Medicine Run

[Fellicya Strongmouth]

The amount of stress this situation was putting her under made Fellicya giggle lightly as she stared down at the leaves in her hands. "You... know you're basically calling him dumb right?" She glanced quickly at the healer, deploring the fact that she still had no clue on what was this woman's name and yet trusted her with the life of this dragon, before stepping toward the dragon once more.

She wasn't even sure it would work, or that the dragon would actually eat it. It seemed kinda impossible in her eyes that the Grapple Grounder was trusting her enough to just eat those things. They didn't even look edible, everything screamed danger although pretty about them.

The wounded beast was still rolling his snout in every way possible on the dragon nip, deep gurgles of content coming from him. When she looked closer she even noticed that he was nipping on the dragon nip, maybe this wasn't a lost cause after all. "Hey there, I'm ba~ack." She stepped closer and knelt down before laying the leaves near the dragon nip for him to eat them. He tilted his head to look quizically at her but after two sniff started chewing on the leaves too.

Fellicya watched in bewilderment as the dragon stuffed his mouth with the leaves... And dragon nip. She turned toward the other woman, waving her hand with a huge grin as the dragon's eyes started drooping. "It's working!"

[Alexei Hansson]

"Thank Gods for that," Alexei says as she watches the dragon's muscles slowly relax beneath the scales.

Gotta love Odalla leaves and the near instant paralysis they cause. She counts to three under her breath and then finally, the tail stops twitching. At last. She walks towards the dragon calmly. The girl's hands are stained in blood, but the temporary success has given her a glow.

"You can wash your hands by the stream, if you'd like," Alexei says, gesturing to the thin line of flowing water less than five yards ahead. Fill up this skin with water as well. We'll need it. Don't worry about your friend. He's paralyzed so he won't lash out. Isn't that right, sweetling?"

Alexei smiles gently at the Grapple Grounder, whose eyes have gone wide as platters with alarm. It's normal. Even the domestic ones lash out when they're hurt. They're too vulnerable, too easy a target. It makes it hard to trust anyone. And this Grapple Grounder is going to need some pain relief fast if he's ever going to trust Alexei. And definitely if he's going to trust the girl, who probably thinks that she's poisoned him now that he can't move a muscle.

Alexei rolls up her sleeves. The paralysis will only last an hour at most. Something needs to be done before then because it's highly unlikely they'll be able to convince him to take the Odalla leaves again. Alexei walks around him, to his shoulder, to survey the affliction.

Well, the blood has stopped flowing. She looks down at the ground. No high velocity spatter anywhere, which means that the blood flowed, not squirted. Which means the spike didn't hit an artery. She presses her hand beneath the wing and waits. The pulse has picked up. Not from health. Just fear. But the beating is a good sign.

The breathing intensifies as she lays a hand on the injury. The girl was right. Late adolescent to young adult. About four inches of the spike are protruding outward, and if she's right about the age of the Whispering Death, then that means at least five inches are stuck inside of this poor thing. From the angle it's jutting out, it's immediately clear that something is wrong in there, but while the spike is in there holding everything in place it'll be nearly impossible to check.

She leans over his open mouth and reaches to press her hand onto his stomach gently. The pressure makes him take a deep breath. She inhales as the breath comes up and washes--hot and smoky--over her face. Her nose picks up the faintest ominous traces of the metallic scent of blood. Dammit.

"You might want to bring more water," Alexei calls out to the girl. "His lung's been punctured."

[Fellicya Strongmouth]

Fellicya felt really apprehensive about leaving the Grapple Grounder's side. She was starting to have second thoughts on giving the leaves to the dragon but only because of the way his eyes darted all around restlessly, pupils narowed and reflecting the panic and fear that was certainly filling him. She knew it was for his good but it was still painful to only be able to watch, feeling just as powerless as he must have been.

At least now she was sure the healer knew what she was doing, wich was a relief. "Erh, I'll wash later." She didn't want to soil the pure water, as childlish and useless as this might have seemed.

Grudgingly Fellicya extended a trembling hand to take the empty container, listening distractedly at the other's reassuring explenations. She hadn't even noticed that she was trembling but when double checking her fingers were still twitching.


"...Don't worry about your friend. He's paralyzed so he won't lash out. Isn't that right, sweetling?"


The Grapple Grounder answered with the faintest of rumble, not being able to do more even thought Fellicya was sure he would if only he could. The look he was giving both of them was so nasty, his slit pupils did nothing to soften his expression and the way the muscles around his maw twitched made her stomach flip. "I'm sorry..." It was really unlikely that he'd trust her ever again.

She just wanted to help him and now he was going to hate her forever, Thor this was so painful but she clenched her teeth, brows furrowing as she pushed her anxiety back.


"Alright." Obeying the girl stood up and went to the stream of water, almost running away from the guilt she felt. It was for the better, who know, he might forgive her when he would be better.


"You might want to bring more water,"


Fellicya snorted, rolling her eyes as the corner of her mouth twitched up. "Can't fill it with more water if it's already full..." But the end of the healer's sentence made her little playful slip disappear as fast as it appeared. "His lungs is what?!"

Panic tugged at her heart once more and she quickly scrambled back up to join the others side. "Y-You can do something to help him right?" Her fist was tightening painfully around the container's neck as her eyes shifted between both the healer and dragon.


She almost fell to her knee next to the Grapple Grounder, a hand automatically reaching to lay flat on his chest for comfort. Her Blue eyes looked up at the healer pleadingly but also hesitantly. "He's not done for... Right?"

She had approached quickly enough to startle the dragon who's small grumble managed to incrase into a deep and warning growl. He squinted at her but when she made no move to harm it he took a second to notic how distressed she seemed and despite the fact that she had betrayed his trust his growl shifted once more into a faint and hesitant pur.

When she felt the vibrations against her palm she offered a small smile to the dragon. He wasn't supposed to be the one to comfort her, especially not in this situation.


It was really important for her to get a hold of herself now. The last thing she wanted was to lose it but she was still so close to.


Her racing heart told her to, her traitorous mind told her to, her sharp and too fast breath told her to, everything told her to!

[Alexei Hansson]

"Not to worry," Alexei says in a sing song voice in a clear attempt to distract the dragon from the girl's panicking. Her eyes glaze over the Grapple Grounder's body casually as she pats his stomach gently. "Now how about that water? Oh, there it is."

And she picks up the skin that the girl abandoned and brings it closer. "First things first--now that he's paralyzed, we can give him something to ease the pain. Once he's noticed that he's hurting less, he'll calm down. Lowering his heart rate is imperative--we don't want his blood pumping too fast with everything that we're about to do."

And now they have a slight situation on their hands. The only pain killer Alexei is carrying is Angora mushrooms, and while these are extremely effective, they thin the blood and make it easier to flow, which is not something they'd like to have happen to a dragon with a nine inch spike protruding from its shoulder. Alexei tears the mushroom in half, mashing up the cap with a rock and holding it steadily over the wound. The effect is immediate. The same way it always is with wild ones that don't know they can trust her with their wounds. The Grapple Grounder growls--a low, menacing rumble echoing from the back of its throat. But it can't do more than growl. Alexei spreads the mashed up mushroom onto the wound.

And as always, the dragon instantly calms.

"Alright," she says. "Trust us now? Good. Now here comes the hard part. A punctured lung means air or blood has gone where it shouldn't be going. We'll have to remove the spike and then immediately be ready to suction that out. Ideally I'd do this in the medical bay but moving this dragon is impossible in his state. So we'll have to do it here. So how about it? Are you up to helping me operate?"

And her eyes fall back upon the panicked girl who looks precisely three breaths away from losing it.

[Fellicya Strongmouth]

"First things first..."



Fellicya stared intensely at the healer. Her brows were furrowed in concentration but despite it all her eyes seemed devoid of any understanding. They were empty, it felt like she was looking into the other girl's eyes without actually looking at her.



It wasn't obvious that the Red head was completly out of it. She was obviously trying to listen but everything went in one ear and was immediatly expulsed by the other. Everything except her own breathing is placed as background sound and it would almost be soothing if the situation wasn't so critical.



The Grapple Grounder's breathing slowed down as he glowered at the woman. He uncovered his teeth in a snarl at the same pace the strange goo was approached to his wounds. But when she applied the goo to his aching wound his eyes went wide. Instead of pain he could only feel a comfortable numbness. Whatever the human had did it started pacifying him.



So close to a major vain, mixed with his puming blood, the numbness reached his brain and made him fully relax. The dragon was lying dazed on the ground now.



Well that was a good thing, she dindn't know how long she could have taken the betrayed look in his eyes anymore.



"Now here comes the hard part..."



And out of it Fellicya was again.



It was only when she asked a direct question, and an horrifying one, that her attention snapped back to the healer's voice.



"...So how about it? Are you up to helping me operate?"



She literally became pale at the thought of having to do anything more. Was it a real question? She guessed it must have been a rhetorical one because she knew she didn't really have a choice. No way she was letting the healer deal alone with that if she needed her help.



Fellicya gave herself a mental slap and immediatly her expression became more serious and determined. "Yes, what do I need to do? How are we gonna suck the blood out?"



She hoped she wouldn't have to, like, do it with her mouth or something. That would be terrible but she'd be ready to do it if needed!




Fellicya was suddenly filled with determination.

[Alexei Hansson]

"Well, for starters we'll need all the water we can get," Alexei says. "So if you happen to have another skin we can fill, then now would be the time to mention it. I'll make a fire to boil it with. AS for the suction...well, ideally we'd use a pair of bellows. I have a pair in the medical bay. Or we could suck it out orally if push comes to shove. The moment we move this spike, whatever damage that has been inflicted by it will kick in full force, so we need to be ready to close it instantly. But we should also brace ourselves for the possibility that a part of the spike might have to be left inside of the dragon. It's unsavory, but it's more likely than not that the reason why this dragon isn't dead yet is because the spike is holding everything in place. We don't yet know what else has been damaged besides the lungs and we won't know until we can get this dragon upright and moving around. I must confess you've led me off my usual course today. I'm not very familiar with this part of the forest. Are we terribly far away from the west end of the village? That's where the medical bay is--along with my operating tools."