by mystoxxiide » Mon Dec 05, 2022 2:45 pm
cw medical stuff?
This small friend dreams of being a hero! But not the hero one would usually think of, one that wears heavy armor and saves princesses and slays mighty dragons. Rather, this little puffball wants to be a medical hero when they grow up, helping others and perhaps even saving them from danger and sickness. They imagine themselves as a doctor working for The Royal Palace, observing and treating the wounds of famed members of the Sovereign's Guard. They imagine themselves with an office that overlooks the mountains of the Twilit Peaks, over the powerful monarchy that had been built by the potentates of the kingdom.
Perhaps, if a member of the royal family fell ill, they could be the one that saved them. They could be the one that coaxed life back into such a well groomed, cherished and prestigious vessel. Would they be specifically recognised for their deeds? Promoted to Head Doctor? Able to save other hoots right left and centre, watch as patients were cared for under their command and work? Nobody would get sick again under their dutiful gaze. Oh, how they dreamed.
But for now they are simply a tiny little puffball, only a young hootlet. They play doctor with sticks propped up in the dirt as other medics. Worms and beetles become their patients, herded into little holes dug in the ground that were supposed to work as beds, but were more like holding pens.
Their last remaining parental figure watches on with a worried yet reserved eye. When their child had first told them about their aspirations to become a medic, they simply responded enthusiastically and brushed it off. The hootlet had been through many phases before, and they assumed this would just be another, but the obsession stayed firmly anchored in their mind. The loss of their partner to the Great Sickness had certainly been a traumatising event for the young one, but so many years had passed that it was difficult to understand why it was still affecting them. No matter how impossible their dream was, the child had always insisted it would become a reality if they simply tried hard enough. They tried not to blame them. They didn't understand.
Becoming a medic was practically unheard of in the current day, as the Great Sickness was known to be extremely contagious. They themselves had never caught the strain, even when their own partner had fallen ill, for reasons still unknown to them. Perhaps they just got lucky. They like to think that.
For now they simply sigh and watch on as their child continues to play in the dirt.
