Still a little stunned by the huge size of the bird he had in front of him, Arun began to turn around the pet to better observe it. At first glance, her plumage was perfect and smooth : long black feathers covered Astera's body, and reflected the rays of the sun.
"So, Mrs. Shantura, what's the problem you have with Astera?" Asked the veterinarian for the reason for the consultation.
"Actually, I could not be very precise. In recent weeks, I noticed that Astera's behavior has changed, she is spending less and less time with me. She often disappears to go I don't know where, and I keep asking her why she's doing this, but she's showing more and more distance..." The woman explained with concern.
Astera had not moved during the explanation of her mistress, staying lying on the roof of the clinic. Once again, it was not going to be a simple case to settle.
"I'll see what I can do." Replied the doctor, moving away from the volatile.
Breathing a big blow, he used the ability of his system to see if the black vulture was suffering somewhere. Her whole body appeared in blue in the vet's head, which indicated that everything was fine and that she was not hurting anywhere. So why a change in her behavior?
"At first glance, she is not sick or injured, it's reassuring." Declared Arun coming back close to the bird, after finishing his observation.
Mrs. Shantura was a little surprised by the vet's quick diagnosis. All he had done was look at her from afar ! How could he be so sure of himself ? She said nothing and continued to watch him.
Arun put his hands on the animal's feathers to gently feel her skin, starting with the wings. Maybe it was a tumor that caused a change in her behavior ? Or could it be a parasite ?
In search of an unusual size, the vet continued his inspection. Astera seemed to get a little nervous and her voice echoed again in the young man's head.
"Human, be careful where you put your hands. It is not because you are a veterinarian that I would be more tender with you." Astera had an aggressive tone, and was threatening him.
Keeping calm, Arun did not stop his work. There must have been a reason for this strange behavior. True, the black vulture was a wild animal in normal times, but among the birds, it was a species that had also developed complex social behaviors, and very family-centered.
"Mrs. Shantura, how did Astera behave normally?" The doctor asked a question to make sure of the situation. It was also possible that the bird he had in front of him was naturally aggressive. Some pets could remain suspicious despite the love of their owner.
"We've always been close. Since we were young, we spend most of our time together, which is why I don't understand why she's acting like that."
Shantura's answer confirmed the veterinarian's thoughts. The situation was unusual. As his hands moved over the belly of the vulture, she suddenly fluttered and began to flap her wings as if to fly away.
"I warned you, human, I would not be lenient !" The raptor whistled aggressively against Arun.
The vet, who did not even know what he had done so badly to trigger the bird's anger, covered his eyes and squatted so as not to fly because of the blast. Astera flapped her wings faster and faster, as if she were about to take off. She was not going to flee anyway, though?
Rising abruptly, Arun ran and grabbed Ms. Shantura by the wrist as he passed. Just before the vulture flew off the roof of the clinic, he threw himself forward to cling to the bird's paw. It only took a few seconds and a few wing beats to get thrown into the air with Astera, several dozen meters above the ground.
"S-s-sir vet! W-what are you doing ?!" Mrs. Shantura, who had been embarked against her will in the flight of the raptor, trembled like a leaf.
"You have a vulture of this size as a pet, and you will tell me that you have never flown with her?" Arun was forced to scream to hope to be heard, because of the sound of the wind that had become more than loud.
"I'm scared of heights - I can't fly!" Arun sighed inwardly at the irony of the situation. Nevertheless, he had to admit that what he was doing was more than dangerous, and that he had better hang on to Astera.
"Don't worry, I won't let you go!"
"Human, I told you not to touch me!" The raptor had gone into a rage, and was moving in all directions to try to let go of Arun.
"Are you sure you want me to let go? If you make me fall, your owner will fall too!" Arun shouted for the volatile. Obviously this one was in a second state, and did not listen anymore what he was trying to tell her, flying higher up in the sky.
"N-No, please, I don't want to fall!" Shantura shouted completely panicked. Both the pet and her owner were in a daze, apparently.
Arun sighed, trying to stay calm to find a solution. At this rate, he was not going to be able to last long, no matter how much he tried to reassure his customer..
It was then that the voice of Mili, his little black cat who had remained in the clinic, sounded in his head.
"Hey, Arun, sorry to only let you know now, but I knew about the system, and... for you."
The vet froze, and almost let go because of the surprise the announcement of Mili triggered in him. So was the cat aware from the beginning, for reincarnation, and for the powers of his system?
"Why didn't you say anything?" Arun asked, trying to get some answers. That said, it may not have been the best time for that.
"I'll explain later, okay ? Listen to me, you're going to need it. I've finished unlocking [Vet Grade 2] for you. That took a bit of time, that's why I'm only telling you now... From now on, your system has improved, and you can use a third function. [Pet Pact]. If you use it on Astera, you may be able to calm her!" Arun listened carefully to the cat's advice, quickly understanding what to do. It was his only chance to get out of here alive, after all.
"And how do I use the [Pet Pact]?" The vet was also starting to panic because of the situation, which was becoming totally out of control.
"Concentrate, and try to connect with the spirit of the pet. I know it's difficult, and it may not work 100%... But you have to try!" Mili was seriously asking him to concentrate in such a moment? The stress made it harder and harder for Arun to hang on to the raptor's leg until it was too much.
The vet let go, and he and Mrs. Shantura began to fall into the void, seeing the bird go further and further away, and the ground getting closer.
'Concentrate... Concentrate, concentrate!' Arun murmured inside, eyes closed. A white light suddenly appeared in his thoughts, and he reached out to catch it.
It was at that moment that everything went black in his mind.