[ AW ] War Medicine 101 (Or, How To Keep Your Patients from Dying)

A small classroom within the place. He has taken no small amount of time in laying out several different items--herbs and other things-- spiderwebs, moss, flowers, leaves, even the innards of various creatures placed carefully. He doubts that there will be any who would remain for his class very long--not because he is a bad teacher, like those who often say 'most students don't pass my class'. No, it is because he is abrasive and sharp and biting, and bears little tolerance for stupidity. He is still vexed, annoyed from the previous hunt and those within it, but he has other things to do and he cannot sit and dwell on the past. No, he must bide his time in other, more constructive ways.

He arches and takes a seat towards the front of the room, having no issue with using the somewhat desiccated corpses of a small fox and a large coyote for examples today--it would, after all, be best for them to work on actual bodies. And it would apparently go against ethics if he managed to find living, willing subjects... So, he'd use what he had. Or at least, what he could obtain without being scolded for it. And to be fair, even if he was scolded, it's unlikely he'd actually stop. Today, however, was going to be some simple but useful knowledge. Most healers would need time to prepare, of have their patients be brought to them in their own place of business. But, that isn't always possible, and he will be preparing to train people how to work under pressure, with few--if any-- of their familiar items on paw.

It was a few hours after her encounter with the gruff medic. Nephele had finished her work day and closed up the clinic a little earlier than usual so she had enough time to attend the class as promised. There was a pungent smell in the air that caused her to crinkle her muzzle. It smelled like death and gore which as a carnivore she was not unfamiliar with. Her brow furrowed in thought, pausing in her approach to the arboretum, considering if she should report the untimely death of some unfortunate creature to someone who could handle it better than a blind nurse. The smell grew stronger and Cyrill’s scent mingled with the decay lingering in the air. Oh! He was using a carcass for his class. It made sense when she thought about it. How else would he be able to demonstrate his teachings without a subject?

Nephele realised that she was going to get very smelly. She would have to bathe very thoroughly or else Kylar would likely kick her out of bed. The thought made her giggle and she shook her head at the ridiculous idea. She followed the strong scent of death using it as a guide for where she should sit. “I’m here, uh Professor Cyrill,” she announced her arrival, uncertain if he would prefer the title since it was common and respectful to address the teacher as such.

code by wallflower & art by ashon

@Cyrill

He paced around the small area, patting down the soil and grass to a smoothness before he heard another enter--ah right, Neph did say she wanted to join a class. This would be his first, and it is more a test-run than anything. Regardless, he seems pleased to see her, despite her currently being his only student. "No need for that. Cyrill is fine. We're friends first." he explains, before leaning down to grab the fox and placing it before her. The smell of it suggests it has not been dead for very long, which well-enough serves his purposes. "We'll give it a couple more minutes before starting, but you take some time to familiarize yourself with the body in front of you. It's relatively fresh so don't be concerned about any rot--we'll be using it to help you identify different parts that can be removed without killing your patient." he explains,"Why don't you take the time to tell me what you already know about emergency care?" the suggestion comes easy to him, as Neph has already cemented herself as a helper in his mind.

@Nephele

She had been lounging around, waiting for her next class, when she had managed to doze off. She had been awoken abruptly as another student accidentally bumped into her and as they profusely apologized while dashing away, Lacuna realized just what time it was. "Oh geez," she muttered through gritted teeth, climbing to her paws and quickly shuffling forward, brows furrowed in light concern. She didn't think she was too late but she couldn't be too sure -- she always was bad at telling the time.

With a loud huff of exasperation, she rounded a maple tree and was hit with a smell before she even saw anything. Lacuna wrinkled her nose in distaste, eyes narrowing as her gaze landed upon two wolves and in between them, two corpses. Ah, she thought in recognition, letting her face relax before the professor saw her reaction. Though she was studying at the college with an emphasis on herbology, she still was eager to take classes regarding other topics and this class with Professor Cyrill was, if she recalled correctly, a class on medicinal healing.

Slowly she approached, catching the tail end of his question to one of the "students". She blinked, face contorting into one of reluctance. Oh god, she thought, is he going to ask me questions? She wasn't exactly the best student -- she was always distracted and she rarely studied unless she was really invested in what she was learning. "Erm," she coughed awkwardly, indicating her presence, "hello professor." She considered asking if she was late, but seeing as it was only her and one other woman there, she thought better of it. Lacuna offered a small smile and nod to the other participant but realized her eyes were closed and instead murmured a small, "hi," as a greeting.

art & code by enie

It was with eagerness and supportive kindness that she approached Cyrill. Nephele couldn’t sense anyone else around, but she was hopeful that more would arrive once they realised how valuable the subject being taught was. This was a rich wealth of knowledge that all aspiring healers would be remiss to neglect in their studies. She tried to work out what species they were working with and their stink was unmistakably canine. One was a fox. She had smelled them sniffing around her home often enough and warned the children not to stay out too late just in case. They were shy creatures, but she didn’t trust them not to harm a small vulnerable wolf pup if the opportunity ever arose. The second scent was unfamiliar to her, but it was close to a wolf smell yet not wolf. A coyote maybe? She couldn’t be certain.

We’re friends first. The simple statement stirred her tail to thump lightly against the ground. She tried to reign in on her excitement and managed to keep her paws still at least. When the fox was placed in front of her she gave it a sniff, confirming that it was very fresh. She listened intently to his explanation and nodded her understanding. It made perfect sense to use a similar animal to practice on. I know basic first aid and how to tend to punctures, lacerations and lesions. I can prevent and treat infection. I know remedies for sickness as well, she listed off her experience, brow furrowing in wonder. Had she missed anything? I can work with broken bones, but it’s a bit more difficult for me, she admitted. There was much about healing that was limited by her lack of sight, but she managed to find a way to work around it.

Her ears pricked up when she heard a soft voice call a greeting. Oh! Another student! She tried to face in the direction of the voice albeit off by quite a few degrees. Hi, she answered in greeting, lips curling into a smile.

Art by Ashon

Ah, another student. Good enough. He only had the two bodies to work on anyway, so this seems well enough for him and he moves to wordlessly drop the coyote corpse before young Lacuna's person,"This one will be your study partner, then." he states, his tone flat and already mildly annoyed that so few students had showed. Regardless, this is not the time nor the place for him to be complaining as it is, indeed, only his first class. And Neph took it upon herself to actually answer his questions, to which he responds with a sharp nod of affirmation. "And what about you?" he asks the newcomer, who's name he does not yet know, nor does he ask what it is. Not yet, anyway. "Tell me, what is it that you already know how to do? I'm not going to waste my time with going over basics if everybody already knows them," he explains, moving to the front of the small area to prepare his own corpse, that being of a somewhat smaller coyote. Perhaps because of his own small stature. He presses both paws to it's chest, propping himself up along it's ribcage,"Regardless, what we'll be working on today is some basic anatomy and how to fix it. Rather, how to tell when it's broken. Since I'm not allowed to skeef bodies from anywhere, these will have to do. If you'd both turn to your dead partners and introduce yourself--appreciate those who give their bodies to forward the cause of science." He doesn't seem the type, but he's not entirely heartless and it doesn't pass him that these creatures had families just the same, and so it was only fair. "Then I want you familiarize yourselves with their bodies. Both of them have several injuries that are invisible to the naked eye but can be felt with proper examinations. In a war, you may or may not come across those patients who insist that they are fine and may appear outwardly such, but you cannot depend on them to tell you these things as they may be suffering from shock, concussions, or an extreme case of 'fucking dumbass', so you'll have to make the call." He gestures towards Neph,"If broken bones are struggle for you, this will probably come in handy. We'll practice." for Lacuna, he sets his gaze upon her and--just as unyielding as a mountain-- sets his jaw before speaking again, "You'll be the first one to tell me how many injuries your partner has. You have 7 minutes to examine. I am not expecting perfection." Well, thank goodness for tha--"I am expecting something passable. Perfection is nigh impossible in the thick of things, but passable is the difference between life and death." ....Ah yes, right. That.

@Nephele @Lacuna