On either side of the hall, beds lay in wait separated by tall paper folding screens. Most of the beds Shia passed were unoccupied. Any lykans that occupied the beds paid Shia no mind and he returned the favor, knowing that his words would only fall on unlistening ears. Again, Shia tugged at his sleeve to conceal his striped arms better, feeling exposed.

He wheeled by a patient tended to by a lykan woman with stark white hair that cascaded down her back in waves. The frosty white of her hair and tail contrasted heavily with her warm chestnut complexion. Shia froze, hesitating on the other side of a paper screen. The woman had her back to him. That was good. She hadn't seen him and she didn't seem to notice Rue.

"Argh! Watch it there!" the old lykan man on the bed in front of her growled, pulling a burned-looking arm away from the woman's grasp.

Shia didn't have to see her face to know the stern look she was giving the patient; her dark eyebrows drawing together and her golden eyes piercing like those of a bird of prey. "I didn't even touch you yet," the woman retorted with a voice as sharp as a scalpel. "Now listen to me, Darra. You are going to hold still for me unless you want to lose this hand."

Even Shia flinched at her tone. He watched Darra's eyes widen in his shriveled face. Darra was a lykan who was tanned and leathery from his many years of tending alone to furnaces that were almost as hot as his temper. Yet even this hardened lykan looked like he wanted to flee from the healer standing over him.

"Yes Lady- ah... Healer Nesuae," Darra whimpered, surrendering his arm to her.

The healer examined the puckered burn on his arm with a skillful delicateness. "Getting too close to the furnace again, were we?" she chided. "Luckily your burn is minor and should heal nicely in a week. We'll get this in some cool water and get you some medication to take home for the pain. Perhaps you should consider getting some more hands to help you around the shop?"

Darra sneered, exposing yellowed fangs. "Well, I would," he growled at her. "But it's not like we have enough capable bodies to spare anymore!"

Shia saw Nesuae's black-lined and tufted-tipped ears twitch. She wasn't listening to Darra anymore. Another higher voice was permeating the hall. Shia watched as Nesuae, still holding Darra's arm with one hand, slowly turned to spy Rue at the far end of the room still lost in conversation with Malea.

"Yeah, so if anyone here needs to be resuscitated, I'm totally prepared to do it," Rue was boasting to Malea.

Shia exhaled sharply. Rue had been spotted, but maybe he still had a chance to sneak away-

Without missing a beat, Nesuae whirled around and snatched Shia by the ear with her free hand. Her red robes billowed about and her red beaded ceramic necklace rattled.

Shia yiped, "Ow, Mom! Why?!"

Nesuae yanked him closer to her, her golden gaze peering at him at full blast, and growled into his captured ear, "Shiakaia. What is your orange hurricane of a friend doing here?"

Oh no. Full name. He was in trouble.

They both turned to regard said orange hurricane. "Although I'm a bit rusty on the mouth-to-mouth part," Rue was saying. "Maybe I need a demonstration?"

Even from yards away, Malea's blushing face was plainly apparent.

Nesuae scowled. "Besides flirting with her girlfriend."

Shia swallowed. Words escaped him.

"Tell your mutt to scram!" Darra wheezed at Nesuae. "I don't need any of his help."

Nesuae gripped the man's arm a bit too tightly, making Darra yipe. "Hand. Still," she hissed.

Darra whined in pain. Shia's eyes narrowed sympathetically.

"And you," she barked at Shia as she finally released his ear. "Explain."

Shia stepped out of arm's reach and rubbed his raw ear, wary of her piercing scowl that deepened the tear troughs in her face. "I'm letting her help me today," he began, "Narfi fired her and she was depressed because no one would consider giving her a job and I felt really bad because I mean... Is she wrong?"

Nesuae's eyes lost their intensity as she sighed with an understanding nod. There was no hiding that she had a soft spot for Shia's closest friend on the island. "When Kalluo finds out about this, I claim innocence," she said, releasing Darra's arm so she could scribble a note onto Shia's notepad. "Now see if you two could fetch this medication for Mister Darra here? And how much aloe vera do we have?"

Shia didn't even need to pause to think. "I know we've got one bottle left, but Rue and I can go grab some more today if we need it."

Nesuae nodded, returning her full attention to her old patient. Shia grabbed his cart again and padded away as fast as he could before she could change her attitude. He stopped short in front of Rue with a screeching halt and fire in his eyes.

"Break's over, Rue. This way!" He gestured curtly toward a locked door in the corner of the room.

Rue snapped to attention. "You got it, boss!" She gently cupped Malea's face in her hand lovingly. "Sorry, Mal, but duty calls. Catch you after work?"

Malea giggled and pecked Rue on her freckled cheek. "Okay, Healer. Don't torment poor Shia too much," she said, winking at Shia.

Rue hopped to Shia's side as he unlocked the door revealing the stairs leading down to the basement storeroom.

"Don't break anything!" Malea called to Rue.

Too late. Shia's spirit had already broken an hour ago.

Together, they creeped down the creaky wooden stairs.

"Okay so..." Shia began. "The storeroom. Here it is."

Dustmotes danced about in the dim light as the two lykans beheld the rows of shelves aligned in the dim expanse in front of them. Long ago, the shelves would have been overflowing with medicinal ingredients for every imaginable ailment. Now they stored more dust than medicine.

"The forbidden storeroom!" Rue gasped in wonder. "Finally, I get to see it! Although, I kind of expected... More?"

Shia looked somber. Rue was right. The storeroom was looking exceedingly lackluster. Shia had never seen it in the days before the Blight took hold of the island. That was many years before his time. Yet, he always liked to imagine what it must have looked like in its heyday.

Shia shook his head abruptly. Such thoughts were taboo amongst the lykans. The old folk didn't like to reflect on how the world used to be, preferring only to exist in the present. Above ground, the lykans all went about their numbered days, pretending that the decades of exponential population decline of all living things was not a concern of theirs, even when, eighteen years ago, no new creatures were born; demon, animal, or human. Like life hadn't just inexplicably... ceased.

"Yeah," Shia sighed. "Before the Blight, these shelves would've been packed full, I'm sure. No insects means no pollination which means fewer crops and vegetation, unfortunately. But whatever. We just have to do the best with what we've got. As usual."

Rue and Shia stood in silence for a moment while dust motes sparkled around them, pondering to themselves.

"It's very quiet down here," Rue said.

"It sure is," Shia sighed wistfully, content with the silence. "Here. Catch," he said as he tossed the notebook at Rue.

She looked at the notebook in her hands in confusion. "Wait, what? What do I do with this?"

"Read it," Shia instructed. "You're working, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Rue exclaimed as she opened the book. "Okay, so Malea says we need to restock the antiseptic. Moki has a patient who needs some antibiotics... and blah blah blah, he's listed all these ingredients with really long names I don't want to pronounce. Nesuae needs us to get her some of this stuff with a weird name for pain and..." She paused to take a long breath. "Some aloe vera."

"Cool," Shia said with a flick of his tail. "Find it."

"Yes, sir!" Rue shouted ecstatically as she scurried off to scour the shelves. Shia left her to her own devices and wandered over to a tiny table tucked away in the corner. A tea kettle and a cluster of colorful mugs were strewn about on the surface amongst the litter of scattered papers and herb clippings. He set the kettle on an old brazier and lit it impatiently.

Soon the sounds of Rue shuffling around were obscured by the whistling tea kettle. A beautiful noise.

Shia was sipping happily from his well-deserved second cup of tea of the morning when Rue came scampering back with an armload of supplies.

"Okay!" she chirped as she dumped everything out on the table. "Here's everything!"

With a yawn, Shia set aside his mug and checked her work. Surprisingly, everything was accounted for, including a jar containing the last bit of aloe.

"What do we do now?" Rue squeaked.

"We'll have to make a supply run today. We also need to stock up on Eucalyptus oil for cold medicine. Oh, and turmeric. Luckily we can find all of these things outside the city so we won't have to-" Shia shuddered. "Barter with the locals."

"The horror," Rue scoffed.

They grinned at each other.

"Hey, good job so far today, Rue" Shia said sincerely.

Rue's ever-present grin grew wider. "Thanks!" she exclaimed. "You know, maybe all I needed was some positive reinforcement and constant supervis-"

She stretched her arms wide dramatically as she spoke and accidently sent the bottle of aloe toppling off the table.

It shattered on the floor with a wet splatter. The Clinic's last remaining supply of aloe was now a green greasy glass-encrusted smear on the basement floor.

"...Oops," Rue croaked.

Shia held his hands to his pounding heart, trying not to panic. This wasn't a big deal. Nope, definitely not a big deal at all. All they had to do was clean it up, hide the evidence, and go out into the Wilds and replace it before-

"What did I just hear?!" erupted a distinctly wrath-filled voice from upstairs.

Shia felt his heart stop. Rue screeched and hid behind him.

Now it was a big deal.

The door at the top of the stairs flew open so forcefully, a gust of wind kicked up the dust at their feet. Silhouetted against the light of the Clinic upstairs, was the short-statured pudgy form of the Clinic's head healer, Kalluo. She marched down the stairs thunderously, her almost floor-length braid of gray hair swinging back and forth behind her. She toddled to a stop in front of the young lykans. The old healer barely stood any taller than Rue's shoulders, but the fury in her deep emerald eyes was enough to make even the Highest squeamish.

"Something broke! I heard it!" Kalluo snapped, jabbing a portly finger into Shia's ribs. "What did you break, Shi- Ohhh you."

Her voice became that of a hissing viper as her slit pupils narrowed into razor-thin needles as she spied Rue peeking out from behind Shia.

"Heh..." Rue squeaked nervously as she tip-toed out from behind Shia. "Well, this sure isn't the kitchen! Silly me. The kitchen is uh... Upstairs..."

She tried to slink by and break for the stairs, but Kalluo grabbed her by the arm with a vice-grip.

With her prey caught in her claws, Kalluo turned toward Shia. "Shia," Kalluo spat venomously at him. "Would you kindly explain why this latent catastrophe is in my storeroom?"

Kalluo had a voice like rusted and brittle metal; croaky and rough but sharp enough to leave a nasty cut that was likely to get infected. The sound of it made Shia want to tuck his tail and run. Rue was looking like she was considering chewing off her own arm to escape.

"Uh, well... You see... I..." Shia stammered. When he woke up that morning, he absolutely did not anticipate getting murdered that day. It was throwing him off.

Another shadowy figure descended the stairs on silent padded feet; silvery locks glowing in the candlelight.

"Please kind to the less fortunate, Kalluo," Nesuae sighed silkily, lightly stepping over the broken glass on the floor and placing a hand on her shorter colleague's shoulder. "Our dear Rue here has recently suffered an inopportune career departure and Shia, true to our virtue of helping those plagued with illness and ill-fortune here at the Lupon Clinic, has graciously offered her a chance at rehabilitation within our walls."

Kalluo rubbed her temples in annoyance. "Not now, Nesuae," she growled. "There is property damage-"

"She made a mistake," Nesuae continued. "But, as we all know, making mistakes is all a part of learning. I know for a fact I wasn't a perfect pupil when you first took me in, but I learned quickly. After all, I did learn from the best." Nesuae smiled pleasantly down at Kalluo.

Kalluo's grip visibly loosened on Rue's shoulder. She was defusing. Feeling his heart slowly tick back to life, Shia took that opportunity to grab a nearby rag and started wiping up the spill. Rue wriggled free from her captor and followed suit.

Kalluo grumbled. "Sometimes I consider changing my mind about that..."

"And anyway," the white-haired lykan soothed. "I think a little forest expedition would be an excellent opportunity to get these two out from underfoot. After they finish cleaning up here, of course." She turned to Shia and Rue and waggled a stern finger at them. "But you two better come back with a hefty supply."

"At least humor me and reprimand your son for letting an unauthorized person into the storeroom, Nesuae," Kalluo grumbled.

Nesuae smiled softly. "Of course," she said.

She turned to Shia without a glimmer of anger in her golden gaze. "Bad Son. Bad."

Kalluo buried her round face in her hands with a hefty huff. "Well, go on," she barked from behind her hands at Shia and Rue. "Get out. But don't think for a second that this is over. You'll be pulling double shifts for a week, Shia."

"Yes, ma'am," Shia squeaked as he hurried up the stairs with Rue holding onto his long tail for dear life. He could live with double shifts if it meant he could live.

Nesuae offered them a half-smile as they slunk by. "Take care out there," she advised.

Shia whispered an immensely appreciative "Thank you," to his mother as they ascended the stairs. He was abundantly thankful that his life didn't end in a dusty old basement.