thefictionvixens Page 89
Page 89
"Don't just 'think' about it. The doctor definitely said to finish the medication, right? So just finish it."
"……it is good."
After re-bandaging Alpha, Payne instructed, "Your wound hasn't fully healed yet, so itching is normal. Remember not to scratch it."
Alpha nodded immediately: "Yes, I understand."
"As expected of orcs, their wounds heal so quickly..."
With a final sigh, Payne glared at Lacey, who hadn't yet retracted her bared teeth: "What do you want? I'm just checking Alpha's wounds, what's wrong with that?"
So Lacey immediately turned away as if nothing had happened, licking her lips while stealing glances at Payne.
"Not saying anything? Have you even realized your mistake yet?!"
Payne didn't tolerate Lacey's behavior, giving her a sharp rap on the head, then grabbing her by the back of her collar and dragging her in front of Alpha, saying:
“It’s about time you learned how to treat your wounds. Let Alpha teach you! Come back to me when you’ve learned! ... Alpha, tell Lessie how the doctor treated your wounds.”
Alpha (tensely and slightly dazed): "...Do we have to take the bandages off again?..."
Ignoring the interaction between the two dogs, Payne took a brush out of his bag and waved to Stephen, "Come here, let me brush your fur."
Stephen seemed a little flattered: "Really? Can I really do it? Hehehe, here I come~"
It was obvious that the white-haired horse had been looking forward to this for a long time. Before Payne could even nod, it came running over and sat down properly with its back to him.
"I have to keep my hands up in this position, it's tiring. Lie down."
Before Stephen could react, she felt Payne grab her shoulder and pull her down onto the haystack, her head resting on his lap.
……Eh?
Is this...is this right?
I ended up lying on the trainer's lap?!
However, before Stephen could become panicked, a tingling sensation came from her scalp and back at the same time, and the comfortable feeling made her abandon all thoughts.
"Ah...so...so comfortable..."
"How about it? Compared to your trainer at the horse racing club, isn't my technique more skillful?" Payne asked.
"Ah... the horse racing club trainer... he'd never brush our coats... we orcs just scratch each other's backs... ah... so good..."
This answer aligns with Payne's speculation; it seems she must have indeed worked at a horse racing club and likely has racing experience.
However, whether she can reach the level required to participate in city-level competitions remains a question.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so reluctant to let Payne go to the exhibition game in Minnesota.
"Ah...it feels so good...not just your technique, but also this brush, how did you manage to separate every single tangled strand of hair...ah...it's truly amazing..."
“Heh, of course it’s amazing.” Payne chuckled somewhat awkwardly. “This brush has already been passed on to more than a dozen Marco orcs. I’ve been adjusting the density and length of the bristles to the optimal comfort level for them through their use.”
Although there was a hint of sadness in Payne's tone, and Stephen felt a little disappointed upon hearing this, the brush sweeping over her body quickly drew her back into a gentle embrace, shutting out everything that would sadden the beast.
"Ah... I'm so happy..."
……
"You guys go to sleep first, I'll be there in a bit."
After settling the two dogs, the horse, and the squirrel, Payne composed himself and climbed onto the haystack where Shawn was lying.
Although the sheep had its eyes closed, Payne could tell at a glance that its expression was very unnatural, and it was clear that it was not asleep.
"Xiao En, how have you been feeling these past few days?"
After tossing her woolly hair, Xiao En opened her eyes, looked at Payne with a complicated expression for a few seconds, then turned her head away. "Hmm...it's alright..."
Although Xiao En's condition improved considerably after completing the side quest of delivering death notices, and especially after Alpha returned, she still gets awakened by nightmares every now and then these days.
Payne was silent for a moment, then pulled her into his arms and gently stroked her head. "If there's anything you want to say, you can tell me anytime. Even having a good cry is fine."
“…Mmm.” Xiao En, who was in his arms, nodded gently.
Although she hasn't had any more hallucinations these past few days, like Shawn, Grace still interacts with Payne in her dreams through various abstract gestures.
Sometimes he wondered what right he had to comfort Xiao En when he himself hadn't even overcome PTSD.
Fortunately, his rationality would always kick in, slapping away this illogical self-blame with a loud slap, while solemnly admonishing him:
Forget about qualifications; when you encounter this situation, you should support each other and get through it together!
And we need to get out there as soon as possible!
Because the new recruits are arriving soon.
Chapter 140 CXXXIX. The Scarred Golden Retriever
The next morning, the new recruits were sent to the camp.
The veterans stood quietly against the barracks wall, watching the enthusiastic new recruits jump off the vehicles and line up in a chaotic manner, as if they were going on a picnic.
The blond-haired Frederick even sidled up to Payne and said with some emotion, "Back when I first came to B Company, I looked just like this..."
"Sigh, I really want to slap them. What were they thinking, that they had to join the army?"
"Oh, I also want to slap my past self."
Payne shrugged indifferently. "Humans are just that kind of creatures, easily swayed and good at self-deception."
"Although it's only been less than three months, you're already a veteran. Go and take good care of them."
"She'll probably send me a new beast this time too, so I'll have to take good care of her."
As the new recruits lined up and the veterans gathered around them in twos and threes for friendly exchanges, a golden, furry figure jumped off the truck, but lost his footing and fell to the ground.
This immediately drew laughter from the surrounding soldiers, who scoffed, "This orc is such a loser!" But Payne ignored them, simply frowning slightly as he stared intently at the orc girl's figure.
It has golden fur, two huge, thick ears that droop on either side of its head, and even its tail is larger than Lacey's and Alpha's.
It looks like it should be a golden retriever?
But... why does this dog girl look so dirty? Could it be that the training officer won't let her take a bath?
Isn't this a bit too inexplicably bad?
But Payne soon realized that the reality might be even more serious than he had guessed.
The first thing he noticed was that the female dog was walking with uneven steps, clearly indicating that she had an injury on her leg.
Moreover, she looked dirty, mainly because there were many patches of color on the golden fur of her hair, ears, and tail, not only the brown of mud, but also the gray of withered fur, the flesh color of scabbed skin, and the dark red of congealed blood...
Is this poor child beaten up like this?
Payne's brow furrowed deeper as he watched the golden retriever come to a stop in front of him, then smiled and gave a military salute.
"Number 0636, reporting for duty," she said in a tired yet slightly cheerful tone.
Payne noticed that her big, fluffy tail was wagging as she said this.
Does this mean they think I'm a good person?
How did she make that judgment?
Never mind, let's check on her injuries first.
Thinking this, Payne stepped forward and extended his hand, "What are you doing...?"
But the golden retriever immediately turned its head and took a half step back, putting its hands in front of it and tucking its tail between its legs.
The two remained locked in this stalemate for a few seconds before she somewhat sheepishly lowered her hand, her tail wagging again. "Ahaha...sorry, it was...it was just a subconscious reaction..."
What a poor child, sigh...
"Ruby, go get a can of meat."
After assigning the squirrel a task, Payne took two steps back to create a safe distance from the golden retriever, pressed his hands down to indicate that he meant no harm, and said slowly:
"Let's get to know each other first. Hello, my name is Payne, and from now on, I will be your trainer."
"I don't want to hurt you, but I've noticed you seem to have a lot of injuries. May I check them over?"
The golden retriever paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Ah, of course... please go ahead."
"It might hurt a little, please bear with it."
"Okay... okay."
So Payne slowly walked up to the golden retriever, slowly raised his hand, and touched her ear.
This time, the golden retriever didn't react as if it had been stressed before, but it still instinctively flinched back when Payne touched it.
"Don't be afraid, I won't do anything. It will just hurt a little during the examination."
"Okay... okay."
Even just examining the head and neck took Paine a long time.
Even when Ruby returned with the canned meat, you could still see Payne sometimes lifting up the golden retriever's ears, sometimes brushing aside her hair, and sometimes making her squat down to check the top of her head.
Two minutes later, Payne sighed and stepped aside. "In your current condition, you should see a doctor immediately and rest for a while, instead of coming with us to the trench that's like a petri dish for bacteria tomorrow."
The golden retriever paused for a moment, then chuckled sheepishly again: "Ahahaha... the main problem is... no hospital will be willing to treat orcs... ahahahaha..."
Payne looked at the golden retriever's smile with a hint of sadness. "What's so funny?"
"...Huh?" Her smile immediately froze on her face.
"And another thing, why does your tail wag so much? Do you do that to everyone?"
So she immediately tucked her tail between her legs, and bent down deeply as if to minimize her presence, putting her hands on her head.
"I...I'm sorry...I...I won't do it again next time...Please...please don't punish me..."
Payne stared at the golden retriever for a long time until her body began to tremble before speaking again: "I won't do anything to you... Never mind, Ruby, give me the can."
After taking the can of food from the squirrel, Payne slowly approached the golden retriever again. "Don't be afraid, lift your head. I'm asking you, how's the food at the training base?"
The golden retriever lowered its arms, but after glancing at Payne, it lowered its head again. "I...I ate very well, thank you for your concern..."
"Really? But I feel like you're having a hard time just standing here."
"Yes...I'm sorry..."