?"

It was an over-simplification that dogs were colorblind, Chise knew, even before Ruth came along. However, their color palette was limited, but she trusted Ruth's perception.

"What?" Ruth asked, still preoccupied with the rodent that evaded him, "Black and white, but the white part was a stripe that went all the way down its body."

"Ruth! That was a skunk and it sprayed you! I can't let you in the house like this! I'm going to have to give you a bath."

That caught the Grim's attention. He hated baths and even hated them when Isabel bathed him. He didn't smell like himself and hated the sound of running water echoing in the bathroom.

"No! Please Chise!" Ruth begged, as though pleading for his life.

Chise sighed and shook her head. She saw the ancient magus looking down on them from the open window.

"Ruth was sprayed by a skunk!" Chise said her husband.

Elias laughed heartily.

"Don't yell that! People will hear!" Ruth said, hanging his head in embarrassment.

"Come inside. I'm sure the Silver Lady has a remedy or two up her sleeve." Elias said. Ted, the lizard neighbor that constantly crawled over Chise, was just barely tall enough to look out over the window sill with Elias.

Chise nodded and took a few steps before she noticed that Ruth was following her.

"Stay," She asserted with 'stop' hand motion.

Ruth looked down in dejection.

"Silver," Chise called, searching the home for her. She found the spirit dusting in Elias' office. "Ruth was sprayed by a skunk. Do you know what will get the smell out of his fur?"

Silver thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded her head. She took Chise's hand and brought her into the bathroom. Silver opened the medicine cabinet and handed Chise a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. She took Chise's hand again and led her to the kitchen, taking a bottle of dish soap, box of baking soda and an old bowl, towel, and spoon. Without further instruction, the Silkie pushed the young woman outside with her dog.

Chise sighed and sat down on the porch as Ruth kept guard for the skunk who dared impede on his territory. Reluctant to just throw the ingredients together willy-nilly, Chise searched her phone for a recipe.

Technology was finicky around magic. While her and Elias' home was updated with modern comforts of electricity and running water, other forms tended to well, explode. Chise noticed that anyone who happened to come by with a current iPhone would explode like a firecracker, while older models and other brands worked just fine.

Finding a recipe, Chise set work and unraveled the water hose from the side of the house.

"Why can't you just put me in the tub?" Ruth complained.

"Silver would have a heart attack if I tried to bathe you in the tub. I'm sorry, Ruth, you're getting the hose." Between the revolting smell embedding itself in the house and how much Ruth shed, it was better all round to do it outside. His fur would surely clog the drain.

"No!" Ruth hollered, "I'll change into my human form and bathe myself!"

"No, you won't!" Chise said, seeing through his lie. "You said you would that day we spent at the creek!"

Chise sighed and sat down on the stone pathway with the water hose peacefully babbling. She scratched his neck, "It'll be okay, Ruth. I promise," She said and quickly mixed up the remedy in the old bowl.

She held the water over Ruth's back and belly, just dampening his fur before he had other ideas.

"Nope, I don't like this," Ruth said definitively, shaking his head before taking off, slinging water on Chise in the process.

"Ruth!" Chise called, trying to grab Ruth, but he was too fast. She caught herself before falling forward and hurried after him.

"I need to protect my family!" He groused as Chise tried to pull him from the bushes by his backend. Ruth, however, dug his paws in.

"It's a skunk, Ruth. They won't bother us if we don't bother them." Chise explained, slight annoyance in her voice. "If you behave, I'll talk to Silver about letting you have thirds tonight at dinner."

The Silkie had limited Ruth's portions at mealtimes to seconds only. If the rest of the family wasn't quick, he'd eat just about everything. Food was a good motivator for young men and dogs, right?

Ruth thought for a moment, pulling his head from the bushes, "Promise?"

"I'll do my best. It depends on what Silver says."

"Alright." Ruth acquiesced, not looking at Chise.

"Thank you, Ruth," Chise said, scratching her familiar behind his ears. They returned to the porch and Chise sat back down. She scratched his ears once more and used this as a distraction to fully wet him down. He still grumbled at the treatment but allowed his human to do her work.

Chise then covered her hands in the mixture and worked it deep into Ruth's fur. He actually liked that part, his back leg kicking appreciatively. She brought the mixture down to his skin and roots and up to the ends of the fur, leaving nothing untouched.

"Are you ready for the water again, Ruth?" She asked.

"Fine," Ruth grumbled.

Chise rinsed him as fast as she could, but Ruth still hated every moment. Afterwards, she let him shake as she cleaned up the porch and toweled him off.

Her work being done, she sighed and sat back down next to her damp familiar. Chise herself was just as wet as though she had her own bath, but was covered in black dog hair. At least Ruth smelled better.

"Please don't do that again, Chise."

"I can't make that promise." She admitted.

Ruth just hung his head and whimpered.

I have to give my two hounds a bath today, so it seemed like an appropriate story. I adore the little lizard neighbor that crawls all over Chise. I want one so badly, so I named him Ted! Forgive my ignorance if he actually has a name, I haven't been able to read the manga yet and only caught up with the dub.

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