Find those puppies!

Spoiler:

Kiersa looked out the window as the train sped through the country side, her hand rubbing her left thigh where her new guild mark was. It was hard to believe still that she was now actually part of a Wizard’s Guild. And not just any guild, but Sabertooth, one of the top guilds in Fiore. But of course, even though she was now training alongside Aayla to get stronger, there was still now the small matter of… paying for living accommodations. Something the nun was completely new to. Thank the Maker she wasn't taken in by some unscrupulous persons who would have taken advantage of her naivety and charged outrageous prices... at least she thought she hadn't been...

In either case, she’d taken on a few jobs, the first of which took her to Magnolia Town. When the train arrived and she got off, she found herself looking around the grand sights and sounds of this bustling city. “I wonder why it’s called a town when it’s a city…” she pondered before shrugging and beginning to follow the directions towards the shop in question that had sent the request.

She wandered around the city, frowning as she tried to follow the directions given on the map before sighing as she spotted the date in the bottom corner. “Maker preserve me… it’s out of date…” said the nun before looking around at the multitude of people bustling by. “I’m sure someone can give directions.” She said before attempting to do just that. “Um, excuse me miss-“

“Sorry, ain’t got any jewels for charity today.” Kiersa blinked as the woman walked off before she could even reply. “Okay… Um, excuse me sir-“

“Beat it kid. I’m busy.” Once more the nun found herself stunned by the behaviour of the people in this city. Shaking her head to clear her mind of despair, she tried several more times to get directions… only to be met with the same results each time. The young nun found herself sitting down on a bench by a fountain, and sighed as she rested her head in her hands, her elbows leaning on her knees. “What am I going to do?” she asked aloud before kneeling in prayer. “Maker… Please… send a sign…”

Bark!

Bark!

Bark!

Kiersa blinked as she felt something licking her robes where she knelt. She opened her eyes and there in front of her was one of the puppies she had accepted the job of finding! “Hello little one.” She said softly as she held out a hand to the little pup, giggling softly as its tongue tickled her fingers. The nun scratched the pup behind its ears and then looked into its soft little eyes. “Do you know where your home is? I’m afraid I’m a little lost.” She admitted to the animal, who tilted their head at her for a moment before yipping and bouncing off.

The nun blinked before running after the puppy. “Wait up! I’ve only got two feet!” She raced after the puppy as it took corner after corner, skirting through several alleyways until eventually they arrived at a simple looking building with a giant bone shaped sign out front.

Collecting the puppy and holding it in her arms, she went inside the shop, a small bell tinkling as the door opened. “Um… hello?” she called out, eyeing up the variety of animals on sale in the store. There were kittens, snakes, mice, rats, gerbils, turtles, fish, rabbits… at this point the nun went over to pet them whilst still carrying the puppy. “Can I help you miss?” came a woman’s voice from behind her, causing her to accidentally drop the puppy into the rabbit’s enclosure. “Oh no! I am so sorry!” exclaimed Kiersa as the puppy proceeded to try and play with the rabbits, who of course were having none of it and were just trying to escape what they considered a natural predator of their species.

The woman quickly scooped up the puppy before looking at Kiersa. “You the mage I’m guessing that took the job this time?” she asked, the nun nodding in reply. “Well alright then… well, that’s one down. There are six more running loose out there. I’d suggest getting a move on.” Kiersa quickly bowed her head and darted off to find the rest of the puppies.

She set off back for the fountain that the first puppy had found her at, figuring that if she searched around near the likely watering spot, she’d find the other puppies. When she got there however, it was a lot busier than it had been earlier… and to top it off, it seemed that everyone in Magnolia had decided that now would be the perfect time to take their dogs and puppies for walks. The nun hung her head and sighed before muttering a prayer of perseverance to the Maker.

It was then that a sight befell her eyes, that of a small child being followed by a puppy without a collar… Perhaps that’s one of the missing puppies? she wondered, as she followed behind the pair. They eventually reached the park, and she watched them playing together in the soft sunlight. Oh Maker, why do you test me so? silently asked the nun, wincing as her back ached a little. “Right… that…” sighed Kiersa before she walked over to the child.

“Hello there.” The nun said softly as she knelt down to be at the child’s height. The little boy looked at her weirdly for a moment before smiling. “Hiya. You dress funny lady.” Kiersa blinked for a moment before chuckling. “I suppose I do a little compared to everyone else here.” She said before looking at the puppy next to him. “This your friend?” she asked, internally wincing when the boy nodded. “Does he stay with you?” Kiersa asked, the boy frowning as he shook his head. “No… mama and papa say I can’t keep him cus he’s got fleas and stuff… But he’s my friend!” he said, the child’s words giving her an idea.

“What if I told you, there was a way you could keep him?” she asked, the boys eyes lighting up like a brilliant fire before he hugged her neck. Kiersa smiled softly as she returned the embrace before extricating herself. “See… this puppy’s actually missing from a shop here in town… if we returned him there, then they’d be able to get rid of all his nasty fleas, and then mama and papa would be able to let you keep him…” she suggested, the boy quickly picking up the puppy. “I know the one! Let’s go Miss!” The nun smiled softly and nodded, guiding them back to the store where the puppy quickly bounced out of the boys arms and went to play with the one collected earlier. That makes two… five more.

Kiersa made her way back to the park, figuring that along with the fountain, the puppies would probably be somewhere they would easily be able to play and get fed. The thought of food made her stomach growl a little, causing the nun to blush before she reached into her pouch to check if she had enough for a snack after the cost of the ticket here. The nun had enough for some fruit… assuming the stalls here didn’t charge too much because they were in a city. The nun shook her head for even thinking such a silly thought. Why would they charge a lot for food just cus of the location? She soon enough found the fruit stands, and almost instantly found one selling her favourite ones of all.

Strawberries.

She looked at the tender red flesh topped by the delicate green mounds, dotted with the sensuous yellow pips. Her stomach of course decided to ruin her mental atmosphere. “Oh um… sorry… sir, um… how much are the strawberries?” she asked gently, the man at the stall eying her up and down before tapping a sign next to them that she’d missed. She blinked at the price. “Th-that much?!” asked Kiersa, looking back at the man who simply shrugged. “Import costs kid. Gotta keep afloat from all the taxes and stuff. Ye want ‘em or not?” he asked, the nun sighing as she went into her pouch and pulled out enough for one small box of the fruit. The man took her money and gave her the box. “Enjoy sister.” He said, bowing his head a little respectfully towards her, Kiersa responding in kind before she went off towards a nearby bench to eat.

As she was about to take the first bite of her strawberries she felt something brush against her foot. “Eeep!” she squeaked, bringing her feet up onto the bench before slowly looking underneath to see what exactly it was. She blinked at the sight that greeted her. Not one… not two… but three of the missing puppies! Two were asleep whilst the third held a link of sausages in its mouth, sausages that trailed out from underneath the bench she was sitting on.

Raising her head she caught a glimpse of a person she could only presume was the butcher whom the sausages had belonged to. Quickly using her feet to push the links underneath the bench, she plopped a strawberry into her mouth and started to “play it cool” as she guessed some would call it… even if she didn’t know what that phrase even meant. The butcher eventually came up to her, and loomed over her. “You seen a scraggly mutt run by with a wedge of sausages shoved in its greedy little maw?” She shook her head in the negative, watching as the man growled and wandered off in his search. Technically she hadn’t lied exactly… only one of the sausages had been in the puppies mouth, and it certainly didn’t look scraggly to her.

The nun looked down at the trio of puppies, considering how to get them all back to the shop. She ruefully remembered trying to herd the rabbits back at the convent back into their hutch… that had only been a distance of two metres and they hadn’t been very co-operative. She doubted very much that three healthy bouncing puppies would be much more so over a much further distance. Kiersa then recalled the trick that one of the older Sister’s had used when she’d so miserably failed. She looked down at her box of strawberries and sighed. She’d only had one and that had tasted so good… but, the puppies and the job came first.

The nun plucked some of the seeds from the fruits first though, so she could try and grow them back at the guild hall. Now that would be nice wouldn’t it? “Hey.” She cooed to the puppies, the other two just waking up now and looking at her curiously. Kiersa offered a strawberry to each puppy, giggling as their little furry mouths tickled her hands as they ate the fruit. She then wiggled the box, showing the little trove of deliciousness, the puppies eyes all seeming to light up as their tails began to wag at super speeds.

The nun giggled at the sight of the puppies antics before she began to lay out the strawberries in a little trail. The puppies dutifully bounded up to each grouping of strawberries, their tails wagging away as their faces got covered in the fruits juices. As she laid out the trail, some people looked on curiously at the nun leading the puppies before shaking their heads and going on with their days. Others snickered before moving on, but Kiersa didn’t mind. If she looked a little silly then so be it. What mattered to her was getting these puppies home.

Eventually they reached the shop, Kiersa thanking the Maker as she had just ran out of strawberries… right before they got inside. The nun bit her lip as the puppies sat there, each of them looking up at her expectedly. She opened the door and wiggled her empty box through the door-frame, earning her a strange look from the shop owner before realisation dawned as the three puppies came clambering in, searching for the promised treats. The nun bowed her head and shut the door behind her before heading off to find the last two puppies.

“Alright… park… fountain… where else could a puppy hide and play?” she wondered aloud as she began to comb through the streets, her stomach still upset with her for only feeding it a single strawberry. She found herself going down an alleyway and blinked. “Wait… thought this was a street…” the nun said aloud before sighing and rubbing her head. “This city is so confusing…” muttered Kiersa before she sighed and continued to walk. When she was half-way through it, there was a clattering noise behind her, causing her to turn her head sharply around.

At the end of the alleyway was a silhouette of a man, which looked very very frightening. She turned her head to look the way she was going, and there at the other end, was another silhouette. The nun swiftly came to the conclusion that she was trapped, and most likely in a lot of trouble.

“Well, what we got ‘ere then eh?” called out the form at the back end of the alley, no doubt in the nun’s mind to the person at the other end. “Looks like either some kinda priest, cosplayer, or a themed hooker.” Came the reply, the last option making the girl blush furiously. “I-I’m n-not a h-hooker…” she softly protested, backing herself up to a wall as the two men approached. “Sure yer not kiddo… well, not yet eh?” said the first one, who chuckled abhorrently.

“S-stay b-back!” squeaked the nun, causing the two men to chuckle even more. These are not men… she thought to herself as she began to consider justifying the actions she was about to take. “S-stigm-mata o-of-“ she began to intone when one of the men abruptly began to cry out in pain. All three of them looked down, the nun suppressing the urge to giggle at the situation. One of the puppies she was meant to be looking for, had instead found her… and was protecting her, currently doing so by having its teeth embedded in the man’s ankle.

Kiersa took the opportunity the puppy and the Maker had provided her with. “Stigmata of Damocles! Double!” she intoned, her hands falling lifeless as twin blades of holy magic burst into being from her wrists, blades she now pointed at both men who quickly took a step back. “Aw shit, she’s a bloody mage!” The nun looked to the pair of them. “Leave now and repent on your ways, or meet the Maker and let Him judge your worth.” She said quickly, the two men quickly nodding and fleeing.

Once the pair were gone Kiersa dissolved the blades and slumped against the wall, where the puppy came over and began to nuzzle her hand. She chuckled softly and scratched the puppy behind the ears. “Thank you… here I am supposed to be finding you, instead you save me…” said the nun softly before she gently picked the pup up and stood up. “Let’s get you home to the others hmm?”

On the way back, the nun heared a soft mewling sound coming from a nearby bush. “Hello?” she asked softly before taking a look, the pup in her arms reacting to the mewling sound by tilting its head before yipping. An answering yip came forth from the foliage and as the nun looked inside, she could see that the last pup was indeed there! Only… there was a minor complication.

“How in the Maker’s name did you wind up like that?” asked Kiersa gently as she looked on in bemusment. The puppy had somehow managed to get itself trapped inside a cage of thorns within the bush, and she couldn’t see any way of how they could have gotten into that situation to begin with. “Hold on little guy, I’m here, I’m here…” she cooed softly, putting the puppy she had down beside her, before she bundled up her sleeves and started to work apart the thorns.

Eventually she’d managed to force enough of the thorny branches aside that the pup could escape, and so they did, bounding straight into their friend, bouncing around one another and barking happily. Kiersa smiled softly as she looked down at the playful puppies, her arms and hands a little scratched up from the thorns even with her sleeves having been bundled up. “Alright you two… lets get you home now.” She said, scooping up the puppies into her arms and beginning the trek back to the shop.

Back at the shop, she deposited the two last puppies into the pen with the other ones and did a quick count, letting out a sigh of relief as all seven puppies were accounted for. “Heh, good work. Hope they didn’t cause you much fuss there Sister.” Said the shop-keep as he handed her the jewels. “No problem at all sir. I was happy to help.” She said, spotting the child from earlier and a couple she presumed were his parents… things didn’t seem to be going quite as she had planned. “What’s wrong?” she asked the shop-keeper quietly.

He looked in their direction before sighing. “Can’t afford the pup you brought back.” He said, causing the nun to frown for a moment, before she handed back the payment. “Would this cover it?” she asked, the shop-keep blinking before taking the money, counting it out and then handing her back the remaining change. “Aye, that should do it…” he said, Kiersa nodding with a soft smile on her face as she left the shop, the owner going over to the family and explaining what just happened. The nun wiped away a tear on her face as she heard the child’s exultant cries of joy before the door closed behind her, her real job in her eyes now truly being completed, along with the assigned one.