Galaxy Fam

Aftermath

Hunter lay in misery, Curled up in the comfort of his own bed. He had gotten rid of Flapjack's birdcage last night, as there was no need for it anymore. His heart hammered against his rib cage, and his breathing sped up rapidly.

He was having a panic attack, and there would be no Flapjack to calm him down with chirps, nuzzles, and melodies. Hunter clutched his shirt, the pain in his chest increasing with every breath. Cyrus entered his room, concerned. "Hunter..?"

The boy didn't respond. When Cyrus turned Hunter over, the teenager was still clutching his shirt and shaking. He was barely breathing, and Cyrus grew wide eyed. "MOM! DAD! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH HUNTER!"

Night and Sunny rushed in, Night scooping her son into her arms. "You're okay, baby...mama's here..breathe."
Hunter couldn't breathe. He clutched his mother's sweater, sobbing into her shoulder. This wasn't just from his PTSD.

This was grief taking its toll on Hunter's adolescent mind and body. Hunter's breath hitched in between sobs, Night rubbing his back. Soon enough, the boy tuckered himself out, sleeping in his mother's arms. "Sunny, I need you to go make an appointment with Doctor Clawthorne. He's gotten worse ever since.." Night looked down at the floor, tears in her eyes.
~~~~~
Hunter sat curled in Night's arms, refusing to budge.
"Hunter Slydale? Doctor Clawthorne is ready for you." Called out a staff member, and Night kissed Hunter's head. "Honey, you have to get up. They're ready for you."

Hunter moved hesitantly off his mother's lap, walking next to her with a sluggish pace, his plush wolf dangling from his hand. Doctor Dell Clawthorne met the mother and son with a friendly gaze, the elderly therapist welcoming them in. "Mrs. Slydale! Hunter! Pleasure seeing you again. Have a seat."

Hunter didn't speak, but sat down in pure silence. Night knew she'd need to be his voice. "Hunter, can I speak to Dr. Clawthorne on your behalf?"

Hunter nodded, preoccupied with fumbling his stuffed wolf. "Okay baby." The mother sighed. "Hunter was making incredible progress with opening up about his emotions and his past the last time he was here, and now he's shutting himself out again. What happened to cause such a major regression in his progress?" Dr. Clawthorne asked kindly, and Night sighed. "Hunter's  beloved companion who doubled as his service animal for PTSD passed away recently."

"It's natural for animals to pass away. This clinic also offers grief counseling."

"Let me reiterate. Flapjack, his cardinal, was murdered right in front of him by Philip Wittebane."
Hunter tensed up, gripping his stuffie 'Captain's' paw. Hot tears coated his cheeks as the boy quivered and trembled in his seat. "Hunter, kiddo?" Dell's warm voice filled the room after moments of unnerving silence. Hunter shut down completely, rocking in his seat.
Night grabbed her son and held him close, humming and telling him to calm down. "Do you want me to talk to Dr. Clawthorne alone?" Night asked, and Hunter looked up once he was calmer. "Yeah.."
"I'll have my daughter fetch him now and keep him company while we talk. She works here on the weekends." Dell quickly walked out into the hallway, returning with his eldest daughter Lilith.
"Come on, Hunter." Lilith extended out her hand, and Hunter took it, walking away with the dark teal haired woman.

"Since the death of his bird, who may remind you, was his PTSD service animal due to accommodations, Hunter has deteriorated both mentally and physically. He barely leaves his room now and refuses to eat any meals. I'm terrified for my son's well being." Night felt the tears slide down her face, and Dell's face softened, an empathetic gold eye staring into heartbroken grey ones. "That kid has gone through hell in his short 15 years of life, and you saved him from death. You're an amazing mother and I'm sure you could help him through this. I can recommend some grief counseling, but there's also something else I could do..."

"What's that?" Night looked at the elder with curiosity.
"I could start the paperwork on getting him a new service animal. He could benefit from a service dog that's trained to provide pressure and comfort during a panic attack, even recognizing the signs before it happens."

Night thought for a moment. It was far too soon, but the young mother was desperate. "Okay. I'll do it."

Meanwhile, in the clinic's sensory room, Hunter was sitting in the corner, Captain the wolf to his chest. His headphones were in, so Lilith figured he was trying to soothe himself. Lilith approached with caution, gently tapping him on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Hunter shook his head. "Mind if I sit with you?"
Hunter, through more nonverbal cues, let Lilith sit with him. Mondays through Fridays, this woman was his history teacher, but now she was just Lilith. "Your brother told me what happened to that bird of yours. I'm so sorry, kiddo."
Hunter sniffled. "No, no! Don't cry! I'm sorry for bringing it up.." Lilith panicked, Hunter took a breath.
"It's okay, Miss Clawthorne. it's my fault he died. I was powerless and paralyzed by fear. So much for me being a genius teen prodigy. I skipped grades growing up and now I'm being held back one."

Lilith's expression softened. "Kid, quit blaming yourself. Philip is a trickster and a master manipulator. He knows how to keep people paralyzed by their own fears and can trick people into doing his bidding. None of this is your fault, okay? And, you can call me Lilith."

Hunter blinked. Normally Lilith was upbeat, a goofball, and peppy; especially when she was teaching history.
Her seriousness was something that surprised him.

"What? Surprised I can be serious? I wasn't always peppy like this. My sister, Edalyn, was the fun one. She played football and was the star player. She took my place as Captain after I graduated."

"She was captain of the wolves?" Hunter's eyes lit up.
"Back then we were called the banshees, but yeah. I was as well."

Hunter beamed brightly, his smile wide. "That's so cool!"

~~~~~
"Okay, I'm gonna call him back in, Mrs. Slydale."

After a quick phone call, Lilith was soon knocking on the door. "Hello, father!"
"Hi, Lilly." Dell gave his eldest a small hug, and Hunter shuffled into the room. He was smiling, and Night smiled in return. "DIDYOUKNOWTHATLILITHWASAFOOTBALLTEAMCAPTAINANDEDAWASASTARPLAYERTURNEDCAPTAIN?!" He blurted out, catching his mother off guard. "Honey, Lilith was my history teacher as a teenager. She had her medals hanging on a cork board. Did you forget that I have known Eda for years? She used to babysit me, your tio, and auncle so of course I knew that she was star player. She used to tell us stories all the time.." Night laughed lightly, causing Lilith to chuckle. "I remember her bringing you three to our mother's. Now, you all are grown up. Time flies."

"Sure does. Thank you for looking after Hunter."
"Not a problem, Night. He's one of the brightest kids in my class and a total sweetheart." She walked out as peacefully as she walked in. "Honey, I had a chat with Mr. Clawthorne, and tonight we're picking up a one year old puppy to be your service dog.."

Hunter's smile faltered, but before anything could happen, there was a knock at the door. It was one of Dell Clawthorne's staff members. "The people who have your client's service pup are here. They came early so he could meet her."

"Thank you, Skylar."
~~~
Hunter was brought to another room where a few other adults walked in. Hunter was confused for a moment as the puppy that walked in looked like a wolf, not a dog.
"This puppy is a husky mix, but she doesn't look like it because she has a very small percentage of wolf in her DNA. She's housebroken as well."

Hunter's eyes lit up. The one year old wolfdog snuggled into his lap, and Hunter petted her gently. The canine licked his face, clearly happy with her new handler. "What are you gonna name her?" Asked Dell.

Hunter thought for a moment. "Pancake. In honor of the one who came before her."
~~~~~
Pancake had been already trained to provide pressure and recognize the signs of an oncoming panic attack. Hunter was asleep in his bed, the pooch curled up by his feet. The boy tossed and turned, waking up in a cold sweat. This in turn caused Pancake to sit up and lay her body across his lap. Hunter buried his face into her fur, trying to self soothe. Pancake pawed at Hunter as if to say 'it'll be okay'

Pancake jumped off the bed, Only to hop back on and plop Captain the wolf in Hunter's lap. "Thank you, Pancake.." he muttered once he leveled his breathing. The dog snuggled up next to her handler, the two drifting off.

Everything was going to be OK.