Continued From: Snaking Is A Jungle Contact Sport
“Now mostly you’ll get bit on the arms, legs, hands and feet. It’s rare you get bitten on your torso, Nya. And the bites feel very different. If you get bitten from a non-venomous snake, you’ll feel pain from the puncture, and there might be scratches and a bit of irritation.” He said, gesturing at the drawing Nya still had open in her arms.
While the kelvic took notes, he kept talking.
“Now, getting bitten from a poisonous snake is a whole different situation. Usually it burns like crazy and keeps up, not ebbing off at all like the pain of a bite from a non-poisonous snake. The bite mark will usually progress to swelling and bruising around the wound. The sensation will grow, shooting up your arm or leg. It can cause your back to start hurting, your breathing to be affected, and you can get nauseous or feel weak. Sometimes you’ll get a very odd taste in your mouth.” He added thoughtfully.
Nya nodded, swallowing hard. More and more she didn’t want to get bitten by a venomous snake.
“Is there anything you can do once you get a bite?” Nya asked, meaning venomous, but Randal answered for both types.
“For a non-venomous snake, just treat it like any other wound. Clean it and cover it.” He said, while Nya nodded.
“If it’s a poisonous snake, get to a healer immediately. If it’s a specific type, you’ll be dead before you even realize you got bitten and it won’t matter. But a healer is your only hope if its venomous. Some bites… like rattlers, can be survived. But most of the jungle snakes are deadly. Some of the things you shouldn’t do is use a tourniquet or cut the wound or try and suck out the venom. That’s just a bad idea. Don’t mess with the snake you’ve gotten bitten by. Odds are in your weakened state it will get you again. And note something odd… smaller venomous snakes tend to have more powerful poison than say adult snakes or larger ones. It gets more concentrated so don’t think just because a snake is small its harmless. Baby snakes can kill you faster.” He said, looking intently at her as if he wanted her to remember this.
“So what you should do is get out of the snake’s way. Try and remain calm. If your body swells up, which it will, get out of your clothing and any jewelry or leather you might be wearing. Keep the bite below the level of your heart. And clean the wound but don’t flush it with water. Cover it and bandage with a clean dry dressing.” Randal instructed, making sure Nya took good notes and really understood what she was saying.
“Is there anything to protect against snake bites?” Nya asked, looking worried suddenly. It was as if she knew more about snakes now than she really wanted too.
“Clothing. Leather. And there are some charms that will keep you from getting bitten. I’ll see what I can do about finding one for you. Of all the denizens in Syka, you probably need one the most.” He said laughing lightly, knowing it would take a while to locate such items of power.