[Sanctuary] Interrupted (Open)

[Kadrath Onktaka]

'Uruk you know Serr isn't a groom so knock it off!' Rath's thoughts and temper flared up at his brother's attitude toward every non Akalak male.

'It's a female and she's here, so back off Rath. You've got Raiha.'

'That's not the point and you know it. Serr's good with medicine so you -need- to work with him. He's not trying to take away a potential female from you.'

Doing what he was born knowing, an enormous, buff colored, mastiff looking dog, Fidens, strolled in to stand by the Akontak. He gave the man's leg a firm bump with his large head. As always, he was the equalizer to Uruk's temper and the huge man immediately calmed.

The internal argument lasted less than half a chime, and their eyes became turquoise colored, denoting that both brothers had reached a balance. Rath smiled an apology to Serrif for his brother's rash behavior and he set the brindled beauty down on the examining table.

"Thank you for bringing her here Miss--?" He let the question hang to fill in the blank. "Serrif here is very good with medicine so between us, we'll see what can be done. You've met my ruder brother Uruk. I am Kadrath, but you can call me Rath."

Now that his doggy job was done, it allowed the three foot tall two hundred lb dog to go over and give a curious sniff at the trim little Sykanis. He was a gentle giant that truly liked other dogs of all kinds, but sometimes his size was intimidating.

The Akontak stretched out the bitch and examined her with careful hands and delicate auristics. Starting at the head, he lifted the corner of the dog's mouth to check her gums. Her color was far too pale to be healthy. He gently poked a finger on the gums and counted the time it took for the color to refill back to what it was. Looking at Serr, he gave a significant nod to him that the dog's CRT was taking far too long, and her gums were too pale, sticky and gummy instead of slick and clean.

"I'd like to check for the basics on her before we do anything else. Serrif would you please check her thick coat for any abrasions, ticks or tick bites? I have a feeling it's more than just heat stroke in spring."

He gave Rhy a swift but comforting scratch behind her ears and checked the insides as he did so. Rath slid a large hand down her stomach to check for bloating or hardness. And found it. Not a good sign.

"Miss Tamilin, will you tell us exactly what the bitch's condition was when you found her?" The Akontak asked politely as he continued his thorough but tender examination.

The large man picked up the skin on the dog's neck and then dropped it, waiting for it to reshape again. It puckered, wrinkled and took almost a full chime to slide back in place. He checked her heart, just beneath the elbow and frowned at how faint it was. Moving on he placed a firm hand on Rhy's inner leg near the stomach so he could check her temperature-and discovered it alarmingly high.

"Alright sweetie, we're going to get personal now, but it will take less than a chime." Sure the dog was unconscious, but it wasn't in Kadrath not to comfort an animal that needed it.

The veterinarian swabbed beneath the tail and found exactly what Rhy's problem was. Aqua eyes turned to Serrif and he asked,

"Find anything in the coat? It looks like she has whipworms, heat exhaustion, dehydration and plain starvation. She'll need a water bubble to get her started, some tepid meat broth and some cold water to get on her paws and in her. So the list would be, clean cut cattail reed, broth, fresh cold water--"

Rath paused to gesture the enormous dog Fidens over to him and took out a small bag attached to the dog's collar.

"And this. This is DE, diatomaceous earth and it's great for killing and preventing parasites. I have Fidens carry it around for when he needs it. Oh and Serrif would you please get a mortar and pestle as well?"

He set about gathering what he could and then stroked the beautiful dog's fur softly, admiring her brindle colored coat and murmuring soothing words to her.

"Miss Tamilin do you have any questions?"

(When Rath speaks and when Uruk speaks.)

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

He was still a loss for how anyone with midnight colored skin operated inside. He was unaware that they were largely unable to help the outbursts they had due to the fast that they shared the same body between two people. Two who were usually polar opposites of each other. So to him Rath was still just a confusing person; a very large confusing person. But that was just how things were, sometimes it was easy to understand an d other times not so much. A truth he had come to know in abundance here in Riverfall. But nevertheless he and Rath had a common goal here; the health of this dog. With a nod Serrif would set to work at whatever Rath instructed; because he knew where his strengths laid…and it was not in the canine domain.

Sure he could work wonders on a person, but there were less of those and more animals around here. So he found himself practicing more veterinary medicine than anything. Which was fine by him because it was all really the same, and the animals complained less…mostly because he couldn’t understand them very well. There were times where he swore Rath could speak to his dogs, he did have a knack for commanding them like a pack…yes that was what they were; his pack.

Rude brother…where… Serrif didn’t have time for confusion and rather he just thought Rath had misspoke.Uruk…he would have to take that name down in his mind for later and maybe ask Rath about it. But for now he had to stay focused on the task at hand. He had been asked to do a very simple task. So he gently tended to the bitch like he was asked. He was sure working together they would indeed be able to bring this animal back to health easily.

Gently Serrif began looking through the thick coat, this animal had seen all kinds of times. There were a few ticks here and there. But nothing of any real worry, he felt a few rough spots denoting that the fur had likely grown back. As Serrif’s bare hands gently ran across the animal Rhy would begin to feel gently calming sensations come across her body. What this felt like was up to her, but it would be nice even if the sensations came ot her in her dreams. It would help the two large men continue to work diligently without frightening her. The sensation grew the longer he kept her hands on her and lingered even after he removed them and looked to Rath.

“A few ticks still latched on I counted four or so and a few bites as well. There are a few patches where the fur feels rough, unusual compared to the rest of the fur around it.” This dog was indeed in poor shape and needed to be tended to quidkly and efficiently.

“You did well bringing her here Tamilin” With a nod to Rath he gathered the supplies he had asked for quickly…and a few others.

He had learned a few things while imprisoned in the slave camp. There were a few low dose poisons that prevented certain parasites from infesting themselves in ones body. Certain parasites were very sensitive to changes in the host; and would die off far before the host would experience any negative effects. Now if only he could remember what the plants used were. He could picture them in his mind…see them but he couldn’t register what they were. Which in turn frustrated him. Why couldn’t he remember this kind of information when it was USEFUL to him? Frustration gave way to defeat as he decided he couldn’t retrieve the information himself so he just resolved himself to gathering what Rath had asked for.

He laid out a large pot of cool water from the springs and a bowl as well as a mortar and pestle. He had also acquired some cattail reed as well. The broth he would have to go back for and heat up some to bring back. Aldo on the table was a small clay fired bowl of diatomaceous earth. He wasn’t sure what Rath really planned to do with it, because a chemical treatment would be far more effective if he could remember what the ingredients for it were! He offered a nod to Rath. “I’ll be back with the broth shortly. I may have a more…decisive solution for the worms just let me think on it.”

With that he headed to the kitchen and began warming the broth in a pot on a wood fired stove. All the while thinking about what those plants could be called. Surely he had come across them in his studies in Mura and just didn’t know it as of yet. Stirring the broth gently with a wooden spoon he dove through the fragments of memories. SO torn…like looking at pictures through broken tinted glass. Ever fracture a different color, fogged differently leaving one to spin forever lost in what was and had been. He shook his head and tried his hardest to remember. He knew the plants…they were there etched forever in his mind. Now they HAD names; they had to now what were these names?

[Tamilin]

It was mildly surprisingly, not overly so, for Tamilin when an absolutely enormous dog padded past her to bump its, his, head against Uruk's leg. Her gaze was drawn to the massive mastiff, wondering at its sheer mass compared to Tiva. But then she sensed a slight change in the air, a tension she'd been unaware of previously slipping away, and she lifted her gaze back to Uruk just as the fellow spoke. And therein she found her answer as she recognized some slight change there, even before this new personality introduced himself as Kadrath, or Rath, and the other fellow as Serrif.

"It's nice to make both of your aquaintance, Serrif and Rath." Tam inclined her head to both of them.

Tiva had looked up from her wanderings as soon as the strange dog had entered the room, watching with avid interest as the mastiff interacted with his person before coming over to meet her. Tail wagged a few short times as she returned the inquisitive sniffing, utterly unphased by being dwarfed by this other dog.

Watchful and curious Tamilin watched as Rath inspected his doggy patient, taking mental notes all the while. All information was good to know, especially if she could apply it sometime later herself. And she did have Tiva to take care of. She listened as the big man spoke, and watched as Serrif moved forward to do his own inspection when invited to do so, and offering a small smile in return for the small praise offered from Serrif. When a question was directed her way, Tam perked up slightly. "She appeared to be alert, if angry at first. When she came over to greet me is when I first realized that she looked too lean, and I barely had a chance to confirm that for myself before she collapsed. Seemed as though she'd finally let herself relax and everything caught up with her."

Then she fell silent again to watch and potentially learn some more, gaze flickering away only to watch the mastiff approach, Tiva tagging along behind him, to allow Rath to claim a bag from the dog's collar. Interesting... It was only when Serrif walked away to get the items asked for that Tamilin slipped forward to stand by the brindled dog's head, gently stroking her fur and fondling her ears to offer a slightly more familiar touch. She didn't expect to be prompted for questions, and blinked up at Rath for a second before gathering her thoughts.

"What are the early signs of the conditions she has? And what exactly tells you she has whipworms? How exactly does each of those herbs help in healing her?" Questions she had in plenty, but she choose a few concise ones that pretty much summed up her curiosity on this particular subject.

Serrif returned then with most of the items asked for, and Tamilin flicked her gaze over to watch the man lay things out. A brow rose slightly at the mention of an alternate treatment for the worms, and she wondered what he had in mind. But he wandered off again toward what was presumably the kitchen to go get the meat broth. For a heartbeat Tamilin thought of offering him her aid, but reconsidered. Deciding instead to linger here and learn what she could from and of Rath and his brother, Uruk. She had the potential of more questions, and he was likely to have the answers.

[Kadrath Onktaka]

'Uruk you made him do that without gloves or warning?! You're so mean!'

'I know. But hey, human male/dog same thing right? Except that at least the dog is pretty.'

Rath gave a mental snort of disgust at Uruk's antics and he turned to Serrif, clearly now in Rath's voice only.

"Wash your hands and put some gloves on Serrif. Uruk didn't want to tell you he diagnosed whipworms before you got a chance to rub your hands up to the elbow all over the dog. You too Miss. It's zoonotic which means it can go between animals and humans."

"There's no abrasions or raised circles so it ruled out hook and round worm and giardia or general infection. Thanks for checking her coat even if Uruk was an ass."

Tamilin's answer and questions were very precise and Rath gave her a quick smile of approval. They liked a keen learner, Uruk found her easy on the eyes, and they were more than happy to go into teaching mode.

"So she had to extend a fair amount of effort to greet you then. Sometimes when a dog is infested badly, a sudden lurch in body position will block the intestines for a chime, causing a burst of pain and sometimes immediate unconsciousness results."

The Akontak gave Fidens a scratch behind the ears as he answered her questions.

"The early signs are hard to tell because only a few whipworms won't show much. Pale gums and mucus in the stool are the earliest signs of infestation in dogs and humans. This brindle looks to be heavily afflicted with them. They live in your intestines but in the later stages, they pass through your stool. Infravision makes them easy to see, but without it, you'd need a... a.." He faltered for a chime, searching for the modern term of technology.

"A slide? A microscope. Pale gums, vomiting, pale blood(anemia,) bloody diarrhea, thin and very dehydrated are all the signs this brindle exhibits of whipworm."

"She's very weak and we need to get lots of fluids in her along with an easy parasite killer. Anything too harsh at this late stage could kill her. The worms in her guts could die off in clumps, start rotting and not pass, causing a major infection, seizures and death."

With large indigo hands he put half the DE on the table and the other half in the bowl. He ground the mixture slowly and carefully as he spoke,

"This is a misnomer actually. It's not earth really. It's beach sand with crushed sea shells which is a natural silicate. If you want to dry something quickly this is your stuff. This mix in the bowl needs to be ground up fine and you mix it with meat broth. Thanks to this dog, we'll ALL be having some of this snack because she's exposed us."

He gave the dog a long pat along her ribs, lingering over her spine and hip to check for any bone abnormalities, and he just liked patting the pretty brindle.

"Dogs like texture and scent and don't have the same taste buds we do. To her, this mix is nice and crunchy like bones, and smells like delicious meat. She can't taste sweet or meaty but she can smell it, so I've asked Serrif to make us all a nice broth. Medicine doesn't have to always taste bad. For us, it's like having a watery clam chowder-a little gritty, but doesn't taste too awful."

The large Akontak set aside the bowl to be mixed with broth, now finely ground to a powder, and invited the two people to pick up the regular DE on the table and rub it between their hands as he did.

"Since there's three of us, it's perfect. Serrif, please rub this gently into the bitch's coat. It will kill off all remaining ticks and fleas and clean extra oil and grime from her coat and get her and you sanitized. Not to mention, dogs really enjoy the overall good scratching. Miss, you will need to rub this on your little Sykanis and I need to get some on Fidens. Once we're all cleaned up, we'll treat the dog further."

Rath demonstrated how by slowly patting the dog's face, careful not to get it in his eyes and then move his hands to behind the dog's ears. Fidens put his nose to the sky and closed his eyes in the universal dog face of happiness at a good scratching.

(When Rath speaks and when Uruk speaks.)

[Rhy]

One of the perks of being Kelvic is a universal language basis between two separate species. Confusion and fear go hand-in-hand to most beasts, which makes them at least difficult patients and at worst downright dangerous. Rhy's consciousness surfaces on the wave of Sariffs gnosis, as if some thick and cool liquid was being poured on her body, so she was in the perfect zen mode to start off with. Her eyes slide partway open, and she's pretty sure her mouth is open and drooling, but this falls very low on the priority scale.

This must be Sanctuary. Or at least that is what she deducts, since she has never been inside. Both men speak with the confidence of someone who knows what they are doing. Very professional, decisive. A veterinary practise? Defiantly. Especially since she counts no less than six hands on her body: stroking, prodding and someone playing with her ears. All very gentle, and again, professional. She nudges the hands by her ears with her muzzle, it must be the girl, she can smell the the petrichor on her skin.

When she hears that she's infectious, she apologizes with a sheepish sweep of her tail. A lot of people pet her on a regular basis. She imagine them all coming down with parasites and grimaces inwardly. All the dogs know about the parasites that live in the stomach. Its passed as more rumour then any sort of medical fact, and most use it as horror stories. 'The worms that eat you from the inside' and such. Its how they explain any sort of scrawniness or malnutrition. Runted puppies are born with 'bugs in their bones' and are shunned as being infectious. Her ears swivel on her head to pick up the answers to Tams questions, and makes a mental note to thank her for asking in the first place.

The cure is sand? It strikes her as simple next to the aching and discomfort she is in. But meat broth sounds helpful. Is she gets any hungrier she will probably start gnawing on the table for nourishment. She angles her head so that it drops off the table a bit, to try and look around, and stares right into the eyes of the biggest dog she had ever seen. Its face must be level with the table.

"Hi!" she exclaims. Just because she looks like she's going to slowly crumble away and die does not mean she has to act the part. She gets a friendly gruff in return.
"You are with him aren't you?" She motions to the leather clad hip of Rath. "He is good. An alpha. It must be good to live here."

The Mastif gives the dog version of a confirmation nod, and sniffs around her face as way of imprinting her identity. Only humans need to name a dog. Dogs can tell others apart without the use of titles.
"They are good men. They lead a good pack. It is good here." He answers in way of explanation. Simple and to the point. She liked him. He strikes her as strong and disciplined. Much like the blue man, actually. But also with a tone of obedience and respect she hasn't heard before. Are all tame dogs so dutiful?

Uncomfortable with her position, she attempts to roll onto her belly so she can lay sphinx-like instead. A minute of terrible cramping and she's up. A bit dizzy, mind you, but vertical. The heat seems to be passing, or at least swept away for now. And she takes this opportunity to get to know the two people who are there at the moment. A inquisitive nose explores the hand of the Akalak and finds it musty with the confused scent of many dogs and heavy earth. And the woman is a bit younger then she first appeared. When the man kneels to tend to his own dog with the fine grained sand, she sticks out her tongue and takes a long sample of his taste from the top of his bald head. He even tastes like heavy earth, and the after residue of soap.

She settles her head on her paws when the dizziness gets too heavy, and imagines what sand and broth would be like. Not that it really matters, she's had worse, and stranger.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Largely all this talk about Uruk and Rath had Serrif confused and very intrigued at the same time. He had heard Rath call himself Uruk several times. But he assumed it was another assumed name much like Serrif had assumed his name…because Seven wasn’t much of a name to begin with. Maybe Rath had two names for a reason of some kind? It still confused him but truth was he didn’t really care to know right now. Seemed that he had other work to do. Like scrubbing his hands before he tried cooking the dog’s broth because Uruk decided he wanted Serrif to get worms too. Friggin…typical of an Akalak to try and trick him to do something foolish disguised as something good. Mayhaps he would get a little of his own medicine someday…Serrif would like to see that someday.

Serrif took the opportunity to rub his hands in the finely ground diatomaceous earth this however was only the first step he would take to help cleanse his hands and arms of a possible parasite. He was ticked yes, but it seemed to be Akalak nature to do such things…especially to any non-Akalaks. But Serrif was oh so very flattered that this Uruk would find him worthy of his trickery. But this only really hindered progress really. Which was unfortunate really. He hoped Uruk got this out of his system before anything really pressing came through the door. Because if he couldn’t trust this man…well then he couldn’t work efficiently with him. Which would be unfortunate if someone died because these two…three men couldn’t trust one another fully.

Serrif cleansed his hands with the earth while Uruk…or was it Rath? Well while whoever he was explained the side effects of whipworms and all. He would rub the dog down with gloves as instructed hoping that this wasn’t another horrible trick…Trust he supposed had to start somewhere. It was about then that the dog started to wake some and roll over. He spoke to her gently.

“Well there you are, stay still now I’m taking care of you.” He rubbed her body down gently with the earth and made sure to coat all of her wonderful coat to try and bring the parasites swift death. That was the goal here; swift death for the invaders.

She rolled over on her belly but only after serif had finished rubbing her belly down with the earth to try and cleanse her. She was a rather beautiful dog, Serrif hadn’t seen many up this close before. He hadn’t really taken the time to be around any for a long period of time. He smiled some his Konti Gift of calming touch still settling deeper and deeper into the dog. A gift he was still unaware of possessing in the first place. He was also gently pouring his gnosis into her. The sigil like opalescent tattoo on his inner right forearm glowing a gentle light as he poured the healing energy into the dog. He figured killing two birds with one stone would be a good thing, especially now. He pet the dog gently on the head and smiled.

“Now I’m off to get you something to eat.” And with that he took his leave into the kitchen where he cleansed his hands deeper and then began to think.

He poured pure alcohol along with warm water. He then submerged his hands and rubbed thoroughly. This would kill anything that remained on his hands. He then scrubbed up to and past his elbows as well just to make sure. The warm alcoholic water would indeed cleanse anything off his hands and arms that happened to just transfer there. He wasn’t going to take chances in the kitchen. He then used the water to clean any surfaces he had touched before cleaning himself. He was through and planned to maybe even come back through another time after he was done and clean all the surfaces himself. Lym had taught him that cleanliness was more than important.

He then set himself to warming a pot of broth. As he stirred it he thought. Going through all the plants that could help this animal. There was a natural toxic remedy for what plagued this animal and he knew it. The men at the camp had used something that killed parasites. He just wasn’t sure what…He needed to narrow down all the things that had been done to him so he could isolate the plant of interest. There were so many mixtures though, and he needed to narrow out commonalities in them. He needed that key piece. Flashes in his mind as he closed his eyes he could see the plants they mixed, along with how they mixed them…what was the plant he was looking for.

Picturing it in his mind helped a good deal. Green, it was green and had bulbs focused bulbs and grew upward like a weed. It had other names…sweet something or another. He knew it grew this time of the year in moist places near or in forests. Where would he find it now? His mind raced and he was getting increasingly irritated with himself for not knowing the name. He smelt something interesting…what was that smell… THE BROTH YOU FOOL! He screamed to himself as he looked down, it was definitely warm now.

He pulled the pot from the fire using a gloved hand and then poured it into a bowl. He had fixed a decent amount for not only the dog being cared for but he had fixed several other bowls for the womans other dog as well as any of Rath or Uruk’s dogs that were present. He carried the bowls in and set them down on another table and carried one over to the dog that they were caring for. “I have a…better solution but I need to go out and collect it. I forget the name but I know where it will be as well as what it looks like. SO I can head out and get some and bring it back in abundance for later use.”

[Tamilin]

"How... considerate." Tamilin murmured as the new instructions and the situation behind them came to light. One brow arched as she glanced up at the dark-skinned man, fairly certain the gesture would reach the intended receipient, even if he might catch the slight sarcasm in her voice. "Will it affect horses as well? I'll have to clean my tack later regardless."

She listened then, attentive to the tidbits of information he imparted. The condition sounded serious, but drew another question to mind. "How exactly do the parasites get into their system? I'd like to know exactly what to keep Tiva out of." One scare like this was more than enough, thank you very much! But she was also watching the man who was both Rath and Uruk, trying to see if she could tell exactly when the souls switched dominance. It was an entertaining little game she'd begun years back when she'd first learned about the idiosyncracies of his race, but immensely difficult to do right.

But then his words moved on to the treatment he meant to use, and her gaze drifted to his hands, even as her own lightly intensified their petting of the brindle at the gentle nudging prompt. But let her hands drop to her sides when the sick dog began to stirr and look about. At least until Rath (she thought it was still Rath at least) motioned for her to use some of the DE on her hands. She was careful to not accidentally drop too much as she watched how she was supposed to apply it to Tiva, and then shifted from the table. Crouching, she gestured the Sykanis over, who happily padded over to sit between her knees, and then began carefully applying the DE to the little dog's fur. It was a process comparatively quickly done.

Tamilin rose then, and took the opportunity to tag after Serrif to the kitchen. Best place to thoroughly wash up, which he apparantly has the same in mind. So she joined him with a small, friendly smile in washing hands and arms before retreating out of the way. Watching as he cleaned up the area and then setting himself to warming the broth. Her green eyes had noticed the extra bowls, and she was willing to help. "I can help you carry those." She offered, claiming the smallest once it had been filled before he could tell her otherwise. Tam was determined to help however she could, and if it was in treating her own dog and carrying a bowl of broth, she would.

Tiva met her as she came back in, and Tam set down the bowl for the Sykanis in an out of the way spot so she wouldn't get tripped over. Glancing toward the table, she noted that Serrif had only brought the one bowl over, for the brindle, so she cast about until she spotted where the others were and went to grab one for the mastif. Bringing it to the big dog, she remembered him being referred to as Fidens, Tam set the bowl between his forepaws and then moved out of his way before reassuming her position near the brindle's head to further watch the treatment.

"My name is Tamilin, by the way. But you can call me Tam." She chimed up abruptly into the slight lull, realizing it was as good a time as any at the moment to introduce herself. Their names she already had learned, so it was only polite to return the favor.

[Kadrath Onktaka]

"Yes it's contagious to anything mammal. Kavala keeps a sterile bucket by the door to clean your feet every time you enter and exit. Thanks mr. groom, we're supposed to sanitize our feet to prevent contagion at that door, always." With icy green eyes he turned to Tamilin and replied curtly.

"They get it from two causes: drinking stagnant water with bug eggs floating on it, and infected animal scat. If the infected area isn't cleaned, it can live without a host for up to four ten-days."He barely got a chance to answer her question before she turned her back on him and walked out to follow Serrif.

'And they think -I- have bad manners..' thought Uruk.

His keen ears picked up the thump thumping of a dog's tail, and he watched the dog walk away from his hands, sensing Uruk's emergence. Fidens snuffled the brindle bitch, giving a gentle nudge of reassurance. This wasn't the first canine patient he'd helped and it wouldn't be the last. She smelled sick, tired, thirsty and hungry. After a polite greeting to Rhy, he returned at Uruk's gesture.

Cold green eyes always showed Uruk's top presence and the huge molloser type dog knew that Uruk the veterinarian wanted obedience and health. When the eyes turned blue, it was Rath, the trainer with kind hands and an agile trainer's mind.

On large paws, he padded back to Uruk, who continued rubbing in the DE. With both hands occupied, he was more than a little startled at the sudden lick on the back of the head! The large Akontak finished his ministrations and turned with a smile to the alert patient.

"Ah you're awake, brindled beauty. Perfect timing pretty girl. It looks like a horse minded Drykas thinks he knows dogs more than I do! A better solution! Hmph."

He stroked a gentle hand through her coat, checking that the DE was properly applied and looked her in the eyes. Uruk might be a racist ass when it came to human men, but there was no dog he didn't immediately appreciate. And this one was a lovely brindle color as well.

"How did you know we needed you in this position huh? Such a good dog. I'll bet you're really thirsty aren't you? Let's get some internal water going while waiting for those two to come back. We'll have you half cured by the time they do!"

With a practiced motion, he sliced off a slim, small piece of hollow cattail reed, making a natural and sterile syringe and placed the spongy, corklike brown end onto it. There was always a bucket of clean water in the room and he used it now to soak his concoction.

"What I'm gonna do Beautiful, is make a water bubble that will gradually release into your system and cool you off while helping with your thirst problem at the same time. Fidens, by me boy."

He made a proper tent of the loose folds of skin, holding it between thumb and forefinger. Counting to five, he held the position steady, know it helped to calm the dog like a momma holding her pup. Uruk placed a gentle finger into the upside down v he'd made, and inserted the cattail tubing almost painlessly. Once inserted, he gave Rhy a long loving stroke down her back and scratched behind the ears.

A comforting small bubble of water grew beneath her skin, immediately cooling her blood as it passed and gently released the colder water into her system, slow and steady.

"I think I'll call you Beauty, how 'bout that?"

Fidens moofed low and deep to announce the drykas' and woman's return. And sneezed at the same time Uruk did. The harsh tang of alcohol made the small room reek of sharp fumes.

"What did you do?! If you're going to clean with alcohol, then wash it off after! That rank stink isn't good for a dog's sense of smell, and most definitely not a comforting or natural scent to them. Good thing, she's not a cat!"

Fidens didn't touch the bowl set before him by Tami and instead, went over to nudge Uruk's temper into control. Rath's eyes went light blue and he patted Fidens' head gratefully. Sometimes his brother could be such an insensitive jerk and Rath needed to take the reins. When he spoke, his voice was calmer and more polite, with no clipped, brusque edges.

"The broth is steaming and far too hot to give to the animals right away. Please remove the bowls from the floor Miss. Don't drink it yet because firstly, you'll burn yourself, and secondly, we need to add the powdered DE to it as it cools."

Rath's calm blue eyes watched Tamilin's face for a moment, taking in her intelligent expression. He patted Rhy's long pretty coat and set to work adding a pinch of powder to the soup bowls, according to size. He nodded courteously at her late introduction, believing she was more interested in spending time with Serrif than helping the stray.

"You can mix a pinch of this into your dog's bowl. It shouldn't need much. You'll need a coin sized spot in yours because you're much bigger than the terrier."

After seeing to the Rhy's, Fiden's and his own mixture, he finally turned back to Beauty.

"My brother named you well Beauty." He slightly squeezed the once sodden cattail cork to find it just half damp and he smiled. Rath removed the reed and softly patted the well formed water bubble at the back of the neck to disperse it a little further.

Rath went to the bucket and scooped up some water for Beauty to give to her.

"Why don't you have a sip of water now that you're cooling down better? The broth should cool in a few chimes. Sorry about that, but I think someone heated it a little too much to drink right away."

Fidens placed his chin on the table next to Rhy's face, offering the comfort of a fellow canine presence nearby. He licked her muzzle for a chime, urging her to drink the good water that was offered to her.

"Miss, was Serrif clearer with you than with me about what he was getting and how long it would take?"

Kadrath didn't like the tension but nothing could be done for it. They were Kuvan and as such, they just couldn't seem to understand how an Akalak or rarer Akontak might behave. To an outsider, it just seemed like a weird, extra big, strangely colored, split personality human. He kept his manners strictly polite to make up for Uruk's gaffe, but knew that the pair of Kuvan's opinions were already firmly and negatively formed.

Large, strong hands gently patted Beauty, urging her to drink and stay calm. Waiting for a stupid bowl of broth never took so long to cool.

(When Rath speaks and when Uruk speaks.)

[Rhy]

As soon as Sariff stopped rubbing her down, and announced imminent food, she almost got up to follow him. Nobody should have a touch like that. He must be a god. Or his hands are made of cold honey. Either would work for her. But the last thing she wants is to move. He was looking pretty deep in thought anyway.

A sudden change in posture, and the way the blue man held himself, announces the arrival of the other Akalak personality. It was small, and she would have missed it, until he started to speak. Curt and cold. This particular man was made of metal and ice.

As soon as the two Humans left Uruk started talking to her. Almost ranting. He was certainly more comfortable when they were gone, he has so much to say now. As is the case with most humanoids, actually. Many are more comfortable with a silent companion. But he was speaking in a way that made her think that this man wasn't talking at her but to her.

He bends down to rub through her coat again and she meets his cool green eyes with her big brown ones, with the upward gaze of submission, as is customary. He is so cruel in his words to the people here, but he takes so much pains and affection for her and Fidens! The complexity in his personality intrigue her and his authority pulls at her subconscious.

You're a lot more than you seem. Please want me. I'd be good for you. She thinks, and pushes the thought to the expression in her eyes. Im a good girl, want me!

Holding the scruff of her neck and the gentle tap he gives to insert the reed makes way for a burst of cooling water in her neck. Her thirsty skin soaks up the water in seconds, and as it slows down it starts to pool between her shoulders. Her temperature drops rapidly and leaves a lingering sensation, she would purr in contentment if she could.

And suddenly he is stroking the water down her back and christens her Beauty. She revels in the new name. A given name! Not one she speared herself. As when she was prompted by her mother to choose one. She is just about to give a soft grumbling noise in good spirit when the arrival of the humans makes her reflexively hold her breath. Uruks kindness melts from his eyes and he turns to tirade the arrivals with his previous flavour, but with a dash of hostility this time.
Once again Fidens arrives and the the man is back to his slightly softer posture and words.

"How do you do that?!" She enquires with something akin to amazement.

"They need me sometimes. Its my duty." Again he keeps his masters secrets to himself, and his loyalty only serves to impress her more.

Water is placed before her and she stares at it bayfuly. Moving is not her best interest right now.
"Drink up. Its good for you." Fidens encourages, and licks her snout. When she doesn't move he proceeds to lick her until she sits up with an internal laugh just to get away from that enthusiastic tongue. But he's right, the drink is cool and refreshing and before long she is sitting up and begging for more. But the awkward tension in the room has ampt up a few notches, or so she noticed. She gives a soft 'muff' and adds a few friendly sweeps of her tail. To the effect of: look at me, I'm in a good mood. As a template of the state in which they all should be in. And she even makes a few half-hearted attempts to initiate play with Rath.

"I thought moral was your domain" She looks down at Fidens. Hopefully the man with the liquid hands comes back soon. She herself would like to know what he's up to, although she is sure its in her best interest. But in the meantime there is sand and stock soup she must consume. It could be on fire for all she cares and she would still drink it. Nothing in the entire land could possibly smell as good as that broth to one so hungry.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

He had done as he was asked, and in all honesty he knew little of horses and even less of dogs. But he was an integral part of the Sanctuaries functioning. He knew medicine, herbs, and he almost knew his way around a philtering set blindfolded. He could mix the most interesting of mixtures, and apply them in the most intricate of ways. Sure his skillset wasn’t as easily observable as Rath, Kavala, nor Raiha. But his had astounding effects on what went on. He could treat all kinds of things with almost relative ease…but in a way it still left him empty.

With a sigh he listened to Rath and his seemingly dual personality speak one after the other. One minute brash and the other polite. He still couldn’t understand this man and his Uruk. But he didn’t need to, he only knew that he seemed to not be able to be trusted as far as Serrif could throw him…and that wasn’t very far. But it was all mostly due to misunderstanding between them. But those were bound to happen; especially between two very different people from two very different cultures. That accepted he decided he would do his best and that would be all he could do.

Serrif exited the room again to wash the residual alcohol from his arms and hands. Seems the dogs wouldn’t like it nor put up with it…which was fine by him Rath seemed to know best in this department. He moved to the kitchen and washed up as he ran through his mind what he was going to collect. He could picture the plant in his mind right now…but as far as a name he was still lost. So he tried…he really tried but he came up with nothing…wonderful now how was he going to explain himself? But he would have to try. That was really all he could do.

He entered the room again and nodded to Rath…or Uruk…he didn’t care who the man had decided he was right now. “The plant I am looking for grows in lightly forested areas, almost like a bush. It has several different cousins but the one of interest to us is light green and grows thin shoots and no actual leaves. The lighter the cousin the more sure I am that it is the correct plant. The darker cousins when mixed with some other herbs can have adverse psychological effects and produce vivid hallucinations. But the lighter cousins are not known to have these effects. “ He stated his knowledge bluntly hopefully answering any questions and stopping any hearsay of him not knowing what he was looking for.

“But I can’t remember the name of the plant, only what it looks like and where it grows.” He admitted but the information he had was more than enough to go off of. “But it’s enough.”

He wasn’t waiting for anything in particular; maybe some nod of confirmation from Rath would be nice. But he didn’t expect any of them to come out with him if and when he decided to go. No Rath would stay here to tend to the dog, and the woman would likely stay as well. But he didn’t mind making lone trips; he found them comforting. A way to escape everything for a little while before heading back in headfirst. SO he would stay and play nice for a little while longer.

“I am glad to see the patient is doing so much better. Her recovery will likely be a quick one. You are just strong willed aren’t you?” He said as he gently rubbed underneath the patients chin.