Solo [The Healing Hoof] Consequences of a Storm

[Jez Firetongue]

Thread Word Count : 2360

Jez Firetongue 8th of Winter 516 AV Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The Healing Hoof was busy today, all its employees barely having a moment to spare. The storm of last night had been quite something. He had never seen anything like it before. The lightning had crossed the sky with a particular viciousness, terrifying Drykas and their animals alike. Many creatures had startled, knocking into things and getting minor injuries that meant they now needed to see the vets. Then the rains had started, the downpour almost instantly swamping the land. Jez had battled to help his Pavilion get their Striders under temporary cover, a sheet extended from the main tent providing some relief. The rest of their animals were second priority to the Striders, with the majority ending up having to tough the storm out. Many Pavilions had acted similarly, resulting in a lot of stock slipping and injuring themselves. The storm had only served to incentivise those listening to Jonas Proudsun. Whereas before Jonas had been a fanatic many scoffed out, now there seemed to be more people talking about him and his ‘dual-god’. Jez glared at those who thought of casting aside the Gods they had been loyal to previously. His faith was not so easily moved. To him the storm was not a sign that the Gods were abandoning their duties, but a manifestation of their anger at how easily people were abandoning them. The storm was not a sign that the people of Endrykas should be losing faith, but a test that some seemed to be losing. Many did not have Caiyha’s gnosis mark, did not know how to restore the ecosystem themselves, and this included Jez. He believed that meant they did not have enough knowledge to say the Gods weren’t doing their jobs. Unless one marked by Caiyha came forward to say what would be best for the Sea of Grass, Jez would keep his faith. Jez had stepped behind The Healing Hoof’s tent for a few moments to take a breather. With the amount of people seeking aid, they were stretched rather thin. The vets were prioritising the Striders, as was only natural, leaving many owners of other animals waiting a long time. They were getting impatient, despite understanding why they were waiting for so long. Therefore, by midday the animal handlers had been instructed to do light patch up jobs and health checks for the simpler cases. Usually the vets would do this, but with time so tight the owners were willing to let the less knowledgeable animal handlers care for their animals. The system was a challenge for Jez, whose experience in healthcare barely extended beyond treating lice. However, he had seen the vets do their jobs enough to understand the basics even if he hadn’t done procedures himself. It wasn’t like he was going to be fixing broken legs or anything so extreme, more cleaning out small wounds and placing bandages over them. His bandaging had been shoddy at the start of the day, though he tried his hardest, but he was now beginning to get the hang of it. He had been nervous about tying any bandages too tight but had finally realised that that was better to prevent the fabric falling off, so long as the animal’s circulation wasn’t cut off. After another moment Jez stepped back into the tent, ready to continue his work. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Strider-Wind ||

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue 8th of Winter 516 AV Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jez re-entered the chaotic tent. Dogs, cats, birds…they had all sorts in today. That wasn’t even taking into account the horses outside. Luckily most horses were uninjured from the storm; tricks for caring for the creatures through even the worst storms had been passed through the Drykas for generations. However, chance was always a factor, leaving some horses inevitably wounded. While the vets worked outside with the horses, the animal handlers were taking charge of the smaller creatures. Jez immediately went over to the area that contained the veterinary supplies. With the volume of owners bringing in their injured animals today, there had not been much chance for anyone to sort of the supplies. Bandages had been pulled out and not placed back correctly, pots of poultice discarded on benches with half replaced lids, surgical tools tossed to the back of the bench as a sign they had been used but not yet cleaned; the station was a mess, and would soon not be useable. Jez sighed, tired, pushed up his sleeves and got to work. Once the supplies were all back in place, Jez decided to go outside and see if any of the vet needed assistance. “Balen,” he greeted the older man outside, “I see you’re taking a quick break. Is there anything to prioritise right now?” The vet grinned at Jez, waving him over. “Ah, Jez, given any more thought to courting my daughter?” Jez chuckled and rolled his eyes, having been over this conversation and rejecting this idea many times. Balen didn’t expect a response, already knowing the answer, and continued. “There’s actually a stallion over there,” he pointed to the Colorsplash, a common horse in Endrykas, “He had a large cut in his hindquarters that I needed to tend to. His owner is in the Opal clan and had to rush back to his family. Can you return him to his owner? He’s a little feisty but his injury should mean he’s not too hard to handle.” “I’d be happy to do that,” Jez nodded. He loved his job but on days like today it was nice to get the chance to step away. He’d still be helping, but would have a short time from the mayhem. Plus it was always nice to see owners happy when their healed animals are returned to them. “Great. There’s a few things you’ll need to tell his owner,” Balen guided him over to the stallion so that he could point at the wound. It was a large gash across the muscle that had been stitched up and had a herbal salve applied that Jez had seen the vets use many times. “Here’s the pot of salve that the owner will need,” Balen handed it over, “It contains a mixture of herbs that will reduce any swelling and inflammation. The owner needs to apply it once a day, and wash the previous application off gently beforehand. The salve pot should contain enough that once it’s finished the wound won’t be bothering the stallion much anymore, but if that’s not the case he’ll need to be brought back here. They also need to keep an eye of him to make sure he doesn’t agitate the stitches. If he gets enough out that the wound starts bleeding then he needs to come back to us. Have you got all that?” “Of course.” It wasn’t the first time Jez had to remember the vet’s words to relay to an owner, and likely wouldn’t be the last. While Balen went back to work Jez greeted the stallion. His ears flickered, weight shifting as he looked the Drykas up and down. He was obviously nervous, and stressed from the injury and subsequent treatment. “Let’s get you home,” he told the stallion, running a soothing hand down the animal’s neck. Wind, his bonded Strider, was the horse he spent the most time with. The Strider seemed to understand the gist of what he way saying. The other horse species he did not have that same level of understanding. At his words the stallion remained unchanged, still eyeing him nervously. “It doesn’t matter that you don’t understand,” Jez smiled, unlooping the rope that was keeping the stallion in place from the post, “It won’t be long until you see for yourself that you’re home.” Jez moved to the stallion’s left and began to lead him away from the tent. The horse was obviously on edge around him, but was following his guidance for now. Jez found himself wishing, not for the first time, that he had the way with horses that his younger brother Caleb did. Caleb was also an animal handler, though he specialised in horses, and could very easily gain a horse’s trust. He already had it of all the horses the Firetongue Pavilion owned, and many outside the Pavilion seemed to respect him automatically. He had a way with them that Jez admired. While he wouldn’t say he envied it, as there was no jealousy over the fact that his brother had skills he did not, he did aspire to handle horses at that same level one day. As one of the middle children of his father he’d never felt the push to specialise in one area of his life as he grew up. His experience spread over different areas, dabbling in different skills yet never quite finding one that felt right. As he grew older he began to get more concrete goals; to join The Watch and to be marked by Caiyha were now dreams of his. However, for the near future he was still lost on what he wanted from life. His job as an animal handler was good, he liked helping animals and seeing their owners’ faces light up, but unlike his older sister Rosanna it was not something he felt strongly for against any other job choice. Still, despite not having the desire to remain part of The Healing Hoof for the rest of his life, it didn’t mean he wasn’t putting his all into the work. You only earned the right to rest well if you contribute all you can. Truly Jez was happiest astride Wind, traversing the Sea of Grass as one, but he wouldn’t be able to face himself if he spent his days skipping work to do that all the time. By working hard, putting his all into being an animal handler, he was able to appreciate the moments he and Wind got together completely guilt free. A sudden tug on the lead rope got Jez’s attention and he looked to the stallion, who was looking away to the right. His ears were perked forward, nostrils flared and muscles tense. Jez looked past him to see a Pavilion deconstructing their Pavilion, ready to move on. The work was loud, the people laughing and livestock calling out as they were separated and roped to different wagons or burdened with full bags hooked to their tack. They were Opal clan, as was every Pavilion he would be passing on his way to the stallion’s owner. The Healing Hoof existed within the Opal clan, a fairly long distance from where Jez’s home was located. “Greetings,” he called, resting a hand on the stallion’s neck to calm him, remind him that this was a common sight and nothing to spook at, “Can you tell me where I might find one of your clan members?” One of the woman came over to him, exchanged pleasantries and asked for the person’s name. Jez was relieved to find she knew where the Pavilion he was a member of was, and was directed in that direction. As the tent city was constantly on the move in one way or another it was not surprising to lose track of people and have a tough time tracking them down. Jez was glad today he wouldn’t be presented with that challenge; his help was needed back with the vets and he shouldn’t be wasting time wandering around cluelessly. He made it to the stallion’s Pavilion in good time, said horse perking up as the familiar tents came into sight. He called out for someone and a man exited one of the tents. The stallion suddenly lifted his head high, tugging on the lead rope, and let out a neigh. “I take it you’re his owner,” Jez chuckled, handing the horse over. He then relayed what Balen had told him about the horse’s care, handing over the pot of salve at the same time. The owner was grateful, bidding him good day, and led his stallion deeper into his Pavilion’s area. Job done, Jez turned to head back to The Healing Hoof. There were only a few tents between his work and his present location, but they were distantly spaced so it was a walk with few people. Sometimes his work set the tent up close to others, but with the amount of patients it was decided to space them out a bit more to give the vets more room to work. Although there weren’t many people, there were plenty of animals around; herds grazing, livestock tied to posts and other, smaller creatures around. Yowling from nearby startled Jez and he looked curiously over to the clump of grass it came from. Curious, the Drykas went over to it, surprised to see a short haired cat lying there. It had obviously been in a fight, covered in blood and small gashed. It looked up at him with wide eyes and mewed pathetically, practically asking for help. Jez looked around, but with no people he didn’t know whether the owner was in one of the nearby Pavilions or if the cat had been wandering a lot. Either way the cat needed immediate help. The owner could come forward later, but there was no point in finding them if the cat didn’t survive. Jez didn’t have any cloth on him to carry the cat in, and didn’t want to risk a spread of infection by picking the cat up with his bare hands. He thought for a moment but decided the best option would be to use his shirt. He could wash it in a nearby river later and it wasn’t like the weather was too cold to be shirtless. Jez chuckled at the thought; it was always good to find something positive from the strange weather this season. He quickly pulled the shirt off, tugging as the fang on his necklace caught it momentarily, and bent to wrap it gently around the cat. “Easy there,” Jez hushed the cat as it mewed. He gently curled his hands around its cloth covered body and lifted it to clutch it against his chest. He sped his pace to hurry to The Healing Hoof. There was really never a dull moment working with animals. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Strider-Wind ||

[Jasmine Stormblood]

let me if I missed anything

 

Jez Firetongue

XP

• Animal Husbandry: 1 XP
• Medicine: 1 XP
• Socialization: 1 XP
• Organization: 1 XP

Lores

• Jez: does not give up his faith easily
• Striders come before other livestock
• A busy day calls for a breather
• A messy station is useless
• Jez: unsure of his future
• Never a dull moment with animals