PM to join Patient for the vet

[Rena Rain]

Timestamp: 60th winter 517

Rena rose late as her body had taken advantage of the cool air to get some much need sleep. When she stepped outside her tent she found the day was somewhat cooler than the earlier days in that she had experienced here in Endrykas and so Rena decided to take her Strider Opal for a ride. She saddled up the tan mare and swung herself up onto Opal back shifting her weight in the saddle to get comfortable. She reached up and ran her hand through the thick mane and was rewarded with a soft whinny of appreciation.

Slowly Rena lead opal away from their tent and onto a dirt path that encompassed the markets. As Opal walked past the stables She pick up the stench of fear reared up almost throwing Rena off. Keeping her place in the saddle worked well for Rena who ran her hand over opals shoulder attempting to calm her mount. Unfortunately the stable gate was slammed shut at the same time and the Jarring bang caused opal to bolt.

Rena held on tight with her legs as Opal ran wild with her rider upsetting Pavilions and stores getting tangled in the ropes. Soon she was limping as her gait was impeded by a section of knotted rope. Letting go of the reins Rena jumped from the saddle rena performed an emergency dismount and covered the little distance Opal had walked with her legs tied.

“Shh baby. It just me” Rena said as she moved to where Opal could see her.arm in the air she slowly reached for the reins. Whispering soft nothing to her beloved horse Rena managed to retrieve the reins; the beast slowing calming down. Rena looked at the rope around the horse hoofs and saw it was cutting in the the skin. Pulling the rope free was easy as none of the knot withstood a strong tug. Rean walked Opal over to the vets to see what damage had been done.

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue 60th of Winter 516 AV Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It was a busy season for The Healing Hoof. Jez only joined members of his Pavilion at work when he was needed, rather than being based there the whole time, and right now he was needed fairly often. Most animals coming in now were sick from malnutrition, the heat, or had been injured by the storms or wildlife. It was part of life in such a hostile environment, but this strangely hot winter had increased the issues, putting the vets of Endrykas hard to work. The only current occupant of the tent was a Helevaos Shepard dog, the primary herder for its owner’s Zibri herd. Luckily it wasn’t badly injured; it’s broken nail had already been removed and Balen Grasshoof, the current vet on duty in the tent, was finishing up its disinfection. The dog’s owner had been sat on a wooden stool outside the tent, under the covered area just off to the side. “There we go,” the older man patted the dog, lifting it down to the floor from the tables it sat on, “We’ve already collected payment, Jez. Just hand him back.” Jez nodded and took the lead from his superior, ushering the dog to the entrance. “Here you go,” he passed the dog over to his pleased owner, “Give him a few days and he’ll be good as new. Try to keep his paws clean for a few days, and if the wound starts bleeding again bring him back to us.” The man nodded, thanking Caiyha that his herder was not more seriously injured, and left. Jez was about to return inside when a woman and her Strider appeared. Every time he saw a Strider being brought to The Healing Hoof Jez had a momentary spike of worry that he doubted would ever disappear. The horses were sacred, family, reincarnated ancestors with a more important role to play in the lives of Drykas than Jez understood. There was always the fear that today he would have to see one pass back into the Web, their bonded left to mourn; his spine itched where his windmarks were printed onto his skin, a reminder that one day he would lose Wind and be walking the world alone again. The thought was gone after a moment, always replaced by the need to help in the present. Luckily this Strider was being walked to the tent, though with a slight limp, so was in decent health. Seeing a Strider happily led by the woman, Jez assumed they were bonded despite the fact that she had no visible windmarks; it was highly likely they were hidden by her clothes as his were. That meant this woman was family, regardless of them being strangers, and so the urge to help was strong. “Hello,” he greeted in Pavi, words accompanied by rapid signs, “I see your Strider is injured. Please come and stand her to the side of the tent entrance and I’ll look her over while the vet is cleaning himself from the last patient. Can you tell me what happened?” ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Strider-Wind ||

[Rena Rain]

Rena gave a sigh of relief as the vet’s pavilion came into view Opal had been breathing heavily due to the pain the rope burn on her legs. Indeed the coat on her back left leg had been rubbed clean away. Thus she was happy to see a man outside the vet greet her.

Moving to where the man had indicated she should stand Rena watched the flow of his hand as he Greeted her in Pavi, her brow wrinkled slightly as it was her third language and she did not speak it well. At home in Riverfall she spoke Tukant and when trading she spoke common. Luckily with the help of her step mother her Pavi was improving everyday and know with some difficulty she formed a reply

“Hello.” she signed with care letting her response flow through her hands “my strider suffers from rope bite.” she pause and pointed down at the raw hind leg. She knew the strider played an intimate role in the culture of the Drykas and was positive her horse would receive the best care possible.

“You speak common, yes?” she signed before adding in common “Sorry my Pavi is not that good I am still learning it. Let me explain what happen - my horse Opal bolted through some of the Pavilions and got tangled in the ropes. Unfortunately she has a bad case of rope burn because she struggled. I was hoping the vet could provide some ointment to help with the pain and aid in healing.”

As she fell into silence she held on to the hope that the man spoke common and would be able to understand her.

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue 60th of Winter 516 AV Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jez watched the woman sign carefully, realising almost immediately that she was not a native speaker of his tongue. The words she knew and her pointing to her Strider’s leg confirmed his suspicions that she was here about the injured leg. Jez wondered how much she would understand with regards to treating the leg after leaving the tent and began to think about how to explain in basic words. Luckily he didn’t need to dwell too much on it as the woman asked whether he spoke Common. As Jez nodded she continued. It was a fair assumption that he would speak the language, given that it was widely spoken and the Drykas were a travelling people, trading with many cultures. It was a good second language to have. Jez’s skills in it weren’t as proficient as his Pavi, but he wasn’t a novice in it. He certainly knew enough to get through this interaction, though would likely sound more formal than usual. “We can talk in Common if it is easier for you,” he nodded, “May I take Opal’s reins?” It took him a moment to recall the word in Common, given the combination of rarely using the Common language and that reins were not commonly used in Endrykas. His own stallion, like the majority within the tented city, wore only yvas when wearing anything at all. For vet care, it was preferred to tie horses to a post to prevent startling. There was a pile of ropes meant for that purpose near the posts outside the tent. However, looping the reins over the mare’s head and knotting them around the post would work just as well. “My name is Jez, and I am an animal handler. May I have your name? I assume you are not from here if you are unable to speak Pavi, so for what reason are you in Endrykas?” He would need to let Balen know the basic information about both woman and mare before the vet could treat her. “The vet will be able to help, but I will check Opal over before getting him.” He knew enough husbandry to do that, to shorten the time the vet would need for his own examination. ”Are you bonded with her?” If she was not he was curious as to how she came about the Strider, and wanted to make sure the woman knew how to care for it properly. He was naturally suspicious of a non-Drykas living outside of Endrykas whilst owning a Strider. It wasn’t unheard of, but was rare enough and Strider’s were sacred enough that he wanted to make sure it was in good hands. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Strider-Wind ||

[Rena Rain]

Rena felt the man eyes on her as he responded to her use of the common tongue asking to take opal reins both verbally and with his body language as he held out his empty hand palm up. Rena hesitated for a second nervous of handing her horse's welfare over to a stranger, then as if reading her mind the man introduced himself then asked for her name

“I am called Rena and no I am not from Endrykas but Riverfall.” She said handing over the reins. She soon found herself blushing as the man called her attempt of conversing in pavi a failure, She then went on a little more stiffly “I am here Visiting my father Thomas Rain and his wife to be Dew Heidecraft.”

Rein watched as the man look over his shoulder a indicating the man behind him as the vet and she wondered how much of the actual work was done by Jez and whether she should have kept hold of the reins till The vet had come and spoken with her. She refocused on Jez as she respond to his question “No Opal and I are not bonded, but tell me what are you going to do to ‘check’ Opal over” She asked curious as to what Jez would be looking for while not wishing him to do any damage before the vets arrival.

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue 60th of Winter 516 AV Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ “It is a pleasure to meet you Rena,” he replied as he took the reins. He gently guided the mare over to the post just left of the tent entrance, pulling the reins over her head so that he could tie them to the metal ring on the post. He was about to look to the horse when Rena stated her business in Endrykas, speaking less friendly than she had previously. Jez looked over to see the blush on her cheeks and his brows furrowed, trying to think about what he had done to embarrass her. “Ah!” He realised what it must be a moment later. “I apologise if I offended you. My Common is not fluent and so I do not always say what I mean properly.” He had only meant that the fact that she was not fluent in Pavi was what caused him to infer that she was not a permanent resident here. His intention was not to say something bad about her language skills. “I have not had the pleasure of meeting your father or his wife, nor have I visited Riverfall. I intend to, and have always liked the Akalak people. What is it like living among them?” Jez commonly made small chat with the owners of patients as he worked, a friendly soul who loved getting to know others. It was a little harder in his second language, but the practise would be good for him. Plus, he was genuinely curious about Riverfall and its residents. His travels alone with his own Strider had brought him close to the city, but he had never ventured within. Jez nodded as Rena told him that she was not bonded to Opal. He mentally noted that that definitely made her a foreigner, not living here or bonded to one of the Striders that would have made her part of them. “I am curious; how did you come by her if you are not bonded?” His tone conveyed his curiosity, trying not to offend her again with his question. Jez turned back to the mare as he answered the last question Rena gave him. “I will do a basic check of her health while the vet finishes tidying after the last patient,” he told her, stumbling over the occasional word as he searched for the right one, “It helps him if I give him basic information so that he may go straight to the treatment. It uses less of his time. There is no need to worry. I am not officially a vet as I do not work here often enough, but I do have some knowledge of these things; enough to do a simple check over.” Jez started his basic routine of looking over a horse, happy to answer any question she may have while he did it. Drykas were not a race known for writing information down, making their memory pretty good and meaning Jez was capable of making mental notes to relay to Balen. He took a step back to look at her posture. “Less weight on one hoof,” he murmured in his main language. It was understandable given the injury, and otherwise the mare’s posture indicated no further problems. “I am now checking for…” he tilted his head, not knowing the correct word and instead improvising, “tiny biting bugs.” He wanted to keep Rena in the know about what he was doing, so that she didn’t worry too much for her Strider’s wellbeing as he checked her over. He stepped back up to Opal, signing “Easy, girl,” as he lay his hands on her mane. The hair was not matted and, as he moved his hands down along her spine and through her tail, there were no noticeable missing hair patches. A small patch of light brown on the mare’s flank gave him pause and he looked closer, picking gently through the hair. Luckily it was just a bit of dirt and came off fairly easily. “There is no evidence for the tiny biting bugs,” he told her, “This is good. We have many horses here and they spread fast.” Jez could look for and treat lice well, but all of his other checks were to look for something wrong rather than being able to diagnose and treat it. If he noticed something different from a healthy horse he would need to inform the vet, who would then be able to say what was wrong and help the mare. “I will look at her eyes and nose,” he told Rena, standing in front of the mare’s face. Her eyes look mostly clear, though the right one had a little yellow gunk in the corner. Jez would mention it to Balen, unsure what it meant. He held the back of his arm beneath Opal’s nose, feeling and counting her breaths. It all seemed normal enough to him, a little faster than usual but likely due to the pain of her injury. He then pinched at a piece of skin, testing to see how long it would take to go down to normal. “Not dehydrated,” he nodded. It was not normally something needing testing in the winter, but this season’s harsh conditions meant one couldn’t be too safe. “Last, the legs,” he said, leaning down to run his hands down the front leg. He was checking for lumps and swellings that could indicate an underlying issue or infection. He checked all the legs, extra careful not to go near the wound on the final one, and found nothing of concern. He turned his attention fully to Rena then. “Opal’s basic health is fairly good. Once Balen has helped the injury I doubt she will take long to heal. Balen should be ready by now. Do you have any questions or shall I get him?” ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Strider-Wind ||

[Rena Rain]

Rena watched as Jez lead opal over to the post and used the reins to secure the mare to the post “It a pleasure to meet you as well Jez” an unheeded smile came to her face as he apologize for the rough manner he had dismissed her attempt to speak Pavi. She walked over to where he had tied Opal up placing the mare between them so she was out of the way. She answered Jez without hesitation enjoying their conversation “It okay I am not fluent with common either it is the slang and informal part of the language that elude me.”

Rena thought for a moment when Jez stated he had not met her family and then said“It is not surprising you haven’t met them they are both very focused on their work Dew is one of the leather workers at the Threaded Hide and my father helps her obtain the gemstones that adorn their more expensive garments.”

She paused as he mentioned Riverfall and felt a longing to be back behind it walls. “Living among the Alaka leads to a very secure lifestyle and they're very welcoming to visitors I have found. Perhaps one day I can show you the city.”

Rena short Brown hair framed her face as she smiled warmly as she made the offer of showing Jez the city. Her friendly nature shining through without hesitation. Having been shielded from any to danger or hostility for her most of her young life she saw little reason to hold back for the sake of protecting her feelings. Yet her sword sat in it sheath on her waist leaving her ready to defend herself should the need arise.

Rena sense Jaez apprehension driving Jex curiosity as her addressed the subject of her not being bonded with Opal as if believing she had stolen one of the most valuable resources the Drykas had. She looked at him her brown radiating honesty. “Opal is a most treasured gift from my father.” She said running a hand over the strider. She continued to pet the mare as Jez explained what his role was in the examination process.

Rena watched carefully as Jez started his basic checklist of information for the vet. As rena waited patiently she noticed Jez talking to himself in pavi while explaining things to her in common. At the end he asked if she had any questions and she thought for a moment.

“No nothing comes to mind thank you for walking me through your process. Maybe i can buy you drink at the Baultime Barrel after your work to thank you?” she said blushing used to having men ask her to go drinking instead of asking them herself. To deflect her embarrassment she continued on “I mean i have nothing related to ask you so by all means ask the vet over.”

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue 60th of Winter 516 AV Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jez was glad that Rena realised he didn’t mean to offend her, responding to her smile with one of his own. He laughed and responded, “Yes, the slang is rather difficult. I do not speak to those completely fluent in it often enough to know how to use slang.” He listened to her talk about her family and nodded, “I can’t say I visit the Threaded Hide often at all, and do not have expensive garments, so I am not surprised that I have yet to meet them. My own family are dedicated to the animals of Endrykas. Most of our Pavilion work here, as vets or animal handlers.” Jez’s eyes lit up as she spoke of living in Riverfall, and even extended an invitation to show him around the city one day. He had never been into a city, at least what most would classify as a city given how fluid Endrykas was, but he had gotten close to Riverfall during his journey a while ago. A lot of traders went in, he knew, but he had always remained outside. The Drykas had good relations with Akalak so it would be a nice city to enter first, to get used to the difference without fear of interracial issues. “That would be wonderful,” he grinned, “I would be less fearful of a new city if I already had a friend within.” Maybe some Drykas would hold back, wary, but Jez was open to others by nature and always happy to meet new people, to learn about them. It was alone in the wilderness that being wary was best; he saw no reason to fear Rena. Although he had been cautious about a non-Drykas owning a Strider, he had reserved judgement until he heard how she’d come by the mare. The fact that she was a gift from her father was not only a relief but also stirred nostalgic feelings in him. “When I was younger my…errr… Ankal,” he didn’t know the word for a leader of a Pavilion in Common, only able to sign it, “He gifted me a mare.” A fond, distant expression spread over his face as he remembered the day. He had been so shocked at the attention shown to him by his uncle. It was more usual for a father to gift their son a Strider, but his own father had never shown him much attention and so he had not been expecting to own a horse of his own until he was old enough to pay for one himself. “She bonded to my sister, Kai. I was very happy for my sister, and proud of her getting her windmarks." “A drink would be nice after work,” he grinned at her proposal after his examination of the mare, “Hard work should be followed by lots of relaxing.” He didn’t notice her embarrassment, thinking nothing of a women asking him for a drink. He had never experienced an attraction to a woman, despite being friends with plenty of beautiful ladies. Being attracted to men was taboo in his culture, but it wasn’t something he could change so instead he chose not to think about being with anyone. If someone was asking him for a drink then it was automatically on a friendly basis in his mind. It was expected for Drykas to reproduce, what with the high mortality rate, so not wanting to marry a woman was looked down on. However, Jez had enough siblings that his parents would likely not pay it any mind if he chose to stay out of a relationship for his life. It didn’t bother him as he had enough family and friends that he wouldn’t be lonely. “First, though, we must treat your mare,” he told her, “Please wait here with her.” Normally they would ask the owners to wait on the other side of the tent, where a few chairs are set up, but right now Rena was the only owner and it would keep the mare calm to have her owner nearby. Jez stepped away and went to the entrance to the tent, pushing aside the flap and stepping inside. Balen was at the back of the tent, sorting out some tools. Jez was glad Rena was a woman as most men would be held longer than necessary while the fifty year old vet tried to set them up with his daughter. Even better, Ailana was not working today so had not had to endure her father pushing her on the male customers. “Ah, Jez,” Balen waved, “A new customer?” “Yeah,” he replied, glad to be using Pavi again. He spoke much faster in his native tongue, the words and signs rolling off him in a much faster, more elegant way than the Common language. “A woman, Rena, came in with her Strider mare, Opal. The mare has a wound on her leg, just above the hoof, caused by a rope that caught when she spooked. Her health all seems to check out otherwise, except for her right eye. It has some sort of yellow gunk in it.” Balen nodded as he grabbed a bucket of water, a small pot of poultice, a sponge, and some bandages while Jez spoke. Jez held open the tent flap so that Balen could leave the tent easily. “Rena, this is Balen. He is a respected vet here and good with animals.” Well, it was true, if a little understated. He was kind of a legend with how much animals seemed to respect him. Jez had always been too intimidated to ask whether the man had actually owned a Glassbeak but even if it were rumour, the fact that he’d earned that rumour among lower ranked vets and animal handlers spoke volumes for him. “If there is no problem I will treat the injury now,” Balen told them, moving to the side of the mare. He looked to Rena for confirmation. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Strider-Wind ||

[Rena Rain]

The sun was high in the sky showing Rena she be up with opal for many hours. Still Rena smiled at Jez enjoying his company as she listened to him agree with her that sang made languages cumbersome and hard to learn. Though it surprised her to hear that he had not been to the threaded hide; as she noticed most Drykas loved complex knotted designs and clan jewels. She supposed that Jez must be an exception and not only for his choice in clothes.

Jez was warmer toward her the most other Drykas had been since she arrived early winter and was apparently a calming influence to him as he said that he would feel less threatened with a friend already in the walls. The Feeling of friendship was solidified by Jez’s acceptance to join he for a drink later.

Rena almost felt lonely as Jez stepped inside to fetch the vet but her strider opal nuzzled her affectionately. Rena moved closer to the post were Jez had tied Opal up so the mare didn’t straining against the rein trying to reach Rena when the a man come out with Jez following shortly behind him. Jez introduced the man as Balen who quickly moved over to the side of the mare saying in common “If there is no problem now I will treat the injury.” He said holding up the supplies he had brought out from the tent

“No problem at all.” Rena said running her hand over Opal’s head tousling her mane watching Balen bend down placing down his supplies. The supplies consisting of a bucket of clean water, a sponge,a small pot of poultice and some bandages. Looking at the back left leg Balen could see that the smooth hairs that made up Opal’s coat had been rubbed off leaving raised redden skin behind. Moistening the sponge in the bucket of water Balen ran the wet sponge over the raised skin. Opal gave a snort of protest but was held steady by both Rena and Jez.

Balen rinsed the sponge of blood and dirt and did a final clean up of the affected area. Humming to himself he opened the jar of poultice and began applying a liberal amount to the wound. Opal straightened up putting her weight back on the leg as the numbing herbs deadened the pain. Smiling happy Balen wrapped a bandage tightly over the ointment to keep the wound clean. Straighten up the vet walk around to the front of horse to Rena. “I have clean the exposed skin and treated it with a numbing salve, leave the bandage on for three days and the rope burn should scab over. Now lets have a look at the gunk that Jez found in Opal’s eye.”

Rena moved to the side so Balen could see both of the mare Brown eyes. There was a little bit of yellow in the right eyes and Balen wiped away with his thumb “A piece of grit or dirt got in her eye causing it to produce this mukus, Just be more careful when rubbing her down. Was there anything else that brought you to the healing hoof Rena.” Balen asked as though he trusted Jez to do the small in take exam some owner would only speak to the vet of the issue.

“No that is all thank you for your time Balen” The vet nodded and pick up his supplies and disappearing into the tent. Rena smiled as Jez untied opal reins from the post and took the reins from his hands “It was a pleasure meeting you Jaz and i see you around.” she said before leading Opal away

[Rufio]

G R A D E

R E N A R A I N

Click :

As your CS has an intervention, I cannot award your grades. Once the intervention on your CS has been lifted, feel free to PM me or you can re-submit this thread to Endrykas' grading queue for your grades!

J E Z

Click :

xp

Teaching +1
Interrogation +1
Socialization +2
Horsemanship +3
Observation +3
Intelligence +1


lores

Drykas: Striders are reincarnated ancestors of the Drykas
Jez: Dreads the day he may lose his strider
Teaching: Phrasing jargon in plainer terms
Drykas: Nomads that trade with many cultures
Language barriers may result in unintended offense
Cyphrus Location: Riverfall
Jez: A friendly soul
Akalak: All-male race of Riverfall
Horsemanship: Uneven weight bearing suggests leg or hoof injury
Horsemanship: Checking for lice
Horsemanship: Rest an arm under a horse’s nose to read pulse rate
Horsemanship: Pinch the skin to assess for dehydration
Endrykas Location: The Threaded Hide of the Ruby Clan
Drykas: High mortality means reproduction is valued
Drykas: Discouraging of homosexuality
Intelligence: Gathering information & relaying it accurately to another
Balen: Rumour tells he tamed a glassbeak


notes - I say, your CS is looking spiffy! Apologies for the delay with this grade. I especially enjoyed the Drykas culture mentions scattered through the narrative & in amid Jez's behaviour; as well as his nostalgic moment, that was lovely.

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