Teen Madness 🦊 S.S.

Letharia Vulpina

Off in the countryside of Japan, a Yakuza boss named Ikeda was looking out of his porch towards the city. It looked like a beautiful night, which he thought was poetic for the terrible one he was experiencing. He took a drink from his glass before he started to pace back inside his home. He looked towards his men who were sitting in the room, all looking towards the sick white wolf laying in the middle of the room. His pride and joy. The sight of him being so still made his grip on his glass tighten.

"What is taking so long?" he said out to the room.

"The doctor is on his way," said his man closest to the wolf. "He comes highly recommended."

Ikeda huffed as he went and set his glass down on one of his credenzas and picked up the hand gun lying on it. "Did I ask for a professional reference?" he said stomping for the man making him stand up and look nervously at the gun in his hand. The others in the room stood nervously too. "I asked why it was taking so long? That is a question of time, not quality of service! Do you think I would pay for an idiot to look at him?"

The man quickly shook his head and bowed to him. "No Ikeda-sama."

"Can any of you idiots tell me why he hasn't moved in 12 hours?" Ikeda spat at them all but they stayed silent. "No, then where the hell is the doctor?!"

Just then, a gong rang and interrupted his rant. Everyone looked over towards the doors as they began to slide open where two attendants stood on either side of Alan Deaton. In his hands was a leather bag and he was calmly showed in.

Deaton faced and then bowed to Ikeda. He began to address Ikeda in Japanese and he apologized for the late arrival.

"Apologize if you can't do anything," Ikeda grumbled to him. Deaton began to step up closer to his animal. "Have you worked with wolves before?" he asked the vet.

Deaton looked from the wolf to Ikeda and gave him a small grin. "Here and there." He then bent down and began to go for his supplies. "And what's our patient's name?"

"Yuki," Ikeda breathed to him.

"Hello Yuki," Deaton said to the animal as he began to get his gloves on. He then began to give him a closer look. "Now, what have you gotten yourself into, my friend?" He began to analyze Yuki's fur and eyes as Ikeda and Yakuza men watched on. He then went to his snout and lifted his lips up to get a good look at the gums. Deaton's eyes narrowed. "Has Yuki been around any unusual plants?" he asked Ikeda as he knelt down to look himself. "Something that looks like moss? It would be bright green, almost like neon." At that, Ikeda and all of his men started to share nervous and uncomfortable looks. "It's called lichen. It's highly toxic. I need to know if Yuki has consumed any."

Ikeda swallowed nervously. "If he has the poison then, just treat him."

But Deaton shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't. Not without knowing the species. I need a sample."

Ikeda bit back his discomfort and stood up to face his men. "It's in the garden, Shigeki, take him," he said to the man closest to him. But his man just stayed rooted to the floor. In fact, all of his men stayed rooted to the floor and tried to avoid having any eye contact with Ikeda. He started to go off at each of them, cursing and spitting at them in Japanese as they still kept themselves from trying to look at him. No one wanted to go into the garden even with the gun in his hand. "Superstitious idiots," he spat before he looked over at Deaton and gestured for him to go with him. He would lead Deaton to the garden himself.

"Thank you," he muttered as he followed after him.

They entered the entrance to the garden where there was a large steel door. Ikeda took out a large key and went to open it. Deaton then stepped into what was a large zen garden. It looked like no one had really been in here for years from the amount of dust layering and vines that were growing about. Deaton kept his calm while Ikeda seemed frightened with each step he took inside. They walked on ahead to where there was an old fountain that was completely overtaken by neon, green moss. They stopped just before the fountain.