said you also have a ferret, but the little critter I just noticed in the sitting room didn’t look like a ferret to me. For a moment I thought maybe Razor had a kitten, but I must be wrong.”
“What?” Gabi asked around a faceful of cat fur.
“Uh, yeah, there’s a critter of some kind running around the sitting room. My sense of smell is really good now, and I can smell it, but I can’t identify it. Razor was in the room with it when I came through. Maybe he’s caught a rat or something.” He looked and sounded a lot less anxious now that Gabi had Razor under control.
“Oh, Lord and Lady. Will this day never end?” She closed her eyes and prayed for strength. “Stay in the kitchen while I check it out. In fact, you might as well put on the coffee maker before I fall asleep walking,” she told Derek and, still lugging Razor in her arms, went to find her new house guest.
The critter was under the dining table, a little unsure of itself, until Razor began to purr. His purr rivalled a twelve-cylinder engine and vibrated through most of the house. The little animal instantly came out of hiding and tentatively made its way over to them. Gabi set the purring cat on the floor with a small thud, and the tiny animal ran directly up to him and buried itself in his long fur. Razor looked at her archly, as though daring her to object, and set to washing the little tyke with his long pink tongue.
“ Raz ,” she groused, shaking her head, “what are you doing with a baby squirrel?”
His thoughts came through unusually clearly as he stared at her unblinkingly.
“It’s a squirrel?” Derek asked from a safe distance.
“Yep,” Gabi confirmed, “ Raz apparently thinks that if I can get a new pet, so can he.” She left the two of them snuggling in the sitting room and returned to the kitchen to pour two cups of coffee. Derek accepted his with a tired nod and collapsed onto a barstool at the counter.
“Does he do this kind of thing regularly?” he asked.
“He was wonderful with Slinky, though I brought Slinks in,” she mused. “He’s never gone out and brought something home himself. If my identification is right, that’s a red squirrel, no more than three or four weeks old. He showed me a visual of a hawk hovering and the squirrel on the ground by itself, so I’m assuming it’s an orphan.” As though the mention of his name had magical properties, Slinky suddenly poked his pointed little snout around the corner of the kitchen entrance.
“Ah,” Gabi said with a tired smile. “Hello, Slinks, come here and prove that not all my pets are raging monsters.” She gathered the squirming ferret up and set him on the counter.
Derek held quite still as the inquisitive animal shuffled across the counter and gave him a quick once-over before galloping back to Gabi. She picked him up again, and he promptly climbed onto her shoulder, wound his way around her neck, and closed his eyes.
“So it’s not just at work, then,” Derek said. “Animals everywhere worship you like a goddess.”
Gabi’s lips twisted wryly. “Some days I could do without the added responsibility,” she said with a huge yawn. “Go grab your shower. I need to check if the kit needs some fluids. It’ll have to wait a few hours for a feed. Russell is a regular wildlife rehabber,” Derek knew Russell as Gabi’s regular on-set assistant, “hopefully he’ll know what to feed it.”
The third time the annoying scrabbling at her ear roused her, Gabi gave up the fight to get back to sleep and peeled her eyelids open. For a confused minute she tried to work out why Slinky would be trying to wake her up. And then a small, russet tail, somewhat resembling an overused bottlebrush, swooped across her nose, and she felt the tiniest of paws press against her cheek. She sighed. Apparently it was ‘feed the baby squirrel’ time. Razor heard the sigh and padded up from
“What?” Gabi asked around a faceful of cat fur.
“Uh, yeah, there’s a critter of some kind running around the sitting room. My sense of smell is really good now, and I can smell it, but I can’t identify it. Razor was in the room with it when I came through. Maybe he’s caught a rat or something.” He looked and sounded a lot less anxious now that Gabi had Razor under control.
“Oh, Lord and Lady. Will this day never end?” She closed her eyes and prayed for strength. “Stay in the kitchen while I check it out. In fact, you might as well put on the coffee maker before I fall asleep walking,” she told Derek and, still lugging Razor in her arms, went to find her new house guest.
The critter was under the dining table, a little unsure of itself, until Razor began to purr. His purr rivalled a twelve-cylinder engine and vibrated through most of the house. The little animal instantly came out of hiding and tentatively made its way over to them. Gabi set the purring cat on the floor with a small thud, and the tiny animal ran directly up to him and buried itself in his long fur. Razor looked at her archly, as though daring her to object, and set to washing the little tyke with his long pink tongue.
“ Raz ,” she groused, shaking her head, “what are you doing with a baby squirrel?”
His thoughts came through unusually clearly as he stared at her unblinkingly.
“It’s a squirrel?” Derek asked from a safe distance.
“Yep,” Gabi confirmed, “ Raz apparently thinks that if I can get a new pet, so can he.” She left the two of them snuggling in the sitting room and returned to the kitchen to pour two cups of coffee. Derek accepted his with a tired nod and collapsed onto a barstool at the counter.
“Does he do this kind of thing regularly?” he asked.
“He was wonderful with Slinky, though I brought Slinks in,” she mused. “He’s never gone out and brought something home himself. If my identification is right, that’s a red squirrel, no more than three or four weeks old. He showed me a visual of a hawk hovering and the squirrel on the ground by itself, so I’m assuming it’s an orphan.” As though the mention of his name had magical properties, Slinky suddenly poked his pointed little snout around the corner of the kitchen entrance.
“Ah,” Gabi said with a tired smile. “Hello, Slinks, come here and prove that not all my pets are raging monsters.” She gathered the squirming ferret up and set him on the counter.
Derek held quite still as the inquisitive animal shuffled across the counter and gave him a quick once-over before galloping back to Gabi. She picked him up again, and he promptly climbed onto her shoulder, wound his way around her neck, and closed his eyes.
“So it’s not just at work, then,” Derek said. “Animals everywhere worship you like a goddess.”
Gabi’s lips twisted wryly. “Some days I could do without the added responsibility,” she said with a huge yawn. “Go grab your shower. I need to check if the kit needs some fluids. It’ll have to wait a few hours for a feed. Russell is a regular wildlife rehabber,” Derek knew Russell as Gabi’s regular on-set assistant, “hopefully he’ll know what to feed it.”
The third time the annoying scrabbling at her ear roused her, Gabi gave up the fight to get back to sleep and peeled her eyelids open. For a confused minute she tried to work out why Slinky would be trying to wake her up. And then a small, russet tail, somewhat resembling an overused bottlebrush, swooped across her nose, and she felt the tiniest of paws press against her cheek. She sighed. Apparently it was ‘feed the baby squirrel’ time. Razor heard the sigh and padded up from
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