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[[OOM: Children]]

Teja is sitting near the open back door. Outside, his cats are stalking through the snow, hunting a white-and-brown dog that somebody let loose there. The dog seems to be truly sorry, but the cats are yet aiming for abject submission.

While he is watching the animals, Teja is also watching doors, wondering whether he will see Guppy, of whom he must ask some questions.-

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Guppy is nearby, eating a ham, cheese and cucumber baguette.

"Greetings," Teja says, feeling a bit sheepish, when he spots the doctor.

"Hey Teja. Sorry about the other day..."

"When you were sick?" Teja says. "That was not your fault."

"Yeah, but it was still a pain for you." Guppy says. "I'm feeling mostly better now."

Apart from being quite tired, but that's understandable after being ill for the best part of ten days.

"That is good to hear," Teja says, and then he looks around at a yowl from one of the animals.

Apparently, Kitty has just nipped the dog on the balls.

"Why's Urquhart's dog out here?" Guppy asks, coming over with his sandwich.

"Is that Urquhart's dog?" Teja says. "I only know that is a dog, whom my cats are teaching respect."

"Yeah, I sent him upstairs."

Guppy frowns. If the dog is out here, does that mean Urquhart's wandered out in the forest while he's hallucinating?

"Has he taken sick?" Teja asks.

The dog has had enough and tries to flee from the cats.

"Yeah. Maybe I should check on him." Guppy says. "Do you know his room number?"

"I do not, but I am sure the bar would tell either of us," Teja says.

The dog comes in and tries to hide under Teja's chair; Kitty follows, hissing at him.

"Or..."

Guppy steels himself, and crouches to the dog.

"C'mon boy, show us where your master is..."

The dog wags his tail at Guppy, relieved to be saved.

Teja, in the meanwhile, explains to Kitty why she should not bite other men's pets in the privates, but the cat doesn't exactly look rueful.

"Good idea," he then says, and shoos the cat back outside so the dog will dare emerge from under the chair.

Guppy thinks whether he has anything with Urquhart's scent on. Then, he has an idea - he gets out his stethoscope, which has admittedly been cleaned and used on a few people since, but dogs are good at sniffing.

"Find Urquhart." he says, holding it to the dog, hoping that his own master's scent will stand out.

He tries not to let his hand shake, but his mind is imagining the dog going for his throat.

Instead the dog wags his tail, then turns and runs upstairs.

Teja follows.

Guppy follows, grabbing his bag just in case.

The dog leads them up the stairs and down a corridor, then scratches at a door.

"Urquhart, you in there?" Guppy asks, knocking on the door.

After a few moments, Urquhart opens the door.

His hair is braided, and he's wearing a blanket. His room is dim, warm from many braziers, very lavish, and smells of peppermint and other herbs.

"Oh, Franz," he says. "Did he do something wrong to deserve a security and medical escort?"

"No." Guppy says. "We were just establishing that you hadn't collapsed in the forest and died."

"That is very good of you," Urquhart says. "And I am sorry to disappoint. Franz wanted to go outside, but I didn't, so I just let him out the bypass stairs."

"Okay. Well good." Guppy says. "Get well soon."

He doesn't care where the dog goes, so long as he doesn't have to be near it. So he releases Franz back to Urquhart, and turns to leave.

Franz seems quite happy to be back with his human, and gets patted and praised.

"I hope I will," Urquhart says, then closes the door again.

"He is hairier than his dog," Teja says, in a rare moment of cattiness.

Guppy snorts.

"They say pets tend to resemble their owners..."