Once the deafening roar of hooves against dirt had stopped, Isabella slowly walked over to us. Her eyes were on the ground, but I could see the slightest smirk on her mouth as she and
her pet leopard slowly walked over to us. Once she reached us, she looked up and, seeing the amazed and bewildered expressions on Alice and I's faces, she cracked up, rolling on the
floor laughing and almost landing on her leopard in the process. Amira backed up and roared what I supposed was a leopard chuckle. Charlie gave an exasperated sigh and threw his
hands up.
"Bella," he began in a stern and not even slightly amused voice, "how could you do this again? Eventually you're really going to hurt someone, probably yourself. And while we have
guests?! I know this is not how your mother and I raised you to behave."
Bella finally stopped laughing, but still had a gorgeous shine on her face from the adrenaline rush. She was positively glowing.
"I'm so sorry, daddy. And sorry to you, too." she said looking up at us, with an adorable pout. We were all putty in her hands. I thought Alice's pout was unbeatable, but Bella's won by a
landslide. Charlie sighed, once again, but in defeat."
"Oh, it's okay, baby girl. Just don't do it again." Charlie said, Isabella's smile growing with each continuing word.
"Thanks daddy, won't happen again!" she stated over her shoulder, her leopard and her already running off, "Oh, and welcome to Africa!" she yelled at us before disappearing behind the
house.
Alice and I both slowly turned to Charlie and Renee. I was sure we looked like fish with our mouths wide open like they were, but we simply couldn't help it. The weird, shy Isabella that
we were forced to visit as children had turned into a girl with a leopard as a pet who seemed to enjoy starting buffalo herd stampedes.
"You said 'again'..." Alice began in her high squeak of a voice, "Does...does that mean this happens often?" Her voice rose as she continued in her sentence, ending in a full-out squeak.
Charlie let out a low, amused chuckle.
"Define often." He began in a joking tone, "If you mean at least once a day, then yup, it definitely happens real often." She must be a true daredevil if she enjoys freaking out animals
three times her size to the point of a stampede. Either that or she was completely insane. I was betting on the first one, though, partially because she didn't look insane in the slightest
when she was running down that hill. Actually, the only word that could describe her when she was in that one moment was beautiful.
I was deep in thought about Isabella when I heard a small, low, cracking sound. Suddenly, a baby water buffalo came limping down the hill, making that awful sound. Charlie and Renee
immediately went into action. "Get the bandages and antiseptic," he barked out orders for Alice and I to follow as he and Renee raced over to the baby animal.
"Um... okay. Got it." I turned to Alice, "Um. Where exactly are the bandages and antiseptic?" I asked in an unsure tone. She looked at me like I was an idiot.
"Well, I don't know, Eddie." She started in a sarcastic tone, "Maybe, and I'm just spit-balling here, they're in the veterinary clinic." I stuck my tongue out at her. I know, I was mature. She
gave me a smirk and turned on her heel, running towards the clinic. I followed her in, racing in front of her.
"Antiseptic. Bandages. Antiseptic. Bandages." I repeated to myself, trying to ensure it was in my memory. We quickly opened the door to the back of the office and into the area where
they keep all the animals and equipment. I was surprised to see Isabella in the middle of the room, sitting on a diagnostic table, with Amira at her feet. She was holding a thick, large
book with a leather cover. She looked so deep in concentration, so deep in the world of her book. Her pet gave a low growl in greeting (At least, I hope it was in greeting.) as we entered
the room. Bella whipped her head up and gave a startled gasp, clutching her heart and nearly dropping her book in the process.
"Gosh, you scared me!" she exclaimed while catching her breath.
"Sorry, but your parents said we needed to get antiseptic and bandages. Like right now." I said in a small voice that I had almost never used before. It meant I was nervous and I knew
why. I was afraid I would mess up and look like an idiot in front of this beautiful, adventurous girl. I rubbed the back of my neck as Alice added on to my recent statement.
"Do you know where it is?" she asked in a friendly voice, smiling apologetically for interrupting her book. Bella immediately kicked in to vet-mode.
"Of course, what's wrong?" A crease formed in her brow as she gracefully dashed throughout the room, gathering the few supplies we needed and placing them in a plastic carrier. Amira
looked confused, her eyes following Bella as she gathered the items. She swiftly brought the container over to me. Our hands brushed as she swapped it into my hands. I could swear I
felt an electric pulse as we touched, almost like a shock, but not an unpleasant one.
"I think one of the baby buffaloes from that herd got left behind. It looked like its leg was hurt pretty bad." Her look of concern morphed into guilt and she raced swiftly out the door,
yelling for us to hurry up. Amira loyally followed next to her. Isabella made it to her parents and the animal long before we did, and had already assessed the injury when we arrived with
the supplies. The baby water buffalo was laying on it's side, breathing heavily out of its nostrils. It had a large cut on its front left leg and smaller ones all over the front half of its body.
She completely took over the creature's care, telling her parents they could go back to the clinic and look after the other animals and that she could take care of this one. They looked
slightly unsure, but still agreed and slowly walked back to their clinic.
Isabella's face turned completely caring and motherly when she looked back at the poor baby creature. She slowly stroked it's back, an area where there were no cuts, and whispered
softly to it in a melodic, soothing voice. She took one of the bandages and slowly soaked up blood that stained its fur. "Can one of you please bring me the antiseptic?" she asked with
the same comforting, musical voice that she was using to soothe the injured animal. I held the container out to Alice and she picked the plastic tube of antiseptic out of it, handing the
bottle to Isabella. She opened it with the swift care of a professional, and squeezed some onto her finger. She slowly rubbed some onto the large cut on the animal's leg, still whispering
soothing words to it. It's eyes went crazed and it began to move its legs the smallest amount, but Isabella's caring voice comforted it, and it slowly relaxed once again as she continued
to rub the antiseptic on the small cuts splattered on its coat. "Bandages now, please," she asked, finishing adding antiseptic to the last small laceration.
I handed her the gauze from the basket and she slowly wrapped them around the baby buffalo's leg, petting it's torn fur while she did. She wrapped it with quick, easy movement around
the leg, and finished in a matter of minutes. She grabbed a thick chuck of grass from nearby her and slowly stood up, waving it in front of the nostrils of the animal as she did. It slowly
unbent one leg, then the other, then the other, and it finally put pressure on its injured leg without wobbling. It followed her, as did me and Alice, as she slowly led it out to the stables
near the front of the mansion's grounds. She led it into the large, forest-green stable and Alice and I stared in awe at the amazing array of animals who housed it. There was even an
elephant with only one tusk near the middle of the stable.
Sometime during the time that I was completely zoned out from astonishment, Bella had led the baby into one of the many stalls and closed the door. She filled out a paper on the gate of
the stall with the food and treatment it should be given and laughed as she saw both of us staring at the elephant.
"His name is Benji." she said with a gorgeous white smile. I turned to her and realized that I was smiling too, probably like an idiot. Alice walked over to Benji to get a closer look.
"Benji the elephant, I like it." I joked. Isabella laughed out a gorgeous peal of bells, that was absoluely contagious. I chuckled.
"That was really impressive, by the way." I complimented truthfully. Though a better word would be astounding, entrancing, or absolutely amazing, but I figured that would sound... well...
a little creepy.
"Well thank you, but I had to help. It was my fault in the first place." she said, looking sadly at the ground near the end of her sentence.
"How was it your fault? I mean, sure, you started the stampede, but that had probably happened before it started." I said, feeling sad simply because she felt bad.
"No, those scratch marks were hoof marks. I would suppose that some of the herd went so crazy because of Amira and my yelling that they trampeled her while trying to get away." she
stated solemnly. I was amazed by her knowledge and just... her. I was simply amazed by her. She was beautiful smart, adventurous, and she cared. What more could she be? I had a
weird feeling that I would find out soon what else she could be... I just really hope that's a good feeling.
APOV:
FINALLY got this chapter! FINALLY got a new laptop. Sorry if it doesn't fit exactly with the other chapter. Its been so long since I wrote for this story, but I hope you like this chappie anyway! Thanks for reading! READ, REVIEW, AND FAVE PLEASE! THANKS!:)))