[PRP] Applied Knowledge

[Lutz]

Summer was turning out to be a time of year when Hang the Moon found herself with less to do than she'd originally thought. All the hard work of studying and planting in the winter and spring had made her think that tending to the plants she'd cared for thus far would continue to take up most of her time. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the naturally damp ground of the swamp was doing a great job in keeping her plants watered which allowed her to relax.

But, as Hang the Moon soon found out, relaxing wasn't really her thing.

So she set off on a little adventure. She hadn't traveled very far east yet and decided that heading a week in that direction could prove to be interesting. For the first few days nothing really changed in terms of scenery, but on the sixth day she was starting to feel and smell a difference in the air. Something a little briny and salty. Her fur was curling at the ends in the new environment as the trees thinned and became shorter, the bogs and marshes turning brackish. What was this strange place?

Curious, Hang the Moon decided to stay for a bit. She didn't want to travel too much further east just in case she needed to return to her stomping grounds quickly for some reason, so she found a nice place to stay for a few days. The ground here was a bit drier and sandier than she was used to but it wasn't bad. Just new!

[Illusei]

With a burst of energy, Dive In propelled herself forward, closing her jaws around the fish. She retreated to shallower waters to finish her meal. Her morning hunt a success and her hunger sated, Dive In was ready for another swim. She took off, pushing herself to swim faster and faster, as fast as she could go. She loved the feeling of flying through water.

Moving as quickly as she was, she had failed to keep an keen eye on her surroundings. So she did not see the looming shadow ahead until it was quite close. An orca. Possibly a pod of them. Though they can be friendly, she was wary of the large predators, especially when they were hungry. She took a sharp turn towards shore and in doing so, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her tail.

She kept swimming despite the pain. She was even better prey injured. By the time she reach the sandy beach, the pain was throbbing. Pulling herself ashore, she examined her tail. There were no external injuries and it didn't feel broken - an injury of overexertion. She had turned too quickly too fast. It had happened before and taken many days to recover, and Dive In had not been able to hunt until it was better. There was food to be foraged on land, but far less filling than fish or game. And most of all, Dive In got terribly antsy when she wasn't able to move about.

Dive In sighed. Ugh, great, she thought. She would have to be careful the next few days not to exert herself in hopes it would get better quickly, a difficult task for the very acive Kiokote. She started towards higher ground to look for a safe place for her to rest.

[Lutz]

Hang the Moon had been resting for a bit when hoofsteps reached her ears. She lifted her head from the grass she'd been grazing upon and tilted her head to pinpoint the location. It didn't take long for her to hone in on it and, ever eager to meet new kin, she set off to meet whoever it was.

Moving through the tall bushes, Hang the Moon soon emerged on the other side to find a colorful, dappled kiokote with a fascinating tail. She'd seen some pretty interesting kin in her day but never one with a tail like a fish!

"Hello," she said with a little smile, hopeful that she hadn't startled the other female. "Sorry, I was just on the other side of the bushes and heard a noise. Figured I'd investigate." She didn't move closer, not wanting to send the wrong message...and to give her a little bit of a head start if this stranger turned out to be less than friendly.

[Illusei]

Dive In's ears perked up at the sound of rustling, alert. She looked up to see someone emerge from behind the bushes. Dive In had never seen this Kiokote before, with her striking dark blue coat. Dive In studied her as she spoke. She did not seem aggressive. In fact, she seemed a little wary of Dive In.

"Oh, hello," Dive In responded. "New around here, huh? I wouldn't go into the waters right now." Not that this kiokote would get very far without a tail, she supposed. But she had spotted the orcas in shallow water, which usually meant they were on the hunt for stingray and other prey.

She turned to keep going - no time or mood for small talk - but a wave of pain coursed through her tail and she winced.

[Lutz]

Hang the Moon had been so interested in meeting the new kio that she hadn't looked beyond what was in front of her. The mention of 'the waters' made her shift her gaze, focusing on what was beyond. Her eyes widened in surprise and her mouth opened in pure awe at the sea before her. She'd never seen anything like it before! The water went on forever, reaching the horizon, and it moved. She had no word for the waves that rolled up gently along the sandy beach but they were mesmerizing even without knowing what they were.

As the stranger went to leave, her head turned just in time to catch the wince. She'd have plenty of time to stare at the new scenery around her later. Right now there was someone that needed help!

"Very new...I've never seen a place like this before," she admitted as she moved a few steps to follow the other kio. "Are you all right? I couldn't help but notice that wince."

[Illusei]

Dive In felt a surge of pride when she saw the other Kiokote's face. Though Dive In saw the ocean every day, she understood the feeling. And it softened her towards the other Kiokote, who was so genuine and unguarded in expressing her awe towards something Dive In loved so much.

So when the other kin asked about her wince, Dive In told her honestly, "I hurt my tail. I turned too quickly maybe." She shrugged. "It can't be helped. I'll just have to lay low for a while and hope it feels better soon."

Looking away, Dive In began to survey hidden areas she could rest in. The sooner she rested, the faster she'll heal - she hoped.

[Lutz]

When the other kio mentioned she'd hurt her tail, Hang the Moon couldn't help but feel as if she'd been brought here for a reason. She didn't know this kin from any other in this area and yet here she was, a satchel full of herbs and flowers back under the tree just a few quick paces back into the sparse forest.

"Actually, it might be able to be helped," she said, trying not to sound too eager. "I've got some things with me that I could make a salve out of that might help you heal a little faster." She'd made the numbing and relaxing paste a few times now and had found it was very helpful for sprains and aching muscles. It numbed the area first before helping the injured muscles to relax, promoting the healing process.

"Only if you'd like, of course," she added, not wanting to push herself on the other kio. "I'm Hang the Moon, by the way. I've been trying to gain more skills and knowledge about healing and have been able to put it to use...though more practice is always welcome." Hopefully the other female wouldn't take it like she was looking for a test subject!

[Illusei]

That got Dive In's attention. She looked at the other Kiokote curiously. She had never met a kin who could heal before, although she knew there were sponges in the sea that one could rub again to soothe a rash. She had learned it from a friendly dolphin.

"Really? You could do that?" She said, enthusiastic at the thought of healing faster. If anything could help her get back in the water faster, she would try it. "Okay, let's do it! Practice away."

She had been a little more guarded because she had been injured. Usually she was far more confident of her strength and speed, but with her tail as it was, she had felt more vulnerable. Her hesitation, however, was now gone. She was just as quick to trust Hang the Moon and was now very excited. "Name's Dive In," she said in response.

[Lutz]

The other kio - Dive In, she learned - seemed eager to be helped now that Hang the Moon had offered. That was great! She'd done quite a few months of plant growing and tending so to actually put some of the herbs, flowers, and roots to use that she'd cultivated would be exciting! And a good test to see if she could create the proper treatment.

"Follow me, then," she said, delighted that Dive In agreed. "I've got my supplies back in the trees just a bit. It's not far," she added, not wanting to discourage Dive In if it hurt to walk. Her tail was so incredibly powerful and different from her own that Hang the Moon wasn't sure if moving on land would be painful or not.

"I have something I think might work already made up," she added as she led the way back through the foliage, away from the beach. After she was done with her she'd definitely have to go explore a bit! She wondered if there were plants here that might have healing properties she could learn about.

"Can you show me where it hurts the most?" she asked as they reached the tree she'd left her satchel under. She nosed into the pouch of it, pushing aside the dried plants to try to find the small, hollowed out gourd she used to carry her pastes and salves in.

[Illusei]

Dive In followed Hang the Moon into the trees. "It's not bad when I'm walking," she said. Besides, she could take a little pain, especially if something the other kin could do will help.

Once they reached the supplies, Dive In turned to show Hang the Moon her tail. "Here, I think," she said, gesturing to the upper part. She mimicked the turn that injured her, to show the other kin. "Ow!" Okay, maybe not such a good idea right now.

As Hang the Moon searched for something in her pouch, Dive In asked, "How did you learn all of this?" She peeked in curiously to see an assortment of plants. They neither looked like they had been freshly picked nor wilted. Finally, Hang the Moon pulled out a strangely shaped object. It resembled, to Dive In, a sea cucumber but had a much drier texture.

[Lutz]

Taking the leaf off the top of the gourd, Hang the Moon let Dive In take a peek at the sticky, pasty salve inside.

"Just from traveling around and talking to other kin," she said with a little smile, though concern still tinged her expression after Dive In had strained herself again. "I realized it was something I was passionate about and began to seek out tribes and individuals who were knowledgeable. I still have a lot to learn, though. I've never seen a place like this, I bet there's all sorts of plants here that have healing properties that I didn't even know existed."

As she spoke she mentally prepared herself for the numbness her muzzle would experience for the next few hours. It was always difficult getting the salve out of the gourd and onto the place she was aiming for, but she'd found her hoof didn't fit into the opening very well and it certainly wasn't a nice experience to have someone pressing their hard hoof into your tender body! She had decided a numb nose was worth it for the time being, but perhaps she could find a better way to apply her pain relief in the future.

For now, though, she dipped her muzzle into the gourd and moved it around to gather up some of the salve. Then she turned to face Dive In, leaning forward to nuzzle the other kio's tail where she'd indicated the pain was worst.

"Hopefully this doesn't hurt too much," she said as she worked. She had to press just a bit to rub the salve in under her fur, but sometimes for certain strains and aches the light massage actually felt good. She worked until she felt her nose starting to go numb and she knew that the paste was doing its job on her patient as well.

"There...let's let that sit a minute before you give you tail a wag again. Then we can see if there's other places I need to put it or if that did the trick. Even though it's going to help with the pain you should still try not to move it or use it too much. It needs time to heal still. This will just help it along and keep you out of pain while it's getting better."

[Illusei]

Dive In watched as Hang the Moon worked, fascinated by what the other kin was doing. What looked like a sea cucumber to Dive In turned out to be hollow and holding a sticky substance that Hang the Moon then used her muzzle to apply onto her. Dive In appreciated the massage but was unsure what Hang the Moon was doing. She definitely was not expecting what happened next. As she felt the area going numb, she gave a yelp of surprise.

"I can't really feel the area anymore," She said, examining herself. Her body looked exactly as it did before, but where Hang the Moon applied the substance felt like it was no longer there, save for a prickly tingling. She tried her best to sit still as she was told, though she wanted to try moving her tail right away. While she waited, she couldn't help giving her body a little poke with her nose where the pain was and found she could not feel her own touch. A little of the substance - it was surprisingly sticky - got on her nose and she could feel it too going a little numb.

Finally, after waiting what felt like an eternity, Dive In gave her tail an experimental wag and found it moved just fine. With the pain gone, she wanted to run or to dive into the ocean, but Hang the Moon was telling her not to move it and that it still needs to heal. Dive In sighed, impatient.

Still, she was very grateful. "Thank you! You're amazing." She said. And then, after a moment's thought, she added, "I can get you some ocean plants once I'm better. Come find me anytime!"

[Lutz]

It took everything in Hang the Moon's being to tell Dive In to stop moving, but the other kio was clearly delighted that she wasn't in pain anymore so it was hard to tell her to sit still! She was glad she'd brought relief, no matter how fleeting it might be. Hopefully Dive In would heed her instructions and let her tail rest.

"Oh, that would be lovely," she said with a nod. "I'll probably be in the area for a bit, there's so much to explore here!" Her plants were doing so well on their own back in the main part of the swamp that she felt like she could leave them be for a few weeks without any repercussions.

"Try not to go in the water until the salve is absorbed," she said, hoping to get a few more instructions in before Dive In scampered off. "It should take about half a day to be dry again, then you're good to get in the water. Just be mindful not to over-use it while you are feeling good."

I think we can wrap it in your next post if you feel like it's done~

[Illusei]

"Yes, okay, I'll rest," Dive In said reluctantly. It was not at all what she wanted to do - but since she didn't understand exactly what Hang the Moon did, she figured it made sense to listen to her. Half a day felt like a long time, but DIve In had been expecting much worse before she bumped into this other kin.

"Thank you again," Dive In said to Hang the Moon as they parted ways. "See you around! You'll see me on the beach once I'm better."

If she must wait, she might as well take a nap. She didn't like to nap, but rest will only help her heal faster. Dive In found herself a cozy spot and laid her body down, remembering just in time not to sleep on the side where she had hurt herself. As she closed her eyes, she listened to the sounds of the ocean. Soon, she told herself. Soon, she will be back in the water where she belongs. And then she could show Hang the Moon the cool ocean plants.

Done! This was fun C: