Page 16

SIXTEEN

To prepare for moving day, I got the transport crate moved into Obie's bay so he could get used to it. And we could practice him running into it by himself. Maybe the fluffy bed inside it would be tempting.

Unfortunately, he seemed terrified of the crate and had been staying as far away from it as possible. Not even a whole packet of pepperoni was enough to tempt him into it.

"You got bad memories associated with these?

" I guessed, sighing at the realisation.

That wasn't going to make my job any easier and unfortunately, there was no other way we could move a hellhound than put him in a crate.

I supposed we could sedate him again but not enough time had passed for it to be a good choice.

All of this effort and work would be a waste if we accidentally caused his death with too many drugs.

No, the crate had to work.

"Come on, Obie. Please go in the crate," I encouraged him, dangling some pepperoni in an attempt to tempt him.

Obie was not tempted and stayed with his tail tucked between his legs. If he wouldn't go into the crate voluntarily, we were going to have to push him in and that option didn't seem appealing to me at all. It would cause so much stress and make moving him next time even harder.

I dropped a slice of pepperoni just on the other side of the fence and he came over to eat it with wary eyes that never left mine. I took it as a compliment that I was less scary than the crate.

Encouraged by my small success, I made a trail of pepperoni towards the crate.

Obie sniffled along the floor and hoovered up every slice but didn't go into the crate.

Instead, he sat down and gave me the most expectant look.

Head cocked to the side, his floppy ears slightly up, and his nose still wobbling.

There was a small piece of white fat stuck on his snout and he lapped it away with his long pink tongue.

He kept sniffing the air, clearly seeking out more pepperoni.

"If you want another piece, go into the crate," I said, gesturing at it. "Look, it's perfectly safe and it won't hurt you."

Obie wrapped his tail around his legs and looked away, distracted by a noise in the hallway. Or he was ignoring me.

"I'm talking to you," I reminded him, not that he seemed to be listening. Something interesting was happening outside apparently.

Too curious for my own good, I went out to investigate. There was some shouting and I saw Maria run at the end of the hall which was never a good sign. That meant there was likely some emergency related to a pregnant animal or a newborn.

Since it had nothing to do with me, I went back into the enclosure with Obie, gasping when I realised he was sniffing the transport crate. Only his nose was stuck in but it was closer than he'd been before.

I stayed as quiet as I could, not wanting to interrupt his exploration. This was such a good sign and so typical that he tried it when I turned my back. It didn't matter to me. If we had to leave him alone with some pepperoni to get him in the crate, that would be exactly what we did.

I decided that he clearly needed more time to get used to the transport crate so I left him to it since it was lunchtime and I was starving.

With a grumbling stomach, I left Quarantine and made my way to the main building while texting Felicity so we could meet up. She replied right away to let me know she was already there which put a little extra bounce in my step.

It was always a good day when our breaks lined up. And to make my day even better, they were serving my favourite beef stew in the canteen.

Not a bad day so far. Not a bad day at all.

After we ate and caught up on how our day had been so far, messages appeared on Felicity's phone from our friend Ramona.

Felicity leaned against me. "Ramona wants to video call. You up for it?"

I nodded and made sure to wipe my mouth, just in case I had anything stuck around it. With all of our busy schedules, it had been a while since we met up with our friend so it was great that we could keep in contact online.

Felicity tapped the call button and seconds later, a video of Ramona popped up. Some of her curls didn't make it into the frame but she looked happy and energetic.

"Hi, guys! She waved with both hands. "So good to catch you. It's been a while. How's life in the Griffin Sanctuary?"

I shuffled a little closer to Felicity so we were both in the screen. "Hectic. We've been absolutely swamped."

Felicity chuckled and swung her arm around me. "Charlotte has been so busy, she's lucky I still recognise her face."

"Oi!" I jabbed her lovingly, causing her to snicker. She was so cute, I never thought I'd find someone who could make me smile just because they were smiling.

"Is it so busy still because of the private collection?" Ramona asked, leaning a little closer to the screen.

"It is. Anyway, how are you?" I asked, realising that our friend didn't call to watch us be cute.

Ramona shrugged. "Not too bad, not too bad. I'm dating someone."

"Ooooh." Felicity clapped her hands. "Someone good? What's his name?"

"Actually, their name is Rock." Ramona let out a chuckle. "And shame on you for assuming." Luckily, she didn't sound insulted and said the last bit in a good-natured way.

I snorted. "Fair, fair. That's awesome news. How did you meet?"

"They work at my local butcher, the one we get a lot of meat from for our wolves.

It's not an exaggeration when I tell you they're the most beautiful person I've ever met in my life.

Oh my goodness, their eyes. I melt every time I look into them.

" Ramona fanned herself and squealed. "I'm so happy, guys. I can't wait for you to meet them."

Felicity gave me an adoring look before she turned her attention back to our friend. "I'm so pleased for you. How's life at the wolf sanctuary?"

"I'm loving it. I'm finally making progress with the pack. Yesterday, one of our she-wolves had cubs and I'm not joking, I think I died when I saw the fluffy pups. They were so tiny and the most adorable thing I've ever seen."

I felt myself smile. It was great to Ramona in her element, especially since having been cut from the Griffin Sanctuary program had been a real blow.

"Speaking of wolves, I'm currently looking after a hellhound," I said, hoping to pick her brain. "I'm trying to get him to go into our transport crate but he seems scared. Any tips?"

Ramona hummed. "I guess you could try treats to calm him down?"

"Don't talk to me about treats. You have no idea how much money I've spent on pepperoni."

"Pepperoni for a hellhound?"

"I know, I know. It's the only thing he seems to like. I don't know if it's the flavour or if he's got good memories of it."

She laughed. "That's an interesting thing for him to like but hey, I have a wolf that absolutely loves watermelon. Anyway, covering their eyes or the crate can help them stay calm."

"So this hellhound can set itself on fire, so I'm not sure putting more flammable material on him is a good idea. I suppose I could knit a woolen blanket."

Felicity laughed. "Do you know how long it would take you to knit a whole blanket?"

"A few days?" I guessed.

"Try months."

"Nevermind."

Ramona's laugh came through the speaker. "Make sure they're not hungry. Fed wolves are sleepy wolves."

That was a good tip and I would make sure to relay that information to Gwen or whoever had been feeding him daily. That way, they could prepare for the end of the week which was quickly coming near.