The Good Doctor

The black eagle flew into the city, screeching, which made everyone on the main street look up. Women and other beastmen started to look around wide eyed for the danger that the bird must be carrying on about, but other eagle beastmen, walking around in human form, started to communicate that it wasn't danger, but rather, an emergency that needed the head doctor. After several minutes, another black haired man ran out into the middle of the road and returned a screeching call up to the eagle circling the skies. In tow was a leopard male, with blond hair that was customary of the clan, but it was long and kept in a single braid. His clothes were also long and draping like a summer robe. He had no true stripes of a warrior, but he did have a deep blue, intricate tattoo design that was a long stripe on his chin, and also between his eyes and up his forehead. It was a special mark that was given to him by the King; to show his value to the tribe, even though he wasn't a fighter.

Without shifting, not wanting to waste time, the eagle landed, the crowd quickly making room for him. Harvey climbed onto his back while the human formed eagle who had grabbed him explained what he had been told from the sky.

"There's female coming that's more injured than we've seen," he stated.

The doctor didn't need to know any more. With a nod, the bird drew his wings back out, and escorted him back to his home, where he worked on the worst patients.

There were multiple different types of homes in the city. Some were quite substantial; the castle was made of stone and was multiple stories. There were actually two castles, the old one, and the newest where the Tiger King, his wife, and his wife's other spouses lived. The original homes were massive trees that had been carved out in the middle, which also had multiple stories to them. Many bachelor tiger, leopard, and bird beastmen lived in those, though most females would opt to not live in them, as it was hard for them to climb up and down each level freely. Other homes were made of stone but single storied, while the few herbivores brave enough to dwell with the predators often constructed their own traditional wooden cabins with thatched roofs.

Though they would never admit to having a tradition close to the herbivores, the leopard clan also was accustomed to a similar building style, and the doctors headquarters was no exception. The house was one story, and extremely open, with only one large room. The ceiling was thatched, and very high compared to most of the buildings, allowing for good ventilation, especially if a fire was started for heat in the cold months. There were dozens of lines of dried herbs hanging, with small clay pots filled with poultices and pastes, salt, honey, and water that had been boiled and cooled.

There was a bed that was larger than the rest, with lots of furs draped on it. That was the doctor's bed, while there were three more cots - those were for patients if they needed to stay overnight. Rarely had this happened in years, besides mothers who either had difficult or failed births. Females rarely got injured otherwise, and with a lack of war, males wouldn't stay overnight in his house for wounds that would heal at home. Flesh wounds on the men also healed at an exceptionally fast rate - as long as no bones or internal organs were effected, all they had to do was get help staving off an infection, a concept that had only been brought around in the last fifteen years.

As expected, the doctor and the eagle made it to his home faster than the leopard and snake on foot, but barely faster than the Harpy carrying the injured Shuule. There wasn't any time to prepare before the gray eagle was above them. The black eagle, Remi, shifted into a human, allowing the bird to gently place the girl into his outstretched arms.

"Who tied off her arm?" the leopard demanded.

Remi shrugged. "She came that way, why?"

The doctor was puzzled, but ushered both men, the Harpy eagle now shifted to a silver haired boy, into his home.

"She's heavier than she should be," grunted Remi, while he laid her down on the middle most bed. "is it because she's dead?"

Harvey rolled his eyes, as the fox female was clearly still breathing, but barely, her skin a sickly color, her lips even slightly blue, and he chose not to answer. In his younger years he was far less confident and would stammer over explanations of medicine, but as the years went by and it became abundantly clear how much he was needed, and how little anyone was willing to learn his skills, he had thrown caution to the wind.

"Maybe you're weak," he snapped. Assessing her, he was surprised but relieved that the blood had stopped flowing from her wound, but it was terribly dirty, and there was even some bone exposed.

"I need salt water boiled, and I need green herb and honey paste. And I need," he eyed the stranger, who was unconscious currently, "I need sleeping powder. This is going to hurt, and I don't want her to wake up."

Remi stood stone still, arms folded, while the gray haired male started to collect water from a basin and put it over the fire. Harvey rolled his eyes again, but waved the man off.

"Go, go to your mate." Remi exhaled, and nodded at the other eagle, before exiting and flying off. It wasn't that Remi was not sympathetic, but he was mated. Once a male had a spouse, he was preoccupied with their connection, and on top of it, as much as Harvey was necessary, he wasn't inclined to take orders from a stripeless leopard.

Ukko, on the other hand, was single, and was as frantic about saving the female as if she was his own. Grabbing a stray animal skin skirt, he wrapped himself in it after he put the salt water on the fire, and was starting to find the sleeping powder when there was a loud commotion outside. Harvey hissed and snapped his ears back.

"Ah shit, the snake is here," breathed Ukko.

"The Snake?" Harvey growled.

"Ah, yeah uh, he brought the fox here, I donno I think he's related to the Guardians, I didn't - "

There was a snarl and a hiss outside, before Iro backed up into the doorway, still as his beast, posturing and making as much noise as he could. In front of him was a black snake, irate, spitting and baring his teeth, though also not striking out.

Looking at what was visible of his patient with her clothes on, Harvey could see no spousal markings, but it was clear the serpent was here for her. "Tell him he can come in but he has to put his tail away," barked the doctor. "Or otherwise you both have to shut up if I'm going to save her!"

Flatly ignoring the men after that, Harvey took a piece of cotton, and dabbed a faint blue powder onto it. This was a powder that was made from a tree root in the area, and would knock a person unconscious for a short period of time when inhaled. Quickly, he pressed the cotton to his patients nostrils. Though she was barely present, he needed to insure she would stay asleep. As her short, pained breaths became calmer, the leopards golden eyes became as wide as discs as he began to see orange flecks of hair emerge from her skin. They were faint, but he was keenly aware of what he was witnessing.