In The Flesh (Lixue)

by **Volinir Orchid** on December 1st, 2012, 9:32 pm

10th of Winter, 512AV

Crunch crunch.
Volinir couldn't feel his feet.
Crunch, crunch.
Frost had long since coated his nose and cheeks.
Crunch, thud.
A faint flutter of disturbed snow surrounded a collapsed Symenestra, the soft white plume slowly settling itself back down around him. Volinir was exhausted. The Gilding was not much better off, simply meandering in dazed circles around its rider.

How long had he been traveling? Volinir couldn't truly remember. He never had much of a plan after stealing a horse and leaving Ravok. He simply trusted he would find his way to Avanthal, and his lack of preparation had come back to bite him. With little food, less water, and no warm clothing, the former slave had managed to throw himself into dire straits the moment Winter's chill first set in. Why did he even leave? Because a dream told him to? There was a good reason to risk one's life. A dream. For all he knew, he was going to freeze to death because of a hallucination.

Volinir tried to get up, and failed. When the cold first began to worsen, the snow and sleet had burned like cinders, but now it felt like... Nothing. His extremities had long since ceased to respond to touch and texture. The most he could manage was to turn his head up so he could continue looking at his surroundings.

It was funny, the hill he had fallen on seemed familiar. It could have just been his imagination, but he seemed to have wandered to the location of the wolf attack that happened so long ago. He'd have to examine it closer much later, however. As it was, his weariness prevented him from taking in his surroundings as effectively as he wished he could.

The Gilding's head suddenly perked up, and it dashed off into the trees with a frantic neigh. "Are the wolves here too?" Volinir wondered weakly. He was too tired to tell. Perhaps it would be better to just keep lying down a little longer...

by **Lixue** on December 2nd, 2012, 1:34 am

The gates of Avanthal had opened for the winter season. The Icewatch had deemed the wildlife safe enough for travel and reopened the gates. It was a given that no one should leave the city without an experienced party or a high skill level of wilderness survival. But the Frostfawns were able to go and hunt. This was an amazing thing for the city, as the warm weather of Avanthal during the winter season caused cracks in the ice and kept fishers from going out as often. And given there had been a shortage of meat in the fall season, the citizens were surviving basically off of vegetation grown in the Gaea Gardens. But now there was meat. Not a large amount or in humongous quantities, but enough to satisfy most of the citizens of Avanthal.

Hunters, when they traveled, went in groups of at least five people. No one was gambling on the wildlife to react accordingly and everyone was on their highest guard. Weapons were sharper than normal, there were more, and even the safest of animals was treated with suspicion in the case of the creature attacking. And the hunters rarely traveled far from the city, in the case of an emergency and a healer needing to be fetched.

The hunting party today had managed to wound a male Caribou. The eight hunters had tracked the beast by the spattering of blood it left in the white snow. The task was tedious and took some time, as the caribou had moved a lot faster than them. As they trailed after it, the hunters moved farther away from the city than they would have liked. The group was uneasy and, upon seeing a lump in the snow, shouted with joy and picked up their pace. It was only after another noticed that they saw the moving stature as well.

Automatically on alert, the hunting party was ready to take down whatever was approaching them. They assumed it was the caribou, but were not certain what the lump in the snow was in that case. Spears and bows raised, they waited until the beast was close before preparing to shoot. Someone shouted, "Horse!" as the first arrow was released. Thankfully, the arrow hit the horse's shoulder instead of anything vital.

The horse stumbled, falling to one knee before attempting to move back to its hooves. A weak neigh fell from its lips and the hunters rushed forward. As they were of the Frostfawn Hold, they held knowledge on how to handle the animal. Within chimes, the arrow was broken off and the horse soothed. The hunters knew they could remove the arrow completely until they were back at the city. While they wished go back immediately, they were torn between continuing to follow the trail and seeing what the lump ahead was.

The hunters, ever the conscientious group, approached the lump in the snow with some hesitancy. If it was the caribou, it might not be fully dead and could attack. It was fairly easy to tell the lump was a man upon closer inspection and the hunters shouted questions to the form, still approaching at a rapid speed.

The man was nearly dead, bitten by the frost and snuggled by the snow. It was apparent he had not been prepared for Avanthal and the hunters fleetingly wondered why, when it was so apparent this was not the warmest place, before they started considering what to do.

An appropriate answer was easy to figure out. The man would have to go to the Whitevine Healing Center, where he could be properly taken care of. The task at hand was keeping him alive and how to transport him without causing further damage. Finally, the hunters decided on carrying him between four of them. The movements were slow, but it was not as if the horse could move fast, anyways.

All the way, they talked to the man to keep him awake. Asked him questions. What he revealed was entirely up to him, but the hunters remembered and would relay the information to the doctor who would care for him.

At the gates, they sent someone to continue tracking the caribou. Just because a man was injured did not mean the beast was worth giving up. And at the Whitevine Healing Center, a hunter stayed behind with the man and awaited the appropriate person to speak with.

by **Volinir Orchid** on December 2nd, 2012, 3:13 am

Curiously, instead of being devoured by wolves, Volinir found himself being hoisted up onto a Vantha hunter's shoulders and being questioned by a man with fluorescent orange eyes. This was strange to Volinir. As such, the vast majority of his responses was confused mumbling in Symenos. Fortunately, he still had the presence of mind to mention his name when prompted.

A few chimes later, Volinir was in a much less ball-shriveling atmosphere, and the threat of freezing to death was no longer present. He was still rather weak from the cold, but he was getting better, not worse. This alone was cause to quietly celebrate.

While he was waiting for a doctor to arrive, the small factoid that Lixue was in the medical profession floated into Volinir's head. Considering he nearly killed himself to see her, it didn't take long for him to ask the hunter if she was in the center. Once he had an answer, the Symenestra would lie his head back and stare at the patterns on the ceiling.

by **Lixue** on December 2nd, 2012, 4:42 am

"I do not care how much you argue, the cross-stitch is better than the butterfly stitch!" Lixue laughed, tapping her cane against the ground in an attempt to intimidate the tall man standing before her. "The butterfly is awkward and takes twice the time. Besides, if one end of the stitch is pulled tight, it threatens to break the skin! With the cross-stitch, you can move quicker and the tearing of one stitch does not mean the wound needs to be re-stitched completely. "

Seiled chuckled, which gained several looks around them from the nurses. Not because he did not laugh, but because Seiled rarely even smiled while on duty. The expression changed Seiled completely. He went from being a stern figure to approachable and friendly. "I will give you that much, Lixue. But what about how a butterfly stitch holds the wound tighter together than a cross-stitch? Or how the butterfly stitch lasts longer? Easy to clip as well and does not need changing as often."

"Touche, Seiled. Touche. The cross-stitch allows the wound to breathe instead of-"

"Doctor Lixue?" someone cleared their throat, eyes moving back and forth between Lixue and Seiled. Lixue turned, gave the assistant a soft smile and nodded to allow him to continue. "There is a new patient requesting you. Well, he only said your name." Eyebrows coming together in confusion, Lixue said her goodbyes to Seiled with a promise to meet up for lunch, and followed the assistant to the appropriate office. A Frostfawn met her outside.

"Hello. I am Doctor Lixue. How can I help you?" Although she assumed the man was there to give her information on the patient, Lixue knew it was polite only to ask. Assuming was never good. For all she knew the man waiting outside was racked with guilt and could crack at any moment, or had the possibility of having simply found the man.

"I am Shiren, of the Frostfawn Hold. I was a member of the hunting party that found the man and his horse. We are uncertain of how long he had been in the weather for. He has frostbite on his face and hands, at least from what we could see. Throughout the travel back, we asked him questions that he answered in a foreign language. The only thing he did manage to tell us was his name, Vol-eh-ner?, and your name."

Lixue nodded, thanked the man for the information, and told him he had done a good job considering the circumstances. Stepping into the office, Lixue acknowledged the assistant who watched over Volinir to make sure he stayed awake. Pulling up a stool, she let her cane against the desk, and sat down next to Volinir.

For a moment, Lixue did not really believe it was him. She remembered their dreams, if only a bit, and knew enough about him to know he had been real. And that he had been coming to Avanthal. But to see him in the flesh was flabbergasting. Was she dreaming again? Or was this a real event? Either way, Lixue let her professional side take over. There would be time for introductions and conversation later. For now, she had make sure he was alright. "Volinir, I am Doctor Lixue. You seemed to have suffered from frostbite, which I will look over in a few minutes. For now, I need you to follow my finger with your eyes." Lixue slowly moved her finger back and forth several times, carefully watching his pupils. Although he had said they were larger than a normal humans, Lixue was looking for dilation of the extremes to say whether or not his body had suffered shock.

Thankfully, the body was not in shock.

"Now, describe to me what you feel and where."

by **Volinir Orchid** on December 2nd, 2012, 6:53 am

Volinir wasn't sure when exactly Lixue's finger started drifting in front of his eye; only that one minute he was staring absentmindedly into space, and the next a very familiar voice was giving him instructions. Upon being asked how he felt, the Symenestra still had enough strength in him to crack a smile. "Ecstatic... But cold. I can't feel a thing in my fingers and toes, and my limbs aren't much better."

Looking down at his own digits, Volinir was pleased to see that he was able to wiggle them slightly again. The only way he could tell they were moving was by sight, however. That had to change, and hopefully soon. Still, until then, he may as well celebrate. Lixue was real, she was in Avanthal, and he, Volinir, didn't nearly freeze to death in vain. "From Ravok to Avanthal in fifty days, all because of a dream..." he muttered, a faint chuckle escaping his lips, "Now there's a story for the bards."

While the effects of the freezing air still held a tight grip on his body, Volinir's mind was already warming up. In the end, it had been worth it. He was back in civilization, and Ravok was already starting to become a distant memory. All because of a dream. "Thank you, Lixue." Volinir said quietly, his violet eyes meeting her Vantha ones. Though Symenestra eyes weren't quite as expressive as Vantha ones, they could still show gratitude, and a fair share of affection.

by **Lixue** on January 15th, 2013, 3:31 am

Lixue was distracted, her mind already attempting to work out the best possible solution to his frostbite. A distant look hid in her eyes, even as they sharply focused on his appendages. Cold fingers moved over his own, which were at a lower temperature than hers. Gently, she pressed and prodded, feeling how hard his skin was and if the flesh was damaged. Although this was not the best possible technique, it would let her gather enough information to know whether or not the skin could be soaked and healed or if there was further damage. If the flesh had a give to it, then the body had the possibility of using only room temperature water to defrost and thaw.

Although flakes of ice still hung on the skin, there was a give in the skin when Lixue rolled one of his fingers between two of hers. The tips of his fingers were the most damaged. Although Lixue could press her fingernail into his skin and have it sink, Volinir’s body attempted to keep her away by hardening the fingers and trying to curl them into a ball. It would be a good sign if Volinir felt pain from this, but Lixue estimated he would not.

When the body suffered from frostbite, the areas to be hit the hardest were the appendages furthest from the heart. This included the toes and fingers, starting at the tips and making their way inwards. If the body was exposed to extreme temperatures from an extended period of time, the frostbite could and would become worse, moving closer to the heart with each passing bell. The nose and cheeks were most commonly damaged by the biting wind. If the person were to lick their lips, which would become dry in the temperatures, the lips risked cracking and bleeding. The ears could also become frostbitten, becoming numb. As the ears were mainly cartilage, the damage done was normally less than, say, the fingers or toes.

Lixue’s green eyes flickered to Volinir’s. “Thank me when you’re not lying in a hospital bed.” Although the statement was harsh, it was also true. The next instant Lixue was ignoring him again, speaking to her assistant in Vani. “I need three bowls of water. One needs to be room temperature, another luke-warm, and another cold. Bring rags and tweezers. I will also need gauze and honey.” The assistant nodded sharply, used to Lixue’s demands, before leaving the room. “Volinir, tell me when you can feel my fingers. I also need to know when you began to feel the numbness.”

With long pauses in between, Lixue pressed her own appendage against Volinir’s arm, starting at his wrist. Someone who had not suffered from frostbite would feel the need to jerk away as Lixue’s fingernails pressed into their skin. Lixue would stop only when Volinir informed her of when he could feel her nails. This technique would tell Lixue how extensive his frostbite was.

by **Volinir Orchid** on February 16th, 2013, 4:03 am

Fortunately, the pressure of Lixue's fingernails on his wrist was enough to get a small squirm from the Symenestra. Whilst his hands and feet were bare, his arms were not, and while that hadn't protected him from hypothermia, it had helped stave off frostbite... To a degree. Volinir piped up the moment she began pressing her fingers on his wrist, but any higher would require a fair amount of pressure, and his fingertips were almost completely numb. "I don't really remember." Volinir muttered. "I was focusing more on moving and learning how to ride a horse on the fly."

The Symenstra cracked a grin at that last statement, hoping to lighten the mood a little. Lixue was an awfully serious person, and this was an awfully serious time. So naturally, Volinir's first impulse was to lighten it up. After all, what was a near death experience without a bit of fun? Of course, not dying was also a priority, so she still got an answer.

"I suppose it was a week ago?" Volinir said uncertainly, "Is that bad?" His profession required hands, and losing either them or his feet was almost as bad as a death sentence to him.

by **Lixue** on February 24th, 2013, 5:22 pm

"It could be better," Lixue informed Volinir as she let her hands drop away. With the time span between when his injuries first started and now, Lixue was worried. The body tended to shut down the least important body parts during the stages of hypothermia and sometimes doing so left the appendages without a way to come back to life. Lixue could only hope this had not happened. Given the fact that he was able to bend his fingers, she could assume the appendages could be revived. Just then, the assistant popped back into the room, followed by another. Both carried bowls of water. One was cold, one was room-temperature and one was luke-warm.

"We will need to slowly warm your fingers back up. If we rush, your body could go into shock and refuse to cooperate. During this task, I will also be peeling dead layers of skin away, so your body can heal faster." Helping the assistants, Lixue organized the items they had brought on a table next to where Volinir lay. The tweezers were set next to the gauze and the honey on the outer edge of the table. The three bowls of water were carefully arranged from cold to warm, the warmest farthest away from Volinir.

Before Lixue could begin her work on Volinir, she was interrupted. The door squeaked open and a head popped in. It was Seiled and Lixue's lips automatically twisted upwards. "Doctor Lixue, you are being requested in the critical care unit. One of the patients refuses to calm down until he sees you. If you fill me in on this situation, I can handle it for you."

Lixue pushed to her feet using her cane and nodded. Exiting the room, Seiled followed her. "Frostbite of the hands and feet, lips should be watched. Week before the symptoms began. I was planning to remove the dead skin and wrap the wounds after warming him back to normal. No serious damage done from what I can tell. The patient will be staying with me upon his leave of the center." Seiled's eyebrows shot to the roof but Lixue leveled a look at him. "This is non-debatable, Seiled." With that, she turned and limped away. Off to care for another patient of the day.

OOCI apologize for cutting this thread short. If there are any issues with this post or you did not achieve something you wanted from this thread, please contact me. Otherwise please turn it into Valkyrie. Thank you.

by **Noblesse** on September 10th, 2013, 7:01 pm

Lixue Whitevine :

Volinir Orchid :

Additional Notes :

The Aurora flames coldly in the skies above

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.