Cat Tales (13 page)

She looked up at him and nodded. “Yes, I think I might need some time off.”

“Time off?” John sounded surprised and then a wide smile spread across his craggy features, like a sunbeam on a cloudy day. “You mean a vacation? Yes. Great idea. I should have thought of it myself.”

“Isn't that what we were just talking about?”

“Well,” he said, looking sheepish, “I was worried you wanted to leave the practice.”

“But I love being a vet.” Putting Salisha aside, Marina drew her legs up and rested her forehead on her knees. “I'm just tired of not being able to help.”

“Now you're being foolish. You're invaluable to me. Your patients adore you. Is it the McTavish case? There was nothing you could have done for Caesar. He was too far gone. You can't save every animal, Marina. You know that.”

She looked up. “It was such a senseless death, John. And lately, there've been so many.”

“You're burnt out. A vacation is the best thing. I should have thought of it sooner.” He brushed her blonde hair back gently, a finger skirting the bruise on her forehead. “Where are you thinking of going?”

“I don't think I have a choice.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” How could she explain about the twin suns to John? He would ask for her resignation. And she loved this job. Working with him. Despite the McTavishes of this world. She wasn't ready to quit or be laid off. Not yet. Was she?

“Look, I'm fine,” she said. “Give me a second to get my coat on and we can get to work.” She scrambled to her feet and headed for her office.

John bellowed to her to come back.

A dog howled in response.

She ignored both calls and reached for the lab coat behind her office door.

A
nd turned to find herself at the edge of the clearing, the forest behind her, the dragon in front, and her cats at her feet. Instinct urged her to run and Marina was about to obey when the dragon took a step back. Slowly, it lowered its head to the ground, its golden eyes unblinking. She frowned, confused by its docile behavior.

If this were another hallucination, would her heart stop if, in her imagination, the dragon ate her?

Puddy was the first to react. He strode forward and sniffed at the dragon's snout and then to her shock, he licked it. Salisha, smart cat that she was, stayed glued to the back of Marina's trembling legs.

Her instinct to flee warred with her veterinary training that told her this animal was not acting normal for a wild beast, or even an imaginary one.

Puddy, brave hero that he was, seemed to concur. He always licked her patients if he thought them unwell or unhappy. Now the large black and white cat strode around the dragon's snout rubbing his quivering tail on the scales and looking back at her with expectation. She should never have acclimatized her pets to visiting with her patients. What had she been thinking?

If the dragon had meant to eat any of them, Puddy should have already been served up as the appetizer. She gave a sigh of resignation at the plea in both dragon and cat's eyes. Obviously the giant beast wanted something from her. She'd bet her license on it. And since this hallucination didn't seem in the mood to end yet, she stepped forward and then stumbled on her lab coat that she had half shrugged on back at the clinic.

If what she were seeing was real, had the dragon brought her here? Her physical disappearance from the clinic, and the presence of her coat suggested it could have.

Dragons were supposed to be mythical creatures. So, finding her in another planet or dimension, and picking her out of millions of other people and bringing her here should have been a cinch for it. Right? A hysterical laugh burst out at the absurd thought, but a practical explanation was beyond her.

Slowly, she adjusted her coat and advanced, murmuring, “Nice dragon.”

The dragon retreated. Each of its steps matched ten of hers. Then it lay on its belly and waited, like a camel in the desert, crouched down so the rider could mount.

Marina stood beside a foreleg that looked more like a pillar than an appendage.

“Well, guys, are you up for this?” she asked the cats.

Puddy scaled the leg as if the question were rhetorical, but Salisha was nowhere in sight. Guessing correctly that the nervous cat would have gone for the nearest large object to hide behind, Marina found her behind the closest tree. Picking her up, she strode back to the dragon. Puddy was already seated majestically on one of the dragon's enormous shoulder blades, patiently waiting for them.

“Think of it as a car ride,” she whispered to Salisha.

The cat howled and tried to claw up to her shoulders. Marina held tight, not prepared to lose her here.

“You'll just have to trust me,” she told the cat and, tentatively, approached the dragon's foreleg again. With a firm grip on the scales with one hand and holding her terrified cat in the other, she heaved herself upwards. She climbed until she could settle between the dragon's shoulder blades. Puddy came to rest beside her.

Salisha pressed herself into the safety of Marina's arms. Marina hung on tight to the cat and the dragon.

With a few strokes of its powerful wings, they were air-borne, soaring high into the clouds. Marina dug her free hand between the overlapping scales to get a better grip and flattened herself over the two cats. The dragon twisted to catch the wind, wings outstretched. And Salisha's protest howl rang across the land.

They flew over the mountains, passing snow-tipped peaks at great speed until finally they reached a barren, rocky cliff. She swallowed a scream as they headed straight for the walls. Just when she was sure she would never see John or the clinic again, the opening of a giant cave loomed into view.

The dragon casually tucked its wings in a second before they would have collided into the surrounding barrier. Puddy scrambled down and ran into the cave. Vertigo struck Marina so she hastily slid after him, Salisha in her arms. Anything to get away from that ledge.

The light of the afternoon suns dimly penetrated the interior of the lair. A huge green egg sat among a pile of bones that Puddy was investigating. The egg was tilted sideways, partially open on top.

She released Salisha, who raced off to hide in a corner of the cave. Carefully, and hugging the side of the cave walls, Marina approached the egg. As she peered over a cracked end, a jaw snapped at her and she jerked back.

A high-pitched cry assaulted her ears. Hastily she backed up but curiosity got the better of her. Keeping a wide distance from the snapping jaws, she moved around for a closer look. A baby dragon was caught, half in, half out of the egg, one of its wings savagely pierced by the sharp end of a broken shell.

Her first thought was that she should have brought her medical bag. But then, she hadn't planned this trip. The baby needed to be released from that shell. But how? The shell looked as solid as granite slabs. Then she changed her mind. As long as he was trapped, the shell could serve well as a harness while she tended to the torn wing. It was those snapping jaws that were a worry.

Her lab coat! Quickly, she took it off and emptied the pockets. John was forever accusing her of pinching stuff from the treatment rooms, but she was thankful for her kleptomania as she found medical tape, a pair of scissors and a handful of cotton swabs. First, she used the coat to bind those dangerous snapping jaws. Soon, the baby dragon's cries, muffled by the coat, echoed inside the cave as Marina carefully worked to release the injured wing.

Puddy, having satisfied his curiosity with all the smells and tastes inside the cave, strolled over to sit at the entrance with the mother dragon and watch Marina work. No sign of Salisha. She'd worry about her when this job was done. The one thing she was certain of was that Salisha always found a safe place to roost no matter where her owner took her.

Marina turned her attention back to her patient and went in search of a slender bone fragment from the many littering the floor, no doubt from the dragon's previous meals. Finding one of a satisfactory length and width, she fashioned it into a needle. Then tearing threads from her shirt, she set to patching up the torn wing.

The light was suddenly obscured. The mother dragon loomed over her, peering intently at Marina's handiwork. In the dark, for just a moment, the dragon looked a lot like the way Mrs. McTavish had, while watching Marina tend to Caesar. She blinked rapidly, dispelling the image and resumed her work, impatiently waving the mother dragon away.

By the time she was finished, it was late afternoon. Puddy was fast asleep and Salisha had come out of hiding to explore the cave.

The mother dragon sat quietly on the ledge observing her. Marina moved away from the egg and went to sit by the ledge opening, no longer concerned about the height. She leaned her tired head against the cliff wall and tried to ignore the baby dragon's cries. In time, it was easier, for he grew tired and quieter until he finally slept, snoring softly.

At dusk, she got up, and with the mother dragon's help, cracked the hard shell, gently releasing the baby from the egg. They worked quietly, trying not to wake up the patient. Sleep would help heal more than anything else she could do. The muzzle was left to the last. Finally, she untied even that. Starting to feel a little chilly, she absently shrugged the coat back on.

The baby stirred restlessly, but was too exhausted to waken. In the morning, the mother dragon would be able to start feeding her baby.

Marina turned to look at the mother dragon, hoping in some way to communicate that her work here was done. The dragon was again on its belly, watching her, and waiting.

Marina hesitated, glancing around. The cats were sleeping off their meal, having had lots to eat in the dark corners of cave filled with leftover dragon feed.

Marina found this world strangely compelling. The urge to see what the next day would bring was as strong as the urge to go exploring in those woods she'd first landed in. What animals lived here, besides the dragons?

Unlike at home, she felt of use here. True, she didn't have any medication or equipment to practice her profession. Though she'd done well enough with the baby. She peered around the cave, searching for an answer. Would life here be any better than at home?

Stepping up to the entrance, Marina looked toward the horizon. The two suns were setting, hidden behind a haze that turned their orange rays crimson. Here, she may never need to deal with humans again.

Suddenly, Mrs. McTavish came to mind. Staring into the dragon's eyes, Marina recalled the soulful looks that Caesar had given his mistress, the tender stroke of the paw to gain her attention, the wag of his tail whenever she came into the room.

For all his skipped medication and matted fur, Caesar had adored his mistress. And the dog must have meant the world to the old woman. For even if she couldn't afford the medication he'd needed, according to her daughter, Mrs. McTavish had given up buying her own food to feed him.

The dragon stared at her solemnly. Then the two cats woke up and stretched. Puddy came over to rub along Marina's leg, and looked up at her expectantly. Salisha too was staring at her, but with a calm look of acceptance of this new world she'd been dropped into. And it occurred to Marina that she and Salisha had a lot in common. Neither liked surprises. And both liked to have control over their surroundings. But with enough time to find acceptance, like Puddy, they were both capable of handling any challenge put before them with grace.

Marina knew then exactly what she wanted to do. What she must do to make peace with herself. Or no world, this or the other, would ever be palatable to her.

With a last look at the wildness of this place, she picked up Salisha and climbed onto the mother dragon's back. Puddy scaled up on his own and found the best position for viewing their ascent.

Before she could say they were ready, the dragon swooped down from the ledge, leaving Marina breathless until the wings caught the wind and they soared up and across the sky.

S
he awoke at her desk at the clinic, head resting on her arms, the cats snuggled up on either side of her. Her chair squeaked when she leaned back. Gently, she stroked Salisha and Puddy.

“Are we back for good this time?” she asked them.

They didn't reply, but a chair slammed against the wall in the office next door and footsteps hurried toward her. John came to a halt by the doorway. He was in jeans and a checked shirt. His hair was ruffled. She saw then why that nurse and every other woman who met him found him so appealing.

She tilted her head, feeling a teasing light flicker inside her. “Something wrong, John?”

“You're back. Staying long? Or should I look for a new partner? If you don't care about me or the clinic, why did you offer to become my partner?”

“John,” Marina said, interrupting his flow of words. She'd never heard him sound this down before. She got up and went around the desk toward him. “You were worried.”

“Damn straight I was worried. Where the Hell have you all been? Shit, I sound like a broken record. And what happened to your lab coat? I've half a mind to dock your pay.”

Marina looked down in surprise and then took off the offending coat that was ripped and tattered in several places by the baby's attempts to free himself.

“It's a long story.”

Hunger pangs were gnawing at her stomach. The cats might have eaten while they were away, but she hadn't, not in a long while. “Are we going out for dinner? You know, to talk over my vacation plans?”

He stared at her, looked out the window, then at her again, eyebrow raised in question.

Only then did she notice a reddish haze on the sky, hinting at the coming dawn. She'd lost track of time. She smiled at John. “How about breakfast then?”

“What's the matter with you?” John's raised voice sounded exasperated.

Why did he always shout at her? She was sure he didn't do it to everyone else. He had obviously not done it with that nurse.