The Pet Protector's Pet

Lucy Lee, 24 years old, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, straight out of university and ready for anything life would throw at her. Ever since she was young she had always known that the thing she wanted to do most in this world was to look after animals. After all, they were sweet and pure souls that had to be loved and protected at all costs! To achieve her dream, she had worked incredibly hard throughout school, graduated university, gotten into to veterinary school and was consistently a high achiever. Even if she felt a little vain to admit it, she was actually quite proud of herself. If she kept this up, she might even be able to achieve her lifelong dream of opening up an animal sanctuary someday - a place where animals could live out their lives in peace and protection - a haven of sorts. Gah, that would be truly wonderful ~ She could almost see it - that picture perfect future where all the animals are happy and taken care of. With horses frol.i.c.k.i.n.g in the fields and cows grazing on the grass under a shady tree-

"Lucy, the scalpel, please."

"Lucy?"

"LUCY!" Called the surgeon in an impatient voice.

"Oops sorry!" She replied frantically, stumbling to grab the required apparatus. She was caught daydreaming yet again! It was truly a bad habit of hers that she desperately needed to stop. Animals had always been her weakness. She was currently undertaking a pre-clinical placement and was assisting the surgeon with performing an operation on a dog who unfortunately ate something it shouldn't have. Huhu this whole situation reminds me of a time when my dog did the same thing when he was a puppy...

"LUCY!" Oh no, it happened again...

***

Before she knew it, another tiring yet rewarding day had gone by. They had successfully removed the foreign object from the dog's stomach and the d.o.g.g.y was now doing well. Knowing that she had in some way helped, even if it was a tiny bit, filled her with immense pride. She'd had been walking for the past 15 minutes, the sun had since set and it wasn't long before she had reached her apartment. Greeting her at the door was her most treasured being in the world - not a husband nor boyfriend, but her beloved bloodhound Bernard. With his droopy eyes, floppy ears and wrinkly face, how could you not come to love him? In her opinion, he was the cutest dog in the entire world by far! Although, that's probably what all pet owners would say about their own pet! She couldn't imagine life without him. They had been together through thick and thin and he had been there to comfort her through some of the most challenging times of her life. Although, after eating dinner alone every night, she had to admit that it got a little lonely at times. She had dedicated herself 110% to her studies and admittedly neglected her appearance, though in her opinion, she had a great personality so she had no idea what was keeping her romantic candidates away. Perhaps it was her social awkwardness or her inability to hold a normal conversation for more than a few seconds? Whatever it was, it made it difficult watching all of her friends get married and eventually forgetting about her. Never being the one to catch the bouquet at the wedding or having your relatives give up on asking you: "when are you going to get married?" or "when am I going to have grandchildren?" takes an emotional toll you know! All of those lovely-dovey couples holding hands and kissing in the park didn't help either! Well, whatever! She had Bernard and that's all that mattered...right?

Besides, animals are so much more better than people, she sulked. They'll never abandon you, they'll love you unconditionally and most of all, they possess a special ability to make you feel better no matter what! That's why, I, Lucy Lee, promise to dedicate my life to doing my best to help and protect these beautiful creatures! And with that sentiment of the way, she collapsed into her bed, letting the day's exhaustion wash over her as she sunk further and further into the depths of her unconsciousness.

Little did she know, she had unwittingly entered an unbreakable pledge with a certain god...