“Milk! There you are! Are you all right? Good. Who’s your friend?” I looked at the pup. It didn’t have a name, and it didn’t really seem to have any intention of communicating with me. All its attention was focused on Hyacinthe, who was still unconscious from the pain and fear of what had happened to her. It wouldn’t leave her side, not even when the birds tried to attack its face to drive it away. The young wolf just patiently waited for them to get tired of it.
“I’m going to need your panda strength to help me straighten her legs while I apply my remedies on them. Here, drink that. You know what to do next, don’t you?” I did. I drank, instantly turning into a big fluffy panda and startling the young wolf who certainly didn’t expect it. I was used to that reaction.
A reassuring pat on the head was enough to keep the pup quiet. It seemed to understand that we wanted to help its little friend and sat down in a corner of the room, trying to be as discreet as possible. Such a sweet little thing. Then, the hard part began. My job was to hold Hyacinthe down and as straight and unmoving as possible, while Clarissa pulled the bones back in place and constricted them.
We had a small pile of sturdy but thin branches next to the bed that would be used, in addition with rope, to hold the legs straight. Magic can only do so much, you know? The problem here was that both legs were broken. We had to hurry, to make this as painless as possible to our patient. Clarissa had put a bit of Sleep Sand on her eyes, but too big a dose could be dangerous and so our time was limited.
“Ready? On three… One, two, pull!” Clarissa was sweating with concentration, she couldn’t make any mistake or the little would never walk again. But the witch was good, and experienced. She did everything perfectly, and in no time the bones were back in place, the legs straightened, and the pup back to Hyacinthe’s side, waving its tail in hope.
There was still the magic part to perform, and for that we animals had to leave the room. Magic is a human thing. I grabbed the wolf and took it to the kitchen, hoping to find something to feed it. The poor thing had been standing guard over the child for who knows how long, and I could see the hunger and exhaustion in each fiber of its body.
I found a bowl and some stew that was left from dinner and offered it to the pup, hoping to divert its attention from the purple smoke that came from under the bedroom door. I succeeded, until Clarissa started to mumble magic thingymajigs. That was too much for the exhausted, panicked animal. It lashed out at the bedroom door, fearing for the little girl’s safety, and I had to forcefully restrain it lest it break through the wood.
After a small eternity and cramping muscles, the door finally opened and I could let go of my furry hostage. It ran as fast as it could to the bed, not quite daring to climb on it, and licked Hyacinthe’s face with all the love a canine can give. Clarissa, taken aback by the wolf’s affection, raised a questioning eyebrow to me but I had no idea what the relationship between them was. Hence, all I could do was raise my big panda paws and shake my head.
One week later, Hyacinthe was quite literally back on her feet and had adopted the pup, naming it Kiba for whatever reason. It didn’t complain and kept showering her with love and care, having appointed itself her protector and friend. Since the girl’s legs were healed, it was time to bring her back to her family in the nearby village. We didn’t take our usual flying device, since it was too small for the four of us.
Instead, we attached a small chariot to the wolf’s shoulder and installed Hyacinthe in it. I drank a bit of milk, becoming a big enough transportation for Clarissa, and led the way to the village at a small trot.
This adventure ended at Hyacinthe parent’s home, with a nice feast and a love of thank yous. Kiba was accepted by the family who didn’t really have a choice in the matter anyway, and Clarissa received a nice woolen black dress for the coming winter. I was awarded with a piece of chicken and a whole baked potato, and a pat on the head. It was good.
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