Completed [Moresta River] River's Rage

[Jez Firetongue]

Thread Word Count : 4519

Jez Firetongue
82nd of Spring 517 AV
Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari

The storm had been raging for two days, violently crossing the skies with no mercy. The toll on life in Endrykas was large, the hardy Drykas suffering under the relentless torrent. The animals, mostly exposed to the elements, were feeling the strain. Jez’s Silkenas, Bristle and Whisp, had sought shelter in his tent for most of the last two days. His Strider, Wind, had fought his way into a space under the canvas lean-to his Pavilion had set up for days like this, sheltering amidst the other prioritised Striders. Jez had already tied an extra bar knot into the line of them that hung over his purple waist sash, praying to Zulrav to calm the storm and to Caiyha to give him understanding on what could balance the destruction the storm was causing. Each knot symbolised a storm and helped focus his prayers. During dry spells he would release one of the knots, as is tradition in his Pavilion, praying for rains. He had received no answer bar the comfort prayers brought him and had soon after left for The Healing Hoof, aware that many patients would need help today.

“Help, please!” A stranger to Jez ran into the crowded tent, where Drykas and their animals alike were seeking refuge from the rain while waiting for treatment. While a lot of Endrykas had begun to spread out, their city undergoing its natural annual size reduction as foraging began to improve, enough still remained at the edge of their Spring grounds to mean that the number of injured animals from the storm was overrunning the veterinary workload. Jez looked up from where he had been rolling up bandages, trying to organise the chaos their workplace had fallen into. “Some of my Pavilion’s livestock are in danger out by Moresta River. The banks are collapsing because of the rains and they can’t get out!”

“Jez,” Balen called him over after a short conversation with the newcomer, “This is Cedar Stoneback. You go with him. You’re experienced enough to help rather than hinder, but anyone more experienced than you is needed here. We can’t spare many hands.” Jez nodded and moved to leave. His position was only animal handler, not healer, but he had been put into enough situations over the past season, such as helping the births of livestock, that his experience was an overlap of the two careers. He didn’t know enough to work as a vet alone, but he was certainly getting there. He should be able to help the animals get out of the river, at least.

This would be his first overly physical job since returning from Riverfall with his wounds. By now all bar his fractured right foot had healed, and all that it required now was time to go back to normal. It hurt if he pressured it too much but the pained limp had pretty much cleared up. He was excited to get out there and help the Stoneback animals. He grabbed some towels, bandages and a pot of poultice in case any of the animals were injured. He wouldn’t be any good for major injuries, the livestock would need to be brought back here for that, but could fix up anything small. The bandages would also serve to protect any large injuries during the trip back to The Healing Hoof. He also grabbed some spare rope, to aid them in pulling the animals from the river if hands alone failed.

Jez left the tent alongside Cedar, jogging through the rain around the side to where a tarp had been set up to shelter the uninjured Striders. Most of these horses belonged to employees of The Healing Hoof, but some had been ridden here by owners of smaller animals that needed attention as quickly as possible. A different tarp had been set on the other side for the injured horses, with Ailana hard at work beneath it. The Striders, normally found roaming in the vicinity of their work place, were more than happy to huddle under the tarp today as the rains continued to fall. Jez was glad he wore his llama wool jacket today. It was great in the rain, both warm and almost completely waterproof. In the small jog his hair had been soaked through, giving him an unkempt, scraggly appearance, yet he didn’t feel too uncomfortable as his torso remained warm and dry within the jacket.

“Come, Wind,” he manoeuvred between the horses to his own stallion, “I’m afraid duty calls.” As Cedar mounted his own Strider, Jez unhooked one of the two bags attached to Wind’s yvas. He fit the supplies in and rehooked it to the stallion. “We’re all set,” he smiled, running a hand down the side of Wind’s face affectionately. His Strider replied with a soft nicker, leaning into the pressure. “Let’s go help out some animals, yeah?” He led the horse out from under the tarp and mounted quickly, looking to the other man.

“Are you bonded?” his accompanying Grassland Sign gave the words extra meaning, asking if Cedar’s current mount was his bonded partner, one who would more readily listen to their wish to travel fast across the plains. An affirmative response was all Jez needed to nod and reply, “Good. We’ll be able to travel quickly.” With a bonded Drykas atop it, a Strider was almost guaranteed to accept the command to travel faster than an average horse, reaching speeds up to twice those another horse could travel thanks to their connection to the webbing running through the Sea of Grass.

| Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Firetongue Pavilion || Bond to Wind |

The Heart of Nature Soothes the Heart of Man More Than Any Woman Can

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue
82nd of Spring 517 AV
Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari

The pair atop their Striders flew across the plains, their progress hindered only slightly by the wet ground. The Striders knew the land and the Drykas knew their Striders, helping them travel across what would be nearly treacherous to a foreigner. A couple of times Wind slowed, having slipped on a bit of unseen mud that caused Jez’s heart to skip as he fell forward, clinging to the stallion’s mane to right himself. The winds whipped around them, rain lashing as they rode. Luckily, with the Healing Hoof relatively close to the River and the intense storm causing dangerous animals to seek cover, they made it to Moresta River without incident.

Jez slowed his stallion as they grew close to the river, afraid to move fast beside it lest the weak banks give in or burst, injuring both his stallion and himself. Having only just recovered from a lot of wounds, he wasn’t eager to start a recovery process again with new ones. Ahead, Cedar signed at him; the speed, wind and rain preventing verbal communication. The language of Pavi required both verbal and signed words, the connected signals conveying the full message. However, the signs alone were occasionally enough to make out a choppy message. That was what Jez received; a signed message of no, a pause and then move, river. He nodded and sent his own positive Sign, understanding the message as meaning that they weren’t there yet, that they had to move further down the river to get to their destination and so to keep going despite the fact that they were slowing their pace.

Jez glanced to his right as they went, assessing the river. It was dangerously close to overflowing completely, the water running fast and stirring up occasional rapids where rocks jutted out. The surrounding banks were soaked through, parts of the grass around them already bogged up with water. The banks either side of the river were more exposed than usual, brown slopes of wet mud that slid steeply into the water in places. The longer he looked, the more Jez grew frustrated with Makutsi. She was the Goddess of the rivers, and she often sent floods that repaired the land. However, she also sent floods that destroyed it, like this one seemed to be doing. Jez couldn’t understand why the Gods kept throwing rain down. Surely there was some reason, he just couldn’t tell what it was. Caiyha would surely step in if things got out of hand, or send one of her witches to restore balance for her.

Wind slowing in response to Cedar’s mount’s pace brought Jez’s full attention back to what was happening ahead of him. A little way down the river the pair ahead had stopped, the man dismounting his Strider. Jez urged Wind forward and they soon drew up next to them. Stood still now, Jez could hear the sound of the distressed livestock over the wind and rain. A small llama herd was stood a little way from the river, calling out and then answered by the pair of llamas trapped in the river by the steep river banks. A few pigs loitered between the llamas and Jez hoped some hadn’t also fallen down. Pigs were more resilient than llamas in water, but would be much more of a pain to get out. He couldn’t assess the situation very easily from where he had stopped Wind, the winds whipping his hair into his eyes often and the rain blurring what vision he had left beyond the hair.

Jez dismounted and slipped as his feet touched the ground, the movement of his feet through the slippery mud sending a small jolt of pain through his right foot and causing him to lose his balance. He fell back and sat in the mud for a moment, dazed, before groaning and getting up. The rain would soak through and wash the mud out of his trousers soon enough, and looking at the banks he had a feeling it wasn’t the last mud that would be coating him today. “Thank you, Wind,” he patted the stallion as he walked past him, “Now stay back here; I don’t want you getting hurt.” He headed to the other man, ready to come up with a strategy for rescuing the livestock.

| Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Firetongue Pavilion || Bond to Wind |

The Heart of Nature Soothes the Heart of Man More Than Any Woman Can

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue
82nd of Spring 517 AV
Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari

Jez removed the rope from Wind’s yvas bags and approached the river bank, leaving his stallion a safe distance away. The bank was fairly steep and Jez could see the uneven surface where mud slides had occurred. Two llamas and one pig struggled below, stood on a bank ledge that jutted out just beneath the water. Beyond the bank the river quickly deepened into fast currents. The water lapping at their legs threatened to unbalance them and sweep them into the river. With the top of the bank at the same height as the llamas’ heads and the mud slippery from the rain, the animals were unable to escape the choppy waters.

Jez frowned at the river level, knowing that if the rains didn’t stop there was a risk of flooding in other parts of the river. Endrykas was far enough away that the Drykas wouldn’t be too impacted by the river flooding, but the impact on animal and plant life around the river would be huge. He knew from experience that floods could destroy animal habitats, separate groups, and drown small creatures…to name just a few impacts. Jez couldn’t understand why Makutsi would bring such destruction, but he trusted that if there was too big an issue then Caiyha would step in and stop her, as she had done before.

Focusing on the task at hand, Jez decided to deal with the llamas first. They were less hardy than the pig and so more likely to suffer or be swept away. “Cedar,” he called, “Stay up on the bank and I’ll get this rope around one of the llamas. Then we can pull it up together.” He made his way down the bank, one hand on the ridge for balance. He slid down through the mud until his feet hit a small ledge above the water that hadn’t collapsed yet. Half leaning against the bank and weight mostly kept off his injured right foot, Jez got to work.

Concerned by the unknown Drykas beside it, the already spooked llama tried to step back. The move was a mistake and it caught its hoof on the edge of the ledge, slipping. Jez instinctually grabbed at the fur on its withers in reaction to stop it getting swept away. It was probably an unnecessary action as after just a few moments of struggle the llama had regained its balance. It began making shrill, repetitive noises, a recognisable alarm call. The second llama, a few paces away and previously stood still, started to struggle in reaction to the call. Its hooves dug into the bank but the weight of its body caused the mud to slip away, making the path up harder for it.

“Horzpah,” Jez cursed, knowing he needed to hurry if he wanted to avoid casualties, “Easy, llama, just hang on a little longer and we’ll get you both out of here.” Jez tried to murmur reassurances to the llama he was next to as he worked. He tossed the rope over and around the llama, creating a harness-like contraction the pair could use to lift the animal out. Multiple loops knotted around it’s chest and supported around its shoulders and hips, until a short piece of rope remained above its withers. Jez threw the end of the rope up to where Cedar was waiting on the banks.

Cedar pulled on the rope as Jez pushed at the llama’s side to get it moving. The rope was there to guide the llama and provide extra support, not to be the sole way of getting it up the bank. The Drykas were relying on the animal’s struggling to get it most of the way up. After a lot of effort they were finally able to get it free, up onto the bank edge. Jez pulled himself back up over the bank and sat catching his breath while Cedar unknotted the rope harness. When Jez felt ready to stand again he pushed up and brushed at the mud on his clothes. It was a useless effort, the sticky wet coating of mud needing to dry to be brushed off. He then took the rope from Cedar, ready to help the second llama.

“Jez, is he going to be okay?” Cedar called, looking at the first llama who had collapsed a few paces from the bank. “We need to get the others out the river first,” was Jez’s response as he slid down the bank beside the second llama, “That needs to be our priority. I’ll check on the health of them all once they’re out of immediate danger.” Cedar nodded and joined Jez at the bank. The bank was steeper here, so Jez had to stand on the ledge beneath the water rather than rest on any outcrops. He could feel the current against his feet, less powerful than in the centre of the river but strong enough that it was risky to stand there for too long. One wrong move, especially with his still sore right foot, and he could end up being swept away.

| Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Firetongue Pavilion || Bond to Wind |

The Heart of Nature Soothes the Heart of Man More Than Any Woman Can

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue
82nd of Spring 517 AV
Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari

Jez made quick work of fixing up a similar make-shift harness to his first one. He frowned when he noticed the llama was stood strangely on her left hind leg, but he wasn’t in the right position to see what was causing the problem. The llama was thrashing around a lot more than her companion had been, but the Drykas pair were eventually also able to get her up over the bank. She also collapsed once out of the river. Jez hoped the pair just needed some time to rest after their struggle in the river, but would thoroughly check them over later just in case.

The pig was the last animal in the river. Jez was thankful that it wasn’t yet fully grown, making it easier for them to help it out. He slipped down the bank again, feet back in the water as he needed to be lower to get a harness around the pig. After knotting the ropes he had to take a moment to lean heavily against the bank, teeth grit against the pain growing in his right foot. “Jez, is everything okay?” Cedar asked, noticing the harness was complete but Jez had not passed up the rope.

“My foot is injured,” Jez explained, “Swap with me?” His skills as an animal handler had been important for keeping the animals steady while knotting the harness, but to get the animals up the bank it didn’t matter which of the Drykas was pulling the rope. Jez climbed out of the river at Cedar’s agreement, the pain lessening as soon as he was no longer fighting the current. With Cedar taking Jez’s previous place, the pair worked to get the pig up the bank. Getting it out was more of a struggle than getting the llamas out, but with their positions swapped they managed to get there.

The pig was squealing and struggling as it clambered over the edge of the bank, trying to fight out of the ropes attached to it. “Steady!” Jez hitched a leg over it once it was stood out of the river, holding its hips between his legs to stop it from escaping as he unknotted the ropes. Once it was free he released the grip of his legs and it immediately ran off to the rest of Cedar’s livestock. While the llamas were still on the ground, the pig was hardier and seemed to show no ill effects from its misadventure.

With all the animals rescued, Jez turned to the llamas to check their health. The first llama was breathing heavily on the ground, but its ears were no longer pinned back and its alert eyes had lost the terrified gleam. Jez approached it slowly and gently brushed his hand down its neck in a soothing gesture, glad to see it showed no objection to him being close; it would make the check over easier. He ran his hands over the llama’s body, checking for any abnormal swelling or gashes. Other than being bedraggled and worn out it seemed to be fine. “A bit of rest with his herd and this one should be okay,” Jez told Cedar, who had climbed out of the river to join him.

“That’s a relief,” Cedar sighed, “…and the female?” Jez moved to look at the second llama and grimaced. She lay on her side, exhausted and still clearly struggling. She kicked her legs every so often and made frequent distressed sounds. Occasionally she lifted her head from the ground for a few moments before strength failed her. The exhaustion wouldn’t have been so bad if not for the injury Jez had noticed earlier. Now that he could see what it really was, her prospects weren’t so good. Somehow in the fall down the bank or the struggle alone to get out of the river she had broken the hind cannon bone of her left leg. Without the river to wash it away, blood was pooling around the leg, indicating to Jez that the bone had broken and pierced straight through the flesh.

“Her leg is badly broken,” Jez told Cedar, kneeling for a closer look. He had dealt with broken bones before in smaller animals with clean breaks, under supervision. Dogs and cats were easier to care for; they could be put in carts for transport while they waited for the bones to heal. The same couldn’t be said for herding animals, the large and untrained creatures unlikely to stay still for the journey even if there was room for them. A llama with a broken bone would need to travel with its herd, but keeping up was difficult even with the cleanest of breaks. That didn’t even account for the fact that a break like this, not a clean break, would easily get infected and result in permanent crippling, or death.

“I don’t think the outlook is good,” Jez frowned, unsure of what to do, “We could try to get her back to the Healing Hoof for one of the healers’ opinions but…”

“She probably won’t make it anyway, huh?” Cedar finished Jez’s sentence, also kneeling for a better look. Although not an animal handler or healer by trade, he knew as well as any Drykas who worked with the herds the likelihood of survival. The Sea of Grass was harsh and before the injury could fully heal the llama would end up falling behind, its fate being a slow death or to be claimed by a predator.

“I think that perhaps the merciful thing to do would be send her to Dira,” Jez sighed, the upset by the distressed calls of the female, “It is your call.” He left Cedar to think it over walked to Wind. The stallion’s ears were drawn back, affected by the distress calls the llamas had been giving off. They were not the same alarms horses used, but recognisable enough that he was on edge. “Hush, Wind,” Jez curled his palm around the horse’s nose in a reassuring gesture for a moment before moving on to his yvas bags, “You aren’t in danger.” His words and tone settled the stallion slightly and he nickered at Jez, though his ears continued to rapidly change directions, the storm keeping him alert. Jez pulled out the pot of poultice, bandages, a towel and his hunting knife from the bags, prepared for whichever choice Cedar made. He walked back over with the supplies and waited for the man to speak.

| Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Firetongue Pavilion || Bond to Wind |

The Heart of Nature Soothes the Heart of Man More Than Any Woman Can

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue
82nd of Spring 517 AV
Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari

“Right,” Cedar looked up at Jez with determination, “Right. Can you end her suffering? She wouldn’t keep up with the herd; she wouldn’t survive.” Jez moved around to where the llama’s head rested. He wasn’t happy about having to kill her, but to leave her alive would be needlessly causing her to live through pain until her inevitable death, a much crueller fate for her. Jez had seen others at the Healing Hoof put animals down, but he had not been part of the process for anything larger than a dog and never without the guidance of one of his more experienced colleagues. He knew that he would have to be swift and sure, or else the animal would be in even more pain.

He wrapped the towel around the llama’s head to start with, to cover her eyes and hopefully keep her calmer. Covering the eyes of livestock was a method often used to keep them calm in a stressful situation, and was helpful for euthanasia. Next Jez stroked along the llama’s neck, settling it so that it kept its head on the ground. He positioned the tip of the knife at the back of it’s skull, where it connected to the spine. He took a deep breath and then plunged the knife down with as much pressure as he could, not wanting to make a mistake. The llama let out a wheeze and jolted, kicking its legs out, before stilling.

“Sorry girl,” Cedar whispered, patting her rump, “May your next life fare you better.” He stood up and turned to Jez, who was removing the towel to wipe his knife on it. “Jez, thank you for your help. I’ll leave you now to return to your job. I need to make sure the rest of my Pavilion’s livestock stay away from the river, and take this body back home. At least she’ll still be able to give us some food and we can get some trade from her wool.”

“If any other problems happen you can find us at the Healing Hoof.” Jez moved away to give Cedar room to deal with the llama, calling his stallion to him. Wind briskly trotted over, tossing his head about as he stopped in front of his rider. The nervous energy gathered in the storm was partly presenting as excited energy, making the stallion prance slightly on spot. Jez packed up his supplies into the yvas bags and was about to mount when another distress call caught his attention. Confused, he turned to the river. The sound wasn’t one livestock made. It sounded like a bird, but not one with a distress call he was familiar with.

“Hang on a moment Wind,” Jez patted the Strider and walked back to the bank of the river. He couldn’t see anything in the water and almost turned back when the sound came again, from near his feet. He knelt and looked at the bank, spotting a beak and eyes within the mud. There was a bird coated in mud that must have been blown into the river by the storm and then pushed into the bank by the choppy waters. Jez cursed and leant over the bank, scraping the mud away with his hands to get a grip on the coated bird.

The Drykas pulled the weakly struggling bird into his lap. The thick mud was obviously too heavy for the bird to fly. Jez held it as he’d been taught; in a diamond of his hands, each palm covering a folded wing. He walked back to Wind as quickly as he could with the still healing fracture and put the bird on the ground while he took out a clean towel. He knelt beside the bird and wrapped the towel around it so that he could rub the mud off. As he did so, helped by the rain washing over them, a few of the feathers began to reveal their colouring. The vivid blacks and reds made their way out amidst the muddy brown and, as the bird started fluffing up its feathers, Jez finally recognised the species.

The bird was a Crimson Jay, a song bird mostly found around Riverfall but occasionally throughout Cyphrus. He’d seen plenty during his time in Riverfall, but only a couple in the Sea of Grass before his trip. Their song was unique and they were very vocal, a characteristic which had just saved this individual. As it fluffed its feathers its head crest lifted up from where it had been pressed back by the mud, allowing Jez to both recognise the species and identify it as male. The birds were supposed to be highly social, which meant that this male had definitely been blown off course away from its flock.

As Jez wiped the mud off the bird it started to struggle. “Okay, okay,” Jez released his hold on it, and it immediately took off into the sky, headed South away from the river. “May Caiyha watch over you, my friend,” Jez smiled, watching it go. He had helped it as much as he could, doing more than most would bother, and it was now up to nature to decide its survival. He hoped it would find somewhere to ride out the storm and then make its way home again.

“Okay Wind,” Jez addressed the stallion as he shoved the towel back into its bag, “Now it’s time for us to go back.” He mounted the stallion and guided him back towards the Healing Hoof. He would need to report back on how the job had gone, and then probably take some time to towel himself and his Strider down once they were out of the rain.

| Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Firetongue Pavilion || Bond to Wind |

The Heart of Nature Soothes the Heart of Man More Than Any Woman Can

[J'Ak]

G R A D E

xp

Philosophy +2
Organization +1
Running +1
Observation +1
Riding: Horse +1
Tactics +1
Animal Husbandry +3
Leadership +1
Weapon: Knife +1
Rhetoric +1


lores

Philosophy: Ritualised prayers
Cyphrus location: Moresta River
Llama wool is a warm, water-resistant material
The destructive impacts of flooding on ecology
Knotting a make-shift harness
Jez: Resourceful
Makutsi: Goddess of rain, rivers & lakes
Animal Husbandry: Restraining a pig between your legs
Pigs are hardy animals
Animal Husbandry: Palpation to check for injuries
Animal Husbandry: Compound fractures risk infection, blood loss & death
Animal Husbandry: Cover an animal’s eyes with cloth to calm them
Philosophy: Mercy killing as the ethical choice
Animal Husbandry: Proper hold for a bird
Crimson Jay: Colorful Cyphrus song-bird
Animal Husbandry: A mud-coated bird will struggle to fly

If you feel I missed anything shoot me a PM.
Don't forget to edit your grade request here -