You amble westwards to the Weyrling barracks.
C'daer is sitting in his customary back of the room position, looking over hides as he waits for the weyrlings to gather.
Osasune trudges in, seeming moderately glum.
T'nar enters in silence, looking more rumpled than anything, though he continually tries to smooth out his weyrling gear. An odd look of frustration and contentment hangs on his handsome face. One hand goes to smooth rumpled hair.
Eliwys is sat in the corner, on, strangely enough, a white handkerchief. Another is wafting under her nose: got to love the Weyrling barracks.
Ilesyn attempts to straighten her clothes, which are crumpled, with one hand as she enters the barracks, though she really only manages to make it worse. A quick salute is made, the weyrling promptly moving to sit, silently. A somewhat satisfied expression resides upon her face.
Sarine ambles in from the Weyrling field.
C'daer watches the incoming group of maleriders with a tiny, almost non-existant, little smile. "I think that's most if not all," he calls towards Eliwys. "Whenever you're ready."
Eliwys grins, lifting her hand to gesture everyone to seats, and clears her throat. There's a general scowl sent around the Weyrlings. Will Eli succeed in pulling off the nasty teacher look this time? Probably not. "We're here to chat about health and injuries to your lifemates. You hurt them, then you hurt, but I'm more worried about them. If at any time you have a question, just ask it, I'm sure there'll be a dozen other weyrlings thinking it and too scared to shout, so." Pursing her lips, she continues, "Dragonhealing is something you'll all going to get to know. You'll learn the basics, and know when to call in an actual dragonhealer. If you try and heal your own lifemate, you risk killing them and yourself in the process, so don't do it. You are not dragonhealers just because you know what an injury looks like. Everyone understand?"
Osasune blinks several times, then nods her assent with a mumbled 'yes' that blends with several other weyrlings.
Sarine nods, though makes no other comments. She seems to be concentrating hard, with only one glance around the room once she's seated.
Eliwys takes a long sniff of the perfume scented handkerchief - all these people, and dragons, living in close quarters does nothing for her sensibilities. "Some of the information I'm about to disseminate are things you know, but they are worth repeating." There's a pause as she flickers a look over to C'daer, then back to the Weyrlings. "Now. First. Dragon bones. They aren't so easily broken. Which is very fortunate for us all. Seeing a dragon with a broken leg might happen once in your lifetime, if that. Be very grateful. They aren't easy to traction, and they don't mend easily. Dragons rarely break anything when they land, because..", she looks around the class, and points to Osasune, "Can you think why?" is asked.
Ilesyn gives up trying to straighten her hair, or her clothes - she's all sweaty, so that doesn't help, either. Her head is inclined in a nod towards Eliwys, as she listens.
Osasune shakes her head slightly, forehead wrinkling. "They don't? Um... because... hmn. Their wings let them keep the weight of impact off their... feet?"
T'nar seems to think of some ideas, but waits for a finger to be jabbed in his direction.
C'daer sends a slightly sympathetic glance towards Osasune, then leans sideways to fix the weyrlingmaster death glare at a group of ancy weyrlings from the younger class.
Eliwys grins at Osasune, "Kinda, but not quiet. They have" and she puts a hand to her hips, "a built in buffer here. All the muscle scrunches up to accomodate impact. Watch them taking off and landing, look at how they use those muscles."
Osasune peers at Eliwys' hips, then nods. "Oh. Buffer," she repeats.
Nallath> From the Southwest Bowl, N'veen looks vaguely put out as he glances down to where he's sitting. "Pants are going to be all soggy," he grumbles, then blinks blearily up at Pennalyn. "Later? Depends on whether I drink myself to sleep or not." He blinks a few more times, then has the presence of mind to ask, "What about you?"
T'nar nods as Eliwys answers.
C'daer, when he thinks nobody is looking, is covertly studying Ilesyn, with a bemused expression.
Eliwys grins, "We have it, but the dragon ones are bigger, which is just as well, since I don't fly!" She's joking, really. She pushes fingers through hair, pushing it back off her face, "You'll know if a dragon has a broken bone, generally because of the angle of the limb, or dislocation, which'll produce sickening pain. In either case you'll be begging for the dragonhealers to come take care of your lifemates, cos you'll be feeling all of this also." A finger taps her cheek, "A ribcage, unlike ours, is one huge single piece, this means if it breaks, it's likely your lifemate will die." Face it kids, this is one of those reality lectures. "Don't let them crash into the bowl walls, because it's really not healthy. We, as dragonhealers, can't do anything for ribcage injuries, the others, well, we can splint, but you can understand perhaps the difficulty in that. Right, T'nar? What could you use as a splint for a dragon leg do you think?"
Osasune's eyes widen at the mention of dragon death due to cracked ribcages, and she swallows.
Ilesyn doesn't seem to have noticed C'daer's study; she's rather occupied, having taken up tidying her clothes again, pulling them away from sticky skin. Oh - and the lecture. That, too.
T'nar answers quickly, "A tree limb, or a table top... anything handy, inert, and solid - and basically straight."
Sarine is missing all the looking going on, since she is facing Eliwys and listening to the questions and the answers her fellow weyrlings are tiving.
Eliwys chuckles, "Well done, T'nar. You need a tree limb, or something as big. And then you have to bind that to the dragon's leg. Think about it, it's not at all easy, so it's good for us they don't break often."
Osasune's hand goes up.
Eliwys gestures her hand towards Osasune, "Yes?"
"What do we bind the splint with?" Osa asks. "Is there anything we shouldn't use that would hurt their hide or cut them or something?"
Eliwys smiles, "Good question. Something soft, or supple. Riding straps, especially an old set, are good, especially the bits that are padded around the girth. You could use bandages, but they probably aren't that strong."
C'daer frowns thoughtfully, and peers over at T'nar. He mumbles something to himself, glares at a weyrling speaking to his neighbor, and then looks up at Eliwys like he's interested, to set a good example.
Eliwys points her finger upwards, "When you begin to fly, well, that's when injuries come in spades, as you've probably no doubt found out. A bad take off or landing can result in something minor, like talon loss, or something like wing strain, or even a broken bone, or two. Can anyone think of how you'd clean out a broken talon? It's pretty much like a fingernail, but larger. Much so."
T'nar looks around, and then raises a hand.
Ilesyn winces, briefly, at mention of injuries, and stares out towards the bowl moodily. She doesn't raise her hand.
Osasune's head bobs a few more times. She chews on her bottom lip for a little while, then raises her hand slowly.
Eliwys nods, "T'nar, why don't you try first?"
T'nar nods. "Apply redwort on the wound, to clean it out and disinfect it. Then numbweed."
Eliwys grins, "That's a start. Osasune, you have anything to add?"
Nallath> From the Southwest Bowl, Pennalyn peels herself away from Teanth, pushing loose curls back from her face. "Third option," she repeats. "Definitely." A few quick steps get her to the unsteady N'veen, where she rises up on her toes to kiss him. The kiss continues until breathing becomes a necessity, and arms and hands have somehow gotten involved as well. "Well?" rather breathless, "how's that for an option?"
Osasune lowers her hand. "Oh. I'm not, um, sure. Would you have to clear any debris with a sort of... picky thing? You know, like you clean out your fingernails with, except bigger?"
Eliwys nods, "Very good. However, the best, and easiest way, because it is such a large area, is to make sure it's numbed, and then use a scrubbing brush. Just scrub it out. It doesn't look good, but it works, and it's quick. And, so long as it's numbed, it won't hurt."
Eliwys says "Would anyone have an idea about a wing strain, or hindmuscle strain? What could you do for that?"
Ilesyn glances down at her own fingernails, turning her head about so that she faces Eliwys, "Doesn't seem particularly nice, even /with/ numbweed. Awful stuff." She goes quiet again.
Eliwys nod firmly to Ilesyn, "But if it happens to your dragon, you will be doing it, or risk infection, which could lead to a lot worse."
Osasune bounces on her heels a little, and puts her hand up again.
Ilesyn nods again, without saying a word. Her expression isn't happy.
Eliwys catches Osasune's movement, and nods, "Tell us what you think should happen."
T'nar also nods, and produces a small scrap of hide, which he scribbles someting down on with a fountain-type pen.
Osasune lowers her hand, tilting her head to the left. "For the strain - umn - numbweed? And easing off activity for a while?"
Eliwys nods, "That can help. A bigger help tho is to get them in the lake, hopefully it's not *too* cold, and let the water take the pressure off. Let them soak. Let them paddle around, and exercise it a little. Sometimes the cold can help too. If it really is inflammed, then the cold might settle that quickly."
C'daer fixes his eyes on Ilesyn again, and suggests sunnily, "Ilesyn should be able to tell us in some detail, too."
Nallath> From the Southwest Bowl, M'ial ambles in from the center bowl.
Ilesyn freezes. "I--" she begins, and promptly turns to /glare/ at C'daer.
T'nar gives a half-smirk to c'daer for being sly enough to prompt that one from Ilesyn.
Eliwys pauses a moment, flickering a look between C'daer and Ilseyn, eyebrow raising before moving along, "Now, as you may have observed, dragon hide is soft, hairless. It is a wonderful barrier to infection and will change color only in a few circumstances." She holds up a finger, "One: If they are loosing ichor, they'll start getting dull in color, then go grey. This is very serious. Get a dragonhealer's attention immediately, and start asking your lifemate if they feel pain anywhere. This is generally from a threadscored wound that's not been found. Where might you not see a threadscored wound?"
Sarine thinks a moment before raising her hand.
T'nar offers up, "On the underside or inside of where a limb meets the body - like the thigh crease."
Eliwys grins, "Ah, someone different. Sarine, do you have something different that what T'nar blurted out?"
Sarine pauses before answering. "Well, I was thinking of specifically under the wing, but I think he covered it with that."
Osasune chews a thumbnail silently, listening.
Eliwys nods, "But it's still valid. Basically anywhere you can't see, particularly when you're mounted, so that'd include belly wounds too. Be firm with your lifemate, their hatred for thread often means they forget their injuries."
Daer beams happily back at Ilesyn, and having aggravated her, settles back to listen to the rest of the lecture in a somewhat better mood.
Ilesyn glares at C'daer more, then, smirking, turns her head away. Who knows what it is she's smirking about; he certainly came the victor out of that one.
"Secondly, colors will change when the ladies are glowing. Males do not change color when mating. Three: As they get old, they may grey around the muzzle." There's another pause as Eliwys considers, "Internally, we know little. You'll notice when" notice the WHEN and not the IF, "your lifemate is injured that their muscles are silvery in color, and may be greener, from the ichor, where there's fast muscle, like in the legs. Similar to the light and dark meat on a wherry! Oh" she grins, "Is is NORMAL for you to hear several heartbeats if you're the type to listen for those. Don't get a dragonhealer to come check that, or they'll laugh at you!"
T'nar simply listens, having given his mark's-worth for now.
Osasune smiles some at that, nodding yet again.
"Injuries" Eliwys continues, "to the hide that are minor will be treated by you" she points a finger at T'nar, Sarine, then finally Osasune. "If the wound is not really ichoring, then you grab a bucket of numbweed. There are lots during threadfall outside the infirmary. And you slap, slap, slap the numbweed onto the wound using a Paddle! Don't use your hands! If you use your hands, they'll go numb and that'll be that. No more tending to your lifemate, and again, people will laugh. So, remember this! If the wound continues to ichor, grab a dragonhealer and they will look at whether your lifemate requires stitches or other treatment. Do not leave a wound unattended, or you risk losing your dragon from dehydration."
"How long would it take for a dragon to bleed to death from a bad threadscore?" Daer calls out.
Sarine raises an eyebrow at Eliwys' last comment, and raises her hand. "Why dehydration?" She glances at C'daer when he calls out his question and nods. Seems that's a question she wants to know the answer to as well.
Ilesyn tilts her head to the side, ostensibly listening very closely. "Dehydration, because they're losing so much water with the ichor, of course." The healer in her comes out.
Eliwys wiggles a finger, "Ichor to death" she stresses to C'daer, winking at a weyrling close by, "Probably a couple of days at the most, depending on the severity of the injury."
C'daer mumbles, "Ichor, bleed, bleed, ichor," but smiles and nods to Eliwys. "And hopefully you'd notice before that happened."
Osasune's eyebrows go up, and she blinks. "I'd really hope you'd notice."
Eliwys nods, "When a dragon loses ichor, it needs to be replaced by other fluids, namely water, if you don't do this, the dragon becomes dehydrated, and they get sicker and sicker, and will die." She grins at C'daer, "I'd like to hope so, yes."
T'nar keeps quiet, but nods. Seems he's fidgeting - rather odd, in a person like himself.
Eliwys smiles, "So, what do you do if you get hit by thread?"
Ilesyn sighs. "Go Between." See? She's making an effort! Her hands are folded into her lap, her posture straightened.
"Go Between," Osa echoes automatically with Ilesyn.
Eliwys nods, "How long for? And then what?"
"Long enough to kill it," opines Ilesyn, lazily. "And then to the dragonhealers, for redwort and numbweed."
"Just long enough to get if off you or your dragon. The go back to the Weyr if it's something bad, or back to your Wing if it's basically superficial."
T'nar pages to Sarine, Ilesyn, Osasune, Eliwys and C'daer: Oops! That was me.
Eliwys snorts at Ilesyn, "Not good enough for the first, and not correct for the second" she notes. There's a nod at T'nar, "And how long is long enough? How do you know when it's dead when your senses are dead in *between*?"
Osasune listens quietly, expression fascinated.
Ilesyn's shoulders are shrugged, just as lazily, ever unconcerned. "Obviously not," she agrees.
C'daer is looking interested, as well, but in the weyrlings' expressions - his gaze moves to each in turn, slowly.
T'nar waits for the answer, interested - if preoccupied.
Eliwys holds up eight fingers. "Eight seconds. Eight seconds is enough to kill it. Then you get back into formation, unless you're hurt. What then?"
T'nar again scribbles on his piece of hide.
Osasune holds up her hand again. "Then it's back to the healers?"
Eliwys says "Well, the first thing is to ask your dragon - are you alright. If they say yes, report this to your Wingleader, continue to fight. If your lifemate weakens, or you feel sick, hurt, or before this, they are really injured, then, yes Osasune, back to the healers. When you get there, report what happened to the dragonhealers, and get them to check your lifemate over."
Scribble-scribble goes T'nar's pen.
Eliwys nods, more to herself than anyone else, "Alright. So that's most of the things that go wrong. Generally it's stop doing it, and numbweed it, with a few exceptions. Now, thankfully dragons are pretty resistant to every human disease, which is fortunate, or we'd be preparing dragonloads of herbs to feed them, and we've lots of other things that need doing. One thing you have to remember though, is never, never, ever, feed them, or allow anyone to give them, Fellis. It will kill them. D-e-a-d. Understand?"
Osasune blinks rapidly. "Really? It will? Why? What does it do to them?"
Ilesyn points out, rather calmly, "Even healers aren't always given permission to get the fellis out. I don't think any of us would be able to - and you'd think anyone treating our dragons would know better. Understood, though."
Sarine nods in understanding. That's one mistake she won't make.
C'daer's eyes widen. "I didn't know that," he murmurs, and leans forward for the answer to Osasune's question.
T'nar blinks, surprised. "Is it a toxin to them specifically? Or all green-bloods?"
Eliwys hrms, "Well, Osasune, no-one has really wanted to experiment. They just seem to stop breathing, from the account I read, and that's it. Same with firelizards too, I believe, T'nar, no one really wants to do that to a living animal though, so no one tries."
T'nar pages to Sarine, Ilesyn, Osasune, Eliwys and C'daer: I didn't know that, either. A neurotoxin?
Osasune nods, murmuring, "Ohhhh."
Eliwys smiles, "Well, that's it. If you want to become a dragonhealer, you should contact Jalis. Not having any Healer training will not give you any disadvantages, so don't let that put you off. Do you have any questions for me about anything to do with dragon health?"
Ilesyn lifts her hand, finally.
T'nar raises a hand politely.
Osasune shakes her head. No questions there right this second.
Sarine pages to Ilesyn, T'nar, Osasune, Eliwys and C'daer: Thank you for the lecture Eliwys, I just need to head for bed so I can get up early for work. Assume Sarine is listening and absorbing. ;)
Sarine goes home.
Eliwys nods, "Ilesyn? Then T'nar."
T'nar queries, "What about possible animal-inflicted injuries? Like the southern felines? Baedanth likes to hunt very often in the wilds," he explains.
Ilesyn glares at T'nar, when he starts on his question before she does, and, in a burst of childish spite, begins to speak over him. "How possible is it to do any work on dragon mindhealing?"
"The claws seem to deliver a rather festering wound," he adds.
T'nar realizes he's interrupted Ilesyn, and stops for a second - then become quite irritated at the woman's behavior.
Eliwys laughs at Ilesyn, "Dragon mindhealing? Sorry, not needed. Unlike some people" she adds, given Ilesyn a firm look, "dragons don't have problems. They do, they fight, they fly." A softer glance is sent towards T'nar, "Ah, well, you'd have to assume it's infected, and just clean it out with redwort, and numbweed it, and if it looks infected, have a dragonhealer check it over. If the wounds are deep, then ask one to look at it before that, so they can determine whether it'll need stitches. Alright?"
Ilesyn's expression remains calm, though she does not appear to have accepted Eliwys' words - more, she nods firmly, "Thank you," and goes silent again. All firm glances are ignored entirely.
T'nar nods politely to Eliwys, though his eyes blaze chill fire at Ilesyn.
T'nar suddenly raises a hand.
Eliwys says "Yes, T'nar?"
C'daer stands, unobtrusively, and starts to skirt the herd of weyrlings towards Eliwys.
"Still upset at losing the flight, T'nar?" queries Ilesyn, catching his glance at her - all mock innocence, mirth in her tone. "Poor dear."
T'nar murmurs, "Is it possible for the /human/ half of a dragonpair to drive thier dragon insane?" His tone is carressingly chill, wicked in its barbed softness.
Osasune's eyes roll; she sighs.
Eliwys blinks, turning her head to look at Ilesyn, "Excuse me? If you can't have civil manners while I'm teaching, you can leave now." Attention goes to focus entirely on T'nar, for the moment, "Hrms. Good question. Possibly annoy each other, but not insane." She grins, "So, unfortunately, I don't think it's possible."
Overhearing, Daer directs a glare at both brownriders as he halts near the Weyrwoman, waiting quietly for the lesson to wrap up.
T'nar nosd to Eliwys, his manners under complete control as he pointedly ignores Ilesyn. "Thank you, Weyrwoman Eliwys."
Ilesyn meets Eliwys' gaze steadily. "My apologies, Weyrwoman. T'nar's attitude to me has been less than considerate, and I felt it best not to bury my feelings."
Eliwys smiles, "Any other questions?" A glance is thrown to Ilseyn, "Then don't bury apologies in more insults. Let it drop". Chin tilts up, and a grin goes to C'daer, "I believe we're all done."
"Then we're done. Dismissed - Ilesyn, T'nar, up here please." While waiting for them, the Weyrlingmaster turns and says politely, "Weyrwoman Eliwys, thank you ever so much for coming up all the way from Monaco to lecture our weyrlings."
"Thank you," Osasune echoes, turning about and shaking her head for a moment before heading out.
Osasune walks off eastwards to the weyrling field.
Caledoth lumbers eastwards to the weyrling field.
T'nar rises and goes over to C'daer and Eliwys. "It's nice to see you again, Weyrwoman. We should chat more often," the brownrider converses sincerely.
Eliwys stands, gathering her handkerchief from her seat with her fingertips, "You're very welcome. But if you'll excuse me I should be heading to see if J'van's around before I go home" and with that she heads out.
Ilesyn turns her face away from Eliwys, though her expression has not shifted: she's calm, poker-faced. C'daer's instruction draws nothing more than a brief tilt of her head, as she rises from her seat, and steps towards him. "Thank you, Weyrwoman," she adds, as Eliwys leaves.
Eliwys walks off eastwards to the weyrling field.
"Can you explain your abominable behavior?" C'daer asks, scathingly, looking between the two. "Behavior in front of a -guest- and not only a guest, but a Senior Weyrwoman?"
Ilesyn sighs. "I won't say 'he started it', because it doesn't behoove me," she comments, drawing her hands into her pockets, her feet planted a firm distance away from each other.
T'nar shrugs slightly. "No good explanation for me, I guess. Baedanth's still recovering from his attempt earlier, and his frustration bled over on to me."
Cyn ambles in from the Weyrling field.
"Especially since you started it, right, Ilesyn?" Daer sounds frustrated himself. "This is exactly the reason why you are going to be in the Queens' Wing," he adds, and eyeballs T'nar. "Start learning to control yourself -now-. Dismissed."
Ilesyn's brows raise. "I did not. To accuse me of /that/ is only indicative of how you're biased against me." Mention of the queens wing draws no response, save for the fact that she notes, "I made my choice. I'm doing the best I can. /He/ doesn't have an excuse." She turns, walking out without another word.
You amble eastwards to the weyrling field.
Posted by Louise at January 29, 2003 05:10 PM