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[Dravite]

17 Fall, 515 AV
The River Flower

"Put her down here!" The nurse called, "I'll go and find the doctor!"
Dravite carried the young watch woman into the tent and lifted her in order to roll her onto the bed carefully, "she's lost a lot of blood!" Dravite called after the nurse who turned back to scrutinise the man with her gaze.

He was covered in blood, most of it belonging to the injured woman on the bed, the rest belonging to Trail Riverstone who still lay dead in the street far north of the River Flower. Dravite desperately wanted to get back to him but Komuru, a young web mage from the watch who had stumbled upon the scene with Bayon, promised to stay with the man until more help arrived and his body could be safely transported to the main Watch Tent.
"Are you injured?" The nurse asked him.
"No," Dravite admitted hesitantly, still a little shaken up by what he had seen.
"Good, stay with her, keep her conscious and hold her arm up; I'll be back soon with a doctor!"

Dravite raised the woman's right arm, he had already tied his shirt tightly around the top of her arm to slow the blood flow and though the wound hung open, it seemed to have stopped bleeding since he had done so. The young woman lulled in and out of consciousness, blinking awake every now and then as another bout of pain raced through her.
"Hey, hey," Dravite took her jaw and gave her a little shake, "stay with me now; what's your name?"
"Dia," the woman managed to say.
"Dia do you know where you are?"
"The River Flower?"
"That's right," the watchman smiled, "you're going to be all right, the nurse has gone to find the doctor," Dravite explained.
"Did I lose my arm?" Dia slurred.
"No it's still here," he squeezed her hand, "can you move your fingers for me?"
Dia attempted to wriggle her fingers with little result, "did that work?" She asked.
"Yeah it did," Dravite told her and stroked the woman's hair from her face, offering what little comfort he could.

The nurse jogged back into the room then and started gathering things from the shelves, needles, bandages, and other things Dravite wasn't very familiar with. He watched her for a few short ticks before raising a brow as if to ask if anyone was on their way.
"I can't find the doctor!" The nurse admitted, "So I sent a boy to go and find one of our backups; he is in the Ruby district."
Another nurse rushed in and took hold of the woman's hand, holding it up in place of Dravite, "I've got it," she smiled, "thank you."

The horse lord left the room to go and find Pearl, he knew if news hadn't already reached the River Flower she was probably still working in her office. He wove his way through the throng of people waiting to be treated and steered himself down a narrow corridor where two tents were joined. When he found Pearl's office she was on the examination bed with Bayon at her side. As Dravite had no kind words for the man, he cut straight to the chase, "they need her; they need a doctor!"
"She's out cold!" Bayon scolded, “Are you thick?”
Dravite shouldered his way past the man to go to his wife's side, "Pearl, Pearl!" He shook her shoulder and tried to sit her up, "my love," Dravite whispered, pressing a kiss to the woman's temple, "we need you; the nurses need you quickly."

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[Pearl]

The scent of blood and sweat was permeating the air around her; the scent of something more familiar was drawing her back towards consciousness. She lay on the table still, her breaths shallow and easy, as it was for those that were unconscious without injury. Muffled words were spoken and she strained to hear them, to unravel the threads of darkness that held her in her current state. “Pearl, Pearl!” she finally heard her name being called, then a small shake to her body before she was drawn into familiar arms and helped to sit up. Her head bobbed just a touch and she fought to open her eyes. Light swirled around her, seemingly out of reach of her mind.

Something inside her wanted to remain within the darkness, within the safety the darkness created. But the light would not be ignored, no matter the dangers it held. Lashes began to lift, slowly blinking closed several times before she could keep them open. “My love,” she heard. It was his voice, she recognized it now, her husband was with her and she turned her head towards him, usually clear blue eyes were dulled with the aching news she had received about her father; immediately tears began to fill them once more.

Her husband was covered in blood, and for a moment she thought she must be dreaming, seeing what the Gods allowed her to see one last time before they took him from her as well. She reached for him, fingers touching his face. When they did, the realization of it began to sink in; this was not a dream. “We need you; the nurses need you quickly,” his words mingled with her coming clarity.

Pushing up, forcing herself to turn towards him, she finally saw him before her; the world snapping back into place as all of the sounds of The River Flower met her ears. “You’re hurt,” she said as she let her hand slide down from his face to his shoulder, then his chest, checking for wounds and finding none. Her movements were slower than usual when she was faced with a medical crises; her mind was still fighting the reality of it all. She knew it to be real, but that didn’t mean she wanted to face the truth. “Father, I have to,” words were bit back as she closed her mouth so she could fight the emotions and tears that began to cloud her mind.

Pearl knew her father was dead, she could still hear Bayon’s words, and she could see the look in her husband’s eyes, begging her to return to reality completely, begging her to live in this world with him despite the pain, begging her to be her and to help those that she could help. She lowered her hand from his chest and put it protectively over her lower abdomen for a tick, finding her strength within, so she could continue for the living, and the soon to be living.

Nodding, she moved her hand up to her own face and pushed the stray strands of hair back from her face, a small streak of blood following the path her hand took. “Yes. Yes, I’m here,” she told her husband sounding more herself. “Tell me where I am needed, what injuries?” She swallowed the lump in her throat and licked dry lips.

Movement caught her eye and she turned to the side to see Bayon holding a cup of water and a wet cloth out to her. Taking them both from him with one hand, she offered a ghost of a smile as appreciation of his gesture. A shaking hand brought the cup to her lips and she took a small sip from it, then offered it to Dravite.



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[Dravite]

He would have given anything for a drink of water in that moment, but the cup might as well be full of poison to him. Dravite took the cup offered to him and set it down, “this way,” he told his wife, explaining the extent of the woman’s injuries as he led her back through the corridor he had come down to find her.

Bayon seemed to linger close behind as if waiting to catch Pearl, believing her legs would give out again as the realisation of her father’s death slowly sunk in. The look Dravite gave him as they turned the corner saw the man stop in his tracks before hesitantly following again.

Inside the room a woman lay on the table only half conscious. “I’ve given her something for the pain, doctor,” one of the nurses admitted while another stood waving a woven fan back and forth slowly in front of Dia’s face in order to keep her cool and awake, “She took a drink of water but hasn’t said much since.

A few chimes later the young boy that had been sent out in search of the doctor returned and informed the nurse that he wasn’t able to find him, “I’m needed in the next room,” she told Pearl, “your husband seems calm enough; can I leave him to help you?”
Before Dravite had time to protest the nurse was out the door, “All right,” the man scratched his head and moved away quickly to wash his hands just as he had seen Pearl do countless times; getting between each fingers, under the nails (of which he had little due to his disgusting chewing habits, as Belkaia aptly deemed it), and cleaned away the blood right up past his elbows before drying them well, “how can I help?” he asked his wife.
The second nurse put the fan down when the first returned to ask for assistance and as she dashed out of the room Bayon spoke up, “Where did Star go... I think I'll go look for her?” And with that, he left.

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[Pearl]

Pearl nodded her understanding as she walked with her husband to the room where the woman was awaiting her arrival. The two nurses departing quickly and leaving her with Dravite as her assistant. She knew her husband capable of many things, but she did not know how he would fair under these circumstances. Still, she knew he would give his best; his presence keeping her grounded and for that she was ever thankful.

Bayon’s leaving was hardly noticed as she stepped over to wash her hands and prepare for treating the young woman. She had to push all thoughts of her father aside, regardless of the pain she felt in her heart at losing him. There were people that needed her, and she refused to let them down in their time of need. As she washed, she breathed slowly and deeply, cleansing her mind of distractions until she could feel her center returning, weighting her to reality, keeping her steady.

When she turned, looked to her husband, bluest eyes clear once again and she gave him a small nod. “Bring the bowl of salt water the nurses prepared to her side. We need to clean the area so that I can see exactly what I am working with,” she instructed, her tone calm and even as she stepped over to the bedside and Dia. “We’re going to get you fixed up. I’m Pearl,” she introduced herself, as she gauged Dia’s mental awareness and state of mind through the pain medications that had already been administered. When Dia only nodded, Pearl could tell the medications had taken effect and had Dia fairly well sedated. Still, she checked her pupils for dilation, lifting each of Dia’s lids slowly and looking directly into the woman’s eyes before allowing them to slowly close once again; satisfied now that the pains medications were working properly. “This is going to sting, but I need to cleanse your wound and get a good look at it so I can get you fixed up properly,” Pearl explained in that soothing tone she used when she was talking with her patients.

She took a cloth and began washing away the blood from the area surrounding the gaping wound in Dia’s arm. Blood was still oozing from the vein that wasn’t clotting properly, and Pearl leaned in for a closer look as she continued to clean the area. Finally, the blood that drained from the wound was clean blood, leaving a wet streak down Dia’s arm with the water. The wound, Pearl could see, was a clean slice through the muscle and stopped at the bone. Easy enough to stitch up, but the healing would take some time and Dia would likely need to participate in some physical therapy to help regain full use of her arm once again. Pearl was already planning the exercises in her mind that would be best.

Dravite was indeed a great help as an assistant. He didn’t anticipate her needs as quickly as Star usually did, but then she and Star had been working together for several seasons now and that was to be expected. “Please, love, if you would bring that tray of suture materials and needles over closer. And some of the turmeric, I think we can get started with closing this up properly.” She smiled at him, again thankful that he was staying by her side.

When he came back to her side, she explained what she needed him to do as far as helping Dia hold still, where to stand, how to hold Dia’s arm so she couldn’t move it while the sutures were being placed; everything that he needed to do and exactly what not to do, which was not to let go of Dia regardless of how much she might thrash or try and move her arm. The consequences of such were far worse than any amount of pain that would be associated with the placement of the sutures. When she was confident that Dravite understood, she nodded, knowing he wouldn’t let either of them down in his efforts.

Pearl concentrated on her work then, placing a small amount of the turmeric directly onto the open would so as to help deaden the area to her needles as well as provide protection against infection. Once again she assessed the vein, looking to see for the best placement of the sutures to make the repairs. Several times she had to use a cloth to soak up the blood that continued to seep from it. With her needle threaded with the absorbable sutures, she nodded to Dravite, letting him know she was going to begin so he could hold Dia properly. As quickly as she could, she placed the four sutures in the vein, pulling the thick layers together tightly and making sure the walls of the vein puckered outwardly just a little, as opposed to inwardly, so the blood flow wouldn’t be restricted as the vein healed. Dia hardly moved during that process, which was a great deal of pressure off Pearl as it was the most difficult part of the injury to repair.

With that out of the way, Pearl cleansed the area once again, washing away the blood to be sure the newly placed sutures were doing their job in holding the vein together and the blood inside where it should be. When the water ran clear down Dia’s arm, Pearl breathed a sigh of relief.




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[Pearl]

Another layer of stitches was planned in the deep tissue of the muscle, though Pearl knew this set would prove more painful to her patient than the sutures in the vein; she also knew her husband was up to the task of helping Dia remain still while they were placed.

Dia was hardly moving, letting out the small grunt or groan when the needle pierced her muscle; Pearl attributed this to the exhaustion the woman must be feeling as well as the medications she had already been given. Pearl turned her head and wiped the sheen of sweat from her own brow on her sleeve, then went back to concentrating on the placement of each stitch. Each one pulling the muscle back together so it could heal properly as the suture material would be absorbed by the body during the healing process. The work was tedious and time consuming, but Pearl never stopped; fingers continued to work in the small space allotted by the wound.

The third layer of stitches went in much easier than the previous two; these being placed on outer layer and visible. Pearl tied each one of these off individually with small knots securing them in place. She watched as the cut, almost as straight as any purposely placed surgical incision, began to close in on itself, forming a thin puffy line that stood up against the sutures, puckering just slightly. “Good,” she muttered as she continued to work, tying off the last knot and clipping the ends of the silk suture material.

“You’re doing great,” she said to both Dravite and Dia as she started cleaning up the extra materials and putting them on the tray so they could be cleaned and put away for future use. “We’re almost finished,” she explained. “Just have to put on some more medicine to help fight off an infection, and bandage you up. But I want you to stay here with us tonight, Dia, just to be on the safe side.”

Pearl cleaned the outside of the wound and Dia’s arm once again before she placed a layer of the turmeric powder over the now closed wound and the layer of stitches. “Come first light, you can go home,” she spoke as she worked, winding the bandage around and around Dia’s arm. “You’ll need to rest that arm for ten days. I don’t want you doing anything with it for that long. We’ll fashion you a sling to keep it up and against your body before you go home.” Pearl tied off the bandage to keep it securely in place. “After that then days is up, you come back and I’ll remove the sutures and we’ll see how everything looks. Then you can start using your arm and I’ll have some exercises planned for you to start. But it’s going to be slow, Dia. I want you to regain full use of your arm and I’m going to need you to follow my instructions carefully and not go off on your own, hurting yourself again or making it take longer to heal.” Pearl knew she would have to repeat herself, or make sure one of the nurses wrote down her instructions to give to Dia for her to take home with her, but she spoke them in a stern voice, just the same, hoping Dia would remember and take her words to heart.

Dia nodded as she opened her eyes and looked up to Pearl, squeaking out a hoarse, “Thank you,” and forming what Pearl construed was a smile.
“Thank you,” Pearl returned, “for your service in The Watch.” Reassuring Dia with a smile, “Try and get some rest. I’m going to clean up here.”

Pearl gathered all the instruments she had used and took them over to the dirty basin and placed them within it so they could be cleaned and readied for use again. She poured some hot water over them and let them soak while she went to wash her own hands once more. As she continued scrubbing her hands, the hallowed look returned to her eyes. Tears began to form and one by one they slipped down her cheeks.



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[Dravite]

Dravite felt liked a headless chicken, looking for everything Pearl needed, and sometimes, he even managed to get it on the first go, yet for the powder she kept using to disinfect the wound, Dravite picked up everything but until Pearl assured him that he had the right thing; he was no nurse after all, nor medicine expert.

His job was simple, however, hold Dia and stop her from struggling. He did this task dutifully but in complete silence, there in the room physically, though mentally he was still out on the street, reliving the violence and watching the haunting reply of his father in law take his last breath. Dravite didn't know how his wife found the strength, nor why it was so difficult to offer her his own now when she needed it most.

Just say something, he thought to himself a few times while the woman worked, but always managed to convince himself that it was better for him to remain silent as not to distract his wife while she worked. He rubbed Dia's good shoulder when it was all done and Pearl stood, going over instructions that would later need repeating, for the watch-woman seemed to ebb in and out of sleep, "rest," he offered finally when Pearl moved away to clean the dirty tools.

"Leave those," he whispered to his wife as he moved to join her, putting his arms around her middle while he pressed a kiss to the back of her head, "come, the nurse will do that; you need to go," you need to say goodbye, he wanted to tell her, but was stopped by the visions of the man's open belly; Pearl was strong, but there were some things no child should have to witness, no matter how brave they were. Dravite wanted Pearl to be able to see her father before he was gone; even if that meant he had to go first to make sure her dreams would not be as torturous as his own.

"Go and get Garrison, change, and then meet me at The Watch camp grounds near home?" Even as he said the words he felt his innards tie themselves in knots but knew that he must remain stoic for her sake.

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[Pearl]

As his arms came around her she paused, leaning back in against him, taking the comfort he offered that she so dearly needed. She lifted a hand and reached back to touch his cheek as he leaned forward to kiss the back of her head. He was her strength. Her father had placed her with him, bound her in marriage to him, for he knew that one day he would not be there to hold her and give her the strength he knew she would need to carry on. Turning within his arms she looked up to him for a tick before she kissed him. She needed to feel him, his love, his tenderness, his hardness, him. Tears continued to wet her cheeks as she held that kiss with him. Slowly, the kiss turned from her need, to his. She wanted to give him everything of herself in that one simple kiss. She wanted him to know that she was there for him, that she loved him, that she would never leave him of her own accord; that she would be his strength in his time of need just as he was hers.

When their kiss had ended, she looked up to him, a gentle hand smoothing over the lines of his face. “Go and get Garrison, change, and then meet me at The Watch camp grounds near home?” he had asked of her, and she nodded. Even now, she could see the depth of the pain he held within, that he sought to spare from her and she was so grateful for him, once again. “Yes, my love,” her words scarcely a whisper as she spoke them, for her emotions had claimed her breath.

As they walked arm in arm towards the back of the tents where Knox waited, Pearl leaned in against her husband. The thrum of The River Flower sang around them, but it was a buzzing that was largely ignored as her head rested against his strong shoulder.

*****

Pearl watched her husband leave and continued to watch him until she could no longer see him on the streets. She leaned against Knox, unable to move from the spot where Dravite had left her and turned her face in against her Strider’s neck. “He’s gone, Knox,” murmured words spoken to him as if he understood; his nickered response evidence that he had understood her emotions quite thoroughly as he nudged his muzzle at her arm.

She didn’t know how long she had stood like that, leaning against Knox, unable to pick up her feet and move. A hand at her shoulder caused her to turn and look a vacant stare upon the one that spoke.
“Pearl,” Star questioned, forming her name slowly as she searched the young doctor’s face, “do you have it in you to see one more before you go?” Star knew the news her friend had received, and she knew how heavy her heart must be.
Pearl nodded, turning to walk with Star, her hand falling away from Knox’s neck slowly as her steps carried her away back inside the tents.
“It’s the youngest Sawgrass child. She won’t let anyone else touch her. Just keeps screaming for you,” Star explained.
“What’s happened?” Pearl asked.
Star lead Pearl towards the examination room where they had little Pearl Sawgrass and her father waiting, “Her father says she was playing in the creek, trying to catch minnows, when she screamed like a panther and bolted out of the water. Says her fingers were bloody at the tips and she wouldn’t stop screaming until they told her they would bring her here to see you.”

Star stopped in the corridor, her hand upon Pearl’s arm. “I’m sorry, Pearl. You know I wouldn’t….”
Pearl stopped her assistant, her friend, with a small nod and a quietly spoken, “Shh, I know.”
Star nodded too, understanding that Pearl couldn’t talk of it right now. With that she pushed open the flap of the door and stepped inside the room with Pearl. “Look who I found,” she said to the little girl on the grass mattress.



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[Pearl]

“Hello my little namesake,” Pearl smiled to the youngest Sawgrass daughter, though the smile never met her eyes.
With a sniffle and a pout, little Pearl looked up to the doctor, “The turtle bit me,” she said.
“The turtle bit you? Well, we had best have a look at it then, hmm?” Pearl sat down on the stool beside the bed where young Pearl sat with her father beside her and with his arm around her.
“A turtle?” Orn, her father seemed surprised by this news as he looked to his daughter, then the doctor.
“Uh huh,” little Pearl nodded. “A great big monster turtle,” obviously trying to make it sound as terrible as it could be as she held her arms out in front of her making a large circle of them, “this big!” she announced; her bloody little hand clenched tightly in a fist.
Star was trying to hide a smile and turned around to ready the supplies she thought Pearl would need to tend to the little girl’s injuries.
“That’s a very big turtle,” Pearl said, swallowing down her sorrow for the moment and focusing on trying to make little Pearl feel better. “Do you have any fingers left or did the monster turtle bite them clean off?” She spoke in jest, though she knew that some turtles were big enough and had strong enough jaws to do just that, and easily so, especially with a young girl the size of Pearl Sawgrass.
“It got the end of one.”

“May I see?” Pearl asked and held out her hand to the little girl who trustingly placed her bloody little hand in the doctor’s. “Good, now can you open your hand so that I can see each of your fingers?” she coaxed in that gentle tone of hers, trying to let young Pearl do all the work so it would hurt her less.
With a wince and another pout, little Pearl uncurled her fingers showing the bite the turtle had made on one of her fingers.
“Mm, you’re so brave,” murmured Pearl as she cautiously lifted young Pearl’s fingers one by one so she could better see the bites. “I’m just going to clean you up a bit,” she explained as she took the warm salt water wetted cloth from Star. Carefully, she wiped away the blood, holding Pearl’s hand as easily as she could, but firmly enough so that little Pearl didn’t yank it back from her. “There we go,” she said once the blood was thoroughly washed away. She could see now that the turtle had indeed taken a small chunk of the little girl’s index finger along the inside, but that was the worst of the bite. The bite was clean and didn’t leave for anything to have to be stitched, that small portion of her finger was simply missing. Thankfully though, it hadn’t taken any part of her finger that would make it non-functional after it healed and Pearl suspected that it would look slightly smaller than her others as it healed and little Pearl grew into adulthood. The worst thing they had to worry about now was getting the finger healed without an infection setting in.

“Alright Little Miss,” Pearl began. “Here’s what we need to do. I need you to be brave like I know you are, and sit here with Miss Star and soak your whole hand in this bowl of water for me. We need to make sure we have all the icky dirt washed away before I put on the medicine and the bandages, okay?”
Little Pearl nodded, that precious little pout returning to her face.
“It will sting a little, but you can do it. I know you can,” she encouraged her young patient. “Dad and I are going to go outside for a tick, but we’ll be right back,” she made her excuses and ushered Orn to the door so she could talk with him in private.

“It’s not horrible, as you could see,” she began, “but it will take some time to heal. No sutures are necessary. I’m going to put some salve on it and bandage it so it stays clean. What I’m concerned about most is it staying clean.”
Orn nodded, looking somewhat relieved by Pearl’s words. “Will it grow back? The missing part,” he asked.
Pearl shook her head. “No, I’m afraid it will not. But it shouldn’t give her much trouble in the future. The bite is on the inside of her finger and the wound and scarring will hardly be noticeable as she grows.”
“Oh, good,” me mouthed.
“I want her to come back every day to have her bandages changed and a fresh treatment with salve and herbs; twice a day, if we must. There will be no taking chances where this is concerned. I’ll not have the wound festering and causing her to become ill,” as it did with my husband, she thought. “If it does, she risks losing the entire finger, or perhaps even her hand,” she added.
Orn went pale and nodded, “You mean….?”
Pearl nodded, “that is exactly what I mean, and I have no desire to be performing any amputations on such a lovely young lady.”
“We’ll do whatever you say. I promise. Her mother and I will make sure of it.”
“Good. I’ll be sending some turmeric home with you. She’ll need to take a pinch of it in some warm milk twice a day; once in the morning, and again before she lays down for bed. It will help her body to heal faster and better. We’ll keep doing that and keep changing her bandages twice a day until we see improvement and proper healing.”

Pearl stepped back into the room with her little namesake and Star, Orn close behind her, and sat back down on the stool. “So how did we do?” she asked.
“I only had to take my hand out once because it was stinging,” announced little Pearl proudly.
“It’s true. She was a little trooper,” added Star.
“Very good,” praised Pearl. She smiled, though the look in her eyes remained haunted and hollow. It was a brave face that she too put on for little Pearl’s sake. “Now for the easy part,” she said as she took up a dry cloth, “put your hand in here,” and she patted little Pearl’s wounded hand dry with the towel before laying it on her lap and letting Pearl’s hand rest there as well. “Hold real still for me,” she encouraged. “I’m going to put some turmeric powder and that will help with the pain and help the bite heal faster,” she explained as she worked.

“You’re a very good patient,” she told young Pearl.
“I’m going to be a doctor. Just like you,” she announced.
Her father spoke up then, “That’s all she ever talks about, you know, growing up to be a doctor.”
Little Pearl smiled proudly.
“Well, I’ll tell you what. When you get older, let’s say when you are at your tenth summer, you come and let me know, and we will start with lessons. How does that sound?”
“Really?” asked the excited young Pearl.
“Really,” confirmed Pearl as she finished applying the turmeric powder. “Now pay attention, this is your first lesson, just to get you started.” She held up the small jar of calendula salve. “This is calendula save, and it helps soothe a wound so that it doesn’t itch as badly while it heals, and it also helps your body to heal itself. You put it on like so,” she showed her how by applying a small amount of the salve over the bite area, covering it completely. Pearl then wiped her fingers on the towel to rid them of the excess salve. “Then you put the bandage on this like this,” she explained as she took up a length of clean bandage and began to wind it around young Pearl’s finger, wrapping it completely, then wound it around her second finger securing them together and tying it off in a knot to hold it in place. “It’s secured to your second finger even though that one isn’t hurt, so that it can help protect your hurt finger from being bumped and hurt more, see?” she showed her when it was all in place.

Pearl waved to Orn as he took his young daughter away with her freshly bandaged hand. Star came up beside her friend and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “You’re so good to them, even when you are hurting. You always put your patient’s first.”
“What kind of a doctor would I be if I didn’t” she murmured.





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[Dravite]

"They're barbaric," he heard a man mutter to his wife on his way into the tent, "did you know they don't even bury their dead, they just leave them in the tall grass and walk away as if they never meant anything to anyone."

Dravite stopped dead in his tracks, the foreigner’s words shouldn't affect him, but he knew Trail, this one was personal. Of course they cared for their dead, but the Drykas believed the spirit of every person that passed was returned to the web during death while the remains were left to the arms of the mother, Semele, in which they all trusted. As the city of Endrykas had such a high mortality rate, the Drykas as a people had hardened their hearts to such matters; that wasn’t to say they weren’t moved by each loss, for nothing was further from the truth.

He walked out of the tent like a lion that had picked up on the scent of blood and followed it only to corner his prey. His narrow, grey eyes were fixed on the man, a merchant who was only in the city to sell his goods before the horse clans left for the winter grounds. He had always promised to bring his wife to the city with him and today might be the day he regretted that discussion.
"Get out," Dravite hissed before turning his attention on the wife, who unlike her husband, didn't care for standing around to find out how this particular exchange might end, "Get out!" The watchman roared.
The merchant’s wife just about tripped over her own dress as she stepped backwards and quickly, her husband caught her by the arm to keep her up right, "don't worry dear, he won't do anything; he's one of the law, they're all bound by a code," with that the man's wife steadied herself and smiled a smug little smile, as if she were looking at him from the other side of an invisible wall that would keep them both protected; the gesture saw the watchman's fists close tightly

Dravite couldn't quite make out what the merchant had told his wife in the common tongue, something about the law and the horse lord's inability to act. Their lack of respect twisted his gut, but it was the absence of fear that really struck a chord with the man; would more outsiders come to the city with the same opinion and walk all over them? Would today's events in the market place have gone the same way if there was more fear surrounding the Drykas as a people?

The watchman didn't stop to think about it too long and instead of walking away as he should have done, he leapt at the man, slamming the overweight merchant down into the dirt. Dravite raised a balled first and drove it down against the man's face, followed by a second; his strength and endurance making up for what he lacked in skill. The merchant’s wife screamed and grabbed at the horse lord, trying to pull him back by his knotted hair. He pushed her away with a wide wave of his arm before going in to finish what he had started.
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[Dravite]

As Dravite punched the man again he caught the merchant square in the mouth, the fat man's lower lip split open against his crooked teeth, which also nicked Dravite's hand just below the knuckles. The merchant, though down, was not out, and he slammed a fist into Dravite's gut, winding the horse lord momentarily. The two of them wrestled on the ground until the merchant had the upper hand and managed to trap Dravite's right arm under one of his fat, sausage legs.
"How dare you attack me!" The traveller bellowed and slapped the watchman across the face.
Dravite's cheek stung, but part of him wanted to laugh if the merchant thought that would stop him. He put his hand on his dagger and again the woman screamed, "He’s got a knife!"

The distraction worked long enough for Dravite to get the upper hand and though he was unable to wrestle his arm free, he did managed to sit up and slam his head against the merchant's face, busting the big man's nose. He went down like a heavy tree, falling backwards in order to escape. Dravite, blinded by his own hate for the foreigners, wouldn't let up, not until a group of watchmen ran out from the walled off campgrounds and pulled him away from the merchant.
"That man is a dog!" The woman cried, "He should be hung!"

Dravite kicked up dust and dirt at her before his comrades managed to march him inside of the tent in order to try and settle him down. No one asked what had caused him to attack the innocent couple and it seemed no one cared. One of the watchmen, a good friend of Trail's that went only by the name 'Skunk', closed his hand over Dravite's shoulder and squeezed, "don't let them get to you; here," he offered and presented the horse lord with a cloth to clean himself up.

The wheat haired man scrubbed his face with the cloth and wrapped it around the cut on his fist, "thanks," was all he offered in return.
"Let me," the older watchman insisted and removed the wrap from Dravite's hand to replace it with a proper bandage, "you might want to get that looked up."

Dravite got to his feet and walked over to where they were keeping Trail. They had done a good job to clean him up, he thought then, and sniffed, trying to clear his nose. Dravite looked at the woven sheet of coloured fabric covering Trail's midsection and worked out of his leather tabard slowly, "help me," Dravite finally spoke and was quickly assisted by the older man who helped him work the leather piece of kit over the dead man's shoulders.

They two of them were extra careful around the man's belly and Dravite tied the colourful fabric around Trail's waist before hiding it under the tabard. He closed the man's arms over his chest as he had done with his mother's body and set Trail's weapon down gently so that he could close the man's hands around the Bec de Corbin, the head of which was still covered in the blood of the man who had taken Trail's life. Dravite bowed, closing a fistful of the dead man's raven black hair in his mitt while he spoke of gods and men, wild horses and thunder storms, of children and love, and life, and a memory of the warrior he would never forget, nor would he let his children forget, "forever you live in our hearts," he promised, "until my dying day I will protect your memory and let no man sour it.
He felt Skunk's hand at his back and watched as the old man's wrinkled hand touched down against Trail's chest, "no one will forget you, brother."
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