It took almost a year for the Valley of Peace to complete reconstruction, and Milu was immensely proud to say he had done all he could to help. When he wasn't helping injured or sick patients, he did a lot of heavy lifting. And there was no shortage of a need for heavy lifters.

After the majority of reconstruction had been completed, Milu trudged back up the absolutely endless amount of stairs back to the Jade Palace. His muscles were constantly sore now, and this trek was no help.

He began tiredly fantasizing about suggesting a lift system to Shifu. He'd seen it in India and Nepal: a platform was hoisted up or down by workers on both ends using strong ropes and pulleys, and creatures were able to bypass taking the stairs. It would make the trek more bearable.

Milu was used to long hikes, though. That was how he got around as a traveling doctor, most of the time. If he wasn't able to hitch a ride with a caravan, he would simply tie his things in a bundle and walk.

The elk thought back to Russia. Most of Moscow- where he had lived his entire life until the day he left to become a traveling doctor- wasn't nearly as steep as the mountains he'd encountered on his journey.

Russia was a lot colder than China. Even in the summer, the nights could get chilly. But Milu wouldn't know, he thought with a sad smile. In Russia, he always had Elena to keep him warm. He had been gone for almost two years now, but he regularly sent money and letters back to her. In his letters, he always wrote about the things he saw, who he met, and what the cities and countrysides throughout Asia were like. Along with the money and letters, he would send trinkets and small souvenirs he found. If he saw a particularly beautiful dress or a fun-looking doll, he would send it back.

He smiled as he imagined her and their new daughter, Klara, sitting by a fire, reading his letters, inspecting his gifts, and counting the money. Klara was several months old when Milu left to become a traveling doctor. He didn't want to leave at that point, but money was tight. He had somberly done the calculations and realized that it would be easier if he traveled and sent the money back to Elena.

Sometimes, he would be lucky and receive a letter from Elena. She would talk about how much she missed him. How she wished he would come home. How Klara would proclaim "Where's Daddy?" Milu always held those letters close to his chest. One day, he silently promised, he would come back, and he would hold his daughter close. He would kiss his wife again. Milu would find a way to make enough money for them to survive in Moscow, and he would never have to leave them again.

He finally made it back to the Jade Palace. The journey up the stairs had been made easier as he thought about his family back at home. Milu entered the infirmary with a slow sigh. Another day finished. Tomorrow, more heavy lifting and patient curing awaited. He shed his outer layers and plopped onto his bed with a grunt. He stared at his nightstand, where Elena's letters and a small painted portrait of her rested.

{As soon as I am finished here, I will buy a wagon.} Milu thought to himself as his mind became foggy. His eyes drifted shut. {I will go back to Moscow. And I will never leave you again, my love.}

The next morning, Milu dragged himself to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. Today would, yet again, bring more labor, so he made sure to grab some food. As he rifled through the pantry, a duck, one of the palace attendants, waddled in.

"Dr. Milu, sir, you have a letter."

Milu took the letter, and immediately he recognized Elena's handwriting on the envelope. His heart fluttered and, after quickly thanking the goose, hurried back to his room to read the contents. As he ran back, he imagined what was inside. His mind raced, and, returning to his room, he tore open the envelope and quickly began reading the letter from his beloved.

"Milu,

I am sorry, but I don't know how else to say this. But over these past few years, food has become more scarce and it has become harder to live in the city. I can hardly feed myself and Klara with the money you send.

Another man has begun courting me in your absence. I have been faithfully turning down his advances, but, as the famine rages, he has continuously provided me and Klara with food. As the months have gone on and no sign of an end to the famine, or your return, I could not afford to turn him down any longer. Klara and I will be moving in with him soon so that he can continue to provide for us.

I will always see you as my first love, but love will not put food on the table for Klara and me. I have spoken with the priest to finalize the divorce in your absence. I wish you well in all of your travels.

Goodbye,

Elena."

Milu couldn't believe what he was reading. Was she serious? Was this some kind of prank? This could not be real. His breathing quickened as his mind blanked. His eyes scanned the letter again. He flipped it over, but there was nothing. All that was written was what he had just read.

"Oh no, no, please." He whimpered, standing and pacing. He began hyperventilating, running his hooves nervously through his fur. "Elena," he stared at the letter, tears wetting his cheeks.

A famine?! Milu panicked, grabbing the nightstand for support. Klara was hungry, Elena might be starving! And here he was, wandering around Asia as a traveling doctor. Questions raced in his head "What have I done?!" He bellowed. "This can't be real!" He cried, his eyes wide.

Milu continued to pace, to panic, to plead. He ran to his desk and began hastily scribbling out a letter to send back. But his hooves were shaky, and his mind raced too fast for him to write down anything legible.

It wasn't until an hour and many crumbled letters later that Milu's tears finally ran out and he flopped, face down, onto his bed with a ragged sigh. {It wouldn't matter,} he thought sadly to himself. It probably took at least two months for that letter to reach him. Elena and Klara were probably already moved in with this…this stranger! Milu grabbed the letter and reread it for the fiftieth time.

His hooves tightened around the letter and his nostrils flared in anger. Elena was sleeping in the same bed as a stranger! She had chosen another over him! Milu's teeth ground together in fury. He threw the letter aside with so much force it almost ripped.

A scream of fury unleashed itself from Milu's throat, and he slammed his hooves down on his bed, his desk, his nightstand, and anything in range. "I DID IT FOR US!" He bugled. "I LEFT FOR US!" He punched the mattress on his bed. "I NEVER WANTED TO LEAVE!" Milu bellowed in anger, grabbing a pillow. "AND YOU SLEEP WITH-" he was about to throw the pillow when he saw someone in the doorway.

Viper, her eyes wide with shock, sat coiled in the doorway. "Milu," her voice was gentle, "what's going on?"

Milu visibly deflated. The pillow fell out of his grip. He had been so loud that Viper had probably heard him and came to investigate. Or maybe she was wondering why he hadn't come down to help with rebuilding. It didn't matter to Milu, though. He collapsed onto the floor, sitting on his butt. Viper cautiously approached. Milu half-heartedly laid the tear-stained letter on the floor in front of her. She slithered up and began reading while Milu stared blankly ahead into middle space, his eyes half-lidded with exhaustion.

Viper gasped quietly when she finished reading. "Oh no, Milu," she stared sadly up at him. "I'm so sorry," she spoke softly.

Milu was quiet for a moment, his head beginning to hang. "Thanks." He huffed.

Viper's face scrunched as she began to think. "I know," she gently nudged him with her tail, "how about we get some food? Have you eaten today?"

Milu gestured to the food he'd taken from the kitchen almost two hours ago. "'m not hungry." He grumbled. "I'm thirsty. Where's Shifu keeping his wine? Or sake?"

To say Viper was shocked wouldn't be entirely untrue. But she frowned, "I don't think drinking will-"

"I know he has some." Milu pushed himself to his feet, "I'll find it." He stepped over Viper and stomped to the kitchen- an elk on a mission.

Milu tore through the kitchen and the pantry, searching for anything with any sort of alcoholic content. Anything to take away the pang in his chest.

When he had searched for thirty minutes and turned up dry, Milu huffed in defeat. He turned and saw Viper staring sadly at him. He stared back, not knowing what to say. What were you supposed to say when your wife not only divorces you via a letter but also admits to sleeping with, or planning to sleep with, another man?

Milu sighed in defeat. "Whatever." He sorrowfully strode back to the infirmary, his head hanging. He stood in the doorway of the medical wing. How were you supposed to cure a broken heart? That's the one thing he didn't know how to fix.

When Milu lay down in his bed, he didn't get up. The light outside the window changed from the bright white of day to the golden hours of dusk, then to the inky black of night. Soon, the rosy pink of dawn lit up his room. White day, golden dusk, black night, pink dawn, one right after the other.

The colors filtered through his room, one after the other, an endless and cruel cycle. White, golden, black, pink, white golden black pink white goldenblackpinkwhitegoldenblackpink over and over and over and over.

Milu's fur grew dirty and matty. His eyes sunk in and his room, once pristine, became dusty and cluttered.

Patients knocked on the door of the infirmary, "Dr. Milu, I think I pulled something in my arm. I think I broke something. My head hurts. I've been having nightmares." They would all say. All different stories. Milu, without even leaving his bed, would shout some instructions,

"Rest your arm. Put it in a splint and a sling. Go eat something and lay down. Drink some lavender tea." He didn't even open the door for the patients. He never opened the door save to trudge to the kitchen for a cracker or two. All of the work he had done was for Elena and Klara. Now, there was no point in working if there was no one to work for.

Golden, black, pink, white, golden, black, pink, sorrow, loneliness, depression, worthlessness. A cycle that was endless as the rising of the sun.

Nearly two months after Milu received the letter, he heard screams outside the infirmary. He was startled out of his bed with a grunt. The infirmary door opened, and someone called his name, "Dr. Milu! Please! We need help!"

Milu stumbled out into the medical wing, staring in shock as three wolves dragged in Shui, the wolf pack's leader. The silver wolf was groaning in pain, clutching her pregnant stomach. The three wolves carrying Shui stared at Milu in shock- his dirty, matted fur and sunken eyes didn't look very much like a Palace doctor.

"Her baby-!" The brown wolf barked first. His depression taking the back burner as his medical training took over, Milu hurried over to the wash basin as the wolves heaved Shui onto a bed.

"Somebody get me two towels, one wet and one dry, and a stick for her to bite down on!" He snorted at the wolves, running his hooves through the running water. With wide eyes, the wolves scrambled out of the infirmary.

"Please- it hurts!" Shui clutched the bed. Milu gently spread Shui's knees and, grabbing a blanket from the next bed, wiped away some of her sweat.

"I know." He spoke professionally. "It's painful. But it's only for a few hours." Milu had delivered babies before, so he wasn't entirely out of his element. He'd never delivered a wolf, but he imagined it wasn't as different from others.

Shui's labor took hours. At some point, Viper had joined Milu in the medical wing in place of the three wolves who'd brought Shui in the first place. He didn't mind the replacement, as Viper worked just as quickly and tirelessly.

Soon, it was time to deliver the baby. "Viper," Milu ordered, "get me more towels. And a stick or pole or something for Shui. This will hurt her!" He dismissed the snake, and she quickly slithered out of the wing. Milu thought he saw people gathered outside, but Viper quickly shut the door behind her.

"I need you to breathe for me," Milu ordered Shui, who was beginning to grow faint from hours of pain. The wolf took a few shaky breaths. When Viper returned with several towels and a long metal pole in her coils, Milu took one of Shui's shaking paws in his hoof. "Ready, Shui? It's almost time to push."

Shui shook her head with a sob, "I can't! I want Alpha! I can't do this." She cried, trying to thrash in pain on the bed. Viper looked on solemnly. Milu frowned,

"I know you can!" He huffed, staring at her with determination. "Viper," he turned, "get her that pole." Viper gently eased the pole near Shui's mouth, and the wolf eagerly bit down on it. "Take a deep breath," Milu instructed, "now push!"

It wasn't long before Milu began to see the crown of the young pup. "Viper! Ready the towels! Shui, keep pushing, you're almost there!"

With another strong push, the head of the puppy was free. Milu took the pup's head and pulled gently. With a shriek of pain through the pole, Shui pushed while Milu pulled. Viper used her tail to soothingly stroke Shui's paw, and in her coils, she held a sprig of lavender. After a final scream and great push, the pup fell into Milu's hooves in a pool of blood and amniotic fluids.

Suddenly free from the pain, Shui collapsed onto the bed, almost immediately fainting from the pain. But Milu's focus wasn't on her. The pup lay limp in his hooves, not breathing. With a gasp of horror, he began hitting the pup on its back and rubbing its back and chest.

Viper gasped as she placed a damp towel on Shui's forehead, who was now bordering on unconsciousness, "Is it breathing?" She whispered. Milu shook his head 'no' as he continued to shake and rub the puppy's back and chest. "Let me see." Viper slithered over. Milu stared at her incredulously. "Please!" Viper opened her coils.

Milu handed the pup over, and Viper gently put her tail in the pup's mouth. The pup gagged and some amniotic fluid spilled out of its mouth. A cry followed, high-pitched and squealing. The pup inhaled and exhaled another howl. Milu, with an exhausted smile, hung his head.

The pup had lived. Milu gently shook Shui's shoulder, who mumbled, "Is it ok?" Milu quietly affirmed, and Viper handed the pup over to the tired new mother. "Oh, hah," Shui took the pup with a quiet laugh, "my baby."

The pup began to nurse while Shui, exhausted, sang a wolf lullaby unfamiliar to both Milu and Viper. Milu took several steps away and sat down on the foot of the next bed. Blood covered his hooves, which he haphazardly wiped on the bedsheet. Oh well, he'd get it washed later.

Viper joined him on the bed, staring, tiredly at the new mother and baby. As Milu watched, he thought of Klara's birth, which he'd also helped with. He felt the sorrow return, and he frowned. Viper, sensing his sadness, gently nudged him with her tail,

"That was amazing, how you helped her." She spoke quietly, too quietly for the two wolves to hear. With a half-hearted smile, Milu thanked her. "I've really-" Viper quickly stopped herself, "We've really missed seeing you around the village."

Milu wasn't stupid though. He caught her mistake, but he didn't visibly react. Viper continued hesitantly.

"You're an amazing doctor. We could really continue using your help in the Palace and the Village." She stared at him, her blue eyes shining. Milu glanced at her.

"I'll think about it." He murmured, moving his gaze back to Shui and her pup.

"Please do." Viper smiled softly, slithering off the bed. "I'm going to bed. Thank you for letting me help."

"Of course." Milu watched as she slithered out. Milu suddenly yawned and felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. It was nighttime already. Milu, to his surprise, was shocked at how fast time went by when he wasn't laying in bed.

Milu stood and walked over to Shui, "I am going to turn in for the night. I will be in the next room, so just shout if you need me." He removed the towel from her forehead and gave her a clean one.

"Thank you, Doctor." Shui's tail wagged sleepily.

When he finally retired back to his room, he cringed at the sight of it. Crumbs littered the bed from an endless amount of crackers. His nightstand was cluttered and his desk was crowded. He sighed. He couldn't even imagine how he looked, having not brushed his fur in months and using a rag to clean the dirtiest parts of him.

Milu swept the crumbs off his bed and collapsed in exhaustion. He heard the coos of Shui's child from the next room, and he smiled for the first time in two months.

Tomorrow everyone would come to see the new baby if Shui willed it. Maybe tomorrow he would clean himself in a bath. He wondered if he would see Viper tomorrow.

The thought of what would come was exhausting, and Milu yawned again. He'd worry about it all tomorrow.