Truescent Wrongscent
by Amanda Helms
Eliose's truescent is all wrong as she scruffs my ears and her lips turn up in a smile. I roll onto my back, careful not to jostle her in the bed. She rubs my belly, and starts to rasp what a good girl I am. But the words devolve into a coughing fit.
The door creaks as Simon comes in. He swipes down to shoo me off.
"Leave her, Simon," Eloise says between coughs. "I like having her here."
"The fur, though." Simon eases himself beside Eloise and rubs her back. Eloise's eyes drift to me and I thump my tail.
"It doesn't bother me."
But she breaks into another coughing fit.
Frowning, Simon says, "I think we'd better make an appointment with Dr. Pringh."
Eloise inhales. A coughing fit overtakes her, loud, hacking coughs that draw back my ears. I smell blood.
"I'm fine," she says.
She's not. Her truescent is wrong. I whine.
"Eloise." Simon's truescent is full of fear. Eloise doesn't say anything. "I'm calling the doctor." Simon leaves before Eloise can reply. He's gone less than a minute, and I'm back on the bed. At the foot, where I know I won't hurt her, and from there I crawl to Eloise. She rubs my ears and her eyes close. I smell salt as water leaks from them. "Good girl, Luna. Good girl."
My tail wags so hard it makes Eloise chuckle, but not so much that she coughs. That makes me feel good because the water stops. I wag harder. "Careful, girl, or you'll wag your tail off."
I scramble to lick her on the nose, and some of the trails of wet on her face, and she lets me.
Eloise and Simon are gone all the next day. I wait for them by the front door until a pressing need sends me through my own door and outside. Then I'm back in, but rather than sitting by the front door again, I follow the path of a patch of sunshine. It warms my bones. I feel a little less lonely. My eyes close and I sleep.
The patch of sunlight is gone when I wake to the sound of the garage door opening. My tail is wagging again. I still it for a moment, remembering Eloise's warning, but I have to wag. I find my fuzzy spider and hold it, squeak squeak squeak while footsteps come up the stairs from the garage.
Only one set. One heavy set.
