Callie

The strawberry blonde pulled into the clinic parking lot worriedly. She jumped out of her car and hurried around to the wolf hybrid in the back seat. She lifted him gingerly into her arms and rushed him inside.

Callie hurried down the hall and into one of the examination/operating rooms and placed him on the table. Since she was a vet here, she didn't have to worry about the waiting room.

Callie pulled on a long white coat with her name on it and grabbed her stethoscope. She listened to the animal's breathing and heart beat, then did his blood-pressure and palpated his abdomen. She watched for some sign of pain from the animal as she did this, hoping to find the problem.

Ninaki

The hybrid offered a weak growl, though he didn't snap or bite at the human. His pulse was weak, and his breathing strained and weezy - he had pnuemonia. But more than that, he yelped and winced when she pressed on his abdomen. His eyes and nose were clogged with discharge, and his fur was in poor shape. He had a weak strain of distemper, and had lost a good deal of weight by now, and was badly dehydrated.

Callie

Callie decided that the first thing that she would do would be to put in an IV to get him hydrated. He was obviously in need, so she injected him with a sedative. When he was still and unconcious, she set up the IV. Once it was working all right, she hurried into the supply room and got several medicines and injections ready to treat him.

She came back in, and with a soft and damp cloth, she wiped away the discharge arouind his eyes and nose. Once they were clear, she got the medicines and shots ready.

*An hour later*
Callie sighed and took off her scrubs. She had been working hard for the last hour, treating the hybrid. She had put him in a kennel, with soft food and water for the night. She would stop by tommorow, which was her day off, and check on him. This had been an unusually bad case, and could have been fatal, had she not found him in time.

As she left the room and turned out the lights, she looked back and said, "Good night, fella. Get well." Then she shut the door and went home, tired.

Ninaki

Out of habit, Ninaki continued to growl ominously, though he was surprisingly complacent during the initial examination. Bleary eyes watched the IV, and he flinched briefly at the sting, but the pain wasn't much compared to what he was already going through. And when the sedative was administered, the hybrid fought to keep his eyes open, and tried once to stand and jump off the table. But his weakened state, cuppled with the drugs, quickly overwhelmed him. In short time, he was out, and Callie was free to continue with her work unhassled by his protests.

Ninaki woke some time later, groggy and out of his mind for a while. When the haze of the sedative began to wear off, he slowly came to realize that he was not in a familiar area. Fear shot through him as his foggy mind took in the concept that he was in a cage! The hybrid stood on shaky legs, looking anxiously through the bars of his kennel, only to find that the kennel was inside a building. He could not howl for help.

The beta of the Shadow Lurkers sank down on his haunches, head drooping wearily. How could he have let this happen? He was the beta! He was suppose to protect and guard his pack, not get captured by humans... Exhuasted still, Ninaki gave in and lay on his stomach. Glumly, he tried to look on the bright side of things. He was warm, had food and water, and wasn't feeling quite as sickly as he had earlier.

Callie

Callie drove up to the small clinic in her Toyota Highlander. SHe got out of the car, pulling on her coat against the icy wind. It was a gloomy day. She shivered as she strode hurriedly into the small gray building.

As she entered the kennels, Callie saw that the Ninaki was awake and looking around. He seemed much better; his eyes were brighter, and it looked like he had groomed himself some. She smiled and knelt beside his kennel. "Hey, boy. Feelin' better this morning?" She unlatched the cage door and reached in cautiously. The animal could still be dangerous. She murmured nonsense words to him gently, in order to sooth and calm him.

Ninaki

His sepia-colored ears perked up at the sound of her voice, but his tail did not wag in the typical manner of a canine who was happy to here a human's kind words. Instead, he fixed his wolfish, yellow eyes on her as she approached the kennel. By this point, he had pretty well figured that she could be classified as a 'good' human, and there was no real concern about her hurting him, but that still didn't make him feel very comfortable around her.

A low, almost inaudible growl vibrated through his chest and throat, and he remained statue-still when she reached in to pet him. Despite his wariness though, he did not snap at her or try to pull away. He just voiced his discontent and continued to watch her unblinkingly. As much as he disliked humans, this one was... different. She was kind. And trusting.

Callie

Callie drew back a little when Ninaki growled. But then she went ahead and stroked him gently anyway. "Easy boy, good. It's ok, I won't hurt you." She murmured reassurringly. She stood up and noticed that his water bowl was empty. She picked it up, and went to refill it. She brought him back some bits of meat also, as a little treat. "There you go. Eat up." She smiled, and waited to see if he would eat with her around.

Ninaki

As much as he wanted to resist it, Ninaki couldn't help but admit that the petting felt very good. The only time he had been touched by a human was when he and his sister were thrown into the trash when they were youngsters, when it was decided they were too much trouble than they were worth. Still, he didn't indulge in wagging his tail or relaxing his tense muscles any. He couldn't let himself get soft like that... could he?

An ear cocked up at her voice, and again he noted the kindness that it embodied. Despite himself, Ninaki did relax a little more at this point, releasing a quite sigh.

When the meat was offered, his mouth began to water and his stomach growled at him. He had lost so much weight and strength, that it was terribly hard to resist the food that was offered to him. And this was actual meat! Not that mushy can stuff, or the bland-tasting kibble. This was the food he was use to. A shifty, uncertain look was offered to Callie before his hunger won out over anxiety. His wolvish muzzle leaned delicately forward, snapping up the bits of meat and swallowing them down hole.

Callie

Callie smiled as Ninaki gulped down the food. It was a good sign that he was eating and he was on the road to recovery.

She stood and crossed her arms, wondering what would happen to him once he was well again. Would he be released into the wild again, or put in some shelter? She knew he could survive on his own, he was wild after all. But she wasn't sure that the law would allow it.
She sighed and gave him some more food.