[Nell Shepherd]

Nell was already at the Wildlife Alliance Rehab Center when a...dog was brought in. A very not domesticated dog. Los Eurosia had its fair share of strays that the vet was familiar with, but it was always surprising to see the state some of these animals were brought in. And this one had gotten into a seeming scrape that left them fairly injured. Not without a fight, however, as it was difficult to even get the animal into a carrier, into a van, and then to the building.

She tied up her hair and snapped on her gloves in an examination room. They hadn't gotten a close look yet at their injuries, and she was worried about what she might find. Nell hadn't been told much because they didn't even know much, so she was left with a half-filled out intake form that she was supposed to take her best guesses from.

The cage sat on the floor in a small room with a metal table at the center. A wall of pictures showed animals they helped in the past, volunteers, and people who've assisted and donated. There was a counter with a sink and medical instruments, where Nell lingered for a moment before heading over to the cage where the dog was sat.

"I'm going to open the cage now," she said lightly, leaning down to speak to the stray. "Are you going to behave?"

@sasha

[Deleted]

Sasha was mortified at the fact that they he been caught by humans for the second time in less than a week. For it to be these humans of all ones, the same ones that came and took so many other strays off the streets - only for many strays to never be seen again.... well, to say Sasha was scared was an understatement. Absolutely terrified was closer to the mark. His flank still smarted where his previous captor's bite-stick had stung it, and the licking to try and soothe the pain had left the skin raw and balding. His paws, too, were cracked and bleeding from racing across the pavement after finally escaping that nightmare of a human den, and he was pretty sure he had strained his shoulder trying to escape from these particular humans, too. Helpers, some animals, usually wild ones who had had previous encounters and been released, had dubbed them. Takers was the term he had heard other strays use. So far he was leaning more to the 'take' than the 'help'. If only he had been able to run faster, he might've escaped.

Still, it wasn't entirely terrible. Perhaps he could spot some new animals here... especially if they did help wildlife. His recent experiences had taught him that he desperately needed a form more suited for defending himself against humans than his coyote or bobcat form. But first, he had to figure out what these humans planned on doing with him. He feared the sharp scent of the building, the instruments on the counter, different yet similar to the place he had just escaped. 

The human female's approach made his hackles raise defensively, the dog's instincts driving him to tuck his tail and twist his head away submissively even as he let out a low, defensive growl at her. Human hands brought pain, he had learnt. He wasn't letting his guard down, especially while he was trapped in this kennel. 

Nell Shepherd

[Nell Shepherd]

Nell could tell that this pup was just not having it, and that was fine. She'd dealt with animals of all kind, was well-versed in mammalian, reptilian, and even amphibian behavior at this point. But still, there was something a little different about this one. She didn't know what it was, but maybe it was a sense of...intelligence there.

In any case, this one was not at all comfortable with humans which meant a great deal of patience would be needed. She sat down fully, crossing her legs in front of the kennel.

"Alright, that's fine," she said with a little sigh, like an exhausted parent. "I have time."

The injury was pressing, but it would be only made worse if she tried to do something about it with a writhing, angry animal.

"Do you have a name? I suppose you wouldn't. How about...Remy? Does that sound good?"



@sasha

[Deleted]

So far, the human seemed a little different to that other one, Metal-Leader as Sasha had come to know him as. She wasn't insisting he do anything or jabbing him with painful things; she was just sitting, watching and talking. Sasha's ear flicked and he lowered his head to lick his cracked paws, though his single eye remained fixed on the human at all times, suspicious of an attack the moment he let his guard down. 

The mention of a name made him growl softly. He had a name, of course; the other strays called him 'Scar-Eye', because of his scar being his defining feature to them. He had recently rediscovered his other name, though. Sasha. Metal-Leader had played something on a shiny screen, reminding him that he had once lived among humans who had been his 'parents', that they had called him Sasha. That was the past though, and he didn't particularly care about it, or his name. None of that mattered in terms of survival, after all. But what kind of name was Remy? It didn't describe him (well, neither did Sasha, but that was why he didn't care for that name much either). Did it even mean anything at all? Then again, he had heard humans call animals stranger names. 

He stopped licking his pads, wrinkling his nose at the taste of his own blood, and looked back at the human again unblinkingly. What did she want, he wondered? Humans always wanted something, he had learnt. Whether that was to discover his powers or remove him as a pest, they didn't do anything for nothing.

Nell Shepherd