Return...
9: Doctor Arez When we arrived at a red house- which Fang claimed to be a doctor's office- I read a sign that said, "We do anything from cats to zombies-Doctor Arez", so I knew that Fang had been right. He always was. I got Fang to sit down in a pleasant little waiting room, which was a little low on patients. There was a cat boy sitting in a chair by Fang; he was reading Sharn's Werecat Weekly. I walked up to the reception desk, and returned to Fang with a form. "You'll have to fill it out," I said, trying not to sound too bossy. Fang looked at the paper, then at me, and said sheepishly, "I can't." "Why not?" "Because I can't read." I remembered that he had gone to collage for two years, so I knew that he must have forgotten over his time in the Dark Woods. I heaved a little sigh, slid down in to the chair nearest him, and read the form out to him. At least he answered every question promptly and clearly. He was a bit of a doof, but he had potential. (The following is a copy of the form, just for the best interests of those who read this recountance) Name: Silver Fang Human Name: Cody Ludwik Age: 1022 Height: 5'9'' Weight: 165 lbs. (last he checked, anyway) Type: Werewolf, Black Fury Occupation: Jack-the-Ripper (a long story, which, upon stating, Fang said he would explain another day) Blood type- O Injury- Two bites Once we had filled everything out, I went back up the reception desk and handed it back to the lady. She had cat-like look about her, also. We waited for only two minutes, when the door beside the front desk opened, and a young man stepped out. His hair was short and wavy; a golden colour. Although he wore glasses, they didn't hide how dark his eyes were. They were as black as death itself. He seemed friendly enough, but Fang didn't appear to like the doctor very much. I told him secretly not to get his fur ruffled about it, but Fang seemed to know something that I didn't. "Cody Lud-vik" The doctor called. Fang growled a little, narrowing his pale green eyes. "It's Ludwik," he corrected the doctor. Doctor Arez apologized and led us in to an examination room. The walls were all white and clean, just like a regular hospital in London. "So," Doctor Arez said, glancing at Fang, "You're a werewolf, huh?" "Yes, and you're a vampire," Fang said, rather defensively. The doctor looked up from the large old book that he was skimming and nodded. I stepped by Fang's side, and out of curiosity, I asked, "So, he's a vampire? Fang, how did you know that?" Fang touched his wound and replied, "My wolf senses. I can hear heartbeats, and his is slow. That means he's a little dead." I laughed, but when I saw that Fang was serious, I nodded soberly and sat down in corner chair. Fang glanced over at the solemn Doctor, who was still involved with the book, his dry lips moving with his slender fingers across the page. Had I not grown used to odd behavior, I would have considered the guy a freak. However, after three days (which were probably longer in my time) spent with Fang alone, I had grown used to odd things, new concepts, and being liked. Well, at least I suspected that Fang liked me. I sighed heavily. What a shame that I didn't like him back. "So, what attacked you, Cody?" Doctor Arez asked, breaking the silence. "Two Earth Guardians of the Tenth Kingdom," Fang said. The doctor nodded, but I didn't quite understand all this 'Kingdom' business; furthermore, why did Earth Guardians have to be enemies to werewolves? Why did I, a new Earth Guardian, have to be friends with a werewolf? A Black Fury, no less! The Doctor, once again, interrupted my thoughts. He laid down the book quietly, tilting his glasses toward the bridge of his nose. "I read somewhere that a Guardian's bite holds great magic in it," Arez told Fang, "Which is sufficient reason for why your wounds aren't healing properly." Fang nodded, unfazed by the gaping side wound. "And, please, call me Orcon. Sit on that table over there," Orcon instructed. Fang slid on to the table with ease. Orcon glanced around, rummaging through his many shelves of things, until he found a large needle containing purple liquid. He held it up triumphantly, smiling as he surveyed Fang's expression. "Are you giving me that?" Fang asked, dread in his voice. The doctor nodded, preparing the shot. "Yes, but it only feels like a bee sting. The plus side is that it removes the magic from you blood." I looked over to the wall, not wishing to see a needle sink in to flesh. It was over before one second's time, and Fang thanked Orcon. We headed out the door, Fang completely healed. We headed over to the reception desk, but when we got there, something rather odd happened. She gave us the bill, and I took the tab. However, upon trying to pay her in pound notes, the woman laughed and asked if I would stop kidding around with paper and give her real money. Baffled, I watched as Fang impatiently dropped some gold coins on to the desk. The woman thanked us and bade us good day. As we strode out, I glanced over at Fang, who was now in perfect health. "Fang," I asked, "Why don't they except pound notes in Sharn?" 'Sharn' was still difficult for me to say, because I couldn't pronounce R's very well. Well, can I help it? It's my English dialect, not some speech impediment, after all! Fang pulled out a real silver coin, smiling. "We use these," he informed me. "But- That's a silver coin!" I said, gazing at it. Fang chuckled, slipping it back in to his pocket. "Well, of course it is. What else would it be?" He said, almost mockingly. I shrugged, getting the urge to rip up my pound notes, since they wouldn't do any good in the Immortal realm. Fang continued, "We use silver, gold, and copper. What do you Mortals use?" I was a bit edged by him accusing me of still being a regular Mortal, but I sighed and said, "We mainly use notes-" Fang looked at me awkwardly, and for once I felt the satisfaction of knowing something that he didn't. I cleared my throat. "We use, erm...Paper..." I began, unsure of how to describe something, for once. Fang burst out laughing, his stormy eyes searching my face. "Y-You're joking, right?" I crossed my arms, growing rather defensive. "Yes, we do. And it's a lot more sensible and lightweight than a bunch of...Precious metals!" Fang was still laughing. "Forget the metals; you're precious, luv. This, right here, is classic!" I glowered, having a strong urge to turn away from him, but I knew that he intended well. Sighing, I lowered my head. "Fine, you win; silver and gold are probably more valuable than banknotes, anyway," I murmured, defeated. Fang stood up, still grinning. "Besides, we use coins, too; not so much these days, because they aren't as valuable, but..." "Forget about it, Fuzzy." Fang said, smiling his boyish smile. I gave in, shrugging and sweeping my blonde bangs back. We walked on, autumn leaves sweeping over the street ahead of us. I realised two things then; the first, that autumn was approaching on rapid feet-- and second, that we hadn't eaten yet. After all that had happened in one day, it seemed like a good idea. I looked over toward Fang, who was observing the distant outskirts of Sharn. "Fang, you know, we never really got to eat," I said. Fang nodded, licking his lips with a kitten-like tongue. "I know what you mean," he agreed, "I know a great pub near here." I didn't bother to ask whether or not it was within the boundaries of Sharn; until this day, when I reflect upon it, I think that on the whole it would have been a good idea.
