07-30-2018, 12:41 PM
Unobtrusively she stood amidst the collected with attentive interest, devouring the knowlege that was freely offered by her peers. Shortly after she shared her re-telling of the assigned topic, another mare had risen to the forefront to divulge her information about the death of an ailing queen. Even in spite of the bay stag's cursory demeanor, she'd even devoutly listented to what he had to say on his subject. Whether the information was completely true or not, it didn't matter to her; absolute knowledge of the past was lost to the past, leaving only muddled, general interpretations of what had once been. General knowledge was better than no knowledge at least.
When Tir recounts the evaluations of their assignments, there's nothing but a simple victorius joy that rises from within her. Pride had already begun to swell at her recollection of the Amazons of the past, but now it seeped further and flourished to consume her. Utter happiness must have been painfully obvious upon her expression, though she could not see it for herself. Apparently she'd been smiling brilliantly, apparently she didn't hide the pride of her small victory well, and apparently someone in the class was not entirely thrilled with it. The moment she felt something gently ricochet off the broad side of her face, the smile upon her lips instantly dissipated leaving a look of mild confusion in its wake. Dark eyes drop to glance at the object before following the path that the projectile must've started from. Scowling, she fluidly meets the gaze of Zain with narrowed eyes as he snickers in infantile delight.
The sharpness of her tongue threatens to penetrate the tightly clenched teeth lining her jaw; the voice of the instructor dampens the spark that cries to be ignited there, and grudgingly she breaks her steely glare to look back to Tir. It was a saving grace, she couldn't afford to lose focus now on petty antics while she was slightly ahead. <i>Well,</i> she thinks to herself, <i>drastically ahead of </i>him<i> anyway,</i> and a cheeky lopsided grin flickers at the edge of her mouth.
The smile widens with the acknowledgement of her latest assignment; she knew exactly what to do this time.
When Tir gives his dismissal, she wastes no time in setting her course for the vast expanse of the common lands of Beqanna. Many equines travel to and fro the meadows and field on daily excursions for kingdom business, but the plains of the land are also the homelands of those choosing to not commit to structured hierarchies. Upon one occasion in the speckled mare's travelling, she'd unfortunately misplaced a step, unknowingly bearing the bulk of her weight on her right front limb as it came down upon a sharp stone. The pain had been excruciating, ultimately leaving her affected limb hot, tender and useless. She'd tolerated the pain for a couple of days, until the opposite leg had become heated and painful from her awkward weight dispersion. There'd been little she could have done that day, aside from retract herself from the openness of the plains, opting to lay upon the earth with her back pressed firmly against the trunk of a wide oak.
By some small miracle, her afternoon dozing at been interrupted by a gentle huffing againts her sensitive limbs. Alarm had isntantly coursed through her, jolting her upright in a sudden panic at the unnoticed threat. But the sound of a soothing voice entering her frazzled ears was enough cause to bar her ragged frenzy, as her eyes shifted to the interesting form of a petite mare standing nearby. Her coat had been as purely white as Ilma's, only contrasted by her lack of wings and the vibrant red that composed the locks of her mane and tail. But it was the other woman's eyes that had truly stilled the panic in Breckin's aching body; her eyes were the loveliest, molten brown that the spotted mare had. They held a certain undisputable kindness in them that Breckin could not find the means to contest otherwise, even if she had wanted to.
The other mare offered no descript name, only stating that she was simply a Healer with no magical claims whatsoever and that simple natural remedies were readily available for the milldly afflicted. Breckin couldn't say for certain why she'd inexplicably trusted this Healer, but with the other's gentle words of encouragement, she'd managed to lift herself to stand, following the white mare to a cold pool of water where she was instructed to soak her limbs. After the shadows had grown longer, she'd been instructed to rub a certain plant along the length of her affected limbs, surprised at the tingling coolness the plant elicited upon her tender skin. After a couple of days of the same routine and rest, Breckin had found with delight the degree of improvement she'd made with the help of the Healer. And with a newfound appreciation of the earthy resources available, she'd thanked her newest friend and departed for home, with the intent of returning at a later time.
So today when Breckin entered the neutral territory of the common lands, she hurried to the spots that she knew the Healer rounded upon to offer her aid. With burgeoning eagerness at the sight of the white and red mare coming into view, she hurried her pace until she embraced the Healer with a warm greeting, ready to pick her brain for any information she possessed about the ailment called Strangles.
_______________________________________
When she'd returned to class again, she wasn't entirely surprised that Zain had been the first to complete is assignment again. She'd been mentally sorting through the information she now possessed when she notices his wink, but the only acknowledgement of his existance she offered was a simple eye roll, though she couldn't help the subtle smile that lingered a moment after.
Her name is called, and she moves to the front again, evenly meeting the gaze of those gathered before softly clearing her throat..
<i><b>For this assignment, I sought the help of a natural Healer residing in the common areas of Beqanna. When we discussed that the topic of concern was Strangles, I could practically see her face darken. Apparently, Strangles is a highly infectious and contagious disease that can affect any age of equine and once a horse is infected, it can take between 3-14 days to show effects after exposure. The Healer offered the name of a bacteria named </i>Streptococcus equi equi<i> as the causative bacteria. It is most likely to present itself first in the form of a high fever accompanied by fatigue and loss of appetite. As the infection progresses, the area behind a horses jaw line will swell, and the area will become enlarged and painful. Many a time, the horse has little choice but to stand with it's head outstretched to help relieve some of the pain inducing pressure upon the neck. If the swelling becomes too severe a cough may present, or worse, a strangled sound due to pressure closing around the airway, which is the term Strangles arose from. It is possible, that if there is enough pressure built upon the airway, it can completely restrict respirations, ultimately cause the horse to perish. It is also likely, that as the pressure rises, that it will cause the glands in the neck to ultimately burst and drain pus-like fluid. It is this exudate, along with possible nasal drainage, that hosts the invading organism believed to cause the infection in horses. Any contact with these body fluids puts an unaffected horse as a significant risk of contracting the disease. Supposedly, the bacteria can remain viable for 3-7 days on hard surfaces or even soil that infected exudates come in contact with and nearing several weeks it can survived in water.
Though if left unchecked Strangles can prove fatal, it can be remedied. Unfortunately, the first thing to do is to isolate affected horses from the unaffected to prevent further spread of the disease. Then attempts should be made to make the horse comfortable with cold therapy to help decrease swelling and fever, as well as consuming something called an antibiotic which, apparently, can be accomplished by the consumption of certain types of molds. If necessary to prevent suffocation, the glands of the affected horse may need to be physically drained as well.</i></b>
At the completion of sharing her knowledge, she moves away from the head of the group, opting for the long way around to her usual standing ground, in order to pass by the lumbering body of Zain. When she passes him, her eyes bore into his heatedly with the progression of a smug smile growing upon her charcoal lips before blowing him a cursory kiss. For some inexplicable reason she wanted to teach him a lesson in the worst kind of way. <i>Cheeky bastard,</i> she thinks with stupid amusement as she settles back in to listen to the rest of the reports.
*bold and italicized denotes the paper assignment with a word count of 394
Bonus question answer: The Paint is a breed of horse rooted in traceable bloodlines, whereas a Pinto refers to a coat pattern that can be associated with many different breeds of horses.
When Tir recounts the evaluations of their assignments, there's nothing but a simple victorius joy that rises from within her. Pride had already begun to swell at her recollection of the Amazons of the past, but now it seeped further and flourished to consume her. Utter happiness must have been painfully obvious upon her expression, though she could not see it for herself. Apparently she'd been smiling brilliantly, apparently she didn't hide the pride of her small victory well, and apparently someone in the class was not entirely thrilled with it. The moment she felt something gently ricochet off the broad side of her face, the smile upon her lips instantly dissipated leaving a look of mild confusion in its wake. Dark eyes drop to glance at the object before following the path that the projectile must've started from. Scowling, she fluidly meets the gaze of Zain with narrowed eyes as he snickers in infantile delight.
The sharpness of her tongue threatens to penetrate the tightly clenched teeth lining her jaw; the voice of the instructor dampens the spark that cries to be ignited there, and grudgingly she breaks her steely glare to look back to Tir. It was a saving grace, she couldn't afford to lose focus now on petty antics while she was slightly ahead. <i>Well,</i> she thinks to herself, <i>drastically ahead of </i>him<i> anyway,</i> and a cheeky lopsided grin flickers at the edge of her mouth.
The smile widens with the acknowledgement of her latest assignment; she knew exactly what to do this time.
When Tir gives his dismissal, she wastes no time in setting her course for the vast expanse of the common lands of Beqanna. Many equines travel to and fro the meadows and field on daily excursions for kingdom business, but the plains of the land are also the homelands of those choosing to not commit to structured hierarchies. Upon one occasion in the speckled mare's travelling, she'd unfortunately misplaced a step, unknowingly bearing the bulk of her weight on her right front limb as it came down upon a sharp stone. The pain had been excruciating, ultimately leaving her affected limb hot, tender and useless. She'd tolerated the pain for a couple of days, until the opposite leg had become heated and painful from her awkward weight dispersion. There'd been little she could have done that day, aside from retract herself from the openness of the plains, opting to lay upon the earth with her back pressed firmly against the trunk of a wide oak.
By some small miracle, her afternoon dozing at been interrupted by a gentle huffing againts her sensitive limbs. Alarm had isntantly coursed through her, jolting her upright in a sudden panic at the unnoticed threat. But the sound of a soothing voice entering her frazzled ears was enough cause to bar her ragged frenzy, as her eyes shifted to the interesting form of a petite mare standing nearby. Her coat had been as purely white as Ilma's, only contrasted by her lack of wings and the vibrant red that composed the locks of her mane and tail. But it was the other woman's eyes that had truly stilled the panic in Breckin's aching body; her eyes were the loveliest, molten brown that the spotted mare had. They held a certain undisputable kindness in them that Breckin could not find the means to contest otherwise, even if she had wanted to.
The other mare offered no descript name, only stating that she was simply a Healer with no magical claims whatsoever and that simple natural remedies were readily available for the milldly afflicted. Breckin couldn't say for certain why she'd inexplicably trusted this Healer, but with the other's gentle words of encouragement, she'd managed to lift herself to stand, following the white mare to a cold pool of water where she was instructed to soak her limbs. After the shadows had grown longer, she'd been instructed to rub a certain plant along the length of her affected limbs, surprised at the tingling coolness the plant elicited upon her tender skin. After a couple of days of the same routine and rest, Breckin had found with delight the degree of improvement she'd made with the help of the Healer. And with a newfound appreciation of the earthy resources available, she'd thanked her newest friend and departed for home, with the intent of returning at a later time.
So today when Breckin entered the neutral territory of the common lands, she hurried to the spots that she knew the Healer rounded upon to offer her aid. With burgeoning eagerness at the sight of the white and red mare coming into view, she hurried her pace until she embraced the Healer with a warm greeting, ready to pick her brain for any information she possessed about the ailment called Strangles.
_______________________________________
When she'd returned to class again, she wasn't entirely surprised that Zain had been the first to complete is assignment again. She'd been mentally sorting through the information she now possessed when she notices his wink, but the only acknowledgement of his existance she offered was a simple eye roll, though she couldn't help the subtle smile that lingered a moment after.
Her name is called, and she moves to the front again, evenly meeting the gaze of those gathered before softly clearing her throat..
<i><b>For this assignment, I sought the help of a natural Healer residing in the common areas of Beqanna. When we discussed that the topic of concern was Strangles, I could practically see her face darken. Apparently, Strangles is a highly infectious and contagious disease that can affect any age of equine and once a horse is infected, it can take between 3-14 days to show effects after exposure. The Healer offered the name of a bacteria named </i>Streptococcus equi equi<i> as the causative bacteria. It is most likely to present itself first in the form of a high fever accompanied by fatigue and loss of appetite. As the infection progresses, the area behind a horses jaw line will swell, and the area will become enlarged and painful. Many a time, the horse has little choice but to stand with it's head outstretched to help relieve some of the pain inducing pressure upon the neck. If the swelling becomes too severe a cough may present, or worse, a strangled sound due to pressure closing around the airway, which is the term Strangles arose from. It is possible, that if there is enough pressure built upon the airway, it can completely restrict respirations, ultimately cause the horse to perish. It is also likely, that as the pressure rises, that it will cause the glands in the neck to ultimately burst and drain pus-like fluid. It is this exudate, along with possible nasal drainage, that hosts the invading organism believed to cause the infection in horses. Any contact with these body fluids puts an unaffected horse as a significant risk of contracting the disease. Supposedly, the bacteria can remain viable for 3-7 days on hard surfaces or even soil that infected exudates come in contact with and nearing several weeks it can survived in water.
Though if left unchecked Strangles can prove fatal, it can be remedied. Unfortunately, the first thing to do is to isolate affected horses from the unaffected to prevent further spread of the disease. Then attempts should be made to make the horse comfortable with cold therapy to help decrease swelling and fever, as well as consuming something called an antibiotic which, apparently, can be accomplished by the consumption of certain types of molds. If necessary to prevent suffocation, the glands of the affected horse may need to be physically drained as well.</i></b>
At the completion of sharing her knowledge, she moves away from the head of the group, opting for the long way around to her usual standing ground, in order to pass by the lumbering body of Zain. When she passes him, her eyes bore into his heatedly with the progression of a smug smile growing upon her charcoal lips before blowing him a cursory kiss. For some inexplicable reason she wanted to teach him a lesson in the worst kind of way. <i>Cheeky bastard,</i> she thinks with stupid amusement as she settles back in to listen to the rest of the reports.
*bold and italicized denotes the paper assignment with a word count of 394
Bonus question answer: The Paint is a breed of horse rooted in traceable bloodlines, whereas a Pinto refers to a coat pattern that can be associated with many different breeds of horses.