[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

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Built into the cliffs overlooking the Suvan Sea, Riverfall resides on the edge of grasslands of Cyphrus where the Bluevein River plunges off the plain and cascades down to the inland sea below. Home of the Akalak, Riverfall is a self-supporting city populated by devoted warriors. [Riverfall Codex]

[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

Postby Cugacon on August 31st, 2011, 2:11 pm

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Summer 85, 511 A.V.

Cuga walked with his long easy stride. There was no particular urgency to be seen in his steps which were even now bringing him to the bottom of the stairs that led upwards to the healing clinic. But his outward steady manner belied what was going on in his head, and his heart. The situation did not seem to be dire, he insisted to himself - merely perplexing. But the Kelvic – well, his Kelvic – he corrected himself as he was thinking, seemed to be in a decline of sorts. That, on top of her persistence in keeping to her animal form, had caused Cuga’s father, Elantok, to say more then once in the past few days, Take her to the healer. She is a very skilled young woman. Perhaps she can assist you in bringing your girl around. Elantok had spoken in his quiet, grave voice. Cuga had heard past his father’s words, knowing the concern lay more with his son than the apparently sick Kelvic. With his son, and his prospective grandson – or lack thereof. The Kelvic had been purchased recently expressly for the purpose of trying to beget such a grandson, and Elantok had breathed a quiet sigh of relief. His son was so stubborn, so deliberate. For a hunter who every day of his life had to make split second life or death decisions, Cugacon could certainly dig in his heels and take an excruciatingly long time to make up his mind on other issues in his life. Though Elantok knew that his son was well aware of his duty, and was committed to seeing it carried out, he had become a little impatient with Cugacon. More than several times, he had quietly spoken at length with his only son, trying to light a fire under him. Cuga was now forty-five – it was high time to . . . do something. Acquire a female from somewhere, somehow, and begin what might be an extremely long process of trying to sire a child. Elantok himself subtly tried to push the idea of a contract – to bind a female to Cuga by law – a Konti in particular, he thought, was a good choice. They fared so much better than the others, generally speaking.

But in the end, Elantok was pleased enough when Cugacon had finally announced that he would seek out a Kelvic. He didn’t question his son’s choice, but was more than relieved that at last a decision had been made. That had been several months ago. He had left the selection up to Cuga, the Kelvic had been acquired through a dealer, and the young woman brought into their home up by the top of the falls. Without being overly nosy, Elantok was still able to assure himself that both his son and the Kelvic were fulfilling their obligations, though from Cuga’s demeanor, you might never have known it. This puzzled Elantok a bit, for he himself had always found the fringe benefit of sharing a female’s company to be most welcome, beyond looking upon it as an obligation. But he didn’t pry. He was satisfied that, at last, thins were moving in the right direction.

But about two weeks ago, father and son were a bit nonplussed when the girl, who was allowed to shift if she chose – as long as she was available in human form when needed – remained in her animal form for a day, and a night, and then the next day. First Cugacon and then his father tried to talk to the little animal, to coax her back to her human form. Neither was inclined to be harsh – they weren’t those type of men. But when three days had gone by and still no change, Cugacon had told his Kelvic point blank that she had better be obedient or he would take her back to the market and make sure he got his money back. Of course, he didn’t follow through with his mild threat – he had in fact grown attached to the little thing. And despite his father’s take on things, Cuga had been enjoying his Kelvic’s company immensely. There was just some part of him that cautioned his heart not to take things too seriously. It was business as well as pleasure – and more the former than the latter. Besides, he was a busy man – he had little time to moon over some pretty girl. But – though he had tired to keep her, and his feelings, at arm’s length – when he looked at her in her animal form, and thought about how she had felt in his arms, well . . . no. He did to take her back to the market.

So father and son had waited to see what would happen. And after a week, the Kelvic was eating barely anything. Cuga would sit with her in his lap, stroking her soft fur and trying to coax her into taking the morsels of fish he offered. Finally, she stopped eating altogether, and the night before, she had lain unmoving, totally listless, and limp like a little rag doll. Unable to believe that she would pull out of this on her own, Cuga had made up his mind. And thus, he was now climbing the stairs, intent upon seeking help for her, and trying not to consider the chance that this healer might not have any solution to offer.

Entering through the doors into the front room, he stopped, waiting for the staff person behind a counter of sorts to look up. He stepped closer, then, and reached carefully into the leather pack slung over his shoulder. Gently pulling forth his sick girl, he cradled her in his arms, saying, “We need to see the healer. She is sick.” Stroking the soft, glossy fur of the small otter with his fingers, he tried to think beyond what her soft skin had felt like when his fingers had caressed her human form. This was business, he told himself. The business of his dying race.

“Her name is Itsa.”
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[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

Postby Kavala on August 31st, 2011, 5:28 pm

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Kavala was sitting at the counter, though not as a receptionist. Sanctuary had none, not really, because everyone needed to work, and that was especially true this time of year. They'd often thought of hiring a local youth interested in medicine or healing to greet customers on some of their busier days and crazy seasons like summer, but they'd never gotten around too it. Kavala was sitting at the counter because the honest truth was it was the last place left to sit. She was sorting herbs, separating stems from leaves and removing bark from stems in a last minute push to get the bounty of Riverfall's summer harvest put away. Medicinal herbs, harvested locally, were strewn everywhere with only the examining table in the main clinic room left unoccupied.

Sort, dry, and then store. Sort, grind, and then store. Sort ,ferment, and then store. With fall coming right around the corner, breeding season over, foaling season long past, the staff was left to run afield like packrats collecting what they could and rebuilding enough medicines pre-made to last the facility through the winter. They were tired too. By the time fall ended, and winter had its grip, everyone would be well in need of a rest. For Kavala this was especially true. Just having survived a lengthy pregnancy and having given birth, she felt like she'd been next to useless until spring had brought Tasifal and the release of her body from its engorged shape. Even Tasi wasn't very far. Napping in a modified woven willow chair that bounced if the baby moved, he rested on his own section of the counter, a cloth bag in his hand that had a piece of rock candy tucked into its corner. The infant was sucking diligently on the rock candy through the bag, soothing his own sore gums and letting his mother work.

When the bells hung above the clinic door chimed, Kavala saw a flash of deep blue skin and froze. Too dark to be him, she thought, as the stranger pushed open the door and entered the reception. Every time the door chimes danced she wondered if he would be dropping by, if he'd finally come and see the son he'd gotten on her. But he never came. Neither did his family. No word was sent either and she didn't pry. By now they would know she'd given birth, and by now they'd had a chance to come see their next generation. Instead, he'd signed over his rights to her, granting her full possession of Tasifal in the event that something happened to him. It had hurt and confused her, so much so that she'd ran the gauntlet of emotions: anger, confusion, hurt, then anger again until finally something in her had died and her sometimes overly generous heart had hardened.

She wanted to hate the Akalak. But she couldn't judge the entire race by the actions of one of them. She'd lived in this community for years now, since her rescue, and she loved its people and culture. She felt safe here, and had made friends and business contacts and had built a life for herself when there was nothing else left to do. And what she had built she as proud of, adding to it piece by piece until the whole was larger than she could even comprehend in one setting.

But there was so much work to do, so much more. It never ended, and until Tasi was older and sleeping through the night, Kavala would show the tell-tail signs of exhaustion not unlike all new mothers. Her long straight white hair was swept up into a ponytail making her look younger than her thirty three years. It bared her neck, revealing the scales there which peppered her forehead and checks before disappearing in a whirl of iridescence beneath the sleeveless black tunic she wore. The tunic seemed to emphasize her paleness and the dark circles under her eyes. White leather pants completed her outfit. She wore only thin black sandals that reflected she as working inside today. Most other days boots graced her feet because she was out working on the horses. She wore no jewelry save for the thick manacle like silver bracelet on her wrist that broadcasted her status to all Akalaks. She was a Nakivak, a breeder for Riverfall, and available for contract because the bracelet was silver. Had it been gold, the visitor would have known she was already claimed and in service to another.

Kavala stood up and the visitor could get a better look at her as she walked around the counter, picking up a cloth and gently wiping her webbed hands. He could see she was armed with daggers, had a belt pouch, and a long long set of arms that were chiseled with muscle clearly defining her as some sort of martial artist or at least a person that trained religiously to strengthen her body even though some things softened the look, things a nursing baby could be pinpointed as being responsible for.

Kavala moved deliberately, openly, with a grace that neither belonged to a dancer or a skittish deer. Kavala was used to dealing with Akalaks, and knew they preferred to see what they were dealing with in whole pictures rather than pieces and on her feet was a lot more safe getting to know a stranger than sitting down. One never knew which personality was in charge and if the one in question was feeling rather violent. Standing up, she could fight or flee better than she could perched on a chair. It wasn't that Riverfall wasn't safe. It was. The problem was more that the strange individuals that tended to grace Sanctuary's doorstep weren't typical Riverfall folks.

"I'm Kavala. One of the healers here. May I?
" She asked, holding out her hands for the little otter. She didn't meet the Akalak's gaze, not at first, because she was still assessing the situation and his personality. He wore no facial tattoos and seemed calm, but that meant nothing. If he allowed it, Kavala would take the little otter from his hands, gently cradle her, and carry her into the examination room. "You're welcome to follow us." She'd tell the Akalak.

Once in the exam room, Kavala held the creature with one hand, then spread a towel out on the table with another. She gently laid the creature down on the cloth and then slowly began to go over her body with her hands. She reached out with her konti gift, her empathy for animals, and tried to search the creatures emotions for any sign of what was wrong. It was something she did even before she took vitals and did an assessment. All she got was a jumble of images, mixed emotions, and incredibly sentient thinking.

She turned to him in surprise, startled the otter was kelvic. "She's kelvic." It wasn't so much as a question though it was. "Can you tell me what happened? When did she start feeling sick? How did this come on? Can you ask her to shift so I can talk to her?" Kavala said, all the while running her hands over the otter looking both with her sense of touch and her gnosis for any sign of damage. Tapping her gnosis marks from Rak'keli helped tremendously in diagnosis. It let her look inside something without cutting an animal open or otherwise damaging it. She moved cautiously, finding no broken bones, no internal bleeding, no real damage other than what any playful creature who's lived gently would have.

When she touched the otter's head though, she could feel something wrong in Itsa's mind. Where there should have been healthy brain tissues, there was instead a growth of some sort, unnatural and malignant. Kavala could heal most things, from internal injuries to some diseases and very bad injuries. But tumors, things that grew wild in the body, were beyond her help. And she knew what ones would do when they grew inside an animals brain. Motor, speech, sometimes eyesight or hearing got effected.

She looked up and met the Akalak's eyes. She gently searched his gaze, not knowing what this kelvic was to him and what such news would bring. Like all his kind, he was a big man, though he'd be considered on the smaller size for some of his race. But to her he was huge. He moved like a big cat too, deliberate and soft on his feet, as if he was no stranger to battle and training. His skin was so dark that he'd blend into the night as if he were one with it. But all that was not what she was actually looking for. What she wanted to know is what this kelvic was to him? A pet? A lover? A breeder? What the kelvic was would depend on how she would broach the subject to him. Kavala's fingers moved back down the otters body. Only in Riverfall would a healer need to double check, but she did. The girl's womb was empty and that much relieved Kavala because telling him his pet or slave was dying was far easier than telling the stranger that his kelvic and his son were both dying.

"Is she bonded to you?" Kavala asked quietly, then even more softer, her voice perhaps betraying what she knew... "Ravok, I would suspect right? She was imported from Ravok." It made sense. Kavala had seen growths on Kelvics before, most all of them from Ravok. The pits were unclean so too was the entire city. Did he order her like Kavala herself often ordered lumber from the timber supplier? The Konti waited, her eyes lightening from their intense azure color to a softer blue grey that was filled with sadness. She'd tell him what she knew, but first she'd let him speak.

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Please Note:
  • This pc is maxed out in Animal Husbandry, Medicine, Observation, Rhetoric, and Socialization.
  • Kavala a Master Teacher. Students she is teaching in thread can earn more than the maxium 5 XP per thread.
  • This pc has a Konti Gift of Animal Empathy. She has a superpower from a Riverfall city event that allows animals of all sorts and Kelvics (in kelvic form) to speak clear understandable Common around her.
  • Kavala is a Konti but was raised in the Drykas culture so her accent is entirely Pavi though she can speak Common, Pavi, and Tukant well. She's only conversational in Kontinese.
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[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

Postby Raiha on September 1st, 2011, 3:13 am

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Raiha, armed with Chuki, Diallo, and Yakini had spent her morning flushing the pasture and going further beyond it in search of of the precious resources that they would see the last of this season as the fall turned cold. The season of autumn brought about a whole new cornucopia, which would be collected in due time.

She undid the bags from where she had draped them over the horse, and turned her mare loose in the pasture with the other mares and foals. Chuki was deposited in the mews, and Diallo trotted along after her as she headed for where she knew Kavala would be, because it was where she had been for the last couple days working on herbs and plants. Judging by the sound of people inside as Raiha approached, Kavala was doing an inspection. She gently knocked on the door that had bene left ajar anyway and opened it, planning to just drop off the herbs for Kavala and leave, depending on what all was going down in there.

The big white deerstalker followed the blue-skinned female as she went around the counter to deposit the herbs right where Kav wouldn’t have to get up later to get them, and risked a peek at the patient. An otter? Not a healthy one, either. She siddled up alongside of Kavala to have a look, quiet as she should be, and listened to the Konti’s analysis. Not for the first time, she admired Kavala’s ability to diagnose and discern these things. For her, she would have used Auristics and looked them over and then gone from there. But Kavala’s skills were beyond that, and it was yet another reason why Raiha had missed her friend while she had been gone. She was a lovely creature... and it was unfortunate that she was in this state.
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Last edited by Raiha on September 2nd, 2011, 5:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

Postby Cugacon on September 1st, 2011, 12:24 pm

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Cugacon allowed the Konti to take Itsa from his arms, noting her gentle manner with his Kelvic. “I am Cugacon Rama.” He said, in reply to her own introduction. But those were the only words from his lips, as the healer – for he assumed her to be the one his father had spoken of – led him to a smaller room and carefully and with obvious concern for the little animal, began her examination. Cuga watched in an outwardly dispassionate way, though every moment he could feel each beat of his heart as he looked down on the creature who had already in some ways become close to him. When Kavala posed her questions in a somewhat surprised tone, Cuga answered evenly, with little emotion in his voice. “Yes, she is Kelvic. I bring her to you because she can not shift, or will not. Two weeks ago this happened – I don’t know why. But she has not taken human form since then, and she has . . . “ He hesitated. His voice did not break – he would not allow sentiment to get in the way of giving the healer the information that might help her determine what was going on with Itsa. His voice steady again, he continued. “She has stopped eating and since last night she has been like this.” He would have reached out and stroked her silky fur, touching her head to indicate the closed eyes, the attitude of sleep, though Itsa was not asleep. Instead, he merely nodded down at the Kelvic. “As if she is lost in the dreamworld, and can not wake.”

Kavala had continued her inspection of the otter as Cuga spoke and though on another occasion, the Akalak might have found the medical exam intriguing, and the healer even more so, at this moment all he could do was to push away the sadness around his heart and try to force some optimism into his thoughts. After a few more moments, Kavala looked up at him. Cugacon was not one to avert his eyes when someone chose to look into them, so he did not flinch but looked back. Still, he did not really register their loveliness that otherwise might have made his blood run a bit faster for an entirely different reason then the dread that coursed through his veins at that moment. The healer’s question was almost in itself enough to confirm Cuga’s worst fears of Itsa’s condition. Though it was rare, and he wasn’t even sure the stories he had heard of it were true, he knew what the healer was going to say. Itsa was afflicted by an illness that some said could strike at a Kelvic when it was not compatible with her Akalak master – so that when they mated and the Kelvic conceived, she became ill and withered away. The pregnancy killed her. Cuga’s child inside Itsa was killing her. He would be the cause of her death. Like so many, many females who had died, and would continue to die, in order that the Akalaks survive. The thought made Cuga’s fingers clench tightly in frustration – anger – sadness. But all this he kept carefully from his face.

“I arranged for her purchase, two months ago, from Ravok, as you say. I bought her to bear a son, of course.” He paused, pushing his fear from his throat. Evenly, he asked, “Is she with child?”
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[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

Postby Kavala on September 1st, 2011, 5:45 pm

ImageKavala nodded. "It's nice to meet you Cugacon Rama." The healer said, still stroking Itsa's fur. The soothing motion got very little response from the otter, just the occasional ear flicking and slight twitch of her tail. The responses seemed almost automatic, as if nerves were firing on their own. Kavala opened her senses even further, looking for the otter's emotions, her feelings, what she could sense and what she could not. There was a vague drifting to the creature's conscious. She knew she was somewhere other than her home, but the lack of concern or care bothered Kavala. She hadn't eaten, so by rights the kelvic should have been starved. But she didn't even feel hunger. There was a lack of response to all things, and even the cognition that most creatures had was muted.

Kavala nodded to Raiha when she came in, quickly introduced her to Cugacon, and then resumed her exam.

Kavala blinked, stroking the otters fur again, and gathering her thoughts. If her patient had been anywhere near aware of what was going on, Kavala would have asked Cugacon to move outside with her while they spoke. But the otter was too far lost to care. The thing growing in her mind had robbed her of the ability to feel things, think things, and death would soon come knocking. Kavala's strokes across the creatures form also yielded knowledge of another sort. She wanted to know if there were any signs of trauma, abuse, perhaps even of the otter being forced to do things in another form. Two weeks without shifting would have healed any signs of this, but old damage like torn muscles, broken bones that had healed, would still be evident. Itsa had no such issues.

"I have a sensitivity to animals. I can hear them, their feelings and their general attitudes. It's called animal empathy. She... is feeling nothing really. No hunger from not eating, no nervousness from being somewhere different and being touched by a stranger, and she's not in any pain." Kavala said softly. Slowly, she continued. "She has a growth in her brain. It is putting pressure on places in her head that allow her to think, feel, even shift. Odds are when it got big enough, it pressed on her place where she knows how to shift first. She doesn't know whats happening to her really, I don't think, because she's feeling nothing and thinking nothing. That means she's been sick a while, probably before you got her. Ravok keeps their kelvics in terrible conditions. They often live in their own filth and know nothing but crude handling as children. If they can't fight, they are fed to fighters unless they are female and comely enough to fetch a good price from the Akalak. She's not going to survive this, Cugacon. I cannot cut a growth out of her mind because it will leave her mindless if cutting on her head doesn't already kill her. Odds are, she was always too sick to conceive for you. She is not carrying a child now nor has she recently. There'd be scars on her womb from where the child grew and she has none." Kavala glanced through the exam room to where her son was still sleeping soundly on the counter.

Some days he was so quiet, such a good baby, and other days he screamed like a glassbeak deprived of a kill. She was thankful she had him and could not imagine what Cugacon must be going through if he really wanted a son. "She wont' survive. The growth will press on more of her mind until her body can no longer function. You'll have to force food and water into her until that happens, though it shouldn't be longer than ten days, or else she will starve and dehydrate. It would be a kindness to... say goodbye now." Kavala said softly. "I can give her herbs to make her pass to Dira quietly so you don't have to do that to yourself and watch her suffer." Kavala said, watching the akalak. She half expected rage or some kind of emotion to cross his face. Knowing a kelvic sixty days was more than enough time to bond to one and let them grow attached. But some Akalak were so aloof. They didn't mesh with those they bred because of the high death rates and pain they often experienced in loosing those they loved.

She was quiet for a few moments, then slowly began to speak again.

"If you wish to purchase another, I'll ...." Kavala's professional demeanor was cracking. The buying and selling of Kelvics enraged her. They were people, not slaves even though they were only considered 'pets' in Riverfall. Kavala took a deep breath. She was angry that the Akalak wasn't showing more emotion. She was angry too that he hadn't brought the kelvic in as soon as there was a problem. But this was her business... if she cast judgement and lectured everyone who brought a kelvic for her for treatment, soon no one would bring in their pets and everyone would suffer more for it.

She started again.

"If you wish to purchase another, please let me look at her first. Buy the youngest one you can from Ravok and if you can avoid it, bypass Ravok stock altogether and find someone here who has bred two kelvics to produce more. Ravok is so.. toxic Many are sick that come here, and not only can they produce sickly offspring, but they can make you sick as well just by sexual contact. You want any son you have to be produced by a strong mother. If you want a very intelligent kelvic, buy an older female that has never bonded or been used for pleasure. Your bond to her will be very strong and she'll be around to be a mother for your son if you give her proper medical care while shes pregnant. As sick as this otter is, she should have been brought in ten days ago or more. Don't ever wait that long again. You might even be sick too now because you've been intimate with her. I would suggest a visit to your health clinic or let me take a look at you as well." Kavala said softly, glancing down at the otter.

"You'll need to make some decisions quickly. I'm sorry for such bad news." Kavala said softly. She'd let the Akalak decide what he wanted to do. It was a hard decision to make.. a very hard one indeed.


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Please Note:
  • This pc is maxed out in Animal Husbandry, Medicine, Observation, Rhetoric, and Socialization.
  • Kavala a Master Teacher. Students she is teaching in thread can earn more than the maxium 5 XP per thread.
  • This pc has a Konti Gift of Animal Empathy. She has a superpower from a Riverfall city event that allows animals of all sorts and Kelvics (in kelvic form) to speak clear understandable Common around her.
  • Kavala is a Konti but was raised in the Drykas culture so her accent is entirely Pavi though she can speak Common, Pavi, and Tukant well. She's only conversational in Kontinese.
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[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

Postby Cugacon on September 2nd, 2011, 2:45 pm

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The Akalak listened carefully, as if focusing on the healer’s words would somehow ease the pain he felt as his brain processed them. He wasn’t even really surprised or relieved that what the Konti said did not confirm what he had thought, that Itsa was dying of complications from an early pregnancy. Of course, Kavala’s words held no comfort for Cugacon at all. His Kelvic mate was dying – as good as dead already – and despite the short time they had been together his heart shrank a bit with that knowledge. It didn’t matter that it was likely Itsa had been sick when she came to him. It didn’t matter that when she breathed her last she would not also be taking a son with her to the beyond. All he could think of at that moment was that he would not again hold her, kiss her, lay with her to create new life. It saddened him beyond words to think that even as they had done so, it was likely this death awaited her, silent and lurking in the shadows of her brain. The risk to himself went barely noted as the healer spoke of it. Time enough to think about that later. The same when it came to considering any type of replacement for Itsa. Now, he was faced with a decision that was almost too difficult to make. But Cugacon was not one to shy away from difficulty, no matter its form – no matter how close to his heart it cut.

His long fingers - strong enough to snap a Zith’s neck in two - finally uncurled and reached out to touch the soft, dark fur once – gently, briefly. With his deep green eyes on his would be mate, he said evenly, “Do not let her suffer. If you are sure that you can not save her, then ease her way to the next world.” His fingers then slipped away and his hand fell to hang loosely by his side. His eyes turned to Kavala. “I give you my permission to end her life.”

She was, after all, only a Kelvic, he told himself. That’s all. Easily replaced. Only a part of his existence to produce a son. Everyone knew that it was foolish to get attached to such a short lived thing anyway. If she was ill from the start, better to know that now – better before she had become pregnant and he lost a child as well. Better . . . better to leave right now. Turn and leave and let the healer do her task.

His hand went seemingly of its own accord to touch the otter once more.

“I will stay while you do this.” He said simply, his voice still calm, his eyes betraying nothing.
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[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

Postby Raiha on September 2nd, 2011, 6:06 pm

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The Akontak watched and listened, as she was wont to do. She nodded in greeting when Kavala introduced her, but had little else to add as Kavala gave her prognosis. Nothing pleasant, but it didn’t surprise her at all, though she did keep an eye on the Konti. Kavala’s depression had been getting worse as the season carried on, and her having to euthanize a Kelvic, considering her feelings about them, and her way of feeling what they were feeling, was definitely not helping that. But this was part of the job, and while it wasn’t a part anyone liked, it had to be done.

Sometimes, death was the final kindness, and the last bit of dignity granted to someone who was suffering.

Killing’s part of life. Kanikra commented. Why do you think Kihala concedes that to Dira? Because if the weak ones are not killed, it weakens the strong, and the strong, too, become weak. The weak ones are destined to die. That’s the way it is. That’s the way it’s meant to be.

“I’ll do it.” It was Raiha who spoke up when Cugacon gave them permission to end his Kelvic’s life. Kelvics were people, the two females agreed on that. Raiha had had the pleasure of bonding to three before they disappeared and wandered off, though she didn’t begrudge them that choice, though she missed them and hoped that wherever they were, they were okay. That was all she could hope for. She nudged Kavala over, solidly refusing to give ground until the Konti ceded her spot at the examination table. The fact that Raiha had volunteered had been enough for Kanikra.

It wasn’t that Raiha wouldn’t do it. It would be a good lesson.

But it might have been more to the fact that Kanikra wanted to for once.

Smoothly, without outward signs, the Akontak souls switched spots, leaving Kanikra in charge. Her leather falconry gauntlets were removed. Something of this nature should be done with the bare hands, far softer than even the well-used leather, and so one could properly feel the bones under the dulled fur, and it was with her bare hands that she touched along the otter’s neck and spine, feeling the vertebra. Kanikra very calmly grasped the Kelvic with both hands, and with a sudden movement, a squeeze and a twist, accompanied by the snapping of cracked bones, that was it. There was no ceremony to it. The otter’s chest no longer rose and fell, and the sickened animal no longer impressed itself into Kavala’s animal empathy. Itsa was gone.

“She wouldn’t have been able to swallow, anyway,” Kanikra was calm. There was no discernible difference in voice or tone from the few short words that Raiha had uttered. It was the same voice, the same calm inflection. “No point in using the darts or needles.” Calm gold eyes looked across the table at the Akalak. “Will you be taking her with you, or do you want us to handle her remains?” By us, Kanikra knew Raiha would make sure that the Akontak would take care of it. Kavala didn't need more misery.
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[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

Postby Cugacon on September 2nd, 2011, 10:38 pm

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Cugacon was a bit taken aback at the Akontak’s quick and decisive action. It was much more sudden than he was prepared for. But he understood the why of it, and raised no objection, only letting his gaze linger on his little Itsa as her chest suddenly slipped into a motionless laxity. He had seen death, much of it – animal and Akalak, human and Zith. A fast, clean death was much preferable to lingering on in pain, or illness, or decrepitude. Still . . . his fingertips flexed but his hand remained resting on the table where Kavala had performed her examination. His gaze, though, went from the otter, back to the healer – a steady look but to anyone who knew him well, the internal storm was there to be seen in those swirling green depths. The Akatonk’s inquiry swirled through his mind, as well, and he thought how very, very difficult it would be to carry the Kelvic home, and inter the body, or burn it. He thought for a moment of the river, a home that she probably had never known, for she had told him that she was bred in captivity, in Ravok. His hands lifted from the table and he held them out for her small body.

“I will take her and send her back to Caiyha.” Kavala moved to settle the body gently in his hands, and he carefully returned what had been Itsa to the leather sack. It had all been much faster, and far more final than he had really been prepared for. He suddenly felt very much that he needed to leave and get back up on the plain and hunt, for many, many days.

But courtesy kept him from striding rapidly out the door and down the stairs. Instead, he nodded politely to Kavala and said gravely, “I know you would have done all you could if there had been any hope. I appreciate your candor, and your time.” He turned to the Akontak, to include her as well. “My thanks, for releasing her from her pain.”
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[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

Postby Kavala on September 5th, 2011, 4:52 am

ImageIt was a lot to deal with, thinking of the Kelvic so precariously perched on the edge of life and death with a future that seemed to be pre-written. The only thing that was changeable was how soon that future approached and with what dignity it was faced. Kavala glanced up and met Cugacon's eyes. His voice as even. His eyes said nothing. That bothered her, the guarded expression and even tone. Did it mean he felt too much or that he felt nothing? Kavala turned to gather the herbs she needed. Foxglove in a high dosage would stop the heart while belladonna would ease the breathing into nothing. Sleepbalm in a high dose would cause the kelvic to doze off while the other two herbs did their work. Combined and mixed with a vector like alcohol that would deliver the tincture quickly would make for a fast near effortless death.

She glanced around, the emotion coming off the kelvic bothering her almost as much as the lack of emotion in Cugacon's eyes. Nothing. Feeling nothing was abnormal. She felt too much, cared about these creatures, and wondered if Ista had a good life with the Akalak who owned her. Webbed fingers reached out to cupboard shelves and started to ease down the ingredients she needed when Raiha acted. No, Kavala knew, it wasn't Raiha. It was the dark twin, the one Kavala perhaps saw more of than anyone else in Sanctuary.

Kanikra was good at camouflage. She played her sister Raiha to perfection, but she wasn't her sister and mostly Kavala could tell. Mostly. Kanikra was at her most dangerous when on one knew. Kavala sometimes suspected she held her lighter sister inside at times when it suited her, controlling Raiha as easily as Raiha sometimes withheld her. She was dark, violent, no-nonsense and had an indifference to life that sometimes scared Kavala. Once, when both girls were having a 'discussion' Kavala had lost her temper completely and hauled off and hit her square in the nose, breaking it, simply to get Kanikra's attention. Well, the opposite today wasn't true. Kanikra had Kavala's undivided attention. And in fact, later when Kavala could review what happened, she'd be scared and then angry at herself for freezing like she did. She should have moved, stopped what was about to happen, and do the right thing. Snapping a kelvics neck in front of an owner that may or may not have had a serious emotional investment in the creature was not the way to treat patients and clients.

"Kanikra ... no. NO!" But it was too late. Kavala cried out softly as she felt the life pass, leaned back against the counter behind her still facing the exam table, and sucked in a deep breath. She surged forward then, only with the death unfreezing from her icey state, and took the little body from the Akontak's hands. Kavala met Kanikra's eyes, her gaze full of rage before she blinked hard, and reached out with her gnosis to feel the injury.

Nothing.

The still-warm body held nothing for her borrowed gift from Rak'keli. No life was held within the soft fur. She handed the delicate body to Cugacon and blinked back moisture from her azure eyes. "I'm sorry. So sorry. I... " She wanted to say more, but there was nothing more to say. There was nothing more that could be done. She wanted to tell him a whole host of things, of what she would have liked to have done to help. But he spoke instead, filling the room with the words she should have said had she the voice to speak.

"Thank you... " She said instead. "Thank you for bringing her. Not everyone would have. That makes you someone she deserved as a companion." Kavala said softly. And then she drew one more breath, even as she showed the Akalak to the door. Kavala wouldn't make him linger. Not with the corpse of a kelvic in his arms. Her eyes glanced over towards Tasival, not willing to leave the sleeping infant in Kanikra's company without Raiha's watchful presence.

If Cugacon indeed stepped through the door, Kavala would whirl on Kanikra's visage and stare at her, dragging a webbed set of fingers through long tangled white hair. Her eyes would be full of questions and her expression bristled. Death was death, but there were degrees of it. Kavala's gaze would be looking for one thing and one thing only. Had the dark sister done it for pleasure? Or had she done it for other reasons, reasons that Kavala's snap judgement didn't give her credit for?

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Please Note:
  • This pc is maxed out in Animal Husbandry, Medicine, Observation, Rhetoric, and Socialization.
  • Kavala a Master Teacher. Students she is teaching in thread can earn more than the maxium 5 XP per thread.
  • This pc has a Konti Gift of Animal Empathy. She has a superpower from a Riverfall city event that allows animals of all sorts and Kelvics (in kelvic form) to speak clear understandable Common around her.
  • Kavala is a Konti but was raised in the Drykas culture so her accent is entirely Pavi though she can speak Common, Pavi, and Tukant well. She's only conversational in Kontinese.
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[Sanctuary] The light fades (Kavala/staff)

Postby Cugacon on September 5th, 2011, 3:16 pm

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The Konti’s words did not go unnoted, but they did slide through Cugacon’s mind quickly and were gone, as he took them for mere politeness. What he had been to Itsa, he would never now know. She would never again murmur in his ear as the lay together, and he would not have the chance to ever ask her if she was content, though she had seemed to be so.

With a last nod, he slung the satchel over his shoulder, and walked through the doors of the clinic, out into the sun, his feet setting a course for the river above them.
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