Page 9

NINE

There was a lovely breeze going through the park which meant it was full of visitors.

Good weather did that to people and while I preferred everything calm and quiet, it was also good that we were drawing guests.

Every person who came into the Griffin Sanctuary was someone we could educate and convert into an animal and environment advocate.

A group of excited children ran past me, shouting at their parents.

"Mummy! I want to pet a peryton!" a little girl exclaimed.

A boy about the same age shouted over her. "I want to ride a peryton!"

Their mother chuckled. "I don't think that's allowed, honey. We're going to have to be very calm, otherwise we'll scare them away."

I smiled at the children's attempt to contain their excitement, but they were still as bouncy as ever, just slightly less loud. I hoped they would see their perytons and fall in love with them, and maybe in a decade or so, they would be sending in their applications to work in a place like this.

Two women walked past me with cameras in their hands. They were ignoring each other and only talking to their devices, expecting others to get out of their way as they vlogged about the animals and the day.

Influencers.

I shook my head, not really getting how they could enjoy the park if they were glued to their camera, but that was their business.

I continued on, weaving through the crowds. It really was busy, which meant the unicorn viewpoint was going to be packed. It was a good thing I could go in through the side door to see my favourite animals, and my favourite person.

The Unicorn House came into sight, and I let myself in, not worrying about intruding. Nobody turned a vet away, even if I was just an apprentice.

I almost ran into Nissan, who was carrying an empty bucket out. He looked up when he saw me, surprise jumping to his face. "Look who it is! Missing the unicorns, huh? How are you?"

"I always miss the unicorns," I said, smiling when I could see the herd grazing in their meadow.

A tickling laugh came from behind me. "And here I thought you came to see me."

I turned around, my grin lifting when I saw Felicity. She looked worn and sweaty from a hard day's work, but that just made her all the more beautiful to me. That was what dedication looked like.

She came round to me, touching my waist. "Hey, you. Are you here on business or to see me?"

"Both. But mostly business. I hear someone got bitten in the butt," I said, not at all surprised by the development. Something would have to be done before Criss seriously hurt someone.

Felicity smiled and touched my waist. "I'll escort you."

"Escort me? Fancy," I teased, happily following her into the paddock so we could isolate the meeker twin and get him into a stable for a bit of disinfecting.

We approached the herd and The Sergeant bristled in our direction, letting us know he had seen us.

I held up my hands. "Just me. We've done this dance before."

He blew a breath in my direction and turned his back to me, a gesture that made it clear he accepted me as part of his family. It was only right considering I spent months feeding them and cleaning up their poop.

“You’re looking well, Sergeant. Keep up the exercise.”

Felicity handed me a purple carrot and clicked her tongue. "Cross, come here, boy."

The young colt ignored us, but we got Candle's attention. She trotted over to us, her coat shimmering in the sun. She looked absolutely gorgeous, much like her mother who was keeping half an eye on her.

"This carrot is not for you, I'm afraid," I said, hiding it behind me and putting it in my back pocket.

She didn't care and almost bumped into me, clearly looking for a treat even though they had breakfast not that long ago.

I stepped towards Cross, hoping to get his attention. It would've been easier if I came for a checkup in the early morning before they left for their daily graze but there was always so much to do, I got here when I got here.

"Incoming," Felicity warned.

I looked up in time to see Criss trotting over, his gaze focused on Candle. He was clearly curious about what was happening. Or perhaps he was jealous that something was drawing her attention that wasn't him.

Not in the mood to deal with a cocky colt, I deflected him by holding out my hand and pushing his head to the side. He bristled as he waltzed past, clearly not impressed by being kept out of the party.

I ignored all the other unicorns, my only focus on Cross who was isolating himself from the herd. It was clearly no longer a safe space for him and it was making my heart ache. Poor guy.

I held out the purple carrot to him when a bolt of pain stung my bum. I shrieked and turned around, coming face to face with an angry Criss.

"Hey!" I shouted, clapping my hand to scare the colt away. That really hurt.

Felicity hurried over to me, concern etched into her features. "Oh my goodness, are you alright?"

"Yeah, but ouch. He bit me."

"I saw that. Naughty Criss."

I rubbed the cheek he bit, grimacing at how tender it felt. I didn't think he broke the skin but I wouldn't be surprised if it left a bruise. First, an almost-burn, now a unicorn-teeth-shaped bruise. Working with animals was a dangerous job, that was for sure.

"You should get that checked out," Felicity said, protectively stepping in front of me to block a curious Candle from getting to me.

"I'm fine, it's not like a nurse can do much for me. I'll throw some alcohol on it and call it done."

She raised one eyebrow at me. "Alcohol you use on animals?"

"Alcohol is alcohol," I said with a shrug, grimacing when my bum actually throbbed quite a bit. I didn't know if Criss meant to hurt me or if he thought the carrot had still been in my pocket, but it wasn't exactly nice.

At least now I'd be able to relate to Cross easily. We managed to isolate him from the herd, and luckily, his bite didn't need stitches. Just some disinfectant would sort out me and him.

But next time, I would definitely be more careful around Criss.