[Job Thread] Clinic Duty

[Jeremy Casing]

62nd Summer, 515AV

"Will this do?" The young farmer led Jeremy into one of the smaller barns, swinging his arms to emphasise the impressive space within.

Jeremy looked around himself. The barn had a decent-sized main area, with three small pens to one side and a larger one in the corner. It would certainly sere the purpose that Jeremy needed of it. "It's perfect." He said, with a small nod, "thanks for this, Francis."

The farmer held up a held in a polite acceptance of Jeremy's thanks. "No problem. D'ya need to a hand to get things sorted?"

The Kelvic gestured to the bag hanging from his left shoulder. "No thank you. There's not much to do." Francis nodded and departed from the barn, leaving Jeremy to give the area a closer inspection.

Until now, Jeremy's veterinary service had only incorporated random call-outs, whereby he visited the injured or ill animal, regardless of its status and health. Whilst this had allowed him to come to the aid of many creatures who would have otherwise suffered in pain or died, there was no structure to his day. Likewise, it had been known for a particularly nervous farmer's wife to require his service in the middle of the night for a harmless or even non-existent ailment (he thought of Bettie Greene, who had asked him two nights in a row to attend to her cat who she was convinced was dead. Muffin, however, had simply been asleep and was rather deaf).

Hence, Jeremy had thought of the idea of a drop-in service for any concerned pet owner or farmer. He had no idea how many people would visit him today, but he hoped that Francis, and the odd few posters he had pinned up around town, would manage to spread the word.

But first, he needed to organise himself. He had come equipped with the basic selection of medical supplies: some herbs, his surgeon's kit, and a blanket to bring comfort of any nervous or young animal. The Kelvic laid these down on the hay-covered floor of the barn, placing them in the centre of the room where he planned to conduct the check-ups.

Finally, he retrieved a small diary from his bag and made a note of the date and the title of today's work.

56th Summer.

The first drop-in service I have provided for the people of Mithryn.

With that, Jeremy began to pace slowly up and down the length of the barn. Now, he simply needed to wait.

[Jeremy Casing]

But he would not need to wait for long.

"Jeremy? You open 'fer business?"

"Yes, of course" The Kelvic sprung eagerly around to face the source of the voice. Peter Woodsworth was one of the kinder farmers, and happened to be the man who owned the dog who had mothered Jester. The Kelvic had been there when the sheepdog bitch - amusedly named Steve Dog by the youngest member of the Woodsworth household - had birthed his own canine companion. For that reason, Jeremy held Peter in high regard. "What's the matter?"

The farmer stepped inside the dimness of the barn, sliding the farmer's cap off his head and looking sadly behind him. "It's Steve Dog. She's got a lump." He patted his thigh, and a black-and-white sheepdog trotted happily over to her owner. She looked well enough; bright eyes, a wagging tail, but Jeremy was frowning.

"A lump? Where?"

"On 'er ribs. Only noticed it the other day, but thought it were a bee sting or somethin'." Peter looked sorrowfully down to his faithful dog, who happened to be one of the best herders in the Mithryn. If Steve Dog were fatally ill, it would be a hard loss for the entire Woodsworth family.

But Jeremy maintained a sense of calm as he crouched down and touched Steve's Dog's ears gently. She was nervous, but did not seem to be in intense pain. "It's the left side, right there." Peter bent forwards, his thick fingers touching the collie dog's side fondly.

Indeed, when Jeremy ran his hand along Steve Dog's ribcage, he felt a peculiar lump approximately one inch in diameter. It was not squishy, like a pus-filled sore, but neither was the lump hard like a bee sting or fleabite. Frowning, he glanced up to Peter and back to Steve Dog. "Has she shown any other symptoms? Vomiting, diarrhea?"

The farmer shook his head. "She's been fine. Herdin' as well as always, not sick or anything."

It was a good sign. But Jeremy was still puzzled over the cause of the lump, as well as the potential risks attached to it. He felt the lump again, pushing his fingertips lightly around it to gage a good idea of its shape and texture. The growth moved with Steve Dog's skin; another good sign. "I don't think it's attached to her ribs or lungs." He said slowly, eyes closed and fingers roaming the lump still. It felt doughy, as if Peter's humble wife had stuffed Steve Dog's skin full of unbaked pastry. "And she doesn't seem to be in any pain." He leaned back on his haunches, frowning and looking at the growth.

With a groan, Jeremy stood up and concluded: "I'm not immediately concerned, because she isn't uncomfortable. But I'd suggest keeping an eye on it. I might be able to trim her fur, if that helps?"

The farmer shook his head, "the wife'll see to that. So you think she'll be okay?"

Nodding, Jeremy stood up and placed a comforting had on Steve Dog's head. "I think so. But of course, please come to see me if she suddenly goes flat, or if you notice the lump has changed dramatically."

[Jeremy Casing]

Peter thanked Jeremy for the consultation and bid him goodbye. The Kelvic was unsure how much his advice had been trusted, and he made a note in his diary to remind himself to read up on growths in dogs. Only after a tick, Jeremy crossed out 'in dogs' and left this reminder open. He decided that there was no point in limiting his knowledge to one species only. All sorts of creatures were kept as pets or working animals at the Mithryn after all.

A timid-sounding knock on the barn door made him look up in surprise. A young girl, no older than fourteen, stood just within the entrance. She was holding a bundle of fur that did not look particularly pleased at being seized so... lovingly. "Hello," Jeremy said, trying his best to sound child-friendly and welcoming, "can I help you?"

The teenager stepped into the barn and crouched down, releasing the pile of fur onto the hay-covered floor. "My cat's injured." Her voice was terribly forlorn. The girl gestured to her right "got something in her eye. It's gone all red and..." She waved her fingers in front of her face, presumably indicating a particularly sticky or gross eye.

"Let's see, shall we?" The Kelvic replied, though his attention had long since shifted from girl to feline. The cat was young - he guessed it had been born earlier in the year. It crept cautiously across the hay, clearly quite confused how it arrived on this strange, crunchy floor that was quite different to the carpet at home. When Jeremy approached, the skittish creature flinched and turned sharply away, but glanced back just briefly enough for the two to make eye contact.

"She's called Cuddles." The young girl said hopefully, as if that would help Jeremy's chances of inspecting her pet, "Cuddles." She repeated quietly, more to herself than to Jeremy, or indeed to Cuddles.

Despite the cutesy name, Cuddles did not seem all that keen on contact. Jeremy reached out several times in an attempt to scoop up the feline. Each time, she sauntered away just enough so his fingertips missed. When he scooted across the hay towards her, the cat gave a timid hiss.

Jeremy sighed, sat back on his knees and chose to inspect the cat from afar. He could see that it was her left eye that was causing trouble, but as of yet Jeremy did not know the cause. "How long as her eye been closed for?"

"Oh- only today. She went missin' yesterday and when she came back, it was like that." The girl hovered nervously at the entrance to the barn, her hands clasped together in a prayer for her beloved pet. "Will she die?" The desperate question exploded out of her in a fit of nerves.


"No, I don't think so." He turned around and gave the scared teenager his most reassuring of smiles. When she was still pouting, Jeremy stood up before gesturing to Cuddles. "Why don't you come back in a bell or so? I'm going to try and befriend her and look at her eye, but it might take a while." When the girl did not move, Jeremy spoke again: "I promise Cuddles will be fine. If you tell me your name and address, I can drop her back to you if I treat her soon rather than later."

Eventually she nodded. "My name's Charlotte. Charlotte Montgomery."

The girl went on to inform Jeremy of her address, and then she left him alone with the elusive Cuddles. The cat was currently sniffing about the corners of the barn, pausing every so often to sweep her head this way and that to accommodate the lack of vision out of her left eye.

It took several attempts for Jeremy to successfully get a hold of Cuddles. She was a terribly skittish animal, despite Charlotte's eternal love and constant affections. Even as Jeremy soothed her with his touch and low tones, he could sense her fear and anxiety. He guessed that it was because she had been missing for the whole day previous, which for a young cat would have been a very trying time indeed. Eventually, though, Jeremy managed to scoop the feline into his arms, and after a few chimes she stopped writhing enough for him to investigate her eye.

The damage was due to a small splinter that had embedded itself in the outer corner of Cuddle's eye. It looked as if the cat had subsequently scratched and rubbed at the splinter to such as extent that she had caused further damage than the splinter would have ever caused. Her eye was red, swollen, and seeped ever so slightly in the cornea.

But there was no chance of Jeremy getting close to treating Cuddles unless she significantly calmed down. The easiest way to achieve that would be to leave her in one of the smaller pens that littered the edge of the barn. Jeremy did just that, but he also offered Cuddles a fingernail-sized piece of cheese that was wrapped in dried Lilian Root Tea leaves. The herbs would relax Cuddles, putting her in a more suitable state to be inspected and hopefully treated.

[Jeremy Casing]

The tealeaves would work after a short while Jeremy knew, but when he turned towards the barn door the Kelvic was yet again surprised to see another client waiting for him. The people of the Mithryn clearly felt a need for a drop-in veterinary clinic, which in a strange way boosted his confidence

"Hello Penelope." He said, giving the woman a little wave. She in turn raised a hand in a brief greeting, but Jeremy could tell from her furrowed brow that she was worried. Beside her stood Coal, her beloved horse who she had raised and trained herself. "What's wrong with Coal?" He stepped forward and gestured to the young cob.

Penelope licked her lips before speaking, "he err- he's not well, Jeremy." She blinked away a particularly stubborn tear and gave the horse reins a gentle tug. Coal followed her into the barn. As the horse stepped out of the blinding daylight, Jeremy could see why Penelope was so concerned. Coal was much thinner than when Jeremy had last seen him, which had been only ten days ago at the most.

The Kelvic rushed forwards, placing two hands on Coal's neck in an instinctively to gage what the horse was feeling. He was terribly exhausted and weak. Slowly, Jeremy retracted his hands and began to inspect the horse's body. He was damp to the touch, filmed with a cold sweat that did nothing but feed Jeremy's concerns. He circled around the horse slowly, sharp eyes drinking in Coal's poor appearance. On his second lap around Coal, Jeremy noticed something.

A tiny quivering of muscle on Coal's right shoulder.

Jeremy peered at the tremor, leaning in close to see the minute vibrations of along the horse's nerves. He had never seen anything like it before, and this put the fear of Gods in Jeremy. Swallowing down and doing his best to sound confident, he turned to Penelope. He needed more information. "Has he shown any other symptoms? I can see he's lost weight, but--"

"He started making this noise, like--" Penelope gave a phlegmy snuffle before quickly apologising for the grossness of the sound. "...It was something like that, like he was struggling to breathe. That's what made me bring him to you."

As if on cue, Coal snorted and flicked his tail at an annoying fly that harassed him. He was no longer making this sound, but Jeremy nevertheless made his way to the horse's head. Perhaps there was something in Coal's teeth that had caused a subsequent infection? But after Jeremy had prised open the horse's mouth, he could see no inflamed gums or blood. "Have you actually seen him eat?" He asked Penelope.

The woman shrugged. "Not really. We tend to feed the horses in the evening, and leave them to it. The food's always gone in the morning, but my brother's little pony's a greedy bugger." A flittering of a smile crossed her lips, but then Penelope's face crumpled and gave a deep, wobbly sigh.

Jeremy's heart ached. It pleased him to see an animal so adored by his owner. But it was just as painful to see an owner sick with worry and so emotional. He thought of Jester, Jip and Polly. Jeremy wouldn't be to handle it if any of his beloved pack fell ill -- Gods forbid it.

[Jeremy Casing]

He was thoroughly concerned about Coal's health, but Jeremy felt helpless. Beyond offering the horse some companionship and gentle encouragement to heal, he had no inkling of what to do.

When a pained mewl broke through the otherwise silent barn, the Kelvic snapped into action. "I have another patient," he said quietly, jerking his head back towards the corner of the barn in which Cuddle remained caged. "It won't take long, but I must clean her eyes and return her to Charlotte Montgomery."

"That pretty little girl with the pigtails?" Penelope gave a tired smile and small nod. "We can wait, don't worry."

Despite the woman's statement, Jeremy still felt guilty as he turned his attention back to Cuddles. The cat sat drowsily in her cage, clearly far more relaxed than before. "I see your mood has improved significantly." Jeremy said wryly with a smile. The cat mewed in response.

After picking her up, Jeremy held Cuddle in the nook of one arm and with his free hand, carefully investigated her infected eye. He made his way to his medical supplies, and tore off a piece of bandage. He uncorked a vial of eyewash and dipped a corner of the clean dressing into the miniature bottle. Finally, he dabbed at the cat's eyes carefully, applying a light pressure so as not to cause pain or further damage.

After only two or three wipes, Cuddles' eye was much improved. It looked cleaner, and far less gummy than before. After three more washes with three more pieces of torn and eyewash-soaked bandage, the young cat was beginning to pry open her eyelid.

"Much better." Jeremy murmured, stroking down Cuddles' head with a newfound affection for the now relaxed cat. "But I reckon Charlotte will be missing you. Let's get you home."

Charlotte Montgomery was waiting outside her father's home when Jeremy arrived. She scooped Cuddles out of his arms and the cat immediately began to purr. Amongst the young girl's heartfelt thanks, Jeremy left strict instruction for her to clean Cuddles' eyes with water and clean material. "Remember, I'll be dropping by in three days to make sure she's progressing well, and to perhaps bathe her eye again in eyewash. But I should imagine she will be fine from now."

He left the Montgomery home and returned to his barn.

"Jeremy," Penelope greeted him desperately, her arms clinging to his and a look of panic in her eyes, "Coal is seriously not well."

When he looked up to the horse, the Kelvic was distraught at how much the animal had worsened in less than a bell. It took a hard swallow and blink of his eyes for Jeremy to respond with: "No, Penelope. He's really not."