Don't You Know, That Misery Loves Company

Mismatched gaze watches the small pup as the older man talks about mites and the way the boy blinks several times before shaking his head in the negative tells Strix everything he needs to know. The black and cloudy gray male goes on to explain exactly what the little critters are to the pup that sits beside him and he offers a gentle chuckle as the boy gasps and looks up at him with wide eyes, the whispered question earning a nod from the impromptu teacher.

As the boy agrees to help him, Strix peeks at the water in the pot and notices that it has begun to bubble. Nodding to himself, the man prepares to pull pot off of the heat by the thickly wrapped leather that was placed over the handle but pauses at the question and looks to the pup while offering him a grin. With a small shake of his head the man says, “Once it is cool enough, it won’t hurt. It will be extremely uncomfortable but it will not hurt me. Better to be uncomfortable for a few minutes than to continue with these little bugs in my ears.”

With that, he makes sure that there are enough green tea leaves in the bowl that has been specially made to have a funnel at one end then quickly and carefully grabs the handle of the pot and pours the boiling water over the leaves. Placing the pot aside to cool away from the pup, he looks to the young boy and says, “Now, mites are very tiny and, like fleas, you need to clear them out before you can treat the effected areas. That is why I am going to pour the green tea into my ears, to get rid of as many of them as I can.”

Looking to a tall, clear jar that rests beside him, Strix points to it and says, “After we pour the tea in my ears, I will shake out the excess fluid and, once that is done, we will then put this into my ears. It is an oil, pressed from olives and it will help suffocate any remaining pests. Plus, it will help float any debris that may be in there so I can get them up and out.” Eyes move to the rapidly cooling water and he gently dips a paw pad into, noting that is now warm but no longer hot. Nodding to himself, he looks to the young boy and says, “Ready?”

A smile curls his lips as he lows himself onto his belly, head resting against the ground so that the pups can easily access his ears. Making sure to keep them perked, he instructs the boy to pour some into his right ear first. As the warm liquid slowly trickles into his ears, Strix resists the urge to immediately begin shaking his head because he knows that he needs to get as much of the tea into his ear. Finally, his head shoots up and he viciously shakes his head back and forth, spraying tea water debris every which way as he rids the excess liquid from his ear canals.

Once he is done, he looks to the boy and says, “Good job. Now let’s get the other one!” With that, they repeat the process and Strix can already start to feel relief from the constant itch. Next, they put in the oil in his ears, one at a time and he carefully massages the outside of his ears to help coat everything in his inner ears. Once the pair are done, a relieved sigh leaves his lips and the man’s tail sweeps across the ground. With a grin, he says, “Great job! I couldn’t have done this without you. Thanks for all your help!” And, with everything done, they pair clean and go their separate ways.




WC: 646
Total WC: 2002 / 1500



"Strix Klein"