new ball!!!!!!!

19. Among the trees

CW: institutionalised slavery, dehumanisation  ”How do you feel about going for a walk? “A-a walk, Miss?” “Just a short walk. The weather will be nice today and Indira says that it’s okay for you to take some light exercise. If you feel up to it, that is?” “Y-yes Miss Lydia. Of course.” The pet had been in the garden earlier. But when walking out into the sunlit street, it felt itself suddenly dizzy. The sun was so bright, the trees so tall, the morning sky so high and blue. It had been spending time outside before, of course. But not at all during its whole time at the institute... The pet quickly pushed away the thought. It didn’t want to remember the endless white walls, the cold, the pain. Its former master had taken it from place to place, sometimes, usually by car. The pet had always been securely leashed. Now, it was just wearing its collar and even that only because it had asked its mistress to put it on in the morning. “Miss... This pet doesn’t have its leash.” “Oh, you don’t need a leash. We’ll just go for a short walk.” She frowned. “I guess you know this much better than I do, but apparently there’s some crazy rule about all pets - including human pets - wearing leashes when traveling by public transport and on some public places.” She looked at the pet with... concern. “So, sometimes you’ll have to wear a leash. I’m sorry about that.” “Thank you, Miss.” The reply came automatically, thankfully. Coriander was confused, slightly alarmed. That was the normal state of affairs, was it not? Its former owner had kept his pet on the leash all the time, often indoors as well. The pet was acutely aware of the lack of a leash now. It felt light-headed enough to simply float away. In a bout of vertigo, Coriander fumbled after its owner, grasping hold of the side of Lydia’s pale green blouse, feeling like a lost kid. She smiled and took its arm. As if it was the most natural thing in the world to walk side by side, arm in arm, down the street with your pet. “Hello Lydia!” “Hi!” She waved at a middle-aged man on the other side of the street. He was walking an old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the pair crossed the street to meet them. Lydia crouched down to pet the dog, who wagged its tail and raised its greying snout towards her. “Hi Nessa” she said, “Who’s a good girl? Yes, you are!” Coriander stood awkwardly where she had let go of its arm, watching them. Was this pet also supposed to fall to its knees? Or crawl on the ground? The man was watching it with open curiosity. “So, this is your new pet?” “Yes! His name is Coriander. Coriander, meet my... our neighbor, David Richardson.” “Good morning, Sir.” The pet bowed its head. “Well behaved.” He smiled at Lydia, then looked at the pet again. “Nessa’s an old lady now, but she likes the attention. You can pet her if you want.” When Lydia nodded in encouragement the pet fell to its knees (The relief! It was where it was supposed to be all along.) and held out its hand to the dog who responded with a slow tail wag. Taking it as encouragement, Coriander pet his hand along the black and tan flank. The fur was warm and silken soft under his hands. Lydia stood up and continued to talk about the sunny weather while Coriander was completely absorbed in petting the dog. She was so... so warm, so alive. Nessa responded by appreciatively sitting down almost on top of Cory, tail thumping against the pavement all the time. Eventually, they finished their conversation and said their goodbyes. Cory gave the dog one last pat and stood up obediently. Like Nessa, ready to follow its owner. After a few minutes, Lydia and Cory came to the end of the street and followed a path in between the trees. The warm scent of sandy soil and pine trees enveloped them in the shifting shade. Some tits twittering in the leafy bushes, wood pigeons cooing in the trees up ahead. The shade and shelter made Cory breathe easier. It was just the two of them there, and right now, the pet was not afraid of its mistress. When Lydia let go of the pet’s arm it didn’t scramble after her, but just followed her along the path. Walking in the dappled sunlight, Coriander found a rare moment of peace.  Tag list: @cupcakes-and-pain @whump-em @whumpzone @wh-wh-whu @neuro-whump @carnagecardinal @cowboy-anon @whump-me-all-night-long @redwingedwhump @myst-in-the-mirror @haro-whumps @eatyourdamnpears @bloodsweatandpotato @pinkraindropsfell  @whumptywhumpdump @theydy-cringeworthy @whump-in-progress @whumpsy-daisy @nicolepascaline @whumpcreations @briars7 @shiningstarofwinter @whumppsychology @alex-ember @miss-kitty-whumptastic @whumpy-writings @in-patient-princess

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This post was inspired by this prompt by @whump-blog “Whumpee is afraid to leave Caretaker’s house; the only way Whumpee is able to get out is if they are holding Caretaker’s hand.” https://whump-blog.tumblr.com/post/656294555847704576/prompt-2 Thanks for the inspiration! 💐