Trapped With Wings

°~《Chapter Nine》~°

It's been just a few days since our first patrol. We started with searching buildings for any unwanted pests and then got to move onto incoming cargo ships. Three crawlers and a sicora were killed so far with our help.

As I expected, Dan was the only one let off leash to better track the sicora or crawlers when we came to multiple path choices. He'd fly around the room of doorways to locate the strongest scent and then fly back to Tuskon's shoulder to point the way with his muzzle.

I got to rest on Tuskon's shoulder the entire time. Even though I wasn't fully participating in tracking the evil creatures, it filled me with great pride to see them dead.

Today we were off the schedule so I could get my bandage taken off at the veterinary clinic. It would have been easy enough to be removed by Tuskon or Marcy themselves but the vet wanted to make sure my scales had healed correctly.

The building we entered reeked of all types of animals. A few scents I recognized from chasing away predators at the park but other than the select few, the rest were just extra stinky smells.

A few of the animals that were already here were making a fair bit of noise. If I didn't have to rely on my hearing as much they probably wouldn't have been as annoying. With the amount of noise blocking my senses, however, I just wanted to shut it all out before it gave me a huge headache.

It was a miracle when we finally stepped into a back room, cancelling out all of the noise from earlier. I had stopped clicking now because I didn't want to see the room that would surely remind me of my time at the lab.

Tuskon set me on a cold hard surface and secured my leash so I couldn't jump off. I could smell the vet as he reached out to take my bandage off. I held in a growl as he carefully unwrapped it.

During the first weeks of my recovery, Marcy and Tuskon were able to take off the bandage to oil my dry skin. As my scales started coming in, they were instructed to keep the bandage on so the scales growing didn't accidently get scratched off. If it had just been one or two scales, there wouldn't have been any problem. Too bad it was my entire back.

The vet's voice was very deep when he spoke, "The scales themselves seem to be in perfect shape, but I've never seen this coloration in the firelizards before."

I turned to Dan, "What is he talking about?"

Dan was silent as he sent me an image of myself on the examination table. There really weren't a lot of words to describe what was seen. My back had healed very nicely but the coloration of my scales was the oddest thing I've ever seen. The outside edges of my new scales were my perfect green shade that matched the rest of my scales. However, the inner area of my new patch of scales was completely white.

No one's scales had ever grown back a different color when the scientists had a few plucked while in the lab. The only thing I could think of that even comes close to what I'm seeing would have to be when my friend's goldfish got in a fight with her new fish and lost a few scales. Her fish's scales had then grown back in a darker color.

But I'm not a fish... What the heck?

The vet continued speaking, "There might be some kind of growing chemical they have in their bodies that help produce the color for the new scales. If this theory is correct, her body ran short of this needed chemical and was left with a patch of uncolored scales. At this point, I don't think even removing the discolored ones would bring back the original color to them."

Tuskon's lighter voice broke through the tense atmosphere, "Well I don't plan on plucking any scales from her back. She hardly likes being touched as it is."