54th day of Winter 513 AV
Today Bob had to make a housecall and he was not too keen on it especially since it was all the way on the other side of Zeltiva. Not only would it take some time for him to travel but the snow would make it hard for him to reach there especially when he has to rush it. "Well, if I can go there why can't they come to me?" Bob told his uncle when he was about to leave and when his uncle was making sure if Bob was really prepared the nephew just answered "yes I've got everything ready. Jacoby told me its a broken leg and I'll only bring what I need. If there is anything more, its his fault for not telling me things properly." Bob understood why he had to go, that big horse of Jacoby with a broken leg had no way of coming to him. Even a dog would have difficulty being carried here. After checking what he had to bring with him at his uncle's behest, Bob was ready to leave.
It has been a long time since Bob has ridden Bobo, his pony. Hopefully it has not been too long that he has forgotten how. Jacoby was rushing Bob wanting to leave already but Bob took his time setting up Bobo. As he was putting on the saddle he told Jacoby "if I fell down from not putting this on properly, who is going to fix your horse?" or more importantly Bob himself. Bob pulled his horse's head towards him asking "I hope you still remember who's taking care of you Bobo" as he started to put on the bit and bridle but found difficulty in the pony's reluctance. Bob again tried to pull the pony's head to him so he can put them on saying "I'm trying. The more you rush me the harder this is" to Jacoby and his comments. In a way Bob was stuck in a tug of war with his pony. Each side not relenting with him trying to fix on what he needed to ride and the pony trying to not get it on, probably not willing to let its master ride.
This went on until Jacoby spoke up. "I'm trying" Bob said, still trying to fasten the bit and bridle until Jacoby started advising him. There was no reason for Bob to not follow the man's advice considering his vocation and he followed. He went to the side and started to put it on surprising him that "it actually works" and pet the horse. A reward for making his job easier than it would have been although it was because of Jacoby. Having finished Bob tried to get on the horse the way he was taught if he remembered it right. He struggled trying to get his arms on top of the horse and finally his own body along with it and finally he was on it. "Hey! Wait!" he yelled at Jacoby that was already racing to the front. The man really could not wait for Bob to actually go and Bob could not lose Jacoby. The thought of getting lost before reaching in Zeltiva of all places was not pleasant to Bob. With nothing else but to start moving, Bob used the reins to get the pony to move. "Come on, move" he said hitting the reins harder before continuing to say "Go Bobo, go!"
And the pony started to move. "Wooooo..." Bob said in anticipation before realizing the pony was only moving in a slow trot. In front of him he could see Jacoby has already stopped. Given the distance Bob could not recognize the man but he was the only one on a horse. Bob hit the reins again telling Bobo to go "faster, faster." Not only was he keeping a client waiting but the pony was also embarrassing Bob for his lack of control over it. Frustrated, Bob dug his heels into the pony's side yelling "go!" using the next method he knew how to control animals with. Force. However, its sudden acceleration caught him by surprise and his hands lost their grip on the reins when Bobo left. "Alright, slow down. Slow down!" Bob said, his voice getting louder as he tried to reassert his dominance over the pony while frantically grabbing at the reins as the pony ran forward. Right now, only his legs that were holding on to the pony with all his strength was keeping him on it but he knew it would not last long. Passing by Jacoby, the man would hear Bob say "heellpp!!!"
Did the man actually help him? No. Bob actually saw Jacoby smile before following Bob from behind. It looks like Bob was going to have to try stopping the bewildered pony on his own and before he reached the turning. As his leg pressed in even more he tried to grab at the reins telling Bobo "stopstopstopstopstopstop" which the pony did not. Bob getting more desperate, used one hand to hold himself against the pony's back while he had the other going closer to the reins but there was only so much time he had to do it. The pony was already reaching the turn and he heard Jacoby telling him he could do it from behind him. Bob did not quite believe that he could do it and right before Bobo made the decision of which direction they were going to turn into, Bob pushed his hand off from the pony's back and launched himself forward hands outstretched. This only made Bobo move faster for some reason which got a squeal from Bob that already had his arms clinging on to the pony's neck as much as his legs were clinging on to its body.
With that act of desperation, Bob actually saved himself as his hold on the pony prevented him from flying off it as it made its turn. He exhaled in relief and then heard Jacoby giving him some advice of "what?!" With his arms already around the pony's neck he was able to slowly move it towards the bridle and finally on the reins as Bob tried to sit upright again. With the tools for his control in his hands again Bob felt that he could finally stop the pony and with all his strength he pulled on it saying "whoa!" The pony had its head moving up along with the strength Bob was applying on it until it finally came to a stop. Bob still cautious had one hand on the reins while the other started to stroke the pony at the neck as he told it in a shaky soft voice in order to keep it calm, "see? That wasn't too bad was it?" before the pony whipped its head back to throw Bob's hand off.
"So what was it you were saying earlier again?" Bob asked Jacoby once he had both hands securing the reins. When the man explained to him, Bob started to understand somewhat why his pony went faster that time. "I didn't know that it could work like that" he said nodding. Given the hectic experience Bob decided that "I'll try it some other time" but Jacoby who was already in a rush to get back to his own horse made another decision for Bob and smacked Bobo in the rear panicking Bob because the time was "not now!" At least Bob already had the reins in his hands which he was pulling back with all his strength until his pony was about to reach yet another turn. When he noticed the oncoming building and the turn that would prevent an undesirable accident he yelled "oh no!" as he changed his mind of stopping the mad pony and yanked the reins to direct Bobo into the turn, unwilling to risk crashing into the building in front of him should he fail to stop the pony.
Jacoby however applauded Bob's action because as he put it, Bob was now motivated to actually reach his home on time to do the job he was entrusted with. Bob did not have the energy to argue. Listening to Jacoby repeating the same explanation earlier, Bob decided that reaching their destination faster will mean ending this nightmare as well. Following Jacoby's instructions, he leaned forward and was shocked that the man's instructions were true. Bobo was moving a lot more faster and Bob found himself more secure on the horse that he was when the pony was accelerated earlier. Seeing the next turn coming up, Bob straightened his body again while pulling on the reins to slow the pony down. when he reached it he decided to follow Jacoby's instructions again and tilted his body to the side while only pulling on the reins a little so he could see the if it would really make a difference for the pony. At least moving at a slower speed made him feel a lot more confident that no accident was going to come out of this.
Elated with the belief that he finally learned the method of controlling his pony, Bob spurred Bobo further. Using his body to direct and control the pony as it went quicker or slower as he determined it and which path he should take until he reached unfamiliar ground. He tugged on the reins again as he sat upright until he reached Jacoby and told the man "I'll need you to lead me now. Wouldn't want to get lost" as he followed the man from behind. He took in the buildings they were passing through, noting they just only passed the East Street. Not exactly the safest part of the city but Bob felt comfortable in it as he looked at familiar shady bars. Finally, both the men reached their destination and Bob pulled on Bobo's reins telling it to "Stop. Stop! Stoppp!!!" pulling on the reins harder. It was then Jacoby advised him again on how to stop the pony. Bob forced his weight on Bobo as he pushed on his ass and loosened the reins calling "whoa Bobo. Whoaaa."
Bob did not know whether he was breathing hard because of excitement or terror. He was already off Bobo and leading the pony to a post telling it softly and gently "there's a good pony. You made me quite happy" in order to keep it calm. He learned his lesson from the ride earlier. He was still inexperienced in riding but at least he knew how to keep an animal under control when he was not riding and panicking out of his mind. "There's a good boy" he continued when he had it standing still at the post and slowly brought its head down to actually reach the damned thing to tie the pony to it. Hoping that it will not remember how Bob was to it during the ride Bob decided to just pet it on the head a little and told it quietly "there you go. Its not too bad is it?" before going to get the heavy saddle off it and boasting that "I'm such a good owner, treating you like this you know?" or so he believed himself to be until he was pulled away by Jacoby who felt that Bob's attempts were enough when he needed Bob already.
"This doesn't look good..." Bob said when he saw his patient before confirming "a broken leg is it?" with Jacoby which pointed to him which leg. "I'm going to need to check it out first, do you think you can leave me alone for a bit?" he asked Jacoby, looking with expectation until the man just sighed and moved out. Now that Jacoby is no longer around, Bob could start with the examination. Always trying to minimize the threat of potentially dangerous animals its no wonder he came prepared. He did not need to do much except to reach into his bag where the first thing he felt was the bottle of ink he brought with him. When he was arranging the items in the bag earlier, he did it according to what he thought he would need first in order to save time searching for them later. That was the only reason why he left the ink on the top. Because the first thing he knew he would need is the ink to try and calm the horse down and if he did not need it, there was nothing stopping him from discarding the ink to pick the next item in the bag.
Thinking about different he would have to work on horses compared to dogs which he was used to, Bob decided to use his eyes. "Ugh, this is going to be hard..." he told himself and searched around for a mirror but with no success. The only reflective surface he could find was water but thanks to the good lighting Bob could work with it for now... He could see his ink dipped finger before his eye in his reflection and pressed on the spot above it. His touch was wet and he felt the ink flowing down. It would have went into his eye if his eyebrow did not already block it. He should finish it fast in case it went past the natural barrier provided to him. Using his reflection to determine if he was doing it right he moved his finger around the eye, passing the corner of his eyebrows, barely touching the side of his eye and feeling the ink flowing down like tears when his finger reached the bottom. Like he would with his other eye, he ignored the flowing ink and continued bringing his finger upwards having it touch the other side of his eye and then reaching the point he started from after going along from the other corner of the eyebrow.
After he had washed out the ink from his finger and where it escaped from the circle around his eyes that formed horrible black tears, Bob headed over to the horse. Standing before it he started gathering djed into his eyes. It was as if the djed came from his body and split up around the nose, equally attracted to each of the glyphs put around his eyes. As the djed was building up, Bob brought himself face to face with the horse, stroking its mane up and down as he slowly pulled the horse's head closer to him. Barely loud enough for the horse to hear him he told it "I'm going to fix you up but you are going to need to cooperate." He was taking a huge gamble with his next step, he knew but who would he be if he did not? The djed in his eyes were released, sent to the horse's eyes he was looking into with the focus helping him keep them straight. As the horse received the djed it had the sudden thought "this man is going to help me" and Bob hoped that it would work. There was no other reason for being all nice to the horse all of a sudden.
Finding no reluctance or aggression from the horse like Bobo earlier Bob felt that it was safe for him to continue. He moved from the spot near the horse's head towards the broken leg slowly. Careful not to startle it too early and have it lashing out. He crouched on the ground and looked at the leg. He wondered to himself if it was the right leg since the leg "looks like its alright..." and took a glance at the other legs too. Considering they all looked the same he would just have to believe in what Jacoby said, or charge the man extra if Bob had to do extra work. Bob fished into his bag and took the first thing that came into his hands and that was a stick. "Strange..." Bob told himself because he arranged the contents according to what he'll need and he already made the decision before coming that he would need to examine the horse before actually trying to fix it. "What went wrong?" he asked himself before putting the stick to the side and reaching into the bag again to finally bring out the hammer.
Maybe he actually organized the contents of his back properly just...the hammer handle and the stick felt too similar. Nevertheless the brought the hammer towards the horse's leg to see if there was any reaction. Seeing that there was none, Bob headed to one of the legs that were not broken according to Jacoby and lightly tapped the joint. The horse's leg moved showing that there was a reaction which was good enough for Bob. That was only one part of his examination. As for the next one he headed to the broken leg and held the hammer close to it to see if after his test earlier the horse would not be too keen on what is coming. True to what he thought the horse tried to move the leg away from the hammer and it looks like Bob was going to have to try and convince it not to. He gently held on to the leg and told the horse in a tone that would mirror his actions "come on...the quicker we finish the quicker we can get you walking again."
Bob was taking a lot of effort in keeping the horse calm because he knew one kick from it was the end of him. Not willing to take a chance with the language barrier of horse and man, he started collecting djed to his eyes again with the glyph helping him to keep the djed and its movements focused where he needed it. There was nothing to say to the horse which he did not already try to tell it but there was something. Something that he could show the horse. He shut his eyes trying to picture the image. It was nothing that he was a stranger to. Maybe he was a stranger to this horse, but not a stranger to horses in general. Bob could feel his djed reaching and filling his eyes, with it the image began to form. He headed to the front and looked at the horse again, hammer held up for the horse to see as well. When he made eye contact he sent the djed out. While it was looking at Bob and the hammer the image that Bob was concentrating of earlier will flash before the horse's eyes. A horse-the horse running freely without its leg giving it any trouble.
Again Bob went to the horse's supposedly broken leg and held the hammer by it, waiting for the animal's reaction. Seeing nothing of the sort he tried again, lightly tapping the leg to get a reaction. "Hmmmm..." either he did not hit it hard enough or this was the right leg. Bob tried one more time to make sure hitting the leg just a little bit harder. With nothing else happening he was sure that this was the right leg but he had to examine it a little bit more before he could do anything. His hands went on the leg, squeezing it a little as he went up. He felt the hard bones in between his fingers and continued not stopping until the horse suddenly lashed out. Already expecting it he was nicely positioned in a spot which he would not get his and took not of the location on the leg that could have elicited such a response. Now... "now I can get to work and it will be all over alright horsie?" he said in a voice that could reassure the horse of his motives as he has been expressing to it through his words and hypnotism since the start.
Yes knowing where broken bone was is only part of what he needed to do. If he thought about it a little more he would realize that it was the easier part too. Bob fished into his bag again expecting to get the oil his uncle gave him for the horse but instead getting the other stick to make the pair. He was a little bit puzzled about this. Could he have taken the first stick earlier because he packed it that way? It would mean he was mistaken, or distracted especially with Jacoby who was rushing him. Next time, next time when he was going to organize his equipment he was going to have to do it alone so he would not make the same mistake. His confidence on his prior preparation affected, Bob opened up the bag proper and searched through it until he found the jar his uncle gave him. Opening it up and smelling its contents he maintained his calm and soft voice so that the horse will not be able to anticipate what is to come, "this is going to make it all better."
Rubbing his hands that had the oil together and feeling its heat, Bob put the horse's leg between his hands although they were not touching...yet... In his pause, he waited for the horse to stop paying attention to him while he positioned his hands in the spot he was sure was where the oil needed to be applied to and then, and then he clasped the leg and rubbed it vigorously. He could hear the horse trying to resist him and he yelled "calm down and hold on for a few seconds!" while he made sure he got the oil applied to each and every spot. While he could feel the burning sensation on both his hands he knew there was no time to waste. The two sticks were already outside, ready for him to use but there was one more. He hoped that he would not be disappointed again when he fished into his bag because he had no time to spare. Rummaging through he felt the fluffy wrap he put in last. He was sure that it was the right one being the first thing he packed into the bag. Right down into the base before everything else was put on top of it because he knew it was the last thing he would have to use.
It was that wrap that will keep the sticks together. After securing the horse's broken leg in between the two sticks, Bob started winding the wrap around all three. Using all his strength in holding the leg straight down as well as making sure that the leg will be tightly wrapped up, the horse just did not have enough strength top stop him after trying for so long already. Nevertheless, Bob tried to calm the horse down by just speaking whatever came into his mind. He was not a monster to be so focused on completing the job that he would ignore what it needed. Some mental reinforcement to fight back the pain that was only good for it. Dodging a little to the side when one of the horse's other legs came a little too close, Bob wound the wrap around the horse's leg one last time and secured it. After making sure that it was tight enough and will not open up on its own, Bob stood up telling the horse "there its all finished. Why don't you try standing up?"
Bob watched as the horse started to stand up. He could have helped but he knew better. He has trained and watched enough animals being trained to know that they all needed to do these kinds of things on their own. To be independent or they would not be able to make it on their own. This was a fully grown horse as well and not a foal. The only thing Bob could allow himself to do is offer some words of encouragement and as he did so, keep it in high spirits. Of course, it helps that he has hypnotism to support his words. He could feel the strain in his eyes from using it to channel his djed earlier and his experience with the magic told him that he should not try it anymore although practicing two different disciplines of personal magic should allow him to have enough djed for just this one more small minor attempt. He decided to go for it anyway if not to see his job completed, to see that the horse will stand properly. To see that his treatment actually works and give him confidence for next time. Maybe even an actual person as a patient.
Waiting to actually make a glyph would take too long and make the feelings he would put on the horse too artificial. Bob did not take long to start drawing djed towards his mouth this time feeling that it was a lot more harder than his earlier attempts. Was it because he was spreading it thin, or was it because he did not have a proper glyph to help him with it? However, Bob would not stop. Not yet as he built up more djed at his mouth as he was saying things to the horse like "you can do it. Keep your legs straight and head high. If you can do this, you have nothing else to worry about" in an excited and loud voice to energize and motivate it. Compared to other people, Bob knew that the animals unable to understand his language would try and read him from his voice, even his body. Remembering about the body, Bob continued to pump his arms and wave them around just to give the horse something to look at.
As he got tired especially from the left part of his body from his old injury in Alvadas, Bob realized that he could not keep this up for long and stopped his attempts at gathering his djed. It was now or never and he started to slowly release the djed he was building in his mouth. His words that were trying to encourage the horse would be more effective as it would affect the horse's emotions further. Making it more confident, energized and motivated to stand up. Bob strained himself to keep talking although he was running out of breath, spreading the djed out slowly to keep up with the limits of how much he can talk without stopping he hoped he counted correctly. Finally it was one final push that he sent out the remaining djed he gathered as he yelled "go!" and he saw the horse standing up. Not only that it took one step forward before it continued to hobble over and have a drink. Bob was proud. Eventhough he was quite inexperienced in healing, his old lessons from his uncle is holding up especially for the horse's leg.
Following suit, Bob took some of the water and washed it over his eyes to get rid of the ink he used earlier. It took some time but he got most of it out and he saw that the horse was resting already. He went out to meet its owner Jacoby again to explain "it wasn't too serious and I was able to get it fixed for now. Just keep it off its leg or any work for a couple of days..." was it a couple of days? Bob tried to remember what his uncle told him but to be safe he decided to tell Jacoby after considering the extent of the injury and how well he believed he did in fixing it "...actually until Spring at least. By then me or my uncle would come and check it out again" but Bob knew it would not be him. It would be Marny who would come to scrutinize his nephews work if anything. Bob looked at Bobo not too keen on taking a ride back so soon and asked Jacoby "I think I'll stay here for a little while more though. Need to make sure that your horse is A O-K." At least having to make a house call, Bob had the perfect excuse to slack off for the rest of the day.
It has been a long time since Bob has ridden Bobo, his pony. Hopefully it has not been too long that he has forgotten how. Jacoby was rushing Bob wanting to leave already but Bob took his time setting up Bobo. As he was putting on the saddle he told Jacoby "if I fell down from not putting this on properly, who is going to fix your horse?" or more importantly Bob himself. Bob pulled his horse's head towards him asking "I hope you still remember who's taking care of you Bobo" as he started to put on the bit and bridle but found difficulty in the pony's reluctance. Bob again tried to pull the pony's head to him so he can put them on saying "I'm trying. The more you rush me the harder this is" to Jacoby and his comments. In a way Bob was stuck in a tug of war with his pony. Each side not relenting with him trying to fix on what he needed to ride and the pony trying to not get it on, probably not willing to let its master ride.
This went on until Jacoby spoke up. "I'm trying" Bob said, still trying to fasten the bit and bridle until Jacoby started advising him. There was no reason for Bob to not follow the man's advice considering his vocation and he followed. He went to the side and started to put it on surprising him that "it actually works" and pet the horse. A reward for making his job easier than it would have been although it was because of Jacoby. Having finished Bob tried to get on the horse the way he was taught if he remembered it right. He struggled trying to get his arms on top of the horse and finally his own body along with it and finally he was on it. "Hey! Wait!" he yelled at Jacoby that was already racing to the front. The man really could not wait for Bob to actually go and Bob could not lose Jacoby. The thought of getting lost before reaching in Zeltiva of all places was not pleasant to Bob. With nothing else but to start moving, Bob used the reins to get the pony to move. "Come on, move" he said hitting the reins harder before continuing to say "Go Bobo, go!"
And the pony started to move. "Wooooo..." Bob said in anticipation before realizing the pony was only moving in a slow trot. In front of him he could see Jacoby has already stopped. Given the distance Bob could not recognize the man but he was the only one on a horse. Bob hit the reins again telling Bobo to go "faster, faster." Not only was he keeping a client waiting but the pony was also embarrassing Bob for his lack of control over it. Frustrated, Bob dug his heels into the pony's side yelling "go!" using the next method he knew how to control animals with. Force. However, its sudden acceleration caught him by surprise and his hands lost their grip on the reins when Bobo left. "Alright, slow down. Slow down!" Bob said, his voice getting louder as he tried to reassert his dominance over the pony while frantically grabbing at the reins as the pony ran forward. Right now, only his legs that were holding on to the pony with all his strength was keeping him on it but he knew it would not last long. Passing by Jacoby, the man would hear Bob say "heellpp!!!"
Did the man actually help him? No. Bob actually saw Jacoby smile before following Bob from behind. It looks like Bob was going to have to try stopping the bewildered pony on his own and before he reached the turning. As his leg pressed in even more he tried to grab at the reins telling Bobo "stopstopstopstopstopstop" which the pony did not. Bob getting more desperate, used one hand to hold himself against the pony's back while he had the other going closer to the reins but there was only so much time he had to do it. The pony was already reaching the turn and he heard Jacoby telling him he could do it from behind him. Bob did not quite believe that he could do it and right before Bobo made the decision of which direction they were going to turn into, Bob pushed his hand off from the pony's back and launched himself forward hands outstretched. This only made Bobo move faster for some reason which got a squeal from Bob that already had his arms clinging on to the pony's neck as much as his legs were clinging on to its body.
With that act of desperation, Bob actually saved himself as his hold on the pony prevented him from flying off it as it made its turn. He exhaled in relief and then heard Jacoby giving him some advice of "what?!" With his arms already around the pony's neck he was able to slowly move it towards the bridle and finally on the reins as Bob tried to sit upright again. With the tools for his control in his hands again Bob felt that he could finally stop the pony and with all his strength he pulled on it saying "whoa!" The pony had its head moving up along with the strength Bob was applying on it until it finally came to a stop. Bob still cautious had one hand on the reins while the other started to stroke the pony at the neck as he told it in a shaky soft voice in order to keep it calm, "see? That wasn't too bad was it?" before the pony whipped its head back to throw Bob's hand off.
"So what was it you were saying earlier again?" Bob asked Jacoby once he had both hands securing the reins. When the man explained to him, Bob started to understand somewhat why his pony went faster that time. "I didn't know that it could work like that" he said nodding. Given the hectic experience Bob decided that "I'll try it some other time" but Jacoby who was already in a rush to get back to his own horse made another decision for Bob and smacked Bobo in the rear panicking Bob because the time was "not now!" At least Bob already had the reins in his hands which he was pulling back with all his strength until his pony was about to reach yet another turn. When he noticed the oncoming building and the turn that would prevent an undesirable accident he yelled "oh no!" as he changed his mind of stopping the mad pony and yanked the reins to direct Bobo into the turn, unwilling to risk crashing into the building in front of him should he fail to stop the pony.
Jacoby however applauded Bob's action because as he put it, Bob was now motivated to actually reach his home on time to do the job he was entrusted with. Bob did not have the energy to argue. Listening to Jacoby repeating the same explanation earlier, Bob decided that reaching their destination faster will mean ending this nightmare as well. Following Jacoby's instructions, he leaned forward and was shocked that the man's instructions were true. Bobo was moving a lot more faster and Bob found himself more secure on the horse that he was when the pony was accelerated earlier. Seeing the next turn coming up, Bob straightened his body again while pulling on the reins to slow the pony down. when he reached it he decided to follow Jacoby's instructions again and tilted his body to the side while only pulling on the reins a little so he could see the if it would really make a difference for the pony. At least moving at a slower speed made him feel a lot more confident that no accident was going to come out of this.
Elated with the belief that he finally learned the method of controlling his pony, Bob spurred Bobo further. Using his body to direct and control the pony as it went quicker or slower as he determined it and which path he should take until he reached unfamiliar ground. He tugged on the reins again as he sat upright until he reached Jacoby and told the man "I'll need you to lead me now. Wouldn't want to get lost" as he followed the man from behind. He took in the buildings they were passing through, noting they just only passed the East Street. Not exactly the safest part of the city but Bob felt comfortable in it as he looked at familiar shady bars. Finally, both the men reached their destination and Bob pulled on Bobo's reins telling it to "Stop. Stop! Stoppp!!!" pulling on the reins harder. It was then Jacoby advised him again on how to stop the pony. Bob forced his weight on Bobo as he pushed on his ass and loosened the reins calling "whoa Bobo. Whoaaa."
Bob did not know whether he was breathing hard because of excitement or terror. He was already off Bobo and leading the pony to a post telling it softly and gently "there's a good pony. You made me quite happy" in order to keep it calm. He learned his lesson from the ride earlier. He was still inexperienced in riding but at least he knew how to keep an animal under control when he was not riding and panicking out of his mind. "There's a good boy" he continued when he had it standing still at the post and slowly brought its head down to actually reach the damned thing to tie the pony to it. Hoping that it will not remember how Bob was to it during the ride Bob decided to just pet it on the head a little and told it quietly "there you go. Its not too bad is it?" before going to get the heavy saddle off it and boasting that "I'm such a good owner, treating you like this you know?" or so he believed himself to be until he was pulled away by Jacoby who felt that Bob's attempts were enough when he needed Bob already.
"This doesn't look good..." Bob said when he saw his patient before confirming "a broken leg is it?" with Jacoby which pointed to him which leg. "I'm going to need to check it out first, do you think you can leave me alone for a bit?" he asked Jacoby, looking with expectation until the man just sighed and moved out. Now that Jacoby is no longer around, Bob could start with the examination. Always trying to minimize the threat of potentially dangerous animals its no wonder he came prepared. He did not need to do much except to reach into his bag where the first thing he felt was the bottle of ink he brought with him. When he was arranging the items in the bag earlier, he did it according to what he thought he would need first in order to save time searching for them later. That was the only reason why he left the ink on the top. Because the first thing he knew he would need is the ink to try and calm the horse down and if he did not need it, there was nothing stopping him from discarding the ink to pick the next item in the bag.
Thinking about different he would have to work on horses compared to dogs which he was used to, Bob decided to use his eyes. "Ugh, this is going to be hard..." he told himself and searched around for a mirror but with no success. The only reflective surface he could find was water but thanks to the good lighting Bob could work with it for now... He could see his ink dipped finger before his eye in his reflection and pressed on the spot above it. His touch was wet and he felt the ink flowing down. It would have went into his eye if his eyebrow did not already block it. He should finish it fast in case it went past the natural barrier provided to him. Using his reflection to determine if he was doing it right he moved his finger around the eye, passing the corner of his eyebrows, barely touching the side of his eye and feeling the ink flowing down like tears when his finger reached the bottom. Like he would with his other eye, he ignored the flowing ink and continued bringing his finger upwards having it touch the other side of his eye and then reaching the point he started from after going along from the other corner of the eyebrow.
After he had washed out the ink from his finger and where it escaped from the circle around his eyes that formed horrible black tears, Bob headed over to the horse. Standing before it he started gathering djed into his eyes. It was as if the djed came from his body and split up around the nose, equally attracted to each of the glyphs put around his eyes. As the djed was building up, Bob brought himself face to face with the horse, stroking its mane up and down as he slowly pulled the horse's head closer to him. Barely loud enough for the horse to hear him he told it "I'm going to fix you up but you are going to need to cooperate." He was taking a huge gamble with his next step, he knew but who would he be if he did not? The djed in his eyes were released, sent to the horse's eyes he was looking into with the focus helping him keep them straight. As the horse received the djed it had the sudden thought "this man is going to help me" and Bob hoped that it would work. There was no other reason for being all nice to the horse all of a sudden.
Finding no reluctance or aggression from the horse like Bobo earlier Bob felt that it was safe for him to continue. He moved from the spot near the horse's head towards the broken leg slowly. Careful not to startle it too early and have it lashing out. He crouched on the ground and looked at the leg. He wondered to himself if it was the right leg since the leg "looks like its alright..." and took a glance at the other legs too. Considering they all looked the same he would just have to believe in what Jacoby said, or charge the man extra if Bob had to do extra work. Bob fished into his bag and took the first thing that came into his hands and that was a stick. "Strange..." Bob told himself because he arranged the contents according to what he'll need and he already made the decision before coming that he would need to examine the horse before actually trying to fix it. "What went wrong?" he asked himself before putting the stick to the side and reaching into the bag again to finally bring out the hammer.
Maybe he actually organized the contents of his back properly just...the hammer handle and the stick felt too similar. Nevertheless the brought the hammer towards the horse's leg to see if there was any reaction. Seeing that there was none, Bob headed to one of the legs that were not broken according to Jacoby and lightly tapped the joint. The horse's leg moved showing that there was a reaction which was good enough for Bob. That was only one part of his examination. As for the next one he headed to the broken leg and held the hammer close to it to see if after his test earlier the horse would not be too keen on what is coming. True to what he thought the horse tried to move the leg away from the hammer and it looks like Bob was going to have to try and convince it not to. He gently held on to the leg and told the horse in a tone that would mirror his actions "come on...the quicker we finish the quicker we can get you walking again."
Bob was taking a lot of effort in keeping the horse calm because he knew one kick from it was the end of him. Not willing to take a chance with the language barrier of horse and man, he started collecting djed to his eyes again with the glyph helping him to keep the djed and its movements focused where he needed it. There was nothing to say to the horse which he did not already try to tell it but there was something. Something that he could show the horse. He shut his eyes trying to picture the image. It was nothing that he was a stranger to. Maybe he was a stranger to this horse, but not a stranger to horses in general. Bob could feel his djed reaching and filling his eyes, with it the image began to form. He headed to the front and looked at the horse again, hammer held up for the horse to see as well. When he made eye contact he sent the djed out. While it was looking at Bob and the hammer the image that Bob was concentrating of earlier will flash before the horse's eyes. A horse-the horse running freely without its leg giving it any trouble.
Again Bob went to the horse's supposedly broken leg and held the hammer by it, waiting for the animal's reaction. Seeing nothing of the sort he tried again, lightly tapping the leg to get a reaction. "Hmmmm..." either he did not hit it hard enough or this was the right leg. Bob tried one more time to make sure hitting the leg just a little bit harder. With nothing else happening he was sure that this was the right leg but he had to examine it a little bit more before he could do anything. His hands went on the leg, squeezing it a little as he went up. He felt the hard bones in between his fingers and continued not stopping until the horse suddenly lashed out. Already expecting it he was nicely positioned in a spot which he would not get his and took not of the location on the leg that could have elicited such a response. Now... "now I can get to work and it will be all over alright horsie?" he said in a voice that could reassure the horse of his motives as he has been expressing to it through his words and hypnotism since the start.
Yes knowing where broken bone was is only part of what he needed to do. If he thought about it a little more he would realize that it was the easier part too. Bob fished into his bag again expecting to get the oil his uncle gave him for the horse but instead getting the other stick to make the pair. He was a little bit puzzled about this. Could he have taken the first stick earlier because he packed it that way? It would mean he was mistaken, or distracted especially with Jacoby who was rushing him. Next time, next time when he was going to organize his equipment he was going to have to do it alone so he would not make the same mistake. His confidence on his prior preparation affected, Bob opened up the bag proper and searched through it until he found the jar his uncle gave him. Opening it up and smelling its contents he maintained his calm and soft voice so that the horse will not be able to anticipate what is to come, "this is going to make it all better."
Rubbing his hands that had the oil together and feeling its heat, Bob put the horse's leg between his hands although they were not touching...yet... In his pause, he waited for the horse to stop paying attention to him while he positioned his hands in the spot he was sure was where the oil needed to be applied to and then, and then he clasped the leg and rubbed it vigorously. He could hear the horse trying to resist him and he yelled "calm down and hold on for a few seconds!" while he made sure he got the oil applied to each and every spot. While he could feel the burning sensation on both his hands he knew there was no time to waste. The two sticks were already outside, ready for him to use but there was one more. He hoped that he would not be disappointed again when he fished into his bag because he had no time to spare. Rummaging through he felt the fluffy wrap he put in last. He was sure that it was the right one being the first thing he packed into the bag. Right down into the base before everything else was put on top of it because he knew it was the last thing he would have to use.
It was that wrap that will keep the sticks together. After securing the horse's broken leg in between the two sticks, Bob started winding the wrap around all three. Using all his strength in holding the leg straight down as well as making sure that the leg will be tightly wrapped up, the horse just did not have enough strength top stop him after trying for so long already. Nevertheless, Bob tried to calm the horse down by just speaking whatever came into his mind. He was not a monster to be so focused on completing the job that he would ignore what it needed. Some mental reinforcement to fight back the pain that was only good for it. Dodging a little to the side when one of the horse's other legs came a little too close, Bob wound the wrap around the horse's leg one last time and secured it. After making sure that it was tight enough and will not open up on its own, Bob stood up telling the horse "there its all finished. Why don't you try standing up?"
Bob watched as the horse started to stand up. He could have helped but he knew better. He has trained and watched enough animals being trained to know that they all needed to do these kinds of things on their own. To be independent or they would not be able to make it on their own. This was a fully grown horse as well and not a foal. The only thing Bob could allow himself to do is offer some words of encouragement and as he did so, keep it in high spirits. Of course, it helps that he has hypnotism to support his words. He could feel the strain in his eyes from using it to channel his djed earlier and his experience with the magic told him that he should not try it anymore although practicing two different disciplines of personal magic should allow him to have enough djed for just this one more small minor attempt. He decided to go for it anyway if not to see his job completed, to see that the horse will stand properly. To see that his treatment actually works and give him confidence for next time. Maybe even an actual person as a patient.
Waiting to actually make a glyph would take too long and make the feelings he would put on the horse too artificial. Bob did not take long to start drawing djed towards his mouth this time feeling that it was a lot more harder than his earlier attempts. Was it because he was spreading it thin, or was it because he did not have a proper glyph to help him with it? However, Bob would not stop. Not yet as he built up more djed at his mouth as he was saying things to the horse like "you can do it. Keep your legs straight and head high. If you can do this, you have nothing else to worry about" in an excited and loud voice to energize and motivate it. Compared to other people, Bob knew that the animals unable to understand his language would try and read him from his voice, even his body. Remembering about the body, Bob continued to pump his arms and wave them around just to give the horse something to look at.
As he got tired especially from the left part of his body from his old injury in Alvadas, Bob realized that he could not keep this up for long and stopped his attempts at gathering his djed. It was now or never and he started to slowly release the djed he was building in his mouth. His words that were trying to encourage the horse would be more effective as it would affect the horse's emotions further. Making it more confident, energized and motivated to stand up. Bob strained himself to keep talking although he was running out of breath, spreading the djed out slowly to keep up with the limits of how much he can talk without stopping he hoped he counted correctly. Finally it was one final push that he sent out the remaining djed he gathered as he yelled "go!" and he saw the horse standing up. Not only that it took one step forward before it continued to hobble over and have a drink. Bob was proud. Eventhough he was quite inexperienced in healing, his old lessons from his uncle is holding up especially for the horse's leg.
Following suit, Bob took some of the water and washed it over his eyes to get rid of the ink he used earlier. It took some time but he got most of it out and he saw that the horse was resting already. He went out to meet its owner Jacoby again to explain "it wasn't too serious and I was able to get it fixed for now. Just keep it off its leg or any work for a couple of days..." was it a couple of days? Bob tried to remember what his uncle told him but to be safe he decided to tell Jacoby after considering the extent of the injury and how well he believed he did in fixing it "...actually until Spring at least. By then me or my uncle would come and check it out again" but Bob knew it would not be him. It would be Marny who would come to scrutinize his nephews work if anything. Bob looked at Bobo not too keen on taking a ride back so soon and asked Jacoby "I think I'll stay here for a little while more though. Need to make sure that your horse is A O-K." At least having to make a house call, Bob had the perfect excuse to slack off for the rest of the day.
