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“We’ve not got much room here, what with the new intake you’ve brought us, so that works for me. I’ll give you his meds. He’ll need an antibiotic cream on the wound, but other than that, just keep an eye on him. He seems healthy, other than the injury to his paw. I’ll go see what carry cases we’ve got.”

Eden waited a few minutes as Roxi headed off to grab the carry case. A buzz of excitement trickled through her. This felt like a great move. Why hadn’t she gotten a pet before? It made sense, but she’d always been told by her mom that she wasn’t responsible enough to care for an animal.

“We’re a team, little guy. We’ll have loads of fun together. You’ll have a great life with me,” she said to the doggo.

“Here’s a cage and some cream to get you started. You know what he likes to eat?” Roxi walked back through the door with a small black carry case and a tube of cream.

“I’ve got it in hand. Thanks.” Eden settled the doggo in the carry case. He blinked at her as he slowly came around from the sedation. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you. You’ve got a new home now.”

The doggo made a small grumbly growl then snuggled on the soft blanket in the bottom of the carry case.

“Any problems, you know where I am,” Roxi said.

“Thanks.” Eden left the vet and walked back to her quarters. She placed the case in a quiet corner of the room and then settled on the couch.

She pulled up information on doggos and began to read.

Ten minutes later, she was more confident than ever that this had been the right move. “There’s nothing to worry about. You’re not big on heat, you semi-hibernate in the cold, and you prefer to be on your own, other than when it’s mating season. I hear you there.” Eden kept scrolling. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she wanted this doggo.

She looked over at the cage. The doggo was staring at her, one paw sticking through the front of the carry case.

“You don’t look too happy being stuck in there.” Eden stood and approached him. “If I let you out, you won’t go crazy on me, will you? I don’t want any bite marks.”

She talked softly to the doggo for several minutes, making sure he seemed calm. Then she eased open the front of the carry case and waited.

The doggo didn’t move for a full minute. He sniffed the air, his little pink tongue poking out now and again. Then slowly, one small paw came out, followed by the injured one. He squeaked and lifted his injured paw.

“You be careful. You don’t want to walk around much until that’s healed.”

The doggo tried his sore paw again and whimpered.

“Do you need some help?” Eden slowly moved her hand into the carry case.

The doggo shied away at first then lunged. He grabbed hold of her arm and clung on tight, his leathery wings flapping.

Eden tensed, expecting teeth to dig into her skin, but all the doggo did was sniff her, his tiny brown nose dabbing repeatedly against her arm.

“You see. There’s nothing wrong with you when you’re not in pain.” She lifted her arm and walked back to the couch. She settled herself down and rested her palm on the seat so the doggo had room.

He continued to cling to her.

Eden studied him for a minute, her heart giving a happy thump of joy at finding a new friend, before continuing to read.

“Hmmm, I’m not liking this information so much. It says that, during the mating process, you bite your partner.”

The doggo made a warbling noise that sounded like he was trying to sing.

“Let me see your underbelly.” Eden eased a finger under the doggo and inspected his belly. “Oh! We have a tiny problem. You’re in full-on mating mode. Look at those red striations along your stomach.”

There was more warbling and grumbling from the doggo as she tickled his belly.

Eden read some more before laughing. “Oh, crap! If I’m reading this right, you bit Blaze when you were on a mate hunt. Does that mean you think he’s your partner?”

The doggo made another attempt at singing, thrumming deep in his throat.

Eden couldn’t help but laugh again. “Blaze isn’t your biggest fan, but if you’ve forged a bond with him, you’ll want to see him again. I know that feeling. Every time I try to keep away from that dude, I find an excuse to go back. You know what that’s called: a sucker.”

The cute doggo snuggled against her arm and closed his eyes.