[Sanctuary] Different Patients

by **Elem Bree** on November 30th, 2012, 7:53 am

66th of Fall, AV 512

Elem rose from slumber early, as he often had, taking the time to do his core workout and maintain his current energy levels and form. After doing so, he headed up to the grounds of the Sanctuary, ready to get to work. As he left the tunnel and met the fresh air of the day, his feet carried him to the Clinic proper. Everyone had been through a lot that season and his life had changed in many ways, but when it came down to it, he was there to work. Just because it wasn't people didn't mean much to the Zeltivan and his affinity to Kelvics. These patients just never switched to a humanoid form.

First things first, he doused the examination table with alcohol and scubbed it thoroughly with rags meant just for that purpose. Next came the methodical cleaning of the instruments and some grinding of herbs in the mortar and pestle. There was really no telling what he would face each day, so there was little to prepare for outside of these daily tasks. It wasn't long, however, before a voice could be heard at the gates. Elem dried his hands after washing them, sticking his head out of the Clinic entrance.

Before him was an Akalak. Judging from his size and demeanor, he was probably still a youth. It was still a fact of life, however, that this boy was, in the eyes of Rivarians, higher status than Elem. The Zeltivan knew that this boy was the hope of Riverfall for more of their kind repopulating. It was a strange place, for sure. He hoped he could at least make a good impression. Waving as he approached, he noticed the boy had a dog on a leash with him. Elem recognized it as a Ghost Dog, one of the breeds that the Sanctuary sold.

"Hello there, how can I help you? Is that one of ours?" The Akalak at first seemed wary, but then approached, the dog looking a bit haggard, lacking the perky look of a Ghost Dog. "Yeah, I got it here. Where is Kavala?" Elem often got that question and he often answered the same. "She is busy attending to other Sanctuary business. I am Elem Bree, one of her healers. I assure you I can help you. What's going on?" He went ahead and walked into the Clinic so the boy would follow him in and they could get to the point..

by **Elem Bree** on November 30th, 2012, 8:26 am

As they entered the Clinic, Elem turned and extended his hand in greeting. The boy took it, seeing the gnosis mark on Elem's hand, which seemed to calm him a bit. "Kelok. This is Pelo." He smiled a bit and nodded at the dog. Elem noticed the firm grip of the boy, already developing well. he then crouched and pet the dog on its head, looking into its eyes. "Hello Pelo. What's wrong, buddy?" Too much time with Kelvics, maybe, as he expected it to tell him. Standing again, he looked to Kelok.

"He was chasing a rat and missed a step, knocked a tooth loose. I've been working a lot and I just recently noticed when he wasn't acting right. Looks like it is infected. His breath stinks." Elem nodded and looked down at Pelo, who was looking up at him. He smiled at the dog. "Well, we can take care of that. Want to put him up on the table here?" elem could do it, but he wanted Pelo to feel comfortable and safe. Kelok nodded and picked the small dog up and put him on the table, removing his leash. "Stay, Pelo." Elem had no worries about Pelo doing anything rash, his demeanor distracted with tooth pain.

His mark was already beginning to shine as elem felt that tug to heal that which was affecting another life, be it human, Akalak or dog. Placing his hands on the dog's mouth, he gingerly pulled his lip up, seeing the inflamed gums and swollen area. The dog began to pull away, but Elem closed his eyes and prayed to Rak'keli.

"Mother, soothe this animal's fear and pain. Cleanse his gums from infection. In Your name."

The mark on his hand glowed as Pelo held still, as if knowing the energy moving through him was good. Surely the lack of pain also helped. Lifting the lip again, with less resistance, Elem could see that while the gum was pink and free of infection, that the tooth was still pretty loose. Looking to Kelok, he said, "Well, the infection is clear, but I am still going to pull the tooth. It is a baby tooth and he will grow a new one anyway. It's pretty close to coming out, so if you will just help me hold him, I'll get it." Kelok nodded and put his arms around Pelo's body, holding him firmly. Pelo kept staring at Elem with kind eyes, opening his mouth with ease as the Zeltivan gripped the tooth with forceps and pulled it free. A slight yelp came, but then all was well. Elem touched the area again with his healing to stop the bleeding.

Petting Pelo's head, he looked at Kelok. "That should do it. Just be careful once his baby teeth cycle out or he will be out of luck should it happen again." Pouring some water into a bowl, he placed it on the ground near the table. Pelo hopped down and began to drink. Elem smiled and thanked Rak'keli in his mind.

by **Elem Bree** on November 30th, 2012, 9:59 am

After Kelok and Pelo left, Elem found that there was a gap before someone else came by. It happened, mostly due to the Sanctuary's location, so after cleaning up again and pocketing the tooth, he went out into the grounds to look at the Sanctuary's own animals. Aweston was an amazing fellow and could handle most of the work, but every once in a while, just like everyone else, he needed help. Greeting the long haired groom, Elem entered the large arena where most of the livestock still roamed together. "Hey Elem, I saw you were taking care of a Ghost Dog earlier. Mind feeding the rest of them? I've got my hands full out here."

"No problem, Aweston!" He certainly did. Looking at the sky and the arrangement of animals, elem knew that soon everyone would have to focus on building and rebuilding homes and shelter for these animals, who really were the highest priority. They paid Elem's salary, among other things. Walking into the kennels brought Elem a great joy, because if he ever felt lonely or unloved, all he needed to do was enter the raucous pens of the various breeds. Perhaps it was his demeanor or his gnosis, but the dogs all seemed to feel very happy around him. Maybe it was just how dogs were. Elem didn't have much experience there.

"Hey guys!" He yelled to the dogs, their chorus of barks greeting him back. he had thought ahead to bring two buckets of water to get started. With so many, it would take some time to get them all fed and watered. Among the four breeds, Elem found the Ghosts most appealing, but strangely he knew that he wanted a Watcher for himself. Maybe it was their size in comparison to his own, but he felt like that would be the kind of dog he would get. It took him at least a bell to get the job done, another bell to play with the dogs, since that was as vital to them as food and water, in Elem's opinion. He spent the most time, of course, among the Watchers, his eye on a particular grey one. Once he could get a routine together and be sure he could handle the responsibility, he would be back for it.

Coming out of the kennels, smelling completely of dog, he waved at Aweston, who was shoveling something acroos the grounds. "All done. Love those dogs!" Aweston grinned and waved back, pointing toward the Clinic. Elem guessed he might have another patient, so he hurried his pace to return to work, the grey Watcher pup still on his mind.

by **Elem Bree** on December 3rd, 2012, 10:31 am

Entering the Clinic once more, he found a human man, perhaps even older than Serrif, waiting for him. The man was wearing nondescript tunic and breeches of a green color, much like Elem used to wear when he first came. Rosela and Riverfall itself had changed that. He had a small cube under a piece of white cloth that he kept peeking beneath, the cube itself making a quiet unsettling howling sound. Elem got all kinds of cases but had no clue what he would be finding in this one.

"Hello, sorry for your wait. I'm Elem Bree. What do you have there?" The older man pulled the cloth back slowly, revealing a particularly angry looking Yowlwing, its fur matted and it was backed into a corner, making a terrible yowl. It was the antithesis of everything adorable that the creature normally inspired. "the man was soft spokne. "Hello, I am Reynald. I work in the city. I recently purchased this for my children, but the moment I let it out, it got into a terrible duel with one of those horrible flying reptiles. I have never seen such a terrible bird in all of my life."

Elem seemed at a loss for a moment, until the man pointed to a small green lump in the other corner of the cage. Peering closely at it, it looked like a small green sparrow, except that the body was leathery and the head was long and toothy, like a reptile. "it's called a Sharptooth. I asked someone in town as I had never seen anything like it. The Yowlwing won the fight, but just barely. That Sharptooth got hold of her wing and started twisting in circles. I thought it was just going to come off then and there." Elem needed to calm the owner, first off. "I understand, Reynald. Why don't you do me a favor and take a seat. I'll need to have a look here."

Elem picked the cage up and brought it to the examination table, unhinging the top and pulling it back. The Yowlwing hissed at Elem, immediately batting the Sharptooth and putting its snout in the little flying cat's mouth. It had no intention of letting it go and Elem was smart enough not to just stick his hand in the cage. He would need the animal sedated before even having a look. Bringing a vial of the fungal sedative left over from the Zith attack, Elem used the measuring stick and just got enough on it to make a drop hang off its end.

Since its mouth and attention was mostly occupied, Elem had little problem letting the small white drop of liquid slip into the side of its mouth. It dropped the kill for a moment, licking at its lips and scrunching its face up. Elem covered the cage back up, giving the solution time to work. He didn't have any clue what would be too much, considering the animal's size, so he went for the smallest amount possible. A few moments later, he returned to find a very sleepy creature, so he went ahead and opened the cage again.

First thing that was needed was to remove the Yowlwing, so he did so gently with the same cloth, draping it on the table, a small sigh escaping from his lips. Its right wing was nearly torn from its socket and would have to be amputated. No more flying for this one. He could tell that the animal was sedated, as he could lift its head and there was no resistance, though he could still feel its little heart and lungs moving. It was very sad for Elem. He set about to cleaning the area where the wing met the shoulder, at least where it initially had, sinew and bone protruding now. It would be a real shame to give up, though, so he felt he would do his best to save the wing.

"Mother, aid me in saving this little creature's wing. Please remove any infection from the wound and aid me in closing the wounds that I must make."

He applied a liberal amount of alcohol and water to the site, finding that the wound wasn't nearly as terrible once he could see it beyond the dried blood. A very slow and steady process ensued, as Elem threaded the needle and began to sew the outer membrane up, careful to keep the bones intact and in place as he did so. It was very delicate work, the creature being the size that it was. His Healing Gnosis glowed over the wing, aiding in the sealing of the suture once he had it tied off. Next he began cutting small strips of clean cloth into strips and slowly wrapping the wing. It reminded him of his boxing training in a way, with the over and under of the wrap. Once he was satisfied that it was secure, he bound the wing to the creature's side lightly, motioning Reynald to come over.

"I think it will end up working out, but you will need to remove these bandages every few days to check its progress and allow the wounds to breathe. It will also give the animal a chance to move the wing, which will aid in its rehabilitation. The older man looked concerned but happy. "Could I just bring it here and let you do that? I would hate to injure it. This is not really my specialty." Elem smiled and patted the man's shoulder. "Sure, that will be fine. I am going to keep the Sharptooth, though. Might reinfect the creature." Reynald just shrugged and nodded.

Elem gently put the little Yowlwing back into the cage after giving it another good cleaning over all and cleaning the cage out. It seemed to be waking up, but still groggy. "Just be careful with it and bring her back in a few days." The old man smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Doctor Bree." Elem didn't know what to say to that, so he just enjoyed it, misnomer or not.