trip to the vet

at first it’d begun…curiously. a restless itching beneath his pelt, driving to vicious bouts of crazed scratching. the boy isn’t even entirely sure what had spurred him to do it, but it’s as though insanity has gripped him during these moments, urging him to sink his teeth into his mottled pelt and bite down until the itching stops. unfortunately, his method has yet to be effective, and the subsequent days have proven themselves a particular brand of unpleasant. it’s a shame, truly, for ordinarily Ume would find the changing of the leaves a colourful barrage of intrigue, fuelling his desire to understand the why and who and how of the world around him. but he can’t even enjoy the peculiarities of the season, wrought as he is by this strange malady. still, Ume is nothing if not himself, and as he traverses absently through the territories he finds himself humming a jaunty little tune that both rises to eerie heights and lowers to rumbling tones that a boy his age should not be able to achieve. meandering in a strange zig-zag, he trudges through the undergrowth and pauses occasionally to itch at his fur, yellow eyes sweeping through the shadows with unnerving focus. he’s not entirely sure what’s driven him this far from home, but Ume rarely questions his instincts. rather, he’s content to drift along and let life blow him as it well, tossing him every which way until he gathers some semblance of understanding. and even then, comprehension is a fickle mistress forever dancing in and out of his grasp, fluttering through the air with all the tangibility of air. truthfully, it often feels as though Ume himself does not possess a corporal form, but rather that he is born of wind and sky and all the invisible things that keep the world turning. fairy child, come to alright, if only for a moment, on solid ground.

WC: 319/1500