Chameleon means "earth lion" in Greek

Shedding part 2

apart from the usual reasons why chameleons shed, there are plenty of other reasons as to why they may do it unnaturally, the normal being related to growth 

Shedding Due To Growth (Chameleon's baby will shed more often than an adult. They will shed every 3 to 5 weeks, depending on the species), but there are 3 main reasons as to why one would do it unnaturally 

Stress, illness and uncleanliness 

all factors which resulted in a chameleon's horrible state at this very moment 

vector had been living with charmy and espio long enough to tell the difference between fluttering wings at 3 am sneaking down for a midnight snack then a windy night, and to tell where espio was when he turned invisible

but the biggest signals he practically trained himself to recognize was when something is wrong with his boys 

it started small with the chameleon's decrease of an appetite, actually looking thinner than usual, he tried to encourage him to eat more, and to his credit espio tried as asked but only managed a spoonful before declaring he was full 

but then the chameleon's skin soon started to turn darker, but with little white spots? vector put it as his shedding coming early and knowing how sensitive the ninja was of this he decided to allow him peace to do his thing 

but to the larger reptile, something just wasn't sitting right, especially with how now he could hear moans of distress from the ninja's room 

espio was on the floor, twisting and turning in pain

looking closer the chameleon was not exhibiting the healthy signs of shedding, his skin had turned completely black with white spots littering his body, he had definitely lost weight in the unhealthy style, he looked constipated and seemed to be infection problems with the tongue and ..... what he feared was gout in his wrists and ankles 

he needed medical attention 

but it seemed that the chameleon wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, vector tried to move espio, to try and take him to the doctors or hospital  but was only resulted in a hiss and attempted but failed warnings of aggression 

espio was stressed and moving would not help his condition at all, meaning that the medical staff needed to come to them 

"hang in there bud, we're going to help," vector said out loud with urgency 

espio made no act of acknowledgement as the crocodile walked out of his room and began to call for help 

after a few minutes and a very panicked phone call, a doctor came into inspect espio's condition 

and to both his surprise and horror, vector had been right about all the conditions the chameleon had developed 

luckily the doctor had some medicine to dissolve the uric acid crystals, saying that there was no need for an operation thank chaos, 

espio throughout was not happy, snapping at the doctor but the professional was kind and understanding, knowing that it was only natural in his situation, actually saying how well he was doing from not being more aggressive, which meant even in this horrible state, espio was holding back, a scary thought to the crocodile in all honesty 

"But why is he having problems with his shedding, he has never experienced this" vector asked with worry 

"to my professional perspective I can say that there is a lack of ventilation and this environment is a little...disheveled let's say" the doctor explained, trying to keep polite 

"so all of this is because our homes got a little dirty?" vector asked with confusion 

"It is an explanation" the doctor stated 

when vector looked around, he may not be wrong to say that it does kinda of look like a pigsty, dust, dirty plates, out of place folders and books and jeez he needed glasses if he thought his living space was "clean" 

"It can't be helped, we just haven't had time with all these cases, by the time we get in we only have time to sleep before were out again" vector said trying to excuse his behavior 

"I understand that, but you shouldn't be overworking yourself to the point where you can sick," the doctor said responsibly  

"This could also link to another explanation, as added stress when shedding can lead to problems such as this, I see some injuries that that could lead to bacteria or fungus growing and causing the skin to shed improperly" the doctor continued out loud 

"so I'll begin to remove the old skin layer so I can treat and clean the damaged new skin underneath" the doctor finished as he began to get out his medical kit to help remove the skin 

vector nodded as he allowed the doctor to do his thing, and as he watched in sympathy of the chameleon's uncomfortableness he was grateful vanilla took charmy off his hands for the week 

once the doctor was satisfied with his treatment he beckoned vector to help him move him to the bed, not without complaint, but it was fast and they allowed the chameleon to rest and relax, now seeming at least a little at peace as the old skin was removed and infections soon began to calm 

"he'll be ok, just make sure to keep an eye on him and ensure to help with the shedding and gout, I've already given and prescribed some Allopurinol to help, I also recommend purchasing hygrometer and ensuring the environment is clean" the doctor assured 

"thank you so much doc" vector said with his deepest gratitude 

"no problem, just stick to those rules, oh and ensure he drinks plenty of fluids and digest enough to build back his strength" the doctor finished as he packed up and stood up to exit the Chaotix's house 

vector nodded as he waved the professional of, not without getting his contact number of the pharmacy as well as his notes of how to keep his little buddy healthy, closing the door to quickly check on the ninja who was thankfully sleeping soundly 

"what am I going to do with you?" the crocodile sighed and asked tiredly as he kept the door opened ajar to get proper ventilation as he went to clean the house, promising to never let it get as bad as it was ever again