Taming the lion

Chapter 21

Pushing open the shiny new steel doors, I was engulfed by the bleach and sickly clean smell that swept out of the sterile room. It had been a couple of days since I had convinced the small pack of Wild dogs to return with me to the sanctuary.

Brax had been somewhat shocked when we had arrived home that night with five wild canines in the back, but after mum and I had explained the situation, he had wasted no time in phoning Ethan and requesting he send his resident vet over to treat the animal.

The vet named Roger had arrived shortly after and quickly stitched the dog's leg and administered antibiotics. He also placed a collar on the animal, one of the ones you see on domestic pets, so they don't pull or tear out the stitches as the wound heal's

Unable to stay away from Ethan's lodge for long, he had left us with instructions on administering the antibiotic and a paste that we should apply when changing the bandages.

Once we had been open a few weeks and had some funds coming into the park instead of just constantly bleeding money as was the case now, The plan was to hire our own full-time vet instead of relying on Ethans man to get us out of trouble.

Rounding the corner to go and tend to the dog, I stopped in my tracks at the sight before me. Brax was sitting in front of the small cage that housed the injured dog. However, the dog sat on Brax's lap; the whole animal seemed to have managed to curl its whole body into his lap African wild dogs are not small animals; they are much taller than the normal domestic breed's. They are truly more of a wolf in temperament than a dog. They can, if well-fed, which these five were not sometimes weighed as much as a small lion or adult cheetah, and here was Brax stroking one and murmuring to it like a baby.

"erehumm", I cleared my throat to announce my presence,

" Hey Jace," said Brax smiling up at me ", just checking in on my girl here."

"I can see that, " I said, failing to keep the humour from my voice.

"Cmon, it's time for her ointment. Put her on the table."

As I applied the ointment, I racked my brain for a tactful way to raise the subject of Brax's obvious attachment to this animal with the were- lions living just on the outskirts of the sanctuary and Heath due to return any day now I didn't see how the park with the limited number of herd animals we had could hope to sustain five full-grown wild dogs.

"she's looking good; the stitches should dissolve completely in a week or so."

I commented as I reapplied the bandaging.

"You should make some enquiries and see if any of the parks nearby can take all five, or we could return them to where we found them."

I let the implication hang in the air waiting for Brax to respond. 

"  Jace, we're a sanctuary. So I assumed that, well why can't they stay here."

" We don't have the herd numbers to sustain them, and I'm not sure how the lion pride will take it."

" But Jace," Brax said, 

" why would they care? They don't even live permanently on our lands, and many of the animals are pregnant and ..... " He trailed off, looking crestfallen.

"We'll see; maybe I can talk to Ethan, and it won't be a problem. I'm not really sure if the lions, now that they take human form, hunt here that often anyway, Ill try ok, but if they cause problems..."  I left the implication hanging in the air and moved to attend to the animals

"It'll be fine, and besides, you can always tell them not to hunt right, miss Narashimo," Brax said with a cheeky grin adorning his face. 

"Sure, Brax," I said, laughing along with him.