Solo Sick as a Dog

[Asterope]

89th/Autumn/517

It was the crying that caught her attention. The thin, high-pitched sobs of a child echoed down the hallway. Aster glanced around, hesitating, but the crying continued. It tugged at her heart in the worst way, so she turned around and went back the way she had just came, following the noise to the entrance of Ionu's Mercy.

A small girl, perhaps only six or seven, stood on her tiptoes at the wooden desk. Her face was red. Beside her feet, Aster could see a large mass of fur laying on the hardwood floor. "Puh-please," the girl whimpered, sniffling hard. "I'unno where else to go, this is were my mommy takes me when I'm sick or have a boo-boo, so you gotta help him!"

The woman at the front desk looked annoyed. "I'm sorry but we simply don't treat animals here. You're better off trying at Impawsible Pets."

The girl burst into a fresh round of tears and the woman at the desk pinched the bridge of her nose hard. Aster stepped forward, giving a sharp glance to the woman; what she said was true, but there was no need to be so cold with a distressed child.

She crouched down so she was more level with the girl, who turned to look at her. Her wet, red eyes went wide with awe, seeming to forget for a moment why she was there as she took in the horned woman. "Hello," Aster said, kindly. "What's your name?"

"Lily," the girl responded immediately. "Are you..." She hesitated, lowering her voice in a terrible imitation of a whisper. "Are you magic, miss?"

That drew a genuine smile from Aster. "Not magic, just different." She didn't expect a child to understand anything else she might say. Reaching up, she wiped stray tears off of Lily's little plump face with her thumbs. "So what's the matter, sweetheart?"

Immediately, she looked distressed again. "My doggy's hurt! He's hurt and I'unno where else to go and if you don't help him he might...he might..." She stuttered, and seeing the risk of tears again, Aster hushed her.

"That's okay. I'm going to help him as best I can, okay?" She spotted the incredulous look the woman at the desk gave her, but steadfastly ignored it. She wasn't going to let any living creature suffer if she could help it, and she certainly wasn't going to turn a heartbroken little girl away. Beside, if it was Navi who was hurt and she couldn't find help, well...she didn't know what she would do.

It can't be that different from treating a human, she mused to herself, though she still had no idea what exactly was wrong with the dog. Asterope rose from her crouch, offering her hand to the young girl.

Lily took it tentatively, pudgy fingers wrapping around her own, and called the dog. "Shadow, c'mon. We're gonna make you feel better and get your boo-boo fixed."

The shaggy black dog laboriously rose to his paws with a quiet whine, limping forward. Aster was glad the animal could walk; she doubted she would be able to carry the huge beast. They made their way slowly, so Shadow could keep up, and Aster claimed the first empty room she found so the poor animal didn't have to walk too far.

Once inside, she closed the door. "Okay Lily, you can sit on the chair there. I'm going to set up on the floor to take a look at Shadow here." Obediently, Lily scrambled into the chair, her feet dangling. Aster stripped the sheets off the bed, instead spreading them on the floor; there was no way the dog was making that jump. Once set up, she clicked her tongue gently, patting the ground. Shadow shambled forward and lay down heavily on the sheets, dropping his big head onto the ground.

(Word Count: 641; Total: 641)

"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Asterope]

Aster knelt beside the dog, smoothing a hand over his head. His tail thumped meekly on the ground. "Don't worry, I'm gonna make you feel better," Aster murmured to the dog. Running her hands carefully down Shadow's back, she felt nothing out of the ordinary, so she swept her palms cautiously down his flank.

He yelped, flinching back, at the same time she felt the telltale stickiness of drying blood on his right side. Making soothing sounds in the back of her throat, Aster nudged the dog down onto his left side. His ears were pinned back, just a hint of teeth showing, but he lay still. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Lily watching with wide, teary eyes.

Combing through the thick fur with her fingers, Aster caught sight of what looked like a deep gash, but it was hard to see. Clicking her tongue, she got up, rummaging around drawers and shelves to get what she would need. Firstly she found herself a razor; it was usually used to cut clothing away when needed, but it would have to do. She wouldn't be able to work without shortening the dog's fur.

She collected the basics after that; a small cloth towel, clear spirits, and a needle and thread in case stitches were necessary. She would gauge what else she might need as she worked. Returning to Shadow, whose eyes were now closed, his side rising and falling shallowly with his breathing, she lowered herself to the ground and tucked her legs beneath her.

Feeling carefully for the wound, she collected a handful of hair and held it taut before sawing at it with the razor as close to the dog's skin as she dared. It was messy and the results were rough and patchy; she dropped handfuls of dark fur to the side as she worked, tongue tucked tightly between her lips.

Some areas were longer than others, and it still wasn't ideal as she was cautious of getting to close to the dog's skin in case she cut him, but by the time she'd cleared most of the fur around the wound she could make it out more clearly. Aster was glad she'd had the foresight to bring the needle and thread, because the wound would almost certainly need stitches. The gash was also surrounded on either side by two shallower, smaller ones; as if the dog had been clawed by something bigger than it.

It was perhaps slightly concerning, but she didn't dwell on it too much; it had no effect on her work. Pouring some of the spirits onto the rag, she hesitated. This was an animal and not a person, after all; she wasn't sure how the dog would react. Pressing a hand down onto his shoulder, both to soothe and to try to keep him still, Aster carefully wiped at the gashes.

The dog jerked up with a loud yelp, twisting his body; Aster pressed down onto his shoulder and flank, just below his wounds, managing to keep him still. If he had much strength left in him, she probably wouldn't have been able to. Behind her, she could hear Lily beginning to whimper.

Wracking her brain, Aster began to hum as she continued to clean Shadow's wounds; it was quiet and horribly out of tune at first, but finally she settled into a semblance of a rhythm, something she remembered, though she didn't know where she had heard it.

As she continued to hum the melody, she began to sing uncertainly, words coming unknowingly to her mouth, in an effort to calm both the animal and child. "Twinkle, twinkle, brightly stars, how I wonder what you are." Behind her, she heard Lily's whimpering beginning to die down.

"Up above the mountain high, like a diamond in the night..." She trailed off, falling back into a hum as she finished wiping the dog's wounds with the cloth. She couldn't recall where she'd heard the lullaby before; she certainly hadn't heard it among the Drykas.

Briefly, an image came into her mind; a redheaded woman leaning over her, a gentle smile on her face and warmth in her beautiful green eyes. It was gone as quickly as it came, leaving Aster jarred for a brief moment before she gave a small shake of her head.

Threading the needle, she paused as she looked down at the dog. Could she give the poor thing poppy tincture, or would it be too much? She knew dosages had to be handled carefully, and she usually avoided giving it to children...Setting the needle down again, she stood to make her way back to the shelves. Surely there had to be something to make the stitching process easier for both of them.

(Word Count: 795; Total: 1,436)

"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Asterope]

Aster blew out a breath, stray strands of fawn brown hair blowing about her face; by the stars, there needed to be a list of the medicines that were available. Irene had taught her some of the basics, but she had trouble remembering them all still. There was one that was fairly common though, that was used for healing but that also numbed pain...if only she could remember what it was called.

She knew it was a poultice, she remembered watching Irene apply it to a cut on a child. She turned a jar containing a dark, crumbled powder and a few petals, and the name scrawled on the side caught her eye. 'Krolar Bark'. That was it! Triumphantly, Aster snatched the jar off of the shelf and quickly got to work mixing some in the mortar with small amounts of water until she had a thin paste.

Satisfied, she returned with the newly mixed poultice, resuming her seat on the floor. With a careful hand she spread the concoction over Shadow's side, over the now-clean wounds. She wasn't sure how long it took for the numbing effect to kick in, so she took her time in cleaning up, washing her hands and cleaning the mortar and pestle.

Eventually, she wiped the excess poultice off of the gashes in the dog's side so that she could work. Picking up the needle carefully, she took a deep breath in, making sure her hand was steady. Knotting the catgut thread, she splayed one palm along the dog's flank and pierced the needle through the edge of the wound.

Shadow's side twitched under her hand, and a low whine left him, but he otherwise lay still. Breathing a sigh of relief, Aster threaded the needle across, beginning a steady motion of back of tugging back and forth, interrupted only by when she tied knots in the thread.

The work was slow and monotonous; luckily for her, the wounds were relatively clean, the edges of the gashes straight. As she worked, Lily quietly got up and joined her on the floor, sitting with Shadow's head in her lap and petting the dog's head, bending down to whisper in his ear.

It didn't take long for Aster to finish stitching the largest of the gashes, tying the last knot before snipping the thread neatly. She examined the other ones with a slight furrow to her brow; it was debatable if they were deep enough to need stitches, but considering the circumstances, she didn't want to leave them with only a bandage.

Rethreading the needle, she began work on the other two wounds. They went more quickly, smaller and more shallow; which was best, since by the time she finished stitching the last one shut, Shadow was beginning to whine and squirm beneath her hands.

"There we go," Asterope soothed, sitting back, drying blood on her fingertips. "All done." She stroked a hand gently along the dog's shoulder to comfort him, and Lily gave a watery smile down at Shadow before turning it on Aster.

"I told you the pretty lady was gonna make you all better," she spoke to Shadow, still petting his head. The dog gave a small whine and a weak shake of his tail.

Aster smiled, glad to see Lily in a better mood, and stood to go wash her hands, beginning to put the supplies away.

(Word Count: 565; Total: 2,001)

"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Asterope]

With her hands washed, Aster gave the now-stitched wounds another quick clean; Shadow was slightly more cooperative with Lily holding him still. She spread the remaining krolar poultice over the stitches, hoping it would help the wounds heal more quickly, before fetching a roll of fresh bandages.

"Alright, we need to get Shadow up on his feet." Lily nodded and scrambled up, and with some coaxing and aid from the two of them Shadow rose shakily to his feet. "Good boy," Aster cooed, petting his head. Supporting him as best as she could, she wound the bandages over his back, under his stomach, and up around his side until the wounds were adequately covered before securing them in place.

"Those need to stay on for a few days at least. Do you think you can bring Shadow back to see me, Lily?" The little girl nodded.

"Of course!" Her tiny face was very serious, and Aster hid a smile as she finished making sure the bandages were secure. She hoped she would see the pair again, but if not, she'd done all she could to ensure Shadow healed up without any further assistance.

"Good. Now..." she rose to her feet, planting her hands on her hips and pursing her lips as she examined Shadow. She knew that if animals with stitches were left to their own devices, they would chew them open without hesitation. She'd seen many a dog and even the occasional horse with specially made collars to stop them from doing just that, but she doubted they had any on hand in the Mercy. After all, they didn't normally treat animals. She was going to have to get creative.

"Hang on just a tick, okay Lily? You stay here with Shadow." Aster left the room, her thoughts swirling. What could she possibly use? She thought as she made her way down the halls, looking for the storage room. She almost missed it when the doorway seemed to appear on the wall to her right where she was sure a window had been just a moment ago.

Entering the room, Aster glanced around, humming in thought. The room held extra things such as bandages, bottles, splints, and other various tools. She wandered into the room, her eyes scanning over shelves. Surely there must be something useful hidden in there.

Splints were the first thing that came to mind, but she had no way to attach them together. Her eyes drifted over a shelf full of spare pillows, her brows creased in thought, then suddenly snapped back towards them as an idea struck her.

Could it work? It was worth a shot. She grabbed a pillow, a pair of scissors, and the thickest thread she could find before leaving to return to Lily and Shadow, already thinking over how exactly she would go about the idea she'd come up with.

Word Count: 480; Total: 2,481

Speech" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Asterope]

Lily was laying on the floor next to Shadow when Aster returned; it was a sweet picture, the little girl rubbing a small hand over the massive black dog's snout. He blinked slowly and lazily, his tail swishing back and forth every so often. He was incredibly well-behaved, Aster had to admit; her job could have been a lot more difficult.

Checking the approximate size of Shadow's neck quickly with her hands, Aster sat down on the bed. Lily's gaze was curious, but she seemed more content to remain with Shadow for the moment. Grabbing a scalpel off of the tray on the bedside table, Aster traced a rough circle into the center of the pillow with it, about the size she'd guessed Shadow's neck to be.

It was all very rough work, and Aster could already tell the project was going to be haphazard; but the only thing that mattered was that it worked. Taking the scissors, Aster flattened the pillow as much as she could on her lap before beginning to cut along the rough circle she'd cut with the scalpel.

It was messy work; the feathers filling the pillow fluttered out onto her lap and littered the ground around her feet. The scissors weren't meant to cut through such materials either, meaning the edges were frayed and Aster often had to shift the handles a few times to get them to cut; but finally, she had cut the center out of the pillow.

Aster began scooping up the piles of feathers around her, which she noticed with amusement Lily was playing with, tickling Shadow and giggling quietly. She threaded a needle with the thick cotton thread she'd brought from the supply room, and began the second half of her project.

Stuffing feathers back into the cover of the pillow, she began to sew the open edges shut. She used a simpler technique than when she stitched flesh, but it was surprisingly difficult; the flimsy, thin cotton was entirely different to work with.

She poked her fingers a few times, causing her to hiss out small breaths, and it took longer than it probably should have; but eventually, Aster managed to sew up the circle she'd cut out of the pillow. The stitches were clumsy and crooked, much to Aster's bafflement; she would have thought stitching fabric to be infinitely easier than stitching flesh. Regardless, the edges were sealed and would hold.

What she was left with was a large square pillow with a giant hole in the middle, leaving what remained of it stuffed until it looked as if it would burst. Aster admired her handiwork, clumsy and rough around the edges as it may be.

"What's that?" Lily finally piped up, looking at the strange pillow with obvious puzzlement.

"It's for Shadow. He's going to have to wear it around his neck to stop him from chewing his stitches." Lily still looked slightly confused, but nodded, taking the information in stride.

Joining the two on the floor, Aster crossed her fingers as she lifted Shadow's head. He tried to pull away, eyeing the pillow with distaste and obvious distrust, but with Lily's help Aster managed to push his snout and face through the hole.

It was a bit of a tight fit around the top of his head, but with some wriggling Aster pulled the pillow down to rest around his neck, the sides sticking out. Lily started to giggle hysterically. Even Aster couldn't stop her laughs, because quite frankly, Shadow looked ridiculous. The poor dog looked affronted, as if he was aware that his pride was being insulted.

Most importantly, however, the pillow seemed it would do the trick. Shadow turned his head to sniff at his flank as Aster and Lily laughed, but the bulging side of the pillow stopped his snout from reaching.

"Perfect. Make sure he wears that for at least ten days or so, okay?" Lily nodded, still stifling the last of her giggles.

Aster escorted the young girl and her dog to the front desk, writing down the instructions for her. She doubted the girl could read all that well just yet, but she also didn't trust her to remember what she'd said. Hopefully whoever Lily lived with would follow what Aster had written.

"Thank you again, miss!" Lily beamed up at her, hugging her leg tightly. Aster was slightly taken off guard, but then smiled, soft but genuine. She ruffled her fingers through the girl's hair.

"You take care now, Lily. And take care of Shadow too." With their farewells said, Aster watched the girl skip out of the Mercy, Shadow in tow.

Word Count: 774; Total: 3,255

Speech" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Asterope]

The Sun Has Risen

And so have your grades!

Asterope

 

Skills

✧Socialization +1
✧Animal Husbandry +3
✧Medicine +3
✧Singing +1
✧Childcare +1
✧Herbalism +2
✧Planning +1
✧Sewing +1
✧Observation +3

 

Lores

✧Ionu's Mercy: Doesn't treat animals
✧Medicine: Treating animals is similar to treating humans
✧Lore of Inartan lullaby
✧Memory of a mother
✧Childcare: Comforting a child with a song
✧Kroltar poultice: Heals and numbs pain
✧Animal husbandry: Animals will chew their stitches
✧Animal husbandry: The cone of shame

Thank you for your patience! As always, please edit or delete your request in the grading queue; and if you have any questions or concerns about your grades, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me!