Page 18 of My Orc Has Big Tusks
“We do now. She just validated it.”
I hadn’t validated anything. I’d said I would’ve done the same thing Brovish did. But they all looked at me like I’d pronounced something important.
“For the vellicharm’s intake,” Traig said, scrolling on his tablet, “will you need us to set up the exam table in advance, or do you prefer to assess first and determine the space requirements after initial observation?”
I blinked at him.
I didn’t work here yet, and “yet” was doing a lot of heavy lifting.
“Hypothetically, I’d want to observe first,” I said slowly. “Get a sense of temperament before I start handling.”
“Perfect. That’s what I thought. I’ll make a note.”
He wrote something on his tablet with a beat-up stylus while I held my tea, realizing that I’d answered a question about a future event I hadn’t committed myself to.
Brovish’s gaze remained on me.
The orcs exchanged a look, a silent conversation that radiated group chat energy so strongly I almost expected to hear a notification sound.
“Can I see Cooper?” I asked.
“Yes.” Brovish moved toward the hallway. “This way.”
I followed him, Sofia still perched on my shoulder, and the noise of the entryway faded behind us.
The hallway felt quieter with only the two of us. My boots made soft sounds on the tile floor. His footsteps were heavier, steady.
He opened the door to the kennel room and stepped aside to let me through.
The room looked the same as it had last night. Clean counters, organized supplies, and the crates lined up along the far wall.
Brovish lifted Cooper’s crate up onto the exam table, leaving the cloth in place.
I set my tea down and lifted the corner of the cloth carefully.
I leaned closer to check Cooper’s wing, and Brovish angled his body to block the overhead light that had been casting a shadow across my work.
“Thank you,” I said.
His pointy-tipped ears darkened. “Of course.”
Cooper’s pale blue eyes tracked my movement, and he ruffled his feathers, making a soft chiming sound.
The food bowl was empty.
“He ate,” I said, unable to keep the smile off my face.
Brovish crowded close, his arm brushing mine as he squinted at the bowl. “Good. I was worried.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to see.” I straightened, though I didn’t put any space between us. “You said you logged each exam today?”
He pulled a notebook from his back pocket and held it out to me.
The cover was worn, the edges soft. I opened it and found pages of neat, small handwriting. Each entry had been dated.
I flipped to Cooper’s page, skimming through what he’d written. There were three pages just for the bird, full of detailed, careful observations written in the same steady hand. I flipped back and found more names. More pages. Every creature had an entry.
“You really do name everyone,” I said, running my fingertip along the worn edge of the page.
