"Are you okay?"Jacob asked as he hurried over to me."Charlotte!Go put your hands in lukewarm water right away."
"But Obie?—"
"Now," he commanded, looking quite furious and alarmed.
With a defeated nod and tingling palms, I had to leave Obie behind without checking up on him.So much for taking good care of him.If this kept up, Jacob was never going to let me look after an animal on my own again.
When I returned from the bathroom, Obie's crate was no longer on the ground.There was just a scorch mark on the cement that I knew the cleaning crew would have to deal with.I went further inside, glad that my hands were no longer hurting.
I really should have just let go as soon as I registered what was happening.There was no way I could've avoided dropping Obie but I could've avoided hurting myself.
Inside, Jacob was standing by the enclosure.He turned when he heard me coming, concern evident on his face."Are you okay?Show me your hands."
I held them out, relieved that they weren't blistering or anything."I'm fine, I think I avoided the worst."
He shook his head."You should still see the nurse.And be a bit more careful, is this the second time you got burned?"
"With Obie?Yes."
"The fact you have to ask with Obie is concerning.Charlotte, you need to take better care of yourself.I know you love these animals but you keep getting hurt.That kind of recklessness isn't actually good."
An unpleasant feeling curled through me."Sorry."
"You don't need to apologise.Just...be more careful.Look after yourself."
"Looking after animals is hard.Looking after myself is even harder," I admitted.
He gave me a sympathetic smile."I know, but you have to.The animals deserve you at your best."
I nodded."I know.I'll do better."
"Good."He nodded, seemingly satisfied."Now come have a look at Obie."
"Is he hurt?"
"Not at all.He darted out of the crate as soon as we opened the gate.The drop did spook him."Jacob pointed towards the far corner of the enclosure where a bunch of boulders had been stacked together."But look, he's already found one of the hiding spots the work crew made for him."
It was a little sad that he was so far away that I couldn't see him but I just had to trust that he was made of strong stuff.
"How did you get him in here by yourself?"I asked.
"Oh, I didn't, I made a passing security guard help lift the crate."
"That makes sense."I looked out at Obie, relieved that he already found a little place to hide.This was going to be so much better for him than the limited Quarantine bay.Here, he could run around, sniff, scrape his nails, and enjoy the fresh air.
I looked at Jacob."Did the Cryptic Conservation get back to us about whether they had a place for him?"
My mentor nodded."They said that at this time they don't want to disrupt their pack."
"And is there anywhere else that'll take him?"I quietly crossed my fingers in my pocket, hoping that he could stay with us.
"Not at the moment.He's been through a lot so we'll let him settle in here for now."
"That's probably for the best."I sighed as I leaned against the railing."It's a shame he's all alone."
Jacob checked his phone."It is.I can't share much about it because the case is still being made but the private collection was trying to start an underground hellhound breeding scheme.Therewereothers."
My stomach twisted."Poor Obie.Poor other hellhounds.Why did they even want to breed them?"
