Before we begin I would like to clarify a few things . Firstly this is related to to my other story (odyssey of an SBS fluffy) so I will not be going into extensive detail about character origins as that was covered in the previous story. Secondly this is not technically a sequel or a prequel . This is simply going over the care process for Odis specifically. When writing the original story I was under the impression that readers might find it boring if I went too heavy handed with the day to day care of Odis.but to my surprise there was a request for greater detail. So without further delay here we go.
Odis isn’t a bad fluffy, he just requires a lot more monitoring than others of his species.
You have to make sure he never leaves your side under any circumstances. For most owners this would be a dealbreaker.
Having your every day activity revolve around maintaining the life of a creature that lacks the capacity for self preservation would be a Groundhog Day level nightmare.
But you understand that this tiny creature goes through a lot of the same struggles as you did growing up . Things begin too bright, too loud, too overstimulating. This poor thing can’t speak and even if it could. It’s nearly impossible to explain what the near constant sensory overload is like to someone who hasn’t experienced it.
You do everything in your power to give Odis some semblance of relief from the hellish bombardment of sounds,lights and textures.
You are not trying to fix Odis because Odis just like you can’t really be fixed. There’s no magic wand that can make the sensations permanently stop.
Exposure therapy only makes things slightly more manageable and even then it’s simply giving tools for enduring the pain not lessening it.
Odis has no problem staying by your side at all times. However foolish it may sound, part of you believes Odis knows you understand his plight. When you are not feeding Odis or changing his diaper, the two of you are enduring sensory overload the best you can. For Odis it’s a combination of cotton buds in his ears and his happy hat. For you it’s finding brief moments of clarity in the hurricane of light and sound that is your job at a fluffy daycare. Somehow the childlike mindset of fluffies makes what should be the worst job imaginable for a person like you , actually somewhat enjoyable.
You have to bring Odis with you to work but you keep him in a baby carrier on your chest at all times while at work. You understand no matter how innocent other fluffies may seem ,They have capacity for unspeakable acts of cruelty against their own kind. Even the most well meaning fluffy lacks a true understanding of lasting consequences.
Juggling the responsibility of caring for Odis while at work is challenging but well within possibly. You set a timer on your phone for every two hours so he doesn’t miss his meals .
Dealing with rambunctious fluffies while having a very vulnerable Odis strapped to your chest is an absolute disaster waiting to happen.
After the incident where your other fluffy atlas stopped Debbi from striking Odis by taking the blow for him, you realize it’s only a matter of time before Odis gets seriously injured or worse.
So you have to get creative. You instal a riot helmet visor on the front of the baby carrier. Because Odis is a noticeably smaller than average fluffy, the visor protects him entirely from wayward kicks and poopie spray from the tantrum prone fluffies you have to physically separate from each other.
In the beginning your coworkers thought you were just being overly protective with Odis , but after witnessing him being spared several would be fatal blows. Your coworkers understood the necessity of having actual armor for Odis.
Thankfully Odis is often off in his own little world. Completely oblivious to the contempt the other fluffies at the daycare have towards him.
The things they say about Odis Break your heart and fill you with anger.
Thankfully atlas loves Odis and is even more protective over him than you are.
Atlas has a reputation at the daycare for taking absolutely no crap when it comes to fluffies being mean to others especially when it’s directed at Odis.
Even with a riot grade visor protecting him Odis still feels the vibrations when it’s struck, more often than not this snaps him out of his imagination world . The sudden nature of these causes him great distress letting out a series of fearful chirps, It takes you a couple minutes to calm Odis down .
The happy hat seems to do the trick
Thankfully these occurrences are few and far between, but the fact that they happen at all troubles you greatly.
“What if the visor hadn’t been there?”
You shudder just imagining what could have happened.
You look down at Odis whose head is nestled against your chest,Odis lets out a fart followed by a series of content coo’s and whisper like chirps.
You watch as Odis sucks on his hoof and shortly after that returns to his own little world, a world where things are not overstimulating , a world where Odis feels at peace.
in that moment you feel peace as well.
Looking at Odis you chuckle to yourself, even After all this time Odis’s mane and tail were still just peach fuzz , to the uninitiated Odis looks like a big chirpy .
When you would go to fluffymart to pick up formula, kibble and the like. You often got judgmental stares from both the employees and the shoppers. You didn’t need to hear them speaking to understand exactly what they were saying, though facial expressions alone it was crystal clear.
One of the employees tried to sell you “painless euthanasia” for Odis…
Your unbridled fury towards the suggestion shown across your face like a neon sign.
The employee was smart enough to keep his mouth shut during the duration of checkout process.
There was however one customer that continually pestering you about odis every time you came to the store but this time he crossed the line following you outside the store continuously spouting higher and higher offers for the “retard” as he called Odis. “$25 and I’ll even let you watch me curb stomp it”
Finally you snap. “Counter offer I give you $25 and you let me give you a cement smiley”
The man quickly realized you were dead serious and backed down.
There were far better ways you could have handled that but sometimes people need to have their proposals put into perspective.
You finally get home and simply enjoy the relative silence.
Even if Odis doesn’t have value to others, It’s moments like this that makes all the struggle worthwhile.
The silent companionship of Odis makes the world a little more bearable.
