Page 4

FOUR

The library was nice and quiet, like the haven it always was. Ivan was sitting at one of the tables with his laptop and a few books spread around him, no doubt studying up on something for his own case. He nodded when he saw me and moved one of the books, symbolically making space for me.

“Thanks.” I sat down and gave him a polite smile. “Researching the perytons?”

He nodded. “I’m reading a very long and very detailed paper about birth control. There are a few different kinds that are used with perytons and their like, all which should be very effective. So why do we have a pregnant peryton doe on our hands?”

“I don’t know.”

“No, me either.” Frustration marred his features.

“So while perytons are mammals, they have avian features. The wings are clearly birdlike, the head and forebody is very much like a deer. But their backside depends from individual to individual. Some have hooves, others have talons. Maybe for this pregnant doe, they’re more bird than mammal so their birth control should’ve been adjusted to account for that?

I don’t know and nobody else seems to know! ”

I sympathised with him. As exciting as the unknown, extraordinary, and rare was, it could also be challenging and frustrating.

There were millions of papers, blogs, and experiences written down online about common cats, dogs, and the like.

Doing research was something that could be done on a very large scale.

But working with mythical animals? A handful of personal accounts, if we were lucky.

Ivan rubbed his forehead and sighed. “What are you working on? Hellhound?”

I nodded. “I was trying to see if I could get access to any of his records from the private collection. Like where he came from, how long he’d been there, if there were any other hellhounds. That sort of thing. I thought they’d be in his file but there’s nothing.”

“Ah, you’ll have to request them,” Ivan said as he typed something on his keyboard.

“I’ve sent you the email address of our contact at IREMA.

There’s no need to bother with flowery language or introductions, just be short and to the point or they’ll get confused about exactly what information you’re requesting. ”

“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

He let out a light scoff. “Oh yeah. They’re terrible at reading emails. Too much information overwhelms them. Good luck.”

That didn’t sound very encouraging but I had no choice. If I wanted to find out more about Obie’s background, this was the avenue I had to follow. I typed out an email, making sure to attach Obie’s case number, and sent it off feeling quite nervous and hopeful that I did it right.

Then I went on my research spree which was the reason I came into the library in the first place. As a species, hellhounds were very rare and not many of them ever made it to captivity.

I spent some time on Mythix asking questions and trying to find someone who had experience with them, but all my inquiries were coming back with apologies, meaning I was on my own for this one.

Somehow, I was going to have to figure out how to calm down a hellhound that could combust, trim his nails so they weren't so long that it was making his paws curl, and get him to eat so he could regain weight and strength.

It wasn't just the fire that was an issue, the fact that he was very hostile was also a problem. He looked like a hound that if got really scared, he would bite and mean it.

I found an old paper on hellhounds and scanned it, but it was mostly a lot of scientific talk about the exact compounds of his nails and his sweat.

It was full of terms I didn't understand but it likened his nails to firesteel rods used for camping that caused sparks when struck.

It meant that grinding them down would only be possible if there was nothing flammable nearby.

Unfortunately, a flammable hellhound was always attached to the nails.

Maybe if I washed him, that would prevent the sparks from catching? But Obie didn't seem like he would be open to taking a bath. Of course, it would be possible to sedate him, but that was risky, especially considering how bad his health was.

No, it would be better if I could cut his nails without having to put him under. Maybe cutting them with some bolt cutters would be better? If I could get close enough.

This was a challenge. With small and angry animals, putting them in a pillowcase or towel could make them manageable. For a large creature like Obie, that wasn't possible.

I thought back to my time with the royal sphinxes. They were probably just as lethal and dangerous so how did we handle them? Training.

Except that Obie wasn't eating at the moment. If he wasn't food motivated, teaching him to be calm and to let me touch his feet was going to be impossible.

Was sedation really the only option?

Noise made me look up from my laptop and I realised Hattie had sauntered in with a look that made it clear she had just woken up from a nap. She walked up to the box with puzzle toys and rolled against it, very clear about her demands.

I got up from my chair so I could grab the treats and the games. It was fascinating that she knew how to ask for enrichment but I didn't mind, it was a welcome distraction from trying to figure out how to help Obie.

Hattie used a chair to hop onto the table so she could watch me line up three cups. I put a treat under one of them and moved them around while Hatty kept a keen eye on them.

"Which one has the treat?" I asked, lining the cups up again. I didn't even know myself but it wasn't important. I wasn't trying to hustle someone out of money.

Hattie swatted one of the cups away with her paw, causing it to tumble onto the ground. There was no treat under it, and she slapped another one away.

"Hey, there's no need for violence." I collected the cups and picked up the last one, revealing the treat.

The house sphinx gobbled it up and then stared at me, clearly wanting me to reset the game.

We continued playing until she had enough food, which was good, it hadn't always been this easy to feed her. There had been a lot of trial and error to find something she liked.

Maybe we were feeding Obie the wrong thing?