ZEN
THE BOY WHO CLIMBED TOO HIGH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P R O F I L E
╔--------------------------╗
-USERNAME------NAME-
.Toboe.----------Zen
-GENDER--------AGE-
Male-------------25
-BIRTHDAY-----STAR SIGN-
April 24-------Taurus
╚--------------------------╝
╔----------------------╗
╚----------------------╝
-PERSONALITY-
"Oh, ah, an about me type thing, huh? Aha....I've never been very good at describing myself...
I suppose the easiest word to describe me would be 'introvert'. I'm not very energetic, or social. I do a lot of thinking...a lot of observing...a lot of reading. Oh, and a lot of napping! That's another thing I've been called, lazy. I like to recline and watch life pass by at it's own pace, I suppose that's kind of lazy in it's own right. My life is pretty slow moving when I have my way, and that's the way I like it. Of course, now that my tail is the way it is, it's a lot easier to pace myself.
I enjoy indulging in some of life's simpler pleasures. Eating, dancing, sleeping...I'm a very easy man to please. I work best with people who are similarly simple in their desires, or people who are reasonable and willing to work with me on the things we don't exactly see eye to eye on. Gender doesn't really matter to me, whether it be friendship or a relationship...as long as we go together well, I can try to make it work.
Enough about that, though. You really wanna know why my tail is like this don't you? Let me tell you the story..."
B E H I N D--H I S--T A I L
It all started with a simple sentence
"Betcha can't climb that tree!"
One sentence with words that alone are so harmless, but the actions they describe can have major consequences
The one facing such consequences is a young kiamara, no older than 15. He and his best friend went out on a walk to enjoy the summer sights and sounds, and naturally they would want to take the opportunity to have some fun. The kia's names were Zen and Wendy. The friends walked around the park, enjoying the good weather and good companionship. Zen flopped down onto the grass and stretched out, giving his fur a little shake. Wendy sat down next to him, her tail twitching with impatience.
"Hey, Zen don't you think it's a little boring just sitting around like this? This is our youth, man! We gotta reach out and take it by the horns." Wendy exclaimed to him, putting a paw on his head and mussing his hair up
"Wendy, stop it!" Zen whined as he pulled away from his older friend's paw. "I'm happy just sitting here and relaxing. We've played a ton this summer, why can't we take it easy once in a while...?" Zen had never been a terribly active kia, preferring a nap on a bench swing to an exciting ride on a giant amusement park swing. His friend Wendy, however, was bursting with energy. Often people wondered why they were such close friends when their personal interests differed so much.
"Because it won't last forever! We're losing daylight, burning time! So much to do so much to see!" Wendy had gotten up and was running around in a small circle to illustrate her point.
"So what's wrong with taking the back street?" Zen said with a chuckle, quoting a song that neither of them really liked, aside from liking to laugh at it. His joke earned him a cuff around the ear from Wendy.
"Come on Zen, just get up and go! Huuurk--" She grunted as she tried to pick him up. Zen was heavier than he looked, Wendy knew, but she didn't think he was this heavy.
Zen rolled his eyes and stood up on his own "Fine, what do you wanna do?" He asked with a small yawn.
"Hmmmmm..." His friend was looking around, trying to determine what would be the most fun. "Ah! I got it! Zen, look over there." Wendy lifted her paw and jabbed it in the direction of what she'd seen. Zen followed her gaze to find a positively massive oak towering up into the sky. Wendy looked over at him with a mischievous grin and a glint in her eye
"Betcha can't climb that tree!"
Zen stared up at the oak, daunted by it's size. She didn't want him to climb up to the top of this, did she...? Zen shuddered at the thought. But at the same time, he knew that if he didn't at least climb it a little, she'd never let him hear the end of it, and would probably do it herself to show off "....Ok. I'll climb it. But only to the first branch!" He said, running over to the tree's trunk.
The tree itself was a lot more daunting when you were looking straight up from the bottom. Zen almost got cold feet. Even that bottom branch was a good 8 feet up in the air. But at Wendy's constant urging, and literal pushing, Zen got his claws into the tree and got to work climbing up. It took him several minutes to climb all the way, as he went slow and steady to avoid losing his grip, but he made it to the first branch, and hoisted himself over onto the thicker part of the branch that connected to the trunk directly
"See! I can climb a tree even this big!" Zen called down to Wendy on the ground, feeling rather proud of himself. Despite his fear, he showed his friend he could do dangerous and exciting things too.
Wendy seemed impressed "Nice work, Zen! Heheh, you look just like a big monkey~" She said with a giggle.
Zen looked over to his tail, curled around the branch for extra stability. He thought on what she said, quickly realizing this was the perfect time to show off to her. If he could really knock her socks off, maybe she'd let him take a peaceful nap in the sun.
"Oh yeah? I look like a monkey, huh? Well I can swing like one too!" Zen grinned, and let himself drop forwards over the branch, only hanging by his tail. This was his near fatal mistake
"Ooh ooh aah-- AAAH!!" Zen's tail made a sickening snapping noise, and he lost his grip on the branch, falling to the ground below face first. He blacked out due to intense panic before he hit the ground. Wendy had to drag her friend's limp body to the nearest hospital.
"Don't worry buddy. I know you can't hear me, but you're gonna make it..." She mumbled to him, feeling guilty. Eventually they made it to the doctors, and Zen was treated for his injuries. It took him a few hours to wake up
"Nnh.....? What...happened, where am I?" He asked groggily, hooked up to several machines to make sure he was breathing and getting fluids. Wendy was there by his bedside
"You're at the hospital. You....fell out of the tree and hurt yourself really bad." She told him solemnly. Zen looked down at himself to take note of the damages. He had braces on his legs for sprains, and a cast around his foreleg for a badly broken bone. He sighed and winced in pain as he tried to move.
"I shouldn't have tried that stunt...I'm so stupid." He said with a small chuckle, looking over at Wendy and giving her a look that said he understood that she didn't mean for him to be hurt, and that she didn't need to say anything. An unspoken apology went between the two friends. It was then that Zen realized he couldn't feel his tail.
"What happened to my tail...? I can't feel it. They didn't have to--" Wendy stopped Zen before he could finish
"Just...look under your blanket" She said. Zen did as she told him, and saw his tail laying there limp, but otherwise just fine. He wondered why he couldn't feel it if it was seemingly uninjured. The doctor came in at that moment to answer his question
"Oh, Zen, you're awake. That's good, we were worried." She set down some files and began to explain his condition to him. He had broken bones in his right foreleg, and sprains in his back legs, which wouldn't take long to heal, and he would be able to walk in due time. But when she got to the condition of his tail...
"I'm afraid you won't be able to move your tail ever again."
Zen stared at her in confusion. "What? What happened to it??" he asked in a panic. He'd seen kias who didn't have the use of their tail, and he didn't like the idea of that.
"You dislocated it, badly. We weren't able to pop it back into place, it's too difficult to perform on a tail without potentially damaging your tail worse, or your spine. You won't be able to lift it naturally, you'll have to move it using outside help. Of course, your balance and back legs will be hindered severely. You don't be climbing any more trees, that's for sure." Zen frowned at her little jab at how he was injured, but didn't speak up. "However, you should be able to live a somewhat normal life, so I wouldn't worry about it. Plenty of creatures live without tails at all." The doctor smiled and patted his head gently "You'll be ok."
Zen sighed and laid back in his hospital bed. Even if he could live a normal life, it would take a long time to adjust...
[1342 words]
A R T
Up in his tree - Anthro Zen Ref - Zen Icon
All art was drawn by me
A--D A Y--I N--M Y--S H O E S
ZEN'S DAY PLANNER
"I have a tendency to be a bit forgetful, so in order to remember my weekly appointments and other little things I have to do, I made myself a basic schedule for the week. If you're interested, I can show you..."
-MONDAY-
"Mondays are mostly spent being active after a lot of relaxing over the weekend. I have a pretty full schedule this day."
7am Breakfast
8am Cleaning the apartment
9am-5pm Work at the grocery store
5-6:30pm Yoga class
7pm Dinner
10pm Bedtime
-TUESDAY-
"Tuesday is more laid back than Monday. I don't work at the grocery store tuesday, instead helping out at a daycare center."
6am Shower
7am Breakfast
7:30am-4pm Daycare center work
6pm Doctor visit
8pm Dinner
10pm Bedtime
-WEDNESDAY-
"On wednesday I go back to work at the grocery store, as well as doing my first of two physical therapy sessions."
7am Breakfast
9am-5pm Work at grocery store
6-8pm Physical therapy
8:30pm Dinner
10pm Bedtime
-THURSDAY-
"Thursday I don't have any sort of work because my physical therapy wears me out, so thursday is the day I restock on the necessities and take some time for my hobbies"
8am Breakfast
10am Shopping
2pm Sewing club
4pm Book club
7pm Dinner
10pm Bedtime
-FRIDAY-
"Friday is my last day of work for the week, as well as yoga class and another checkup to make sure my physical therapy isn't affecting me badly."
7am Breakfast
9am-5pm Work at grocery store
5-6:30pm Yoga class
8pm Doctor visit
-WEEKEND-
"The weekend is generally a couple days to hang out with friends and do what I please at home. There are only a few scheduled things to do, like my second physical therapy session on sunday and a shower on saturday, so I didn't bother to make them a base schedule when there's so little to do those days. Breakfast and other usually scheduled things to do are done really whenever I find the time, and may not happen at all. By experience though, my bedtime on saturday tends to be past midnight, and goes back to the normal 10pm on sunday."
"Any timeframes on the schedule that are blank are free time where I can do what I like, be it TV, or arts and crafts, or reading, or a trip to the park...it could be anything, and it seems silly to schedule myself free time. Now that you know my schedule, maybe you could stop by sometime when I'm free. Thanks for showing interest!"
D A N C I N G--W I T H--D E A D--W E I G H T
Dancing was always his passion. Zen took joy in the precise steps and the prancing and leaping that he could throw himself into without a care in the world while he danced. He particularly enjoyed songs with a strong beat, ones that would make his feet tap without him even thinking about it. Songs where dancing came naturally were by far Zen's favorite songs, and he would dance to them day in and day out
That is until the accident.
Soon after he returned home from the hospital, Zen found that even just walking was a struggle sometimes. Moving his back legs was a stiff and difficult process, and running was out of the question. His tail was too heavy, and continuously tripped him wherever he went. So naturally, when Zen tried to dance, it was a disappointing affair destined to failure.
Zen dragged himself over to the couch in his apartment and laid down, elevating his tail. "What kind of life is this...I can't move right, I can't dance...Why did I have to be so overconfident?" He lamented after another attempt at dancing had gone awry. "They said my movement would correct itself in time, so why isn't the therapy working?" Zen had been going to the hospital twice a week to walk on a treadmill and work his legs. It was a form of rehabilitation, a way to get his legs working properly again, so that his movements would be less stiff unnatural. However, it was taking much longer than Zen would have liked.
Zen grumbled and hauled himself off the couch again, standing in the middle of his living room "I'm going to learn how to dance like this if it's the last thing I do!" He proclaimed and jumped awkwardly, accidentally slamming his tail onto an end table and knocking off a plate and a cup of coffee "....whoops."
And that was when Zen began to dance. He would practice his steps every night, no matter how destructive, no matter how tiring, no matter how painful. He was a kia with a mission. At first, it was very painful and difficult. For months and months Zen just couldn't get his steps down and would slam into his furniture with every awkward movement. But as his rehabilitation schedule continued and his legs began to loosen up again, Zen found it was getting easier to try to dance without injuring himself.
Over those months of awkward, painful practice, Zen had somewhat learned how to dance to avoid smacking things all over the place with his tail. He knew how to move his hips in such a way that the dead weight would move only a bit from side to side, how to jump just high enough that his tail wouldn't rise with him and then slam into things like a mallet. Zen was finally seeing success.
Not only was his dancing method making himself happy, but it was helping along his rehabilitation. His legs would move more smoothly with every passing day now, and once he could move without his legs catching as he walked, he was ready to go out and dance in a public setting.
Zen stood in front of the entrance to the local dance club, looking a bit apprehensive about going inside "I'm going to be badly out of place...what if someone bumps into my tail...?" He mumbled quietly to himself, going over every possible negative situation in his head. It took him several minutes to go inside, where the music was making the floor vibrate with it's sheer volume and the strength of the bass.
Zen wondered if he had made the right choice to come here. The music was loud, the dance floor was crowded....he wasn't sure if he would even be able to begin dancing. But the tune of the music playing was so catchy, and the beat so bumping that he couldn't help but sneak his way over to the dance floor to practice his craft.
~Baby, it's time to make up your mind~
Zen's feet were almost moving on their own. He found that he couldn't control his urge to move now that he was here, and that all his worries had melted away now that he was in the groove. His tail gently swung with the sway of his hips and the fluid movement of his legs, but didn't hit anyone in the process. The place he had chosen was good and open, and as people began to take notice of his style, they began to step back and watch.
Eventually, Zen was dancing alone in a large circle of other kiamaras, who curiously watched him dance with the dead weight of his limp tail swinging from side to side. Some chanted for him while others stared in awe at his unusual but mystifying movements. Zen was in his happy place and barely noticed the crowd until the end of the last song in the set, and the crowd went wild.
Zen looked around all the enamored kiamaras who were cheering and applauding him for his dancing, and he felt his skin flush hot under his fur. He was a bit bashful about being the center of attention, but he was so glad that things had worked well. Zen was finally moving past the limp weight that was now his tail, and more importantly....
Zen had found his passion again.
[906 words]
Extras word total: [1532]
THE BOY WHO CLIMBED TOO HIGH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P R O F I L E
╔--------------------------╗
-USERNAME------NAME-
.Toboe.----------Zen
-GENDER--------AGE-
Male-------------25
-BIRTHDAY-----STAR SIGN-
April 24-------Taurus
╚--------------------------╝
╔----------------------╗
╚----------------------╝
-PERSONALITY-
"Oh, ah, an about me type thing, huh? Aha....I've never been very good at describing myself...
I suppose the easiest word to describe me would be 'introvert'. I'm not very energetic, or social. I do a lot of thinking...a lot of observing...a lot of reading. Oh, and a lot of napping! That's another thing I've been called, lazy. I like to recline and watch life pass by at it's own pace, I suppose that's kind of lazy in it's own right. My life is pretty slow moving when I have my way, and that's the way I like it. Of course, now that my tail is the way it is, it's a lot easier to pace myself.
I enjoy indulging in some of life's simpler pleasures. Eating, dancing, sleeping...I'm a very easy man to please. I work best with people who are similarly simple in their desires, or people who are reasonable and willing to work with me on the things we don't exactly see eye to eye on. Gender doesn't really matter to me, whether it be friendship or a relationship...as long as we go together well, I can try to make it work.
Enough about that, though. You really wanna know why my tail is like this don't you? Let me tell you the story..."
B E H I N D--H I S--T A I L
It all started with a simple sentence
"Betcha can't climb that tree!"
One sentence with words that alone are so harmless, but the actions they describe can have major consequences
The one facing such consequences is a young kiamara, no older than 15. He and his best friend went out on a walk to enjoy the summer sights and sounds, and naturally they would want to take the opportunity to have some fun. The kia's names were Zen and Wendy. The friends walked around the park, enjoying the good weather and good companionship. Zen flopped down onto the grass and stretched out, giving his fur a little shake. Wendy sat down next to him, her tail twitching with impatience.
"Hey, Zen don't you think it's a little boring just sitting around like this? This is our youth, man! We gotta reach out and take it by the horns." Wendy exclaimed to him, putting a paw on his head and mussing his hair up
"Wendy, stop it!" Zen whined as he pulled away from his older friend's paw. "I'm happy just sitting here and relaxing. We've played a ton this summer, why can't we take it easy once in a while...?" Zen had never been a terribly active kia, preferring a nap on a bench swing to an exciting ride on a giant amusement park swing. His friend Wendy, however, was bursting with energy. Often people wondered why they were such close friends when their personal interests differed so much.
"Because it won't last forever! We're losing daylight, burning time! So much to do so much to see!" Wendy had gotten up and was running around in a small circle to illustrate her point.
"So what's wrong with taking the back street?" Zen said with a chuckle, quoting a song that neither of them really liked, aside from liking to laugh at it. His joke earned him a cuff around the ear from Wendy.
"Come on Zen, just get up and go! Huuurk--" She grunted as she tried to pick him up. Zen was heavier than he looked, Wendy knew, but she didn't think he was this heavy.
Zen rolled his eyes and stood up on his own "Fine, what do you wanna do?" He asked with a small yawn.
"Hmmmmm..." His friend was looking around, trying to determine what would be the most fun. "Ah! I got it! Zen, look over there." Wendy lifted her paw and jabbed it in the direction of what she'd seen. Zen followed her gaze to find a positively massive oak towering up into the sky. Wendy looked over at him with a mischievous grin and a glint in her eye
"Betcha can't climb that tree!"
Zen stared up at the oak, daunted by it's size. She didn't want him to climb up to the top of this, did she...? Zen shuddered at the thought. But at the same time, he knew that if he didn't at least climb it a little, she'd never let him hear the end of it, and would probably do it herself to show off "....Ok. I'll climb it. But only to the first branch!" He said, running over to the tree's trunk.
The tree itself was a lot more daunting when you were looking straight up from the bottom. Zen almost got cold feet. Even that bottom branch was a good 8 feet up in the air. But at Wendy's constant urging, and literal pushing, Zen got his claws into the tree and got to work climbing up. It took him several minutes to climb all the way, as he went slow and steady to avoid losing his grip, but he made it to the first branch, and hoisted himself over onto the thicker part of the branch that connected to the trunk directly
"See! I can climb a tree even this big!" Zen called down to Wendy on the ground, feeling rather proud of himself. Despite his fear, he showed his friend he could do dangerous and exciting things too.
Wendy seemed impressed "Nice work, Zen! Heheh, you look just like a big monkey~" She said with a giggle.
Zen looked over to his tail, curled around the branch for extra stability. He thought on what she said, quickly realizing this was the perfect time to show off to her. If he could really knock her socks off, maybe she'd let him take a peaceful nap in the sun.
"Oh yeah? I look like a monkey, huh? Well I can swing like one too!" Zen grinned, and let himself drop forwards over the branch, only hanging by his tail. This was his near fatal mistake
"Ooh ooh aah-- AAAH!!" Zen's tail made a sickening snapping noise, and he lost his grip on the branch, falling to the ground below face first. He blacked out due to intense panic before he hit the ground. Wendy had to drag her friend's limp body to the nearest hospital.
"Don't worry buddy. I know you can't hear me, but you're gonna make it..." She mumbled to him, feeling guilty. Eventually they made it to the doctors, and Zen was treated for his injuries. It took him a few hours to wake up
"Nnh.....? What...happened, where am I?" He asked groggily, hooked up to several machines to make sure he was breathing and getting fluids. Wendy was there by his bedside
"You're at the hospital. You....fell out of the tree and hurt yourself really bad." She told him solemnly. Zen looked down at himself to take note of the damages. He had braces on his legs for sprains, and a cast around his foreleg for a badly broken bone. He sighed and winced in pain as he tried to move.
"I shouldn't have tried that stunt...I'm so stupid." He said with a small chuckle, looking over at Wendy and giving her a look that said he understood that she didn't mean for him to be hurt, and that she didn't need to say anything. An unspoken apology went between the two friends. It was then that Zen realized he couldn't feel his tail.
"What happened to my tail...? I can't feel it. They didn't have to--" Wendy stopped Zen before he could finish
"Just...look under your blanket" She said. Zen did as she told him, and saw his tail laying there limp, but otherwise just fine. He wondered why he couldn't feel it if it was seemingly uninjured. The doctor came in at that moment to answer his question
"Oh, Zen, you're awake. That's good, we were worried." She set down some files and began to explain his condition to him. He had broken bones in his right foreleg, and sprains in his back legs, which wouldn't take long to heal, and he would be able to walk in due time. But when she got to the condition of his tail...
"I'm afraid you won't be able to move your tail ever again."
Zen stared at her in confusion. "What? What happened to it??" he asked in a panic. He'd seen kias who didn't have the use of their tail, and he didn't like the idea of that.
"You dislocated it, badly. We weren't able to pop it back into place, it's too difficult to perform on a tail without potentially damaging your tail worse, or your spine. You won't be able to lift it naturally, you'll have to move it using outside help. Of course, your balance and back legs will be hindered severely. You don't be climbing any more trees, that's for sure." Zen frowned at her little jab at how he was injured, but didn't speak up. "However, you should be able to live a somewhat normal life, so I wouldn't worry about it. Plenty of creatures live without tails at all." The doctor smiled and patted his head gently "You'll be ok."
Zen sighed and laid back in his hospital bed. Even if he could live a normal life, it would take a long time to adjust...
[1342 words]
A R T
Up in his tree - Anthro Zen Ref - Zen Icon
All art was drawn by me
A--D A Y--I N--M Y--S H O E S
ZEN'S DAY PLANNER
"I have a tendency to be a bit forgetful, so in order to remember my weekly appointments and other little things I have to do, I made myself a basic schedule for the week. If you're interested, I can show you..."
-MONDAY-
"Mondays are mostly spent being active after a lot of relaxing over the weekend. I have a pretty full schedule this day."
7am Breakfast
8am Cleaning the apartment
9am-5pm Work at the grocery store
5-6:30pm Yoga class
7pm Dinner
10pm Bedtime
-TUESDAY-
"Tuesday is more laid back than Monday. I don't work at the grocery store tuesday, instead helping out at a daycare center."
6am Shower
7am Breakfast
7:30am-4pm Daycare center work
6pm Doctor visit
8pm Dinner
10pm Bedtime
-WEDNESDAY-
"On wednesday I go back to work at the grocery store, as well as doing my first of two physical therapy sessions."
7am Breakfast
9am-5pm Work at grocery store
6-8pm Physical therapy
8:30pm Dinner
10pm Bedtime
-THURSDAY-
"Thursday I don't have any sort of work because my physical therapy wears me out, so thursday is the day I restock on the necessities and take some time for my hobbies"
8am Breakfast
10am Shopping
2pm Sewing club
4pm Book club
7pm Dinner
10pm Bedtime
-FRIDAY-
"Friday is my last day of work for the week, as well as yoga class and another checkup to make sure my physical therapy isn't affecting me badly."
7am Breakfast
9am-5pm Work at grocery store
5-6:30pm Yoga class
8pm Doctor visit
-WEEKEND-
"The weekend is generally a couple days to hang out with friends and do what I please at home. There are only a few scheduled things to do, like my second physical therapy session on sunday and a shower on saturday, so I didn't bother to make them a base schedule when there's so little to do those days. Breakfast and other usually scheduled things to do are done really whenever I find the time, and may not happen at all. By experience though, my bedtime on saturday tends to be past midnight, and goes back to the normal 10pm on sunday."
"Any timeframes on the schedule that are blank are free time where I can do what I like, be it TV, or arts and crafts, or reading, or a trip to the park...it could be anything, and it seems silly to schedule myself free time. Now that you know my schedule, maybe you could stop by sometime when I'm free. Thanks for showing interest!"
D A N C I N G--W I T H--D E A D--W E I G H T
Dancing was always his passion. Zen took joy in the precise steps and the prancing and leaping that he could throw himself into without a care in the world while he danced. He particularly enjoyed songs with a strong beat, ones that would make his feet tap without him even thinking about it. Songs where dancing came naturally were by far Zen's favorite songs, and he would dance to them day in and day out
That is until the accident.
Soon after he returned home from the hospital, Zen found that even just walking was a struggle sometimes. Moving his back legs was a stiff and difficult process, and running was out of the question. His tail was too heavy, and continuously tripped him wherever he went. So naturally, when Zen tried to dance, it was a disappointing affair destined to failure.
Zen dragged himself over to the couch in his apartment and laid down, elevating his tail. "What kind of life is this...I can't move right, I can't dance...Why did I have to be so overconfident?" He lamented after another attempt at dancing had gone awry. "They said my movement would correct itself in time, so why isn't the therapy working?" Zen had been going to the hospital twice a week to walk on a treadmill and work his legs. It was a form of rehabilitation, a way to get his legs working properly again, so that his movements would be less stiff unnatural. However, it was taking much longer than Zen would have liked.
Zen grumbled and hauled himself off the couch again, standing in the middle of his living room "I'm going to learn how to dance like this if it's the last thing I do!" He proclaimed and jumped awkwardly, accidentally slamming his tail onto an end table and knocking off a plate and a cup of coffee "....whoops."
And that was when Zen began to dance. He would practice his steps every night, no matter how destructive, no matter how tiring, no matter how painful. He was a kia with a mission. At first, it was very painful and difficult. For months and months Zen just couldn't get his steps down and would slam into his furniture with every awkward movement. But as his rehabilitation schedule continued and his legs began to loosen up again, Zen found it was getting easier to try to dance without injuring himself.
Over those months of awkward, painful practice, Zen had somewhat learned how to dance to avoid smacking things all over the place with his tail. He knew how to move his hips in such a way that the dead weight would move only a bit from side to side, how to jump just high enough that his tail wouldn't rise with him and then slam into things like a mallet. Zen was finally seeing success.
Not only was his dancing method making himself happy, but it was helping along his rehabilitation. His legs would move more smoothly with every passing day now, and once he could move without his legs catching as he walked, he was ready to go out and dance in a public setting.
Zen stood in front of the entrance to the local dance club, looking a bit apprehensive about going inside "I'm going to be badly out of place...what if someone bumps into my tail...?" He mumbled quietly to himself, going over every possible negative situation in his head. It took him several minutes to go inside, where the music was making the floor vibrate with it's sheer volume and the strength of the bass.
Zen wondered if he had made the right choice to come here. The music was loud, the dance floor was crowded....he wasn't sure if he would even be able to begin dancing. But the tune of the music playing was so catchy, and the beat so bumping that he couldn't help but sneak his way over to the dance floor to practice his craft.
~Baby, it's time to make up your mind~
Zen's feet were almost moving on their own. He found that he couldn't control his urge to move now that he was here, and that all his worries had melted away now that he was in the groove. His tail gently swung with the sway of his hips and the fluid movement of his legs, but didn't hit anyone in the process. The place he had chosen was good and open, and as people began to take notice of his style, they began to step back and watch.
Eventually, Zen was dancing alone in a large circle of other kiamaras, who curiously watched him dance with the dead weight of his limp tail swinging from side to side. Some chanted for him while others stared in awe at his unusual but mystifying movements. Zen was in his happy place and barely noticed the crowd until the end of the last song in the set, and the crowd went wild.
Zen looked around all the enamored kiamaras who were cheering and applauding him for his dancing, and he felt his skin flush hot under his fur. He was a bit bashful about being the center of attention, but he was so glad that things had worked well. Zen was finally moving past the limp weight that was now his tail, and more importantly....
Zen had found his passion again.
[906 words]
Extras word total: [1532]
