Welcome to the Guardian

[Meera Alam]

Meera’s face was a perfect mask of happiness. She had been up most of the night, toiling over one of her experiments… Things with that one were not going too well. Oh, the subject had yielded plenty of materials with which she could create more paintings; at least something good had come from the night… And with a new buyer, she had no choice but to create another piece of art. That would have to wait another night, however, for her test subject had gotten rather unruly. Meera would have to stamp that out after her shift at the Guardian today.

                Eiji was waiting for her when she wheeled into the dingy building. They had an appointment, of course, she did not accept random visits from any patient. After the rabble of the night, however, she had completely forgotten about the pup. Tramping down the surprise, Meera greeted him warmly, offering up a pleasant smile and speaking in melodious tones.

                “Looking for me?”

                The pup pocketed the pill bottle she had prescribed, but not before she took note of its emptiness.

                Stressed, little wolf? Meera mused in her mind.

                Meera led the stray into her office. The sterile surroundings here were much more aesthetically pleasing to her. To think that the Atharim had forced her into working in this sham of a hospital… Oh, there were benefits, but to be surrounded by such discord and filth…

                Once seated behind her desk, Meera pulled her pad out and scribbled out a few lines. She tore the page off and slid it towards the puppy, who was now seated across from her.

                “I couldn’t help but notice you are almost out of your medication. Here is a prescription for another bottle, but I must caution you, Eiji-chan, I think it better that you slow down in consuming those pills… If you are taking so many, we may have to look at other forms of treatment.”

                Meera’s hand darted for her letter opener, snatching it up from its place on the desk. She smiled deeply at Eiji, reminiscing upon their last visit. Such a productive visit. She could still taste the copper and moss on her palette.

                “How goes your reading, Eiji-chan? I find it benefits the patient to have a small understanding of the art of psychology. Freud was one of the greatest, in my own humble opinion.”

                She raised the letter opener and grabbed an envelope from the desk with her other hand, tearing into the delicate white paper with the sharpened edge. Another bill.

                “How are your dreams? Do the wolves still come or perhaps the man with the snake tattoo?”

                There would be time enough for his treatment later, but not before pleasantries.

[Lih]

“Thank you,” Eiji said.

He was surprised to find he didn’t know quite how to answer. He took out the book and frowned at it.

“Alam-Sama, Freud’s words make me falter. My reading is slow, because I do not quite understand his philosophies. He cheerfully seeks to upset my long held convictions in society, in that it seeks to establish compliance of our Id’s and egos. According to this," jabbing a finger down at the open page, "here it basically says we are imposters. Made like a super man, in the name of the gods, but in fact we are malformed and ugly. I expected him to come to me with lies in the guise of medical jargon, but he came with the truth— and his truth is so obscene it saddens me to see truth itself is amoral. Because we believe the same words, the very same ones, but we value them so differently. That difference has led directly to my sadness. Why does Freud not leave us to our pretend lives, unviolated? Yet he does not. Why did he insist on bringing all his patients (like the rat-man case) to perversion? Why? He may be finely educated and a great expert, but in serving his fine truth above the greater good, as a doctor, he makes himself immoral. Can’t we have hopes of talking with doctors who give us pills and hopes of functioning as a healthy, moral person?”

Eiji looked across at Meera, at the happy face of the doctor in front of him. She wore her feelings where anyone could see them. She greeted him with a grin that made him smile involuntarily.

He could smell blood. He thought it was his until he realized that was impossible. Cambodia, probably more than anywhere else, had left the deepest scars inside him, invisible. It was the chief reason he had a stress migraine behind his eyes and such an adrenaline spike that even his sweat tasted of sour metal.

No man would wage war on his fellow man like this. He thought disparagingly at the scenes not so long ago. It betrayed the actual physical weaknesses of the land and people he fought for. Himself, foremost. Later, there would be pain , but that was not his chief concern. He hoped the new batch of pills Meera gave him would help him cope with the filth and new venoms in his head.

He slowed his breathing to clear his mind. Let me be sharp and true and fast as a spear, he thought. Help me to move forward, without flinching, without balking. Remembering the dream he had last night, Eiji could sense the old, wise face from behind the wolf's snout, the compassion, the support.

You will make the right decision. We trust you.

It wiped the fear from Eiji’s face as he relayed to her his dreams next…

Eiji Lynx

[Meera Alam]

The blood trickled down Eiji’s neck like marmalade sliding off a knife; fat and red. Meera stared at it for a long while. Almost too long. She felt the gentle heat behind her shoulder and wove the five elements together in a complex spell upon the wolf-boy’s neck. Flesh met flesh and reknit itself, blood ceasing to flow. With a flick of her wrist, the fallen vitae collected into a hardened marble and floated over to her outstretched palm. She pocketed the thing, as had become ritual with these visits. How many did she have now? It was so hard to keep track. This one would go right into her jewelry cabinet with the rest and she would forget it… Until another hard night rolled around and Meera needed to remember why she was doing this. Needed reminding of a job well done.

                The book lay open in Eiji’s lap. He had dropped it when Meera struck with her letter-opener. As the spell took hold, he seemed to collect himself, hands grabbing at Freud’s work and opening back up to the page he held previously.

                A look of adoration slowly crept up upon Eiji’s face. Meera looked down, forcing her lips into a loving smile.

                “But don’t you see, Eiji-chan? We are impostors. You want band-aids and magical cure-alls, but that is not reality. Only once you truly see the ties that bind, can you break free. Don’t you want to break free, Eiji-chan? Don’t you want to roam? Don’t you want to feed into your internal nature? There’s a wolf inside of you, Eiji-chan, a wolf that yearns to break free. Go forth from this place today and be the wold you were always meant to be. Destroy those chains, Eiji-chan. Our time has come to an end, I fear, but you must remember one thing: destroy the chains that bind.”

                Meera plucked the book up from Eiji’s lap, patted his head, and wheeled back to the space behind her desk. She opened a panel and slid the paper back into an empty crook. A carefully manicured hand reached out to the phone system and the fingerpad beneath pressed down upon a red button.

                “Yes. Nurse Ratch? Call a car for Eiji-chan. I’m afraid he’s feeling a little lightheaded.”

                Eiji’s look of adoration started to dissipate as he looked on at Meera. She opened another panel in her desk and pulled out an amber colored bottle. The plastic container hit the desk with a thud as she turned those liquid eyes back on the wolf-pup.

                “Eiji-chan. I’ve done all I can do for you. It is time for you to go back out there without me. Oh, don’t worry, I shall pop in to visit you from time to time. If ever I think you are regressing, we may start up again, but for now, I think you have all the tools to guide you through this wicked life. Remember what I’ve told you and everything shall turn out just fine. Sayonara, Eiji-sama.”

                Meera smiled widely at the wolf-pup. Yes, she was setting him free, but that didn't mean she wasn't keeping tabs on the little man. Somewhere behind his ear lay a carefully placed tracking device.