9781631055577NiKohsChosenMichaelsNC (11 page)

“When
you meet face to face, and sit down to express your fears, your wants, your
expectations, you may find he will be supportive of your work. If he’s as old
you
say he is, then maybe he is a widower who does
not want any more progeny, or maybe he’s as repulsed by the difference in your
ages as you are, and may choose to refuse it.” RaKel drew away and handed her a
tissue. “It’s rare, but once your Elder is aware o
f
the circumstances, there is a dispensation of sorts.”

Hope
welled up in her chest. “Maybe we can be found unsuitable, and I can stay with
the training then. Thank you, RaKel.”

The
older woman patted her shoulder. “Wait until you meet face to face. My mat
e was older than I, and we had many happy years together
until he passed away. If it’s meant to be, then age has no bounds. Remember
that.” RaKel cocked her head. “The delegation is near. Dry your eyes and let’s
see what they have to say.” She moved behind
the
desk. “Can you get me XaDie’s file?”

“Yes.”
Grateful for the task, GiNae hurried into the file room and took a few moments
to calm herself. RaKel’s words echoed through her brain.
Maybe
he’s as repulsed by the difference in your ages as you are, and m
ay choose to refuse
. She clasped her hands and raised her
eyes toward the ceiling.
Mother AnDoh, please let this be the
case. Father PeCei, hear my plea and allow me to continue my preferred choice.
GiNae closed her eyes and continued
praying, as her emoti
ons soothed. After locating the
file, she returned to the office.

RaKel
smiled. “Here it is. GiNae, this is the Northern Pannei director, DaVae FiLoh
and you remember ZuFroh.”

“Greetings.”
GiNae handed over the file
and took a seat off to the side.

DaVae
g
reeted her, but ZuFroh merely sneered.

“I
was just telling them about what we discussed earlier.” GiNae heard the tension
in RaKel’s pleasant voice. “Apparently XaDie’s fecal issues are not common to
the species.” She opened the file and handed it to DaVae
. “Here is documented proof of the supplements we’ve been giving him, as
well as his nutritional and dietary log. As you can see, he refused to eat any
of the typical grains, grasses, and even the special mixture.”

DaVae
frowned, then pulled a computer pad
from his pocket.
“ZuFro, how long did you say you had the
pannei
before
contacting RaKel?”

“Three
days. There is always an adjustment period, especially after an animal has
traveled a great deal, so I did not think much of his refusing food at first.
But
when he refused to stand, my first thought was to
get him out of there, so he would not infect the others.”

“Did
you have your feed and water tested?” DaVae continued to scrutinize his pad.

“Absolutely
not.” ZuFroh’s face turned copper with indignation. “
There
was nothing wrong with any of the other
panneis
, so I had no reason to suspect foul
play.”

RaKel
cleared her throat. “Once I was able to coax him to his feet and led him
outside, he emptied his bladder and voided his bowels in a manner which
normally
is seen in extreme cases of mistreatment.
He—”

“Now
see here. How dare you imply I abuse my animals?” ZuFroh slapped his hands on
the desk. “I told you, he wasn’t feeling well when he arrived!”

“No
one is suggesting anything, ZuFro. Calm down.” DaVae look
ed up and placed a hand on the other man’s arm. “Continue,
RaKel.”

“Thank
you.” GiNae saw RaKel shake her head. “As I was saying, he has responded well
to being exercised, and does enjoy the occasional fruit snack. When he is out
in the pasture, he and my
own
pannei
, a Southern species, romp together and
graze, though this seems to constipate
him. There has
been no blood in his stools, but the odor is quite extreme. I had planned to
draw some of his blood and send it to the lab for testing, thinking maybe he
had some other
pannei
disease.”

DaVae
pressed a button on his pad and stood up, handing
back the paper. “I would like to see him.”

RaKel
and GiNae both got to their feet.

“Certainly.
GiNae, if you’ll lead the way?” RaKel gestured toward the door.

GiNae
turned and held the door for both men, then hurried to point DaVae in the right
direction. They passed the
dogas
pen, who began howling at the
newcomers, and several
catois
ran alongside to the pasture.

ZuFroh
scowled as one
catois
twined around his
leg, causing him to trip. “What a nuisance. Shouldn’t they
be in cages?”

GiNae
blinked. “Absolutely not. They get agitated when in confined spaces.” She
scooped the striped animal up in her arms and draped it over her shoulder.
“This one normally follows m
e everywhere, and likes
it when I carry her like this. Don’t you SaBri?” She nuzzled its nose and felt
the answering lick on her chin. “The barn is up ahead. I need to grab a
bridle.” After fetching it, she led the way to the pasture, called XaDie to her
a
nd slipped the bridle over his head, then opened the
gate and led him through.

DaVae
examined the
pannei
thoroughly, then made notes on his pad.
Finally, he gestured for GiNae to put him back in the pen.

“I
can definitely see he’s lost weight, but his colo
r is
good. I think your suggestion is a good one, RaKel. I will have to check the
shipping records to see what he was exposed to before and during his trip.
ZuFroh, I will also need your dietary logs. I do not seem to have them.” DaVae
turned back toward t
he office. “I have to commend
you, ladies. You have quite a nice place here.”

“Thank
you.” RaKel acknowledged him. “I’ve put my heart into this place, and it always
distresses me when I’ve exhausted every effort to rehabilitate an animal.”

“It
shows.” DaVa
e pointed to the
dogas
pen. “What is your turnover rate?”

“It
varies. Some of the
dogas
have been with us since birth, but
usually, depending on the circumstances, a month at most. XaDie has proven to
be my most difficult patient to date.”

GiNae
placed the
sleeping
catois
in a shady spot beside the
dogas
fence and followed the others back
inside.

ZuFroh
teleported in a huff, but DaVae lingered. “Our animal rehabilitation centers
are not this organized. Our director moved to another sector with his mate and
the one who is currently overseeing things was plucked from
our Botany department.”

“I
am in the process of training GiNae.” RaKel moved to stand behind her desk.
“She has a genuine love of animals and the Academy refused to place her in that
field.”

“It’s
not even being offered.” GiNae picked up XaDie’s file and
tapped it in her hands. “When I went before the dean and requested to be
allowed in the Animal Rehab program, I was told there weren’t enough students
who showed that aptitude, so they had cancelle
d it
for the year.”

RaKel
gasped. “That’s outrageous!”

DaVae
agreed. “Unfortunately, that’s true all over the planet. GiNae, I wish you
success in this venture, and applaud your courage for standing up for yourself,
or rather, the animals.” He smiled. “RaK
el, please
send me the results of XaDie’s blood test. Blessings, ladies.” Pivoting, he
exited the building.

GiNae
placed the
pannei’s
file in the proper place, then returned
to the office. “Do you need me to hold XaDie still for you?”

“I’ll
do it tomorrow.
I’d rather send a fresh sample. Go
ahead and go home, since it is getting late in the day.” RaKel seated herself
at the desk. “I’ll stable XaDie and SpaKles later tonight.”

GiNae
paused. “DaVae seemed impressed with you.”

“He
did, didn’t he?” A slight fl
ush of blue tinged her
friend’s face. “I met him a few years ago at a
pannei
conference.”

“You
like him,” GiNae teased. “I think he likes you too.”

“Get
out of here.” Laughing, RaKel waved her hand. “I’ll see you in the morning.
Sweet dreams tonight. Don’t
forget SkiRee.”

GiNae
stuck out her tongue before collecting the small
dogas
and a suitable box, then teleporting
home.

“Here’s
your new home, SkiRee.” She deposited the wriggling rust-colored animal on the
floor of her room, then plucked the faded towel
from
her bed and folded it into a soft nest at the bottom of the box. “I hope you
like it.”

SkiRee
jumped down, made a lap around the room, sniffing every corner. GiNae placed
him in the box, then laughed at his obvious confusion. “Oh you are a darling.”
She picked him up and carried him outside, where lumber
lay stacked and wooden stakes were strung with colored string. “Look, NiKoh
kept his promise. Soon you will have a little pen all your own, and you won’t
have to stay indoors all the time.”

A
great s
adness and anxiety gripped her. GiNae closed
her eyes against the panic welling up inside, then sank to her knees in the
cool grass. SkiRee licked her face and whined. GiNae opened her eyes and
relaxed her grip, watching as the animal frolicked and examine
d everything in the back yard, even lifting his tiny leg to
relieve himself. She felt the emotion subsiding and sat back to watch SkiRee’s
antics.
That was strange. I hope everything is
okay with NiKoh.
Tentatively, she reached out telepathically.
Are you
well? I sense your pain. How can I help?
How can I help? Yikes, I sound like my
mother!

She
sensed amusement in the voice which answered.
Yes,
everything is fine. Thank you for your concern.

Indignation
took over. GiNae scooped up SkiRee, then marched thro
ugh
the Domestic Suite, through the kitchen and dining room, and barged into
NiKoh’s office.

“I
may be only a few years older than OkVei, but don’t you dare treat me like a
child. If this…this…whatever, is going to work, then don’t pat me on the head
like
an infant the moment I try to follow my
instincts and reach out to you.”

NiKoh
swiveled around in his black leather chair. “You’re right. Just a moment.” He
turned back. “Forgive me, LyDie. Let them know I received the forms and I will
complete them and se
nd them back in the morning.” He
turned back to GiNae. “What if that had been a classified matter? Or my mother?
I’ll forgive you this time, but next time, please observe more decorum? When
that door is closed, it means I’m doing something confidential and
you are to knock, or reach out to me telepathically.
Understood?”

“Was
BeSai required to knock?” GiNae challenged him, still angry.

NiKoh’s
face darkened. “Yes, she was. Even your mother.” He stood up and walked around
to the front. “Come, have a seat.”
He pulled out the
nearest chair.

Somewhat
chastened, GiNae perched on the edge and clutched SkiRee to her chest.

“Is
that the
dogas
you were worried about?” To her
surprise, NiKoh sat to her right, instead of in his desk chair.

“Yes.
I was in such a hurry,
I forgot to put him back in my
room. I saw where you’ve planned the pen. Thank you.”