Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Tiger-Ella At the Ball (2/3)

Am I in trouble?

Some handler from the family givng the ball, is trying to take me away and Kaline is yelling. The hard marble floor of the ballroom is suddenly my best friend. My paws are part of it now. Glued to it. Maartenwitz’s lectures have stuck with me. I’m not going anywhere. They can’t take me away. I didn’t start a fight! All I did was what I was supposed to do. I even ignored it the first time.

Wolfie howls with a feral grin on his smug mug. [That’s what snitches get.]

Excuse me? YOU broke the rules and I’M getting punished? This is every nightmare I ever had at school as a kid. I growl, hunkering down.

Lamant’s voice slices through my panic. “You cannot take one of our beasts away without my permission. Blaze did nothing wrong!”

The handler smiles. “Of course not. We at the House of Lammermoor value our friendship with you. We just want to have a look at Blaze’s tail. There’s a chunk of his fur missing. He will be in good hands if you just let hm come with me.”

Kaline won’t budge. “I get to go with him. He’d be lost without me. That mean old wolf did this.”

Gussie calls out, “MEAN WOLF.”

Suddenly, my throbbing tail doesn’t hurt as much. [That’s telling him.]

Kaline scoops me up in her arms. Although it is like being surrounded by a warm blanket when it’s cold outside, it also feels like being babied by Mom when the other kids get a little too rough. All the other beasts look at me with pitying stares.

But Kaline’s anxiety hums so strongly in my mind, and I have to remember that she’s just a kid herself. No matter how spunky and smart she is, she’s not even a teenager yet, and that wolf cub just attacked a member of her family.

I wave my tail to the crowd with defiance, just to show I won’t back down. Surprisingly, I hear a couple of animal noises of approval and a smattering of applause.

[That’s the way, Blaze!]Demos roars enthusiastically.

“BLAZE! BLAZE!” Gussie squawks.

But just then, the servant hustles me and Kaline away. Demos and Gussie try to follow, but Lamant blocks them while Minette follows us.

Demos is a mother hen. [Blaze! Stay strong! Come back!]

Gussie is more sanguine. [We’ll see you soon. Get all fixed up. We’ll save you some food.]

I barely have time to growl an acknowledgment before we exit the ballroom.

The mansion where the party is being held is lavish. Grander than the Riddlehoeven estate. The corridors flash by dizzyingly before we come to some kind of veterinary center. These Lammermoor people have a state of the art vet center with tables and equipment and even crystal scanning wands.

System provides an update, [Injury to Blaze. Strength, Defense, Resistance, HP, and Stamina temporarily reduced. Charisma +1 for rising above the situation.]

Thanks for the consolation prize. At least I get Mr. Congeniality.

[Name: [Blaze]

[Class: [Novice]

[Race: [Common Tiger]

[Level: 2/10 [XP 40/100 STATUS: Full

[HP: 4/6 [MP: 0/0 [Stamina 60/100

[Strength: 12

[Defense: 13

[Magic: 16

[Resistance: 7

[Speed: 15

[Charisma: 24

[Luck: 14

[Skills: [Bite (Attack Skill] [Pounce (Attack Skill)] [Sprint (Skill)] [Camouflage (Skilll) [Escape Power (Skill) [Telepathy(Skill Not Yet Acquired)]

Whoever that wolf is, he lowered my score and threw a wet blanket on my party vibe. I better not see him again anytime soon.

Ahhh!

While I’ve been checking my stats, something cool and soothing has seeped into my tail. AHHH. What is that? Now it feels like a heating pad on my tail. Like those hot-and-cold pads. Oooh.

“Open your mouth,” the resident veterinarian says.

When I open my mouth, a lozenge drops into it. It tastes both minty and like curry. Blech. Weird flavor combo. Like a candy cane dipped in curry powder. Nobody wants that.

However, my tail tingles, and I can FEEL hair growing back.

“What is that?” Kaline gasps.

“A little secret formula I’ve been working on,” the veterinarian explains modestly. “It can regrow hair. Just patches, of course. If he had mange or widespread skin disease and hair loss, I’m afraid this little Furever Lozenge would not be much help. But for minor bites or other injuries, he will be fine.”

[Blaze Stats Restored.]

I stand up, shaking out my fur and tail. I feel fantastic! Looping my tail around my body, I study it. Yep, good as new. The hair is shorter where Wolfie bit a chunk out of my beautiful coat, but it looks like I just shedded too much, maybe.

“Oh, Blaze!” Kaline hugs me “Mama, look.”

Minette beams and strokes my ears. “He’s a tough one, Kaline. He didn’t give any hint of anything until after he’d completed the Beast Parade. He’s a pro.”

YES! Take that, Wolfie.

A new voice joins the conversation. “Yes, well done. I am grateful Blaze will be fine. And I do hope that this does not cause friction between our houses. Although beasts will be beasts, we Lammermoors can own it when we’re wrong.”

The newcomer, a tall blonde elf woman, reminds me of Galadriel from the Lord of the Rings and has that ageless smile. “Please forgive us.”

“Blaze seems fine. That’s all that matters,” Kaline says.

“Indeed,” Minette agrees with warmth. “But thank you for your kindness, Lady Lammermoor.”

Lady Lammermoor inclines her head in a nod. “We mustn’t let this unfortunate incident ruin the ball. I think Lobo agrees.”

Suddenly, the Big Bad Wolf Pup is put down in front of me! Wearing the emblem of the House of Lammermoor on his collar.

His eyes are a deep gold, and they glitter…with animosity. Like he wouldn’t mind chomping on me again. He’s probably being forced to make nice, the way Demos was. Talk about déjà vu.

Well, I made nice with Demos. Maybe Lobo and I can be cool with each other.

“Apologize, Lobo,” Lady Lammermoor directs,

I sniff Lobo. He smells like blood and my fur. I purr softly, being as nice as I can.

Lobo whines softly, piteously, and exposes his throat. This is an “I messed up big time” admission for a wolf. [Sorry.]

I purr again and give him a toothy grin. [Let’s just put this behind us. Apology accepted.] I lick the veterinarian’s hand in gratitude.

“Now, back to the ball,” Lady Lammermoor declares. “Kaline, wherever did you get your dress?”

Lifted and ut back on the floor, I trot out of the veterinary clinic.

As I’m walking, with a bounce in my step, Lobo’s voice sends chills down my spine.

[Don’t think that we’re friends. You humiliated me. You’re weak. But your human and your bird and the bear won’t always be around to protect you. I better not find you alone, ever.]

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