Chapter Eighteen.

I don't own Neopets. Tamara and all them are mine.

Dilasca
Chapter Eighteen

"What do you mean I can't put her through the Battledome?" I winced when I heard the Neo-Master yell from out in the waiting room.

I had elected to stay behind in the OR and watch over the Ixi. Mom had no idea what my plan was.

I had seen the Neo-Master and I knew what kind of Master he was. The kind of Master that pushed his neopets passed their limits. Nothing but the best, was his philosophy.

This Ixi was still unconscious. Her left, hind hoof was wrapped in a compressive support bandage and elevated on a thick pillow. An oxy mask stretched tight over her muzzle.

I sat hunched over in my chair; eyes on the senseless, deer-like creature. My attempts at blocking out the screaming Master was almost impossible. I could barely hear my Mom, two assistant vets, and Kama trying to explain that the fracture would only get worse if the Master forced her to fight again.

"Listen you!" I could almost see the Master point a finger in Mom's face. "That's my Ixi you're talking about! My property! I found her! I raised her! I trained her! I can do what I like with her!"

"No you can't." I smiled when I heard Danica—Mom's oldest and most trusted assistant—speak up. "That's animal cruelty. This isn't just an object that you can buy and sell. These are sentient beings; able to understand what's happening."

That gave me an idea. But, I wanted to get permission from one person.

Okay, so he's not exactly a person.

I crouched behind the counter near Fangore and told him my idea. Granted, it meant bending (or breaking) my morals a little. Not to mention, trespassing in on someone else's mind.

"So, what do you think? Should I commune with her?" I asked.

"Mistress, I have nothing against sharing you with another neopet. If anything, I'm proud of you. But, don't you think you'll be stretching your luck a little?" Fangore warned.

"Maybe a little." I said, reluctantly. "But, she's being mistreated. Can't you hear what that Master is saying? He doesn't care about her! He only cares about winning!" I cupped my Lupe's face with my hands. "I want to set her free. I can provide her a better home than that."

Fangore pawed at my arm; whimpering because my hold was too tight. I felt bands on my own jaws tighten and my grip slackened.

"I know you can, Mistress and I'm not saying you can't. What I am saying is, I don't think the Master will be willing to let her go just yet."

My back thumped against a steel-gray filing cabinet in frustration. Then, I brightened. "What if I offered to train her? Do you think he'll let me then?"

Fangore's paws moved in and his shoulder's raised in what was a passable shrug. "Possibly, Mistress." He said. "But, keep in mine that you aren't really a Trainer yet. Granted you are gifted, but I don't know if he'll let it go so easily."

"I'll just have to push until he agrees." I said. I can be very convincing.

I took Fangore into the OR to show him what I was talking about. The red Lupe whimpered when he saw the mistreatment of the Ixi displayed right there in the room before him. I retook my hunched position in the chair I had occupied earlier and watched Fangore. He had raised himself onto his back paws and was staring down at the Ixi.

"GET THAT LUPE WAY FROM MY IXI!" The Master screamed at me.

I didn't look up but called Fangore over and asked him to lay down by my chair. I watched the Master, balefully, through my long bangs while he checked on his Ixi.

Then, he turned to Mom.

"Is there any way to speed up her recovery?"

I admired Mom for her ability to stand up to bullies. It kind of helped that she was backed by Danica, Dashielle and Kama.

Danica (Dani as everyone liked to call her) had nothing worth looking at. She was completely common-looking with her short, dark brown hair—tipped blonde—and her greenish-blue eyes. She was rather robust though (she had to be considering her position as Assitant Vet). And, her major ability was to stare people down.

Dashielle (better known as Dash) was better looking than his female counterpart. His skin was dark brown with several black holes and a few scars lining the muscular exterior of his arms. His body was thick, too and he was only a few years older than me. He had worked a couple of years as an intern under Mom's instruction but soon became an Assitant too.

Kama, on the other hand, was my age. Tan skin, green eyes, brown hair (the color changed everytime I saw her). She had been looking for a job for some time before Mom finally offered her a Billing and Coding job at the clinic.

"Fractures need time to heal. Especially for an Ixi. Then, there's the weeks of rehab and some proper training. It will take time. She probably won't be well enough for the next competition." Mom said, drawing me out of my revere.

The Master's face was beet-red and his green-blue eyes were dark and savage with anger. "Unacceptable. Besides, how am I to find a Trainer to commit to the proper training?"

"They're a lot more common than you think." Danica said, checking the Ixi's vitals. Then, she waved to me. "Take Tamara for example. She's becoming a Trainer herself."

"Danica!" I hissed.

The Master rounded on me, just as I knew he would. For a moment, I wished Danica hadn't brought attention to me. "Can you train my Ixi? Get her ready for next year's competition?"

"I can train her but I can't guarantee she'll be as good as you want her to be." I said. "And, like Mom said, fractures are dangerous. It'll take a lot longer for me to teach her."

"But, you can make her better." I was right about the Master. He didn't care about her. Only about winning.

I shrugged, then shook my head. "Probably not. You'll endup with a losing Ixi because she won't be able to rotate properly on that hoof."

The Master was silent. He was watching me very closely. Watching my expression. Watching my eyes. Looking for anything that would tell him I was lying.

Then, he spoke. "Kill her."

"What?" Mom was mortified. We had just spent almost an hour in the ER trying to reset the fracture. She couldn't believe that someone had just ordered her to commit a dirty deed.

"I can't have a useless Ixi weighing me down. Kill her." The Master said again.

I rose from my chair; hard-faced and determined. I placed myself between the man and my patient. "There are easier ways than killing a poor defenseless Ixi." I said. "If you'd like. I'll take her off your hands."

"You!" He scoffed. "A pitiful, useless whelp? Why should I let you have her?"

"My daughter is not useless and she's not a whelp." Mom thundered.

"I'm willing to buy her off of you." I offered, cutting passed Mom's outrage.

"You know what? Just take her. An Ixi is no use to me either way." The Master stormed out of the room and I knelt by my new Ixi's head; stroking her between the tattered pink ears, and tiny black horns surmounting her head.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you. My little Dilasca." I whispered.

I spent several weeks after that working to make it up to Mom. She was glad I had followed my heart but had me pulling double duties to pay off medical bills

In the evenings, I took up any extra chores I could see. Often relieving Codax of his dish nights. At night, I would sit up in bed and read training guides or rehabilitation for teaching an Ixi. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was in the wrong. I had no idea what the NTL would say.

"Eh." I said to myself. "I don't care."