SHATTERED // open; returning + severe injury

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    nothing's actually happened in the thread so far but if/when it does it probably won't be anything like this

    oops drama
    ***
    Blood.


    Two days had dragged by in agony. It seemed like every second he had received a new wound. His bleeding was carelessly stopped just to ensure that he would live to see more pain. Everybody had their limits- they could only take so much. Ska'arq was no exception. Many, many times he had tried to remove his necklace. No more pain. He wanted the pain to stop. Dystopia had noticed something was off when the dragon had stopped screaming after the necklace was removed. The demon had put it back on. The dragon had begun writhing again, fumbling to rip it off. The Exiles leader had all but strangled him with the necklace, replacing the lace with barbed wire as she yanked it tightly around his neck. He had been unable to take it off after that. The steel barbs still sat beneath his skin, the infection slowly setting in as the blood continued to trickle out painfully.


    Everything was a haze. How had he gotten away? Perhaps it had been desperation. He had vowed to never hurt another person. But them... They weren't people. They didn't deserve to be graced with such a title. He could still feel the NPC's blood on his teeth as he finally tore away from his restraints. The dragon had taken to the air. They had tried to shoot him down. All but one projectile had been dodged. The arrow still lay lodged in his side. He couldn't muster the strength to pull it out.


    Deep lacerations ran up and down his neck and sides. His legs were covered in scratches. The weary beast could barely put one foot in front of another. His determination and fear was the only thing that kept him moving.


    There it was. He could smell it.


    Home.


    As Ska'arq inched his way across the border, his head slowly lifted to stare at the islands far above before he collapsed.
    ***
    ATTACK IN BOLD #6e65b5 - TAGS - EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD

    tags - //are there specific injuries other than the arrow and wire?


    Now that summer had come, Eggpaw enjoyed spending time at Shimmer Lake. Though he despised the cold too much to step foot in the water, summer's onset made the non-island bits of the territory at least bearable. Sitting on the edge of the water and watching the waterfall was basically his only reason for going up and down the long climb of the stairs. Today he had just finished his descent, and was quickly making his way deeper into the territory, when his pink nose suddenly caught a familiar scent.


    Ska'arq. The dragon. Hadn't he gone missing a while ago? Hackles raising nervously, he unsheathed his ivory claws, following the scent hesitantly. Was this an ambush? Maybe they were using Ska'arq as bait? Frick, was he going to get captured? Luckily he could see no enemies- if he had he would have been screwed, since he literally had no battle experience at all and no training- but what he could see was still bad news. The purple dragon a little ways away looked weak and bloody, dragging himself back miserably before suddenly collapsing. Rushing to get to his side, the boy reached out a paw to check the dragon's pulse, relieved to find that he wasn't quite dead yet.


    "Ska'arq? Ska'arq, can you hear me? If you're awake I need you to stay still, I'm going to help you." If Sk'arq hadn't passed out he would need painkillers before they could yank out the whole friggin arrow sticking out of his side. It looked like the only things he could deal with immediately were the lacerations and barbed wire stuck around his neck.


    Eggpaw threw off the herb-filled satchel at his side, digging through for something that could help with the bleeding wounds first- chervil root would do for preventing infection, cobwebs for the minor cuts, and bandages were definitely necessary for the bigger cuts. He took out some chervil root and quickly chewed it into a pulp, then trying to apply the poultice on the large dragon's wounds. Eggpaw would then take out a roll of bandages and cobwebs from his bag, and try to wrap the bandages carefully around Ska'arq's larger wounds, then apply some of the cobwebs to his less deep and severe wounds. "LOTTIE? ÇELINA?" Magic telepathy abilities would be really useful right now- he wasn't sure if anyone was down here, so maybe they wouldn't hear him. Hopefully they were nearby though, the trainee seriously needed some help with this.


    // ISELOTTA   Çelina

    FORGET WHAT YOU SEE; LEAVE IT TO ME —

    Wildyonder smelled blood. Before he knew it, his legs had responded, sprinting in the direction of his clanmate with no regard for anything else. The paladin stumbled over rocks and branches on his way, but his speed never wavered. "SKA'ARQ!" he howled the instant he recognized the scent through the carnage. As he skidded to a stop, he noticed Eggpaw was present. His chest fluttered in relief. Good--someone here could help him! Wildyonder was no medic, but he still intended to do anything and everything he could. Wildyonder might be a piece of crap sometimes, but he did genuinely care for his clanmates when all was said and done.


    "Do you need help? Is there anything I can do?" Wildyonder wasn't sure who he was directing the question to--Ska'arq, Eggpaw, both--and he didn't care. As long as he got an answer. He couldn't stand by idly like this. He already thought he was useless. He wouldn't prove himself right.


    TAGS


    "Is there anything I can do to help until your mentors arrive, Eggpaw?" the direwolf offered the frantic medic trainee in a gentle voice. "I don't know much, but in a past life, I was a medic and my memories of that life have shown me a few things," she said. Whether or not the trainee wanted her help, she could at least provide some comfort to the dragon. She knew how it was to tame such a beast - she could turn into one herself. Besides, he seemed to be in a lot of pain and even talking to him could distract him while the medics did their duty. → tags


    description / "speaking" / thoughts

    If there was one thing that got Lottie's heart rate jumping, it was frantic voices and the possibility that something was wrong with her Medics, or something terribly, terribly wrong with their patients if she had to be called in such a way. The call wasn't easily ignored, though Lottie almost preferred it to telepathic links. It was easier to find the person, which Lottie set off in doing as soon as she heard her name, quickly coming upon the scene with her medical bag at her side, her gaze sweeping over the situation, taking it all in, then nodding calmly. "Well done, Eggpaw, looks like you've got it under control," Lottie would praise with a proud smile, though not tarrying as she joined her Trainee's side and pulled off her bag as she said it. "Unfortunately we may not have time to wait for painkillers if he's not aware. We don't know how long he's been trudging through and losing blood. We can give it another minute to see while we patch up the rest. But, I can help him down more easily than you could, and then the most important thing is just putting it out as straight as possible, right?"


    TAGS


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    deep wounds on his neck and sides, scratches on the legs, and the arrow/barbed wire
    ***
    He didn't want to be awake anymore. Why was the darkness taking to so long? He could still feel the pain. All vials were quiet, but the red one was bright. He was still conscious, if barely. He could feel a soft paw on his neck. Although his eyed remained closed, the beast tensed up, breath hitching. He heard a voice. His name? The paws retreated, and Ska'arq fell limp again. He just wanted to be left alone. He just wanted to sleep. Why couldn't they leave him be?


    He was being touched in several places. The sharp sting and burn of medical supplies caused his eyes to open, his pupils slitted as he stared hazily at Eggpaw while he worked. His sight refused to focus, and the dragon gave up as his eyes closed again. He was light headed, and it was making him nauseous. The yellow-green vial flickered into life.


    Ska'arq heard a shout. It was familiar. Wildyonder? He pulled in a small breath, but he was too tired to utter any words. There were more voices. These he didn't recognize. The purple vial flickered, but it went out. He was home now. There would be no more pain.


    "Hey..." he said. It was little more than a breathy whisper, likely to be missed in the commotion.
    ***
    ATTACK IN BOLD #6e65b5 - TAGS - EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD

    Alexus was thankful not to have ever been captured or tortured. It was one of her biggest fears, in all honesty. To be plucked from your home and injured beyond belief sounded like hell. The serval bounded over to the scene but stayed a few paces back, not wanting to crowd him. "Is he going to be alright?" The serval inquired anxiously, triangular ears pricked forward attentively.


    tags




    ITS ONLY LIKE A LITTLE BIT CREEPY-☆

    It was always blood that drew the husky. What was he, a bloodhound? Kageyama ran over, leaping down the stairs and ignoring his exhaustion at the moment. Kageyama drew to a stop, staring at the bleeding dragon. "Kuso." He uttered his breath, padding forward but keeping his space. "Do we need any water?" He questioned, nodding to some of the blood plastering the dragon's scales. [Skin? Scaleless dragon??]


    "He will be fine, Alexus. Lotti and Eggpaw are very skilled at what they do. Ska'arq is in good paws," Regina told the serval with a small smile as she surveyed the dragon closely. He should be fine. The sooner they stopped the bleeding and got him painkillers, the better he would be. The fact that he was talking now was definitely a good time, but Regina thought he should save his breath. → tags


    description / "speaking" / thoughts

    Kate didn't know who Ska'arq was yet, she'd just joined the clan after all. But it always upset her to see someone hurt. Especially if they lived in her own clan. Dragons where pretty cool creatures, too. She wondered what happened, but deciding that since this was none of her business she had no right to ask right now. She'd limp over to Iselotta, taking a deep breath. "If there's anything I can help you with, Lottie, let me know." she'd murmur, figuring she may as well pitch in her own assistance even though Iselotta and Eggpaw undoubtedly had this under control.

    He wasn't sure what drew him over to the scene, but he could bet it was all the ruckus. Upon arriving, the demon frowned, his short stature not allowing him to actually see what was going on, even when craning his neck. He could see the purple scales of Ska'arq, however, so it had to be assumed that the escaped. Now there was no need for a raid to rescue him. It was probably best that Pad couldn't peer over the shoulders of everyone, the arrow lodged in the dragon's side might of brought back awful memories, ones he was currently trying to bottled away for now.

    tags - //mobile


    There were suddenly several people talking to him- that was fine, but kind of unhelpful, even if their purpose was to be helpful. He was still wrapping the bandages around the dragon as he acknowledged Iselotta's presence, then putting his paws on the bandages wounds and applying light pressure to stop the bleeding while replying to Wildyonder, Kageyama, and Regina. "Ah, thanks, but I think now that Lottie's here we can handle it ourselves." Actually, water would've been nice to have before he put the bandages on, but since he was too rushed trying to stop the bleeding to clean away the excess blood it didn't matter. They could clean him up later. Eggpaw just needed them to not talk to him right now. He turned to his mentor, dipping his head thankfully at the 'well done'- it looked like he had it under control? Well, he only kind of did. Lacerations were easy-ish. They were the first thing he learned and what he had the most experience in. He didn't know anything about infected wire wounds or arrows, but he could still try to act like he knew what he was doing to avoid people freaking out more.


    Focusing back on the patient, Eggpaw figured that if Ska'arq was passed out it would honestly be easier, since they wouldn't need to deal with painkillers or anything. However, his ears curved towards the dragon as he heard the weak "hey", and he turned back to Iselotta. "Right. We dont know how much he lost.. But, he's awake, kinda? And what do you mean, 'help him down' and 'putting it out as straight as possible'? Sorry, I don't understand." Was that important? Regardless, the dragon was at least a little awake and therefore they would probably need to get him to take some herbs somehow. Still trying to press lightly on the wounds to help stop the blood flow, he asked the panther, "So that means we need painkillers, right? Will poppy seeds do, or do we need something more powerful?"

    ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL WORDS && TAGS

    leatherjacket was thankful for the shades he had, concealing the apprehension in his gaze. behind his shades, he stared openly at ska'aqr's wounds with horror. that was a lot of blood, that was a lot of blood. the tom stood on the edge, hovering with nervous energy. "poppy seeds might help." he added lamely. he only said that because that's one of the herbs his mother had used often on lea and his brothers. miserably, he looked back and forth between the medics and ska'arq. he wanted to help (god, did he hate seeing blood) but he didn't know anything about herbs. "is there..." he swallowed, and started more confidently then he actually felt. "can i get something that this poor soul needs?" his voice was strong but all his mind could think was that this was wrong. this was terrible. what was he doing? he waited for a response he didn't expect, or some sort of insult.

    Eventually and probably much later than she should have been, Çelina arrived, gently weaving her way around her clanmates in order to stand beside her mentor. The dragon did appear to be in very bad shape, and she looked at him in concern, wishing there was something they could've done to prevent this. After all, this was the work of the Exiles, who had captured Ska'arq. The canine had assumed something of this sort would happen, but this was far worse than what she'd went through or that she'd imagined.


    She was pulled from these thoughts as she heard the weak voice of her injured clanmate. She needed to focus. Just because Eggpaw would take care of things, she should still observe. As the other medic trainee asked Lottie what she had meant by her words, Çelina gestured to the arrow sticking from the dragon's side. "That?" It sounded more like a question than she'd wanted, but the femme was unsure. They were going to pull it out? Of course, they had to remove it somehow.

    "Yes, the arrow," Lottie confirmed as Celina joined the trio of medics, before nodding at Eggpaw's questioning. She was trying to move fast, for Ska's sake, but they still had to do it properly. "We can try to give him poppy. But I'll hold him steady while one of you pulls the arrow out. When you do pull it out, you have to be careful to pull it straight out. You don't want it twisting or dragging and injuring the area further. We'll have to do the same for the barb wire, too, but we'll get the bleeding stopped first, let him recover, and then go about doing that. Is that cleared up?"


    TAGS


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    OOC
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    Ska'arq was quiet as the medics worked, his eyes closed. More and more people were gathering around the commotion, some he recognized and some he didn't. How many people had joined while he was gone? Maybe he could say hello to them later. He was still tired. He didn't want to move- he didn't want to be moved. Bandages were being stretched over his body, slowly stopping the blood that was seeping out. It's alright now, he thought hazily, head lolling to the side a little as sleep loomed over him. The medic team began talking about the arrow. Ska'arq tensed, eyes opening again as he stared at Iselotta. He was still very aware of the arrow. When it was removed, it would hurt. A lot. He didn't want it to hurt anymore. No.


    Jaw clenching, Ska'arq moved his foot up. For a few moments he fell limp, pulling in a breath, until he lifted his foot. He grasped at the vials. The vials had been strung on the barbed wire, hence the reason they were still on him at all. He didn't want to feel anything anymore. The vials were clipped tightly into their caps, and he couldn't pull it off without the barbed wire making itself known. Giving up, his hand slumped back onto the ground. "Off," he tried quietly. The red vial was bright. He just hoped they knew what he meant.
    ***
    ATTACK IN BOLD #6e65b5 - TAGS - EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD

    While the nosy ghost listened for any type of clue of what happened to Ska'arq, his gut wrenched as he heard Lottie mention an arrow. It was like a bomb went off in his mind, halting any thoughts. His body shoved through the wall of medics, his eyes glued to the long, feathered, and bloodied shaft jutting out from Ska'arq's side, his brain forcing him to look away. Even as he picked up the faint plead from the dragon, Pad himself remembered the pain of the carved arrowhead stabbing into his back, but he still weaved his way to Ska'arq's front. He couldn't breakdown in front of everyone. Especially when they were already dealing with enough. As long as I don't focus on it, the demon assured inwardly, it'll be fine.


    He was slightly confused, at the word that the reptile had chosen. Off? What was that supposed to mean? With a tilt of his head and squint of his optics, he looked quizzically at Ska'arq. Until his gaze passed across the crude replacement for the necklace the dragon fiercely defended. "Oh," he hoarsely breathed out, "Your necklace, right?" Based on the way Ska'arq briefly clutched at particular glowing vial, and knowing that the little bottles contained emotions, he put two and two together. "Don't worry, buddy, I gotcha." Clearly, taking the whole cruel torture device off wasn't going to help, so Pad wrapped his paws around the red vial. After timidly fidgeting around with how it attached, the vial was freed from the necklace and in his claws. Which emotion was this even supposed to be? The demon rose the glass to the sun, angling it back and forth to watch the now-dulled crimson liquid catch the light, before he brought it back to a comfortable holding level. Although his question was left unanswered, he gave a few light pats on Ska'arq's snout with his unhampered paw. "There you go, Squawk." It was hard to tell if the ghost couldn't actually pronounce such a complex name, or it was purposeful. Probably a mixture of both.

    The post was edited 1 time, last by old becky ().


    ***
    when you can't match the muse
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    The other medics were preoccupied with the arrow. They hadn't heard him. Rough movement caught his eye, and the dragon's cyan stare was locked on Pad as the cat stood by his head. The feline looked dully out of it, if not lost in a nightmare. His gaze followed the ghost's as it locked on his necklace. Yes, he thought, but the word didn't quite make its way out of his maw. Paws brushed against his chest. Pad was holding the vial in his grasp, trying to figure out how to take the vial off. Yes, he thought again. He understood. There was a brief tugging, the barbed wire sending another stab of pain through him when-


    It was gone.


    As if someone had hit the mute button, all at once the pain vanished. Ska'arq's eyes squeezed shut as he pulled in a long, shaking breath. The pain was gone. His optics opened and fixed on the ghostly feline as he held the vial up to the sun. The pain was gone. His movements no longer hurt. He was still slow, exhausted through and through, but the dragon was moving as he sat up. He was still staring at Pad. "Thank you," he said at last. As much as he currently resented the small red vial, he didn't want to lose it forever. "Hang on to that for me," he murmured.
    ***
    ATTACK IN BOLD #6e65b5 - TAGS - EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD

    tags - //mobile


    He silently acknowledged Çelina with a brief nod, focusing mainly on what Iselotta was instructing him to do. The French male glanced at the arrow in Ska'arq's side, wincing as she mentioned twisting or turning it as they pulled it out; even just imagining that situation was painful. He would be very meticulous when he pulled it out in that case, since he was assuming he would be the one to do it since he was already in the process of helping their patient. "Yep, cleared up. I can pull the arrow out." The sound of Ska'arq's voice barely caught his attention, and he didn't undersand at first, until he saw Pad pulling off the glowing red vial on the dragon's barbed wire necklace- of course! As Eggpaw had donated some of his own emotions not long ago he knew the vials provided Ska'arq with his emotions, but physical pain must count as an emotion as well, since it seemed like the dragon was good as new the second it snapped off. The pale long-furred apprentice blinked, slightly surprised for a moment, before quickly recovering and addressing the wounded reptile. "Wow, it was that easy? Sorry I didn't realize, I would've taken it off earlier.. Take it easy though, you might not feel it anymore but the wounds are still dangerous and there. We won't need poppy anymore, I guess. Lottie, can you help keep him steady- unless you don't think he needs it anymore? I'm ready to pull out the arrow." He had some gauze and bandages next to him that he could quickly cover the wound with once it was out. He was only hoping his organs hadn't been kabob'd, because then there would be a lot more trouble.