Page 45 of My Orc Has Big Tusks
“Not now,” I grumbled.
“Later, then.” He pivoted and left the entryway.
“I was thinking last night,” Laina said.
“Oh?”
“I’d like to take another look at Abagail before I say anything further.”
After she’d taken her bag to her office, we stepped outside and strolled to Abagail’s enclosure, finding Greth there, clipping the grass inside. While Laina entered the pen and went over to Abagail, Greth held a folded piece of paper out to me.
I opened it, reading his tiny handwriting.
He’d recorded pages of detailed observations about each creature in the compound.
And about Laina too. Her movements around the creatures, how they responded to her, the exact duration of her examinations. Even notes on how she spoke to each animal differently, adjusting her tone based on their temperament.
I looked up at him. “You’ve been watching her?”
Greth’s eyes remained on Laina examining Abagail. “She’s new. I had to make sure she fit in.”
“And your decision?” I asked in a low voice.
“The snugglethorn trusts Laina. So do you.” He shifted his weight from one heel to the other. “That’s all I need to know.”
He turned to leave, but paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
“She’s good for this place. For all of us.” His eyes met mine directly. “For you.”
He walked away before I could respond, his long strides carrying him quickly across the yard.
I tucked the notes into my pocket and entered the pen, walking over to where Laina knelt beside Abagail. Sofia chirped happily on my shoulder.
“Sofia made herself at home last night,” Laina said without looking up, her hands moving carefully over Abagail’s woolly sides.
“Did she cause trouble?”
“She demolished my favorite sofa pillow, but I was able to put out the fire before it caused any danger.” Laina glanced up, smiling. “I woke up to find half my bedroom floor covered in scorched stuffing and her sitting proudly in the middle of it.”
“She takes everything seriously.”
“I noticed. She arranged the fluff in a circle, then kept adding every small object she could carry. A pair of my earrings. A pen. My hairbrush.”
“She built you a gift throne,” I said seriously. “It is a high honor among emberkits.”
Laina’s eyebrows rose. “My gift throne had my earrings.”
“Those are the jewels of your new nest realm. It’s traditional.”
“Should I be concerned she’s planning a coronation?”
I studied Sofia, who preened under the attention. “She has been gathering small shiny objects for weeks. But I believe you may already be crowned in her mind.”
We talked about Sofia in general and about Abagail, exchanging insights. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed having someone to share observations with who understood both the clinical details and the small, personal moments that made each creature unique.
Laina leaned back on her heels and frowned at Abagail. She tugged her stethoscope from her lab coat pocket and listened to Abagail’s lungs. Her belly. Finally, she placed the stethoscope in her pocket and dropped to her knees to examine Abagail further.
“I think she’s pregnant,” Laina said.
