Fairy Tail - Part 3

Nikita had to drive to nearby Lawrence to find a vet that was open, about 90 minutes away, and of course that meant stopping for gas, but at least at the gas station she was able to borrow a pair of cutters to get the damned chain that was digging into his skin cut off. “Better, right?” She told him, returning to the van with a stick of beef jerky, the closest thing the station had to a dog treat.

The dog's ears twitched as he sniffed the meat. Lord help him look what he was reduced to but god he was starving and he snarfed the meat down before he could think too hard about it. He dropped his head dong with a bone-weary whimper.

“There you go. Don’t worry, we’ll get you fed soon.” She poured bottled water into a frisbee, the only thing suitable she could find at the station, and held it for him to drink. “Sorry, I never had a dog, I wasn’t sure what else you’d want,” she apologized, scratching between his shoulder blades as she offered the water. “We’ll get you some squeaky toys, some good gear once you’re healed up. And you’re going to need a name, too, I guess. I mean, I’m sure you have a name, I can help you find your family, but if they’re the chain you up outside sort… they don’t deserve a dog like you.”

The dog made a miserable chuffing sound.

“Buddy? Rover? Oh! Ghost?” She asked. “Casper? I can call you Cas for short. It’ll do for now til we figure it out. Ghost is good too though, unoriginal maybe, but the tiktok crew might like it.”

Of all the options it was the least offensive. The dog relented and chuffed. He will never live this down.

Nikita drove the rest of the way to Lawrence, leaving the dog for just a moment to get help and a stretcher. Carrying him once was hard enough, but explaining what happened, would be even worse.

“He was chained up,” Nikita explained. “In a cemetery. I cut the chain with a bolt cutter, I mean, he ate when I gave him beef jerky, and he lapped a little water, but he can’t really move, and you have to help him.” He saved by life,” she thought, her voice thick with emotion.

“If he’s not your dog, best thing may be to put him down,” the vet tech advised. “It can be pretty pricey. Like thousands of dollars.”

“No!” Nikita asserted. “I mean, he wasn’t my dog, but he is now, or until I find who he belongs with, I don’t care what it costs, I’ll find a way to pay it.”

The dog. Well. He growled.

Ghost had a series of test run, blood tests, Xrays, MRI’s, each with price tag that made Nikita’s eyes bulge, but she signed on the dotted line to approve it all. In the end, they couldn’t find much wrong. No broken bones, no internal injuries, and his bloodwork for the most part came out fine. He had a high saturation of iron, likely poor diet, but the chain cutting into his skin didn’t help matters much. He had bandages around his neck, but at least it wouldn’t be somewhere he could get to lick, so no cone of shame.

They sold her a special at-the-vet-only brand of dog food and with a price tag that would take the better part of two years to pay off, they were finally released.

It was dark by then, and Nikita remembered she had a live stream from midnight to three that she had to get back and set up for. “Audience is gonna love you,” she told him, reaching back to pat his head. “Maybe get a few good sams to donate towards that bill, huh? You good with singing for your supper, Ghost?”

Well. He owed her. And he was pretty by this point his dignity had long vacated and it was going to be 100 years of ridicule and humiliation but at least he could elevate the burden on this poor, poor girl. With great loathing … he tilted his head and perks his ears, tail thumping softly on the floor.

“Hey look at you, looking better already,” she cooed. “I know, it’s not my favorite thing either, but a girl’s gotta eat right?

The dog. Ghost now. He sighed at his name, and gave her a chuff in response.

“They’ll love you,” she promised, parking alongside the cemetery. “And it’s kinda nice, you know? I’m not used to company. Someone to talk to.”

Ghost barked, then grumbled, ears perked. It could be worse.

“Oh, sorry,” she apologized, misreading his bark. “Do you need to go out? No peeing in the van!”

This was going to be a long day. Ghost laid his head down. A very long day.