MEDICAL CONSULTATION: SEASONAL SHEDDING & DERMATOLOGICAL PANIC
CLASSIFICATION: GENERAL MEDICAL
DATE: September 10, 2026
SUBJECT: Specialist "Luca" (A-992-L)
ATTENDING: Dr. Arin Yilmaz (Bio-Engineering)
Specialist Luca arrived at the medical bay at 07:45 hours in a state of elevated agitation. He bypassed the nurse's station, entered the exam room unannounced, and placed a large fist-sized clump of brown fur on the examination table with the energy of someone presenting evidence in a criminal trial.
Vitals: Heart rate 130 BPM. Rapid breathing. Visible tremor in both hands.
Chief Complaint: "System Failure / Genetic Rejection."
"Look at this. It's coming out in chunks. My pillow was covered this morning. The merge is failing, isn't it? The glue is wearing off. I can feel it. I'm going to go bald. I cannot be a bald wolf, Doc. I'll look like a rat."
Full dermatological exam conducted. Skin beneath the affected areas: healthy, pink, hydrated, no lesions, no signs of necrotic tissue, no radiation signature. Gentle traction applied to the coat produced large tufts of undercoat with zero resistance — and revealed, clearly visible underneath, a fresh shorter coat already growing in.
Diagnosis: Seasonal Shedding — Coat Blow.
Explained to Luca: this is a standard biological process in arctic and sub-arctic canines. As the seasonal cycle turns — even in a climate-controlled facility, the biological clock does not require external cues to run — his body sheds the heavy winter undercoat to prepare for a new growth cycle. He is not dying. He is not dissolving. He is molting, exactly as his biology has done every year of its existence.
He was skeptical of this explanation. Specifically:
"If this is normal, why isn't Wulfsige falling apart? I saw him this morning. He looks completely fine. If we're the same kind of thing, why is it only happening to me?"
Clarified: biological timing varies between individuals based on metabolic cycle and coat density. Wulfsige's specific genetic markers from "Kodiak" may produce a different seasonal schedule. We are monitoring both. We are also, frankly, learning as we go — there is no established data set for this.
Even after confirming that his health is not in danger, Luca remained significantly self-conscious. He kept smoothing down his flanks, trying to tuck the loose tufts back into the coat with his hands. He asked to remain in quarters until it stopped.
"It looks mangy. It looks like I have a disease. I don't want the team seeing me like this. I look like a patchy carpet."
We cannot quarantine him for a natural biological process. We advised him that stress accelerates shedding. He received this information with visible resignation. He also requested a hat to cover his ears, which are currently shedding the heaviest.
The hat request was approved.
The volume of fur Luca is producing poses a real risk to facility air filtration systems and general hygiene in the barracks. This was predictable and we did not prepare for it adequately.
Action Item: Install a dedicated grooming station in the Specialists' locker room — high-velocity air dryers, undercoat rakes, industrial vacuum access. Wulfsige has been briefed. He is expecting this. He is, per his own assessment, "next."
End of Report.