Tracy POV

Jayden, Ashley and I sit down on a log to take a break. I carefully put Luna down on my lap.

"Guys, could we stop at a Vet Clinic on the way back to the house?"

"You want to make sure the cuts aren't the only injuries Luna has, right?" Ashley says.

"Yes, also I'm curious if anyone at the clinic has seen her before,"

"I'm okay with it," Jayden says.

"Well, then Jayden lead the way,"

We stand up and continue to walk out of the forest. As we approach the entrance, I hand Luna to Ashley, so I can reach into my purse to take out my phone. I dial dad's number and patiently wait for him to answer.

"Hi, sweetheart, when will you be home?" Dad asks.

"We'll be home soon, and I apologize in advance because an injured puppy might have found me on the way to the Tengen gate,"

"Tracy, sweetheart, you don't have to apologize for having a good heart. That is just one of the qualities that others like about you." Dad says, "So, I'm guessing you named the puppy?"

"Yes, her name is Luna,"

"So, you're taking Luna to see a Vet?" Dad asks.

"Yes,"

"Okay, just come straight home afterward. You need to start training," Dad says.

"Yes, sir,"

I hang up and put my phone back in my purse. Ashley hands Luna back to me. Jayden leads us to the Vet clinic. We walk into the clinic, and one of the Veterinarians walks up to us.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Santiago, Ji is one of my closest friends. He called me and said you three would be coming," Dr. Santiago says, "Follow me to my exam room."

I set Luna down on the scale to get her weight. She was 7.5 pounds. I pick Luna up, and Dr. Santiago leads us to the exam room.

"Wait, Ji never told me that he was friends with a veterinarian," Jayden says.

"Ji and I haven't talked much since the whole Samurai Rangers thing," Dr, Santiago says, "So, does this little girl have a name?"

"Yes, her name is Luna. My friends and I were taking a hike through the forest. She found us," I say, "Dr. Santiago, I'm aware that I'll have to pay to have you to look at her, so go ahead and do all the necessary tests."

"Don't worry. I'll waive the fees this time." Dr. Santiago says.

"Thank you, Dr. Santiago,"

Dr. Santiago starts to examine Luna. I let out a sigh of relief when I see that she isn't dehydrated.

"Dr. Santiago, have you seen any dogs that look like Luna around the city?"

"No, but I heard the police located and closed down a puppy mill in the next town over," Dr. Santiago says.

"What is a puppy mill?" Jayden asks.

"It's a terrible place that breeds puppy to sell them. The females are breed at every opportunity, and they don't even get time to recover before having another litter." I explain, "Is there a chance that Luna is one of the puppies from the mill?"

"It would explain why she has a mild case of exhaustion," Dr. Santiago says, "Who treated Luna before the three of you brought her here?"

"That would be Tracy, she is thinking about becoming a veterinarian," Ashley says.

"Well, Tracy you must have done some volunteer work at a clinic. Most good samaritans don't know about using the petals from a calendula flower for first aid." Dr. Santiago says, "You'll make a fine Vet one day,"

"Thank you, Dr. Santiago, so is there a way to find out if Luna came from that puppy mill?"

"You can call the shelter in the next town that took the puppies while I take Luna to the back to run all the tests." Dr. Santiago says.

I leave the room and look up the news article then call the shelter.

"Hello, Harwood County animal shelter, how may I help you?" The woman asks.

"I'm Tracy Burlew. I read an article that your shelter took in all the dogs rescued from the puppy mill the police located. I found a Shiba Inu puppy today and was curious if it could have been one that came from the mill."

"Was the puppy you found a female?" The woman asks.

"Yes,"

"Thank you so much for calling Miss. We were worried sick about her. The volunteer who took the puppies to the vet said when he opened the back door of the truck one puppy jumped out and took off into the woods." the woman says.

Did fate guide Luna to me?

"Miss, are you still there?" She asks, "You are welcome to keep her. I have a feeling you two are meant to be together."

I thank her before I hang up and go back into the exam room. As I enter, Dr. Santiago comes back with Luna. He sets her down on the exam table.

"So, Dr. Santiago, it looks like your hunch about Luna is correct. She did come from that puppy mill, so how did Luna's test come out?"

"All her tests came back negative which is surprising since in all the puppy mills I've read about the owner normally don't concern themselves with the health of the dogs." Dr. Santiago answers.

"So, when is Luna going to be strong enough to be taken to a shelter so they can find her a forever home?"

"She should be back on her feet in two then, follow these instructions to prevent any infection as well as the feeding schedule to help her regain the strength in her muscles. Make sure she gets socialized with children." Dr. Santiago says.

"Don't worry, Dr. Santiago. I'll follow your instructions to the letter. Thank you again for everything,"

I pick up Luna, and we leave the clinic to head to the Shiba house.

I know the triplets will want to help me with taking care of Luna, so she'll have a chance to get used to children.