(( Set shortly after Help of a Housecat ))

Dash stepped out into the cold air and took a deep breath. The cold blazed in his lungs, and seared his throat. He smiled into the morning sun and looked over the mist that had settled over the fields. It was fresh blue sky as far as the eye could see, not a cloud interrupted the serene colour, but it was deathly cold. He could see nothing on the ground save his own feet on the porch. He wondered at the activity beneath the opalescent blanket.

Today he was interviewing for a permanent position at the clinic for a Healer. After seeing the wonderous things Prince Rusker had done for the animals, Dash Vontgarde had been left in no doubt as to having to hire more qualified help. Lemmy had been helpful in attaining a number of applicants, and each of them was someone Dash had been in contact with at one point or another.

He looked toward the trees and wondered how long he had before he had to make the journey to the clinic. His father had taken a downturn last night, and he wasn't sure he wanted to leave. But the morning was so beautiful, Dash had no doubt that the walk would be peaceful enough to clear his head and stop him fussing over the old man. His father didn't much like fuss, he was content to sit in front of the fire and remember days gone by.

***

Dash rubbed his eyes. Lemmy had said a couple of people had showed interest. He'd expected to be here an hour or two at the most. And yet, the sunshine the morning had promised had been and gone, and he was sat in his ofice having seen no animals whatsoever, only people. Applicants. A veterinarian who'd spend the day filling in forms and doing other mindless paperwork. He laid his head down on the desk as he heard his assistant call out the last name on the list.

He'd closed his eyes for no more than a minute, and yet the appearance of the Tiger's Eye to Purple Dusk Healer before his desk alarmed him to the point he forgot why he was there. He eyed her with one eye half closed. "Rei Weller, I presume?" He stood up to shake her hand and motioned for her to take a seat. As he sat down, he let out a groan. His neck ached, his stomach ached, his ass ached. Hell, he'd been here what felt like a month.

"Well, Lady Weller, please, go right ahead and tell me your story." He smiled as warmly as he could from behind the day's stubble.

What an enchanting place, Rei thought as she looked around the clinic with wide eyes. Simple, functional, yet welcoming.

Rei Weller was twenty-one years old, had practically raised her two younger brothers, was a respected and loved Healer in her village and yet she had never been further than a village away from the house she had been born in. This was her first time away from her family in her whole life. The night before, when she had climbed into bed in her hotel room, she had been to awake to go to sleep, not used to not hearing the small night noises of her brothers, missing the warm body of little Henry, the youngest, who slept in her bed most nights.

And yet, here she was, wide awake and eager, sitting in the waiting room of Dash Vontgarde's veterinarian clinic, waiting for an interview with the Prince. She had heard much about the man, his reputation as an animal healer had reached her small village. Rei had wanted to meet the man for years and when she had heard that he was looking for Healers, she had immediately responded. Her parents had been happy that she had found some place that called to her, they felt a little guilty she had spent all her life looking after the boys, but they had also been sad that she might not come back. In a secret part of her heart, Rei didn't really want to go home. She had spent her entire life in that village and she wanted to go somewhere else.

"Rei Weller?" An older man called her name and Rei jumped up. He smiled at her and motioned towards the open door he had come from. "This way, Prince Vontgarde is waiting for you."

Rei stepped into the small, tidy office and frowned. He had his head down, eyes closed. She smoothed down her clothes, reassuring herself by glancing down at her peacock leggings that had always made her smile and green heels, and smiled at the Prince. She noted the startled look in his eyes when he looked up, and her smile widened.

"Yes, I am Rei Weller, and I'm afraid there isn't much to tell," Rei said as she sat before his desk, resting her bag at her feet. She crossed her legs and sighed. "I've led a rather boring life, I was born and raised in a little village in northern Glacia. I've spent the past ten years looking after my little brothers while my parents work, and for two years I've been practicing my healing craft as the Healer of my village." She shrugged. "When I heard about the position here, I immediately responded. I've heard of you and your work and I greatly admire what you are doing here. I think that it is just as important to heal the animals that we live and work with as it is to heal people." She smiled. "So, that's me."

Dash was intrigued by the young Healer. She didn't seem to want to say much, and Dash had expected the same sort of story as he'd been hearing all day. "I've done this with this potion on this animal, I've done that on that kind of animal using only a clothes pin, I single-handedly raised a donkey." Dash had gotten bored very quickly of people trying to impress him, but the way this woman told only a few things of herself and regarded her own life history as boring mystified the Prince. He admired her for it, in a way, knowing that he would probably have done the same, but it still didn't give him much to go on. His mind was weary, but he wondered if this little Healer had more to her than met the eye - whether there was a reason she didn't tell much about herself.

Her outfit of choice was unusual, to say the least, and Dash had found himself bemused by the dancing peacock feather design on her tights. Obviously, his eyes didn't linger there, but he found it difficult not to smile whenever she moved. It was a peculiar choice for an interview, and Dash was certain his father would have had a fit at someone wearing something other than practical to a vet's interview. Of course, his father didn't much go for the classic black suit approach, either, and Dash found his mind trailing into unrelated waters as he wondered if that was where his picky side stemmed from. Shaking his head to bring him back to the task at hand, Dash smiled at the Healer.

He stood up and stretched his spine, sighing happily at the audible crack it produced. He was aching even more now, and he was ready for a good rest, preferably not sat in this chair. "Sorry, lady, it's been a long day." He looked at her, trying to figure her out. He'd liked her comment about animals being just as important as the humans, but he needed to know more. "Have you worked in the animal side of Healing, Rei?" He listened to her voice and tried not to be lulled too much by it; it woulnd't make a good impression if he fell asleep when he was the interviewer. He raised his head when one of the young girls knocked on the door and poked her head in. "There's a bitch just come in. Think the pups are all breach, can you lend a hand?" Dash looked at Rei and smiled. "Would you like to come and see how we handle things around here?"

Dash accompanied the Healer and his staff member down the hall to the delivery room. He was always amused by his young staff asigning names to the commonly used rooms. They had a delivery room, a nursery (for the pups and kittens, which were really just rows of large cages), a nap-time room (anaesthesia), and a canteen (the feeding quarters). He wondered at the young witchling before smiling dazedly, and entering the room. The bitch lay on the floor on a plush rug, whining softly as she waited for the soothing spells to work on her. She wasn't overly distressed, which Dash took as a sign that they'd already kicked in. He moved forward and ran his hands over her stomach, probing softly and whispering words of nothing to the canine. She looked up at him with soft chocolate eyes and whined softly in response. Dash looked up at the witch who'd sent for him.

"We need blankets, warm water, cold water, milk, and a big box." He lookde back at the dog as she raised her golden head. "Make that a really big box. They're not all breach. But there are twelve of them." The dog sighed and flopped back down. What had been a day of seeing nothing but humans, Dash was about to make up for it by welcoming twelve young Blood pups into the world. He wasn't sure exactly how much Blood the bitch had in her, but he could see it in her eyes that there was an understanding of some sort. He wondered if the mate had been Blood, too, but chose not to put too much hope into the idea - Twelve Blood pups strong enough to wear Jewels may well devestate the surgery at some point if they all returned. He smiled pensively at the canine as she raised her head and turned back to him, accusation heavy and heated in those big eyes. Dash knew she was blood alright, and certainly female. He could hear the sassy comeback, even if she was unable to speak it.

Rei started when Prince Vontegarde asked her to accompany him to a birth but she quickly stood and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"I've healed a few animals over the years, when my brothers brought home a hurt bird or small creature I helped it and our bitch had pups two years ago," she said as she followed him. "I'll help in anyway I can, I've delivered several babies and a few were breach. But..." she paused and thought. "I can see why it would be a problem with dogs too. If one got stuck in the birth canal, it would block the others and they might die, I guess." She drifted off, lost in thought as she followed Prince Vontegarde.

When Rei saw the bitch in question, her heart went out to her. She was really beautiful, such a lovely golden coat that was damp with sweat. Rei vanished her bag, coat and shoes, tied her scarf around her head to keep her long hair out of her face and vanished her stockings. She called in an old shirt and the heavy boots she wore when hiking with her brothers and shoved her feet into them and pulling the shirt over her head, before stepping into the enclosure with Prince Vontegarde. She offered her hand to the bitch and smiled when the dog rested her head on her hand. She stroked her head as Prince Vontegarde and his staff bustled about, collecting the supplies they would need. Rei probed the calming spell over the bitch and poured a little of her Purple Dusk strength into it. She hummed under her breath, the same song she hummed when helping her human patients, something she had heard in her dreams once and had never forgotten, as she stroked the bitch’s head.

“What can I do, Prince Vontegarde?” Rei asked; looking up to find everything he had called for in the enclosure. She admired the efficiency of his staff, but pushed that away until a better time. “Do you need me to help down there?”

Dash only paused for a moment to see the woman vanish her stockings, and pull on some boots and a large shirt. He was impressed, but there was a task at hand that he couldn't ignore. He stroked the animals side and ran his hands over her stomach, working on relaxing her enough to make this easier. When Rei addressed him, he didn't hear her at first, instead he continued running through the vital signs of the undelivered pups, keeping the mother calm and assured. When he finally heard the young woman, he looked up. "I'm sorry, Lady, I was a little consumed there. If you will, I'd like you to keep her calm for now. Whatever it is you're singing seems to be working." He laughed softly as he pulled on a pair of gloves.

He addressed one of his staff to get the towels laid out ready to rub the pups down. When someone challenged the idea that the mother would want to do clean them up, he fixed them with a cold stare. Without uttering a word to the staff member, they looked down, removed their apron and left. Nobody challenged Dash Vontgarde when he was in with a patient. Nobody except his father, anyway. He looked at Rei, hoping she understood the unspoken rule. Of course, the member of staff would be back in the morning, and after a brief talking to, would be back on the surgery floor before lunch. But for now, it was enough to know that Dash would not have people interject when he was working.

"The mother will be weak. If we rub her with the towels, gently, using downward motions like this," he showed them how he was stroking her from head to tail down her side, "the towels will have her scent and she'll take to the pups when she's rested." Although he had no reason to justify himself, he did, and moved over to allow one of the nurses to rub the bitch with the towels. "When you've done it a few times, move on to the next towel. I need one per pup." He stood up and moved to the counter top where the needles were, checking the contents of the bottle he called in. Selecting a small syringe, he withdrew some of the solution and knelt behind the dog. He stroked her head as he injected it into her neck and instructed one of the free nurses to bring a banana bag.

"The banana bag is basically full of nutrients and vitamins to keep her strength up and rehydrate her. It's on a drip, so she can stay on the whole way through." He spoke quietly, placing the needle in the animal's leg as he addressed Rei. "We use them on most of the animals that have come in, just to give them a boost." He stroked the animal's head once more and sat at her tail end. "Alright, guys. Get ready to welcome twelve little ones into the world." He thought for a moment about how coordinated this was going to be. Perhaps someone else helping for every second pup would give him time to check the pup thoroughly. He looked up at the Healer, "You willing to jump in for every other pup?"

Rei wasn't surprised it took a moment for Prince Vontegarde to hear her. She got the same way sometimes when she was at a healing, almost dead to the world around her. It was helpful when working on a difficult healing, but sometimes it was not the wisest way to work.

She stroked the bitch's head, singing the lullaby softly and keeping up the slow trickle of power into the calming spell. Too much would put the bitch under and she didn't think the Prince would like that, but too little would keep the poor animal in pain.

She watched silently as one of the staff questioned his employer and Prince Vontegarde glared at him. She silently approved of the dismissal. Whether the man returned later or not, Prince Vontegarde had done the right thing. In this instance, the Prince was the Healer and one should not question a healer while working.

“I’ll help,” Rei spoke up, taking a few towels from the pile. She gently rubbed the bitch down, stroking her legs as well as her swollen belly. They needed the bitch to accept the pups; no doubt Prince Vontegarde would prefer not to care for the pups when the mother was perfectly capable of doing so.

“So it’s a potion for animals,” she said just as softly, stroking the bitch’s head. “Sounds like a great idea.”

She looked at him, startled. “You want me to…sure.” She shrugged. What was there to lose besides maybe her dignity? “Sounds good.” She gave the bitch one last pet before moving to sit by the Prince. “What do I need to do?”

It was some time later when the troop emerged from the surgery, Dash himself covered in afterbirth, and only the Darkness knew what else, but nothing could dampen his mood. He had successfully delivered eleven out of the twelve pups, and the one that was lost seemed peaceful in it's passing. Of course, it was always hard to watch an animal leave, moreso for a fellow member of the Blood. However, both Dash and the mother had connected for that solemn moment, and it seemed nothing else would lessen the celebratory mood. A small prayer was whispered by one of the more spiritual staff, and while Dash usually tuned out, he nodded his thanks with a smile to the young nurse.

He'd been impressed that his staff had held together in such a strong manner. No matter how slow, or quickly, the next pup came, they were there, on hand, following his every order. Save for one member who would get a deserved ear-bashing tomorrow, not one of his staff had caved under the pressure. THings had been very strained of late, and Dash was only waiting for the moment when one or two of them cracked. None of them had tonight though, and even with the late hour that had crept upon them, each of them left pleased and proud, and with a smile. The emotion must have been contagious, because for each smile he saw walk out of the surgery door, Dash Vontgarde felt another creep upon him.

He poured a finger or two of strong bourbon and sipped at it. The Blood animal had seemed thankful, grateful for their help, and after leaving her calm and resting, Dash had sent the last few stragglers on their way with a message for his father that he would be home at second watch. His father would know what that meant - as soon as the midnight/early morning staff arrived before sunrise. It was a term he had adopted from his predessor, and one that had stuck in the surgery. Staff no longer specified a time they would arrive, only to say 'first watch', 'second watch', and so forth. Dash would stay awake through the night until the next member of staff arrived.

What had also impressed him had been the young woman's ease to take on any challenge he had thrown at her. Rei Weller had proven herself worthy, and Dash smiled at her. It seemed he was doing a lot of that lately, and it wasn't good for his crow's feet, but cosmetics were never a part of Dash's daily life, and he was more than happy to thank her profusely. He ushered the young woman to sit down and offered her a glass of the dark liquid. She was adept, and she was willing. It seemed his day of interviewing had all been for nothing. What a time he could have saved himself if she had been the first in the door! Of course, Dash was certain she would be kind enough to lend her healing hand to his fathers brews, to ensure his comfort. Beside the animals, his father was all that mattered to Dash, and he didn't want to see him in pain. His father, however, would have mocked him and chastised him had he known Dash's true feelings. The two never acted close, they simply had a distant father/son relationship, that mainly involved talk of the job, and not much else. It was still strong, though, and Dash knew that his father would be at his side if he could.

"Well, Miss Weller," his voice croaked with tiredness and the burn of the alcohol, "it seems you got the job."

THE END.