Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Animal Abuse

Payton trying to jump out of the window caused a total scene in the animal hospital.

Things only calmed down when Sierra stepped in and talked it off the ledge. But even then, Payton stayed slumped next to her, letting out these pathetic whimpers every few seconds and glaring at any vet who walked by.

After she paid the bill, Sierra crouched down and scratched behind Payton’s pointy ears. “The vet was just trying to help you, buddy. Your fur will grow back super fast. I promise.”

Payton’s ears twitched. It lifted its head weakly and whimpered at Sierra, looking totally crushed.

Sierra had raised Payton for years. She knew how vain it was about its coat. Getting shaved like that must’ve wrecked its ego.

So she kept her voice extra gentle. “How about when we get home, I let you pick out some new outfits on the tablet? Deal?”

Payton perked up just a little. To anyone else, it still looked miserable, but Sierra could tell its mood was lifting.

Sierra checked her bank balance. Even though she’d been getting slammed online lately, work offers kept rolling in, and she’d saved up a pretty decent stash over the years.

After paying the vet bill, she dropped another 70 thousand dollars into the clinic’s animal rescue fund.

Just as Sierra was getting ready to leave with Payton, a young couple rushed into the clinic clutching a border collie. As they hurried past, Sierra faintly heard the dog whisper, “Mommy, help me…”

Sierra froze. The vet took one look at the border collie’s condition and asked urgently, “What happened to him?”

The young woman was crying hard but forced herself to stay calm. “Coco hasn’t pooped in a week. I thought it was just constipation. I tried everything.

“But yesterday it got super weak and stopped playing. This morning there was blood in its stool. Please, doctor, you have to save it.”

Right after she finished, Coco started bleeding heavily again. It lay flat on its side, looking like it knew it was the end. It managed to lift its head and give the girl one long, desperate look, and then let out a heartbreaking howl.

The girl broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sierra frowned. To everyone else, Coco just sounded like it was crying in pain. But Sierra clearly heard it telling the woman, “Stay away from that guy.”

She’d been about to leave, but now she turned back, crouched beside Coco, and whispered, “Why do you want your owner to leave him?”

Coco’s dull eyes suddenly lit up. It could see a soft white glow around Sierra, and it instantly soothed it, even the pain seemed to ease a little. “You… you can understand me?”

Sierra nodded.

Coco’s eyes sparkled as it had grabbed onto hope. “That’s amazing. Can you warn my mom about her boyfriend?”

Sierra glanced at the young man. He’d been acting anxious since they came in, but his eyes were cold and distant. Compared to the girl, who was falling apart with worry, his concern seemed totally fake.

Sierra gently patted Coco’s head and spoke softly, so only it could hear. “Your mom’s really worried about you right now, so hang in there for her. Anything you want to say, tell me. I’ll make sure she hears it.”

Coco relaxed a bit, fighting through the pain in its belly as it started barking, trying to get the words out. “That guy’s my mom’s boyfriend, but he brings other women home all the time. He hates me. Whenever she’s at work, he hits me.”

Blood kept pooling under Coco, but the hatred in its eyes burned brighter. Dogs weren’t complicated. Coco’s whole world was its mom.

But her boyfriend was a monster, and Coco knew that it was getting old. It couldn’t protect her much longer. All it wanted, before it was too late, was for its mom to see the guy for what he really was.

The medical team moved fast. With Sierra’s help, they rushed Coco in for X-rays. When the images came up, the whole room froze. Dozens of needles showed up on the black-and-white film.

The vet’s expression turned grim. “There are multiple needles inside Coco. We also found evidence of older injuries. That miss was right. This is clear abuse.”

Jenny’s face went pale. Instantly, she slapped her boyfriend hard across the face.

He stared in disbelief. “You hit me?”

“You bet I did,” Jenny fired back. “No wonder you kept saying Coco was fine. You were scared they’d find out. I never should’ve listened to you. We’re done. Over.”

Sierra had never seen someone act so decisively and she didn’t mind adding fuel to the fire. “Coco told me that your boyfriend brings other women over when you’re not home. Coco knows he’s bad news. It has been trying to protect you.”

Jenny burst into tears. It all made sense now. Coco had changed lately. It used to be so gentle, never even getting on the bed. But recently it’d started sleeping right between them, and sometimes it’d snap at her boyfriend in the middle of the night.

She’d blamed herself for not spending enough time with Coco. Jenny fixed the guy with a cold glare. “I’m calling the police. Right now.”

The guy still refused to admit anything. “Are you insane? You’re gonna believe some random woman who claims she can talk to dogs? You’ve lost your mind.”

Jenny smirked. “You didn’t know? I set up a security camera in the living room last week. Let’s see what the police think of the footage.”