Bear Necessities: Part I

[Jeremy Casing]

Bear Necessities
82nd Spring, 515AV

"So, what happened, exactly?" The Kelvic asked for what seemed like the tenth time. He watched the young lad to his right with an unwavering gaze, trying to differentiate the boy's nervousness from potential lies.

His younger-looking companion licked his lips anxiously, shooting Jeremy a sideways glance before answering. "We got attacked."

"Where?" Jeremy hadn't allowed even a tick to pass after the boy's answer before he'd demanded this next question.

"I told ya," The youth replied sharply. His teenage angst, mixed with Jeremy's endless questions, had really put him in a foul mood. After spitting grossly to his left, the lad continued his hurried, angry explanation "out of the Mithryn. Sorry, I don't tend to look at a map while a great ruddy bear is chasin' us." He seemed so chuffed with the sarcasm of this final sentence that the boy didn't seem to notice he'd fed Jeremy more information than he'd intended. As this reality dawned on him, the lad winced and desperately tried to backtrack, "I mean, it might've been a bear, I didn't--"

But Jeremy pounced on this slither of truth like a cat ambushing its prey. "A bear!" He cried, both disgusted and angry in equal measure, "you said you and some friends had been riding out. How the shyke did you get so close to a bear?" The story that the boy had delivered to Jeremy in resentful snippets was making less and less sense. Apparently, he and a friend had gone out for a ride into the woods, and had taken a dog owned by his friend's father with them. An innocent enough act, that would have to have gone terribly wrong for the pair to be attacked by a bear. With a shake of his head, Jeremy kicked his horse into a trot, "let's just hurry up and get there."

He followed the boy for another fifteen or so chimes. They slowed down upon entering the woods, but did not stop until the heavy trees and shrubbery had disguised the sight of the Syliran fields.

"Eddie! Eddie! Over 'ere!"

The frantic voice made the horse Jeremy sat on of nicker nervously. The mare belonged to Eddie's friend, so no doubt being ridden by a stranger, and the fear in her owner's cry, made the horse nervous. The Phylonurist tried to soothe her with a relaxing stroke.

Eddie grunted over his shoulder to Jeremy before dismounting. "Here."

Jeremy slid off his mare, landing clumsily of his feet and only just avoiding falling down. After straightening himself, he followed the teenager.

Another boy, similar to Eddie in age, greeted them both. This lad was pale with fear and spoke in a jittery voice. He glanced quickly to the Kelvic and then to his friend, "Is this 'im?"

Eddie also cast Jeremy a withering look before nodding tersely, "yeh. This is him."

"What's happened here?" The Kelvic had had little experience with adolescents, but his patience was wearing thin. A sharp tone might not be the most efficient way to deal with teenagers, but for now it was all he could muster, "I want the truth, this time."

Eddie said nothing, but he gave his friend a hard stare as if daring the other boy to say anything. Both boys were silent for half a chime, but eventually Eddie's friend cracked and spilt out the truth in a frantic admission. "We were out huntin', with m'dad's dog. He's a Falivan Elk, so made for this stuff. Massive dog, lovely as shyke but will kill anythin'. Anyway, we saw this bear cub, and Eddie said we should kill it, so I sent Frisk after it - that's the dog, Frisk. But then this adult bear appeared outa nowhere, and we tried to call him away, but when Frisk is on the hunt, he don't stop."

Now the reality of the situation was dawning on Jeremy. He finished the story himself: "so now your father's dog is badly injured, and you want me to heal him for you so your dad won't realise?"

The second lad nodded sheepishly before shooting a frightened glance at Eddie, who was busy muttering under his breath about snitches and cowards. With a roll of his eyes, Jeremy left the tow boys to bicker quietly amongst themselves and went to investigate the injured hound.

[Jeremy Casing]

The Falivan Elk dog was lying demurely on a bed of dry leaves, licking a particularly nasty-looking wound on his front left leg. As Jeremy approached, the big dog glanced up sharply, maw twitching into an aggressive snarl that disappeared when he saw the Phylonurist. Jeremy's golden eyes met those of the dog, and the former placed his hands up slowly to emphasise his intention to help and heal.

Don't fear. I'll help.

The dog released a pained whine that gave way to a low grumble. The dog's pride was injured as well as his leg and maw from what Jeremy could see. Frisk was, as his boy owner had said, a successful hunting dog that delighted in the chasing and killing of other animals. The bigger, the better, so a bear cub had been a potential prize that dog nor master could have refused. Now, Frisk realised his mistake, and this pained him as much as his physical wounds.

Jeremy approached the dog slowly, stooping down low and half-crawling towards the injured hound. Despite his gnosis, the Kelvic knew that an injured animal had the potential to be a dangerous one. He wanted to help Frisk, and ideally keep all his fingers in the process.

Let me see.

The dog grumbled against Jeremy's silent suggestion, and inched away from the male's outstretched hand. But eventually, after he had succumbed to the discomfort of his injuries, the dog obliged.

Jeremy moved quickly, his touch light but efficient. He made a mental list of the dog's wounds, comparing them to the few medical supplied he had bought with him based on Eddie's poor description of what had happened.

Bite marks to muzzle, two-inch deep wound to left front leg. Scratches down both hind legs and right flank. Other minor wounds. No broken bones.

Given what had happened to the hound, Jeremy was relieved. His fingers brushed Frisk's right ear and via Nura, he told the dog: you were lucky.

He'd heard of several hunting dogs and men alike who had been killed by a bear. Frisk's run-in with a protective she-bear had resulted in only relatively minor injuries. With the correct cleaning and bandaging, Jeremy guessed that Frisk would be perfectly well within twenty or so days. But his injuries needed cleaning and tending to, to save the dog from the risk of infection or flesh rot. Either could be deadly.

"Is he - going to be okay?"

He was tempted to lie, to tell the lads that the dog would die and they'd both get in trouble. But Jeremy didn't, so with a sigh he nodded and turned around to face them both -- only to see Eddie had left. "Yes. Pass me my bag, please."

The remaining teen nodded hurriedly and turned away from Jeremy, skittered off, and returned half a chime later with the Kelvic's bag of medical supplies. As Jeremy took the bag off him, the boy said, "I'm sorry 'bout this. I was stupid. I should never have listened to Eddie."

Pity stabbed at Jeremy's gut. Oh, he recognised that shamed tone of voice. How many ridiculous things had Jeremy done in his shortened youth in order to fit in with his peers? The answer? More than he'd care to admit to. But he'd never allowed himself to harm an animal in the process. No, all the dumb things Jeremy had been a part of had always featured him as the sole victim. But he empathised with the boy nonetheless. "Don't be too hard on yourself. What's your name?"

"Alf."

"Well, Alf, you'll do more stupid things as you grow up. But don't go chasing bear cubs again, or involving your father' dog." A pause, then Jeremy corrected himself, "Actually, don't do anything that could hurt any dog, or any other creature."

With this lasting message, the Kelvic returned to his patient.

[Jeremy Casing]

His first focus was the worse of Frisk's injuries: the tear in his front leg. With a tender touch, the Kelvic investigated the wound closely. Pinky, bloody flesh stared back at him, but fortunately the wound was not deep enough to reveal any bone. That, at least, was a relief. But there was a concerning amount of dirt and grime in the wound already. These needed to be cleaned out in order to protect Frisk from flesh rot.

Alf hovered over Jeremy's shoulder, crouched down and watching with what Jeremy interpreted as genuine interest. "You talk to the animals, yeh?"

The description of Jeremy's 'talents' was not wholly accurate. Nura was not a language that required outright speaking, but instead centred around silent conveying of emotions and thoughts. But Jeremy nodded, knowing that simply agreeing with Alf's own description of Nura would be far easier than trying to accurately describe it. "Yes, I can. I met Caiyha as a child and she blessed me." He was unable to conceal the pride and delight in his voice.

"Is that why they don't hurt you? When Eddie tried to look at Frisk's leg, he almost bit his hand off."

"Yes, sort of. They know I'm a friend, not a foe. They trust me, and if they don't do so immediately, I can reassure them."

Alf fell silent after that, allowing Jeremy to return his concentration back to Frisk. The dog lay patiently on his side, watching the Kelvic with dark eyes that were neutral in expression. After lying a hand on Frisk's shoulder, Jeremy informed the dog gently: this may hurt.

He dipped a small tear of bandage into a vial of Tulja poultice. The liquid smelt strongly of earth and dirt, and the Kelvic wrinkled his nose in mild displeasure of the aroma. Depending on how long ago since Frisk acquired this injury, the poultice would either completely remove the dog’s discomfort and pain and speed up his recovery, or at the very least improve his symptoms and clean the wound. As long as it did the latter, Jeremy was happy.

He dabbed at Frisk's flesh gently, trying his best to wipe away any grime and dirt without pulling at the dog's wound. Regardless of his gentle touch, Frisk whined and whimpered regardless. Without his prey to hunt down, Jeremy realised, the large dog was simply a big baby. "Would you like to come and comfort him?" He asked Alf, not moving his gaze from Frisk's leg.

The lad must have nodded and agreed, because Jeremy heard him shift his weight closer, closer, until Alf was the other side of Frisk and stroking the hound's back and ears. Jeremy continued to work, painfully slowly cleaning Frisk's wound and making sure the poultice was evenly distributed along his raw flesh.

[Jeremy Casing]

The injury was now clean and well medicated, so Jeremy moved to his next task of dressing it. He withdrew two more rolled up bundles of bandages. After unravelling the first, he tore it in half with his teeth and curled the two halves back up to form two smaller rolls. If he were to apply a bandage straight onto Frisk's wound, the material of the bandage would directly touch his flesh, potentially interfering with the healing process. No- Jeremy needed to make sure the protective bandage simply did what it was meant to do: to stop further dirt entering the inury.

He placed the two rolls of bandages on either side of the injury, then stopped. Withdrawing his hand away, he glanced up to Alf. "You should watch how to do this," he said, remembering how some of the farmer's wives complained that their children never knew the most basic of medical techniques. "It's handy to know how to properly dress a wound."

The boy nodded meekly, his brows furrowed in new concentration.

But Jeremy had never taught anyone before, so he wasn't entirely sure how to start. With a shrug, he simply continued with what he had been doing beforehand. He placed the two rolls of bandages either side of Frisk's injury and, holding them in place with one hand, began to wind the strip of bandage around the dog's leg.

"Why'd you do it like that? Ain't it a waste of material?"

"No, because if I put the bandage straight onto his injury, it might get dirty and cause more problems further down." He replied simply, winding the other bandage roll around and around Frisk's leg. "Plus this way, the rolls underneath create some.. buoyancy, so if Frisk knocks his leg, it might not instantly damage his wound."

Alf was impressed. "That's smart. Where'd you learn to do that?"

"Just... experience." Jeremy shrugged out his answer, not entirely sure where exactly he had learned that particular fact, "and I read a lot." He shifted his legs with a wince. They were beginning to tire from his crouching. "Now, when you wrap a bandage around something, you want it to be tight, obviously. But not too tight - that might also cause problems further down the lien. I try to get it so I can slip my smallest finger down into the bandage at the back, without tugging too much on the front. See?" His finger slid down into the bandage at the rear of Frisk's leg. He secured it with a double knot.

[Jeremy Casing]

Jeremy hovered his hand over Frisk's muzzle and the scratches on his rump. "These are less concerning injuries, but they need attention all the same."

Having selected to work on the gashes on the dog's rear, Jeremy repeated what he had done before. He blotted the red marks that peppered Frisk's otherwise grey pelt, taking care to not press too hard or to drip excess poultice into the bloody flesh. "This Tulja poultice helps the wounds heal, and will also clean it. Krolar paste is another alternative. This is a little more efficient, but also more expensive."

And then he paused. Alf was watching him with keen interest, brow furrowed but concentration fully on the Kelvic. Jeremy exteded his arm, crossing it over Frisk to pass Alf the medical supplied. "You try applying this to the bites on his muzzle. See the blood? You want to clean the wounds but apply a gentle pressure to it." The lad looked concerned and not at all confident that he could carry out this relatively simple task. But Jeremy persisted: "Go on. You can do it. And it'll equip you for next time something like this happens."

Alf snorted and took the bandages and vial of poultice. "I'm not going to listen to Eddie again anytime soon. Bloody idiot." He clicked his tongue to emphasis his displeasure with his friend. Or ex-friend. Jeremy wasn't interested. He gestured to the injured dog to hurry Alf.

The boy dabbed meekly at Frisk's maw, his gestures slow and incredibly careful. Though it would take him twice as long to apply the poultice to Frisk as it would take Jeremy, the animal handler was pleased. "That's right, don't miss the small marks, they need medicating as well." He watched Alf's hands with a sharp eye, keep track that the lad did not move the bandages too close to Frisk's eye or nose. "Yes, well done. We won't wrap his snout in bandages, for obvious reasons."

He observed the dog, checking once again for any wounds he may have missed the first time. But no- he had applied medication to each wound. Gently, Jeremy laid his hands on Frisk's flank. Better?

Better. The dog replied silently with a single flop of his tail.

And now came the more difficult part of this particular job. Jeremy watched Alf carefully as he packed away his medical supplies. "You said there was a bear cub... What status was it in when you managed to get away?"

"I dunno. Pretty bad, I think. It kept crying out, for it's ma, I guess."

Jeremy' stomach knotted and twisted with worry and anger. He tried to keep his voice even when he asked, "how far away? And could you point me in the right direction?

Alf simply stared, mouth slack and eyebrows raised. "You wanna... find the bear cub?"

"I can't ignore it. Caiyha would be disappointed." He replied with a brief shrug, and no further explanation.

Eventually, the lad threw his arm out to the East, gesturing into the deeper parts of the woods. "That's the we came. But it's been over a bell now. I can't imagine you'll find it."

Jeremy had considered this fact, but as he'd said before he could not ignore his need to help and heal animals. It went against his nature, as well as his work as a Phylonurist. "The birds and such will help me. Did you keep to a path?"

"Yeh, mainly." But there were other things on Alf's mind. "But what about Frisk? You can't just leave us here."

I may have to Jeremy admitted silently with a sigh. "Frisk will be well enough to walk within half a bell. Go slowly, don't rush him. No bears will come to this shallow a part of the woods, especially after what happened either. You got any weapons?" Alf nodded tightly and raised his arm to indicate the short sword that hung to his side. "You will be fine and safe. I promise."

The teenage boy was not best pleased about Jeremy's decision, but thankfully he did not put up much of a fight. After a taut tick or so, he nodded again and thanked Jeremy for his help.

The Kelvic, in turn, began to march onwards into the deeper parts of the wood.

[Sayana]

Jeremy Skills: Skill EXP Interrogation +2 Intelligence +1 Intimidation +1 Investigation +1 Riding: Horse +1 Land Navigation +2 Rhetoric +4 Leadership +4 Observation +3 Animal Husbandry +4 Medicine +4 Socialization +1 Persuasion +2 Teaching +2 Lores: Interrogation: Asking the same question in different ways Medicine: Diagnosing an injury Tulja Poultice: Applied to wounds to reduce pain and speed up recovery Medicine: Cleaning a wound Medicine: How to dress a wound Teaching: The use of examples and demonstrations Teaching: Giving a student an easy task to learn from Comments : Great thread Jeremy. The plot was simple yet engaging and you really covered a lot of different skills here. I think this is the first time I’ve seen someone take the time to teach a NPC and I thought it was really well done. Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request in the grade request thread. However, make sure to keep the link so that the DS can review graded threads with ease. If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message (like really, I’m all ears if you feel like I missed something). Enjoy.