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Description

The Engineer made his way down the road, on his way to Willow Valley’s hospital. His kibbee padded along at his side, the sound of its claws tapping against concrete the only thing that let him know it was still there. Usually he could smell it, but the season seemed to want to limit his sense of smell.
It was the pollen, he was pretty sure. He’d never dealt with it before. It filled his eye and nose, stuck to the back of his throat, making him more wheezy than usual. His eye watered and his nose ran, and every few steps he had to pause to cough. And none of that was mentioning the persistent headache, just present enough to be annoying.
He hadn’t expected spring to be so miserable. Then again, he didn’t exactly know what he expected. At least it was nice and warm, better than the bitter chill of steel corridors or blistering heat of massive furnaces. It was a distant warmth, one that was comforting rather than overwhelming. Unlike everything else.
He stopped again to cough, a miserable wheeze escaping him. His fingers hovered above his throat as he desperately cleared it, trying to be rid of the itching feeling. Something touched his leg, followed by a rough tongue dragging against his other hand, hanging limp against his side. He managed to smile and patted Nome’s head, feeling the kibbee vibrate with a buzzing purr.
Once he caught his breath, he resumed his journey. A bitterness filled him, however, as he angled his head toward the field.
…
It wasn’t fair…
It wasn’t! He went through so much, came out scarred, came out missing parts of himself, physically and mentally, and he couldn’t even enjoy it. He was sick with a hunger that constantly gnawed at him, sick with allergies that made him cough and sputter and wheeze as soon as he went outside. What was the point of getting out when he was such a wreck now that he was free?
He stopped walking again, though not because of another coughing fit. He brushed his fingers against his unscarred cheek, feeling a wetness in his fur.
Crying… He was crying.
His breath caught in his throat and he swallowed thickly, his snout wrinkling as he attempted to contain his emotions. He took a deep, rattling breath, then took a step forward…
Before collapsing to his knees. He wrapped his arms around Nome’s neck and buried his face in its fur. His body shuddered with silent sobs.
It’s not fair. It’s just not fair. The memory of his experiences may have been gone, but the pain remained. And this didn’t make all the pain worth it. He was sick and tired and weak, to the point he could barely leave his apartment. With his allergies, he couldn’t even open a window.
After a moment, he peeled himself away from Nome. Shakily, he stood, and continued to the hospital. Hopefully the doctor would be able to help with some of his problems.
Then again, not much had helped so far…

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The Engineer is having a bad spring so far. He's sure it looks nice, and it definitely smells nice when he isn't dying of allergies. Maybe he'll be more accustomed to the pollen next spring.

Words: 514

Acorns: 12/742

Description

The Engineer made his way down the road, on his way to Willow Valley’s hospital. His kibbee padded along at his side, the sound of its claws tapping against concrete the only thing that let him know it was still there. Usually he could smell it, but the season seemed to want to limit his sense of smell.
It was the pollen, he was pretty sure. He’d never dealt with it before. It filled his eye and nose, stuck to the back of his throat, making him more wheezy than usual. His eye watered and his nose ran, and every few steps he had to pause to cough. And none of that was mentioning the persistent headache, just present enough to be annoying.
He hadn’t expected spring to be so miserable. Then again, he didn’t exactly know what he expected. At least it was nice and warm, better than the bitter chill of steel corridors or blistering heat of massive furnaces. It was a distant warmth, one that was comforting rather than overwhelming. Unlike everything else.
He stopped again to cough, a miserable wheeze escaping him. His fingers hovered above his throat as he desperately cleared it, trying to be rid of the itching feeling. Something touched his leg, followed by a rough tongue dragging against his other hand, hanging limp against his side. He managed to smile and patted Nome’s head, feeling the kibbee vibrate with a buzzing purr.
Once he caught his breath, he resumed his journey. A bitterness filled him, however, as he angled his head toward the field.
…
It wasn’t fair…
It wasn’t! He went through so much, came out scarred, came out missing parts of himself, physically and mentally, and he couldn’t even enjoy it. He was sick with a hunger that constantly gnawed at him, sick with allergies that made him cough and sputter and wheeze as soon as he went outside. What was the point of getting out when he was such a wreck now that he was free?
He stopped walking again, though not because of another coughing fit. He brushed his fingers against his unscarred cheek, feeling a wetness in his fur.
Crying… He was crying.
His breath caught in his throat and he swallowed thickly, his snout wrinkling as he attempted to contain his emotions. He took a deep, rattling breath, then took a step forward…
Before collapsing to his knees. He wrapped his arms around Nome’s neck and buried his face in its fur. His body shuddered with silent sobs.
It’s not fair. It’s just not fair. The memory of his experiences may have been gone, but the pain remained. And this didn’t make all the pain worth it. He was sick and tired and weak, to the point he could barely leave his apartment. With his allergies, he couldn’t even open a window.
After a moment, he peeled himself away from Nome. Shakily, he stood, and continued to the hospital. Hopefully the doctor would be able to help with some of his problems.
Then again, not much had helped so far…

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The Engineer is having a bad spring so far. He's sure it looks nice, and it definitely smells nice when he isn't dying of allergies. Maybe he'll be more accustomed to the pollen next spring.

Words: 514

Acorns: 12/742