|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2020 8:56 pm
Kehtra were mammals that lived in Matori. They liked their forest lives and tended to prefer remaining there. So what was one doing on the edge of a town in Zena? Koril sighed and shook his head. He could see the collar around the creature's neck, frayed from the kehtra's attempt to claw it off. Someone had attempted to keep it as a pet, and had either lost control or become bored of it. As it was, the kehtra laid curled in a ball, clearly weakened by the cold and from hunger. He wasn't sure it was even an adult yet. "Hey. Want that collar off?" he asked, slowly reaching forward. The kehtra replied with a hiss and a weak swipe of a long-fingered paw, which Koril easily avoided. "Okay, we'll leave it for now." Instead, he started rummaging through his pack for some food. "How about something to eat, instead?" He was grateful that his animal companions had remained at the inn and stables, since their presence might only have agitated the creature. As it was, there was already a handful of curious gawkers lingering that had drawn his attention in the first place. He had briefly attempted to shoo them off, but his concern was with the kehtra. "Careful, pal. Someone else tried grabbing it and it clawed his arm open!" one of the gawkers warned. "All he did was poke at it to see if it was alive," another chimed in helpfully. Koril gave the group an incredulous look. "He poked it? And you're surprised it retaliated?" he huffed. Poking and grabbing? No wonder the poor thing was extra wary of him.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 7:30 pm
Life as a Zenan healer came with it's own morbid routine. Sol had become accustomed to treating patients with minor ailments like colds and scraps as well as those that required more advanced care. He'd seen his fair share of hypothermia and frostbite in the winter, as well as some animal attacks by creatures unfortunate enough not to stock up before winter. Magic helped him to 'see' what needed to be done, and for the most part he could predict his life by the season.
Usually the warmer months were favorable. There was typically a spike in sickness once the snows started to melt, but for the most part things were typically calm.
So it came as a great curiosity when a man was brought in with his arm clawed open. At first he'd assumed it was a local animal, but the men who brought him in claimed it was something else entirely. Something foreign with a wild look in it's eye. Clearly a danger!
Sol had done his best to calm the bleeding, but his associate, Pim, had taken point on healing. If what those men said held any truth then someone out to check it out, and as luck would have it, their most traveled 'local' also happened to be the blind healer.
So, he'd taken up his walking stick and made his way into town. Surely if someone could at least describe the creature to him he might be able to place it, but there was no guarantee. Even if he knew what it was it wasn't as if he could do much about it. All Sol really cared about knowing was if it had a toxin in it's claws or some kind of bacteria he should be wary of.
He followed the sound of voices and meandered closer, blending in with the crowd as best he could while keeping his ear out. Someone near the center of the activity was talking, though with this much whispered gossip he couldn't tell what was being said. Something about a foreigner and a collar?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 9:31 pm
Koril pulled out a chunk of jerky, broke off a piece, and carefully tossed it close to the shivering kehtra. "There you go. Try to eat," he encouraged gently. He watched the kehtra narrow its eyes and dart its gaze between him and the meat suspiciously. It was a relief when the creature finally reached out to grab up the morsel, giving it a few curious sniffs before shoving it into its mouth. He continued cooing softly and tossing more bites, and the kehtra slowly began to relax from its defensive posture. "There you are. See? You're safe." "How ugly," someone from the crowd huffed. "Can't you get it out of here?" "It looks like baby sissy," a youth teased, earning a slap on the head from one of the adults. One reckless soul snorted sharply. "Honestly, it is just an animal and it does not belong here." As though he needed to make a point, he left the crowd to walk forward. "Take charge and either catch it or kill it. There is no need to baby it." Koril had been ignoring the crowd up until he noticed the kehtra's tension suddenly spike again. He looked over his shoulder and raised his arm while trying to keep his voice calm. "Stop, please. You'll scare it." He was shocked when the kehtra suddenly jolted toward him and wrapped its limbs around his torso as though clinging to its mother. "It's gonna eat him!" someone shrieked from the crowd, completely misunderstanding the creature's fearful instinct to hide. The man approaching reacted without thinking, reaching for the kehtra's collar in an attempt to be helpful. Koril and the kehtra both reacted to the reaching hand at the same time, Koril with his arm and the kehtra with its teeth. Koril reached the hand first, shoving it away successfully before yelping with pain when his upper arm took the brunt of the kehtra's defensive bite. Still, Koril hissed through his teeth a moment before turning a glare to the crowd. "Stop scaring it!" he admonished sharply, feeling the trembling juvenile creature still clinging to him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2020 10:57 am
"It's gonna eat him!"
If nothing else pushed Sol to get closer then that was the catalyst. He all out shoved the bodies next to him out of the way, even going so far as to use his walking stick as a buffer. If there really was a dangerous animal then he needed to detain it as fast as possible!
Then, as if the situation couldn't get any more surprising, he heard Koril of all people. The shock wasn't enough to stop him, however; if anything once he heard the other man's yelp of pain Sol grit his teeth and made his own voice known, "GET BACK." Those closest to him finally dispersed and when he made his way closer to the scene, firm scowl upon his features, he could hear several sets of feet scuffling back. "Go back to your homes and shops. If he says you're scaring it then you are. There isn't a member of this village that hasn't hunted before; what idiot can't tell me what animals do when they're scared and defensive?"
"But it really did bite him, Sol!"
"Yes, because of you people." He groused. Using his walking stick to guide him, Sol made his way closer to Koril, and when he was semi-sure he was close enough he crouched down. "Can you walk? My clinic is close by. It might be better to take the two of you there before we have another incident."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2020 7:31 pm
Koril sighed with relief when the nearby man finally backed off. The kehtra shrank into a ball, still clinging to him and trembling terribly. He kept himself still to keep from startling the frightened creature, but couldn't help how his head snapped up at a familiar voice. It had been so long since he had heard it! "Sol!" he somehow managed to chirp happily though a clenched jaw. He had wanted to surprise Sol by showing up... well, it was still a little bit of a surprise. At least he had someone on his side now, and the cluster of onlookers was finally dispersing. A few threw back their strong opinions as they left, but they were leaving. Koril nodded and let out a long breath. Could he walk? "Yeah. It's just my arm. I swear he didn't mean to bite me.." Standing was a little awkward, but he managed it well enough. At least the kehtra could hold on with its own arms so that Koril didn't need to use the bitten one. "It's okay, little guy. Sol won't hurt you~" he crooned as calmly as he could to the kehtra, which watched Sol with concern.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2020 5:06 pm
[3/7]
"I know, but that doesn't make it hurt any less, right?" His tone was sympathetic, knowing full well that despite Koril's best intentions he still had to be hurting. Even a small bite could burn, and without his sight to tell him exactly how bad it looked Sol could only go off the other man's description. Of course he could hear little subtleties in Koril's movements, but commenting on them was often more awkward than the listening itself so he kept quiet.
"Follow me." He cocked his head to the side, then led the way. His clinic wasn't a far walk away, but it was long enough for his curiosity to peek. "Why are you in Zena, Koril? Last I knew you were going to your family in...Matori, right?" It felt...strange, knowing the other man was around, but he couldn't actually see him now. Was he taller? Did his hair still look the same? And more importantly, what was he doing this far North? As he walked Sol relied more on his walking stick than he had in the past, using it to avoid hitting larger rocks and other obstacles. And while his antennae flickered back to the other man his eyes kept 'looking' forward.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2020 5:49 pm
"Yeah.." Giving a bashful smile, Koril peered a little closer at his wounded arm. The layers of sweaters he wore blocked the view, so they had hopefully blocked the worst of the teeth as well! Working with animals so much, he was rather accustomed to bites and bleeding on occasion. He could handle some pain. The kehtra gave a nervous chitter as they headed toward town, earning it some soothing petting. He could only hope the jerk that had brought the poor kehtra to Zena was long gone... His eyes slowly took Sol in as they walked. Still as handsome as ever! Something else was different about the other man though, and it felt like it was more than just the obvious changes that came with the passage of time. He couldn't put his finger on it just yet... "I did see them, but I was there a long time and I came back to see you," he casually replied. There was a pause, and then he laughed at himself. "I mean, not just to see you, I'm working on a second book.. but that's why I'm in this part of Zena. I was gonna write and let you know I was coming, but I wanted to surprise you!" Koril smirked ruefully. "Not quite the way I had thought it would go. Still, now I can add a section about why kehtra should definitely not be let loose here! That'll be new."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2020 5:02 pm
[4/7]
"All this way just to see me?" Of course he had to tease; there was no way around it. "My, I do feel special." He turned, just as he would have if he were able to see and grinned. After a bit he shook his head and turned back around to face forward, a distinctly darker shade taking up residence on his cheeks. That is, until the bit about the letters was mentioned..."Probably best you didn't write. Letters get lose all the time coming this far North, and I prefer the surprise."
The way to the clinic was relatively smooth, though it was all on an upward incline. Coming down the hill was nothing at all, but the trek back did tend to make one tired if they weren't used to it. In Sol's case he'd managed the walk so frequently by now that he wasn't even remotely winded by the time he made it to the front door. It was a modest building; clean cut stone, but worn with age. The stone placed by the thick wooden door that served as an entryway was dipped in the middle by years of passing boots. Sol tapped the base of the door with his walking stick then reached forward, touching first the wood of the door before finding the knob and turning it. "Follow me; I'll take you to a private room."
The interior was small, but cozy. There was a little waiting area with an empty bench seat that spread off into a few rooms; one that was obviously occupied, if the murmur of voices was anything to go by and many more that were simply vacant. Sol went directly to his right, both out of habit and ease. The room itself was clean with a flattened stray bed in the middle and shelving lined with all manner of medical equipment. For a backwoods clinic they were fully stocked, but Sol did take pride in his work. "Shut the door behind you and sit down on the bed."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 3:32 pm
"Well, you are special," he assured, giving a smile back. He moved a little closer to Sol for a better look at him, but the kehtra whined and squirmed at the closing proximity. He shushed it gently and stepped back away. "I guess you're right. I'll just have to think of more surprises for you, then," he said playfully. The walk uphill would normally have not phased him at all, considering his traveling lifestyle. Now though, he had the bite and was carrying the kehtra, and Koril let out a sigh of relief when they reached the clinic. He looked around the sheltered room curiously, and the kehtra did the same. Seemed it was okay with being indoors. Despite feeling tired, Koril still managed a playful grin as he followed his guide. "Private room? Want me all to yourself, eh? ..Really, thanks for helping out there. They were getting all worked up and the poor thing was just scared." He pulled the door shut and set the kehtra onto the floor next to the bed so that he could take the layers of sweaters off. The creature sat for just a moment, and then scooted to cling to Koril's leg. "Fine. You can stay there if you're good. No bothering Sol while he's working," he said firmly, talking as readily to the kehtra as he would to any earthling while getting only an oblivious grunt in reply. With the final heavy layer off, he sat on the bed and carefully raised his arm to see the damage. Two stinging puncture holes on either side of his arm bled freely to show where the kehtra's longest teeth had gotten through. "Doesn't look too bad, little one" he observed, giving the creature a reassuring smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2020 12:45 pm
[5/7]
"Well, you are going to have to strip," He grinned. "Otherwise I won't be able to clean the wound."
Sol propped his walking stick against the side of the nearest shelf and felt across the wood for familiar little grooves. Each shelf have words carved into the board that described what it held such as 'salves' and 'potions'. For the most part he had to open containers if the feeling itself was unfamiliar, but the particular ointments he needed were so frequently called on that as soon as Sol's fingers grazed the glass he picked it up.
Depending on the depth of the bite a little cleansing, salve and a wrap with just a boost of magic would do the trick.
Making his way closer to the bed, Sol sat his supplies on a nearby table, one that he'd long grown used to being there. He produced a little strip of ribbon from a hidden pocket and raised his arms to pull his hair back, "What are you planning on doing with it now that you've rescued it? I'm not familiar with kehtra, but I don't know how well it can handle a Zenan winter." Even if it was 'warm' outside right now, the tides would be turning soon.
He reached forward to take Koril's arm in his hands, smoothing his finger over the punctures softly, just to get a 'visual' on the damage. His magic probed the area, judging it as his eyes could not, and with a non-committal grunt he set about cleansing the wound.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 12:49 pm
He couldn't help admiring how Sol seemed to just sweep around the room, knowing where everything was and moving so smoothly. There was still a hint of something different, but it was getting easy to overlook. Sol knew what he was doing, and was so organized! "The main problem is that I don't know how long its been captive. If it can, it would be best to send it back to the forest in Matori. Otherwise, I'll have to see about taming it to live with someone." He smirked playfully, "I don't suppose you would like it?" The kehtra gave a low murmur of disapproval as Sol drew near, but contented itself with hiding behind Koril's leg and glaring. Koril winced slightly at the touch to the wounds. "It should be young enough to go back and be fine. I know a couple caravans that I trust to get it home. ..How does it look?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:43 pm
[6/7]
Sol dipped the edge of a clean cloth into an herbal mixture and smooth it over the now cleaned wound. He didn't bother warning Koril that it might be cold; freezing, more like, but depending on how much the bite actually hurt it might be a welcomed distraction.
He gave in to a half laugh, half snort and shook his head. "No, thank you. I do just as well to keep up with Sev." His raptrix had thankfully calmed with age, but she was still a handful. He just couldn't imagine trying to keep up with another pet at this point in his life. What if it ran away? How would he be able to track it? Or worse, what if Sev gave chase because she thought it was a game and...Well, best not to think about that.
"It looks worse than it really is, honestly. You won't have to worry about stitching, and so long as it's kept clean it should heal just fine."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 7:48 pm
The wince turned into a sharp inhale of discomfort. "Should I have just stuck my arm in the snow?" he huffed, doing his best to not squirm too much. After all, he still had to keep the kehtra calm. As it was, he heard another murmur of disapproval from from where the creature was huddled. "Sev!" he gasped out happily, focusing on the memory of the huge, fluffy beast. His gaze slid to the wound being wiped to make sure it wasn't actually being coated with ice. His eyes rose again quickly, and he looked at Sol with an affectionate smile. "Are you free later today? I gotta look over the kehtra and contact the caravan, but it would be nice to see you and Sev for dinner. I bet Flana would like to see you both, too. Oh, and my other animals can meet you! Please say we can!" His voice rose with excitement as he spoke. He had grown since their last meeting, but part of that excitable young man clearly remained alive and well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2020 3:29 pm
Sol gave a little breathless laugh. "It may have been warmer," he murmured. His antennae flicked a little as he tilted his head, subconsciously leaning closer to 'see' his work. The magic itself was giving him all the information he needed to ascertain the status of Koril's wound, but some habits were hard to break. He gently held onto Koril's arm - had it always been this muscular? - and -
-gripped much harder than he'd meant to when Koril gasped.
"Sorry, I usually work late - " Still, Sol caught himself and furrowed his brow. Would it really matter if he skipped out on paperwork for a night? Shaking his head, he leaned back and gave a small smile. "Forget it. Sure, that sounds great. I'll still have to work late, but if you don't mind meeting me here after the clinic closes we can go back to my place. That way-" Sol wrapped started wrapping the wound, "-you can bring as many of your horde as you want to. I'm sure Sev would enjoy the company." -, and finished in practiced time.
"How's that?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2020 6:40 pm
The grip on his arm brought another wince up, but the chilling serum had everything numbed to where it was more a reflexive action rather than from the pain. Maybe he would play in the snow later to warm back up... Not a thought he had ever expected to have. Then the ache didn't matter. Koril was all set to put on his best pout when Sol changed his direction, and the pout turned into a grin. "Okay, I'll be here." Once again, he admired Sol's movements as his arm was wrapped. It was amazing to see these glimpses of how much Sol had grown. It was also a reminder of how long it had been since... He shook his head and gently moved his arm around. "You're so good at this, Sol," he praised. He looked down at the kehtra and gently patted its head. There was some important work to get done first though. "Let's get you on your way home, little one."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
