Why was I attacked? He thought, still trying to make sense of what just happened, Did I do something bad? Did I deserve this? He tried to move, but quickly found out trying to move hurt- a lot.

One flinched slightly as Doctor approached, incredibly wary after The Big Hunter's unexpected attack. He relaxed, however, at Doctor's reassuring words, even if he didn't quite comprehend them. He was far too focused on the pain of his new injuries to pay much attention to The Doctor.

One did manage to focus on Alpha, however. He stared up at it as it began to leave. Some part of One was relieved, but another part was... angry? sad? panicked? He couldn't exactly sort all of the emotions, but he did know he wanted it's attention. He didn't want it to just walk off like nothing ever happened. So even though he had gotten yelled for doing this before, One drew in his energy and attempted to make a 'zap' like he had earlier. Small sparks lept from his fur, likely not strong enough to reach Alpha, and definitely not enough to cause any more than an annoying static shock. Still, he hoped it was noticeable.

"Spoken Words."
Thoughts

tags: @Doctor @Orthoclase-Alpha
notes: ---

coding by wulf for template purposes

The 'good' Doctor turned, picking through his selection of skull-potted plants. He pulled forth long, rough, broad grass blades, and cheerfully carried these over to Vivianite.

He didn't seem to notice the brief blast of magic from the child, nor Vivianite's attention on Alpha, instead busying himself laying the grasses near the young one.

"All right. You won't be able to move all that much! But we'll make sure those legs heal, hm? Just don't move, now." Doctor focused, intending to weave the grass up around Vivianite's leg, even into the flesh to form a cast--but instead it snaked up into his own flesh where his talons pinned it, never coming near the child.

Doctor hissed and clicked his beak, leaping back, but the grass was turn into his scutes, now, and he froze for a moment at the pain. He looked up, and forced a kind expression at Vivianite. "Ahh... this will take just a minute."

The big bird turned his back, then, to pull the grass free--and was it a kind thought to spare the child the gruesome sight, or was it to spare his own dignity?

@Vivianite

One felt a surge of frustration when the big hunter didn't even react. Soon enough, he was out of reach, and he couldn't even chase after it. He hated this- all the feelings of hurt, confusion, anger, fear, all melding together into one horrible mess. He'd never let this happen again, not if he could help it. At the same time, however, childish naivety prevented real malice developing. A foolish hope that Alpha hadn't done it on purpose, that it was just so big that it had hurt him on accident.

One turned his head as the Doctor came back, this time with several long blades of grass. He flinched, slightly, as The Doctor touched his leg. He didn't feel much, but watched as the vulture lept back, clutching a talon with grass woven painfully into it's flesh.

Is that what happens when magic messes up? He thought, thinking of the static shocks he'd made previously. Would his zaps hurt him if he wasn't careful?
Could I do that on purpose? Hurting magic? Neither of his shocks had any harmful intent behind them. But if he could zap someone, hard, they'd leave him alone, right? Then he'd never get hurt, again!

He watch the Doctor intently, though he could only really see the bird's back. He tilted his head to the side, trying to get a sight of the talon with the grass woven into it, filled with a somewhat morbid sort of curiosity.

"Spoken Words."
Thoughts

tags: @Doctor
notes: ---

coding by wulf for template purposes

The child wasn't answering, but that was all right. It was probably in shock, Doctor reasoned, or at least in pain. ...Like he was, because damn, pulling blades of grass through and out of his own thick skin hurt. He hissed a little, then tossed these blades aside; they weren't... useful anymore. Tainted, likely, by his own bacteria.

Damn it.

He hopped up and grabbed another few blades, and a stick, and then wound his way back down--and this time, attempted to quite physically set and splint Vivianite's leg--the foreleg first. This involved him using beak and feet to briefly test and snap the leg back into its correct place--then to use the same beak and feet to carefully tie the grass into place, to hold the splint.

No magic, this time, but if the child resisted, it would be problematic.

"We will fix this up, One, no fear, yes?" he assured, kindly, while pressing and prodding helpfully.

...if painfully, most likely.

@Vivianite

One, being so recently hatched, couldn't have responded very well even without the numbing, throbbing pain coming from both of his legs. He tried to pay attention to the vulture, who was doing something, but it was hard to focus on any one thing when it felt like everything was happening at once and it all needed his full attention.

Then The Doctor grabbed his front leg- the hurt one- and he instinctively yelped which turned into a squeal as the vulture snapped the bones into place. His good leg twitched and clawed at the ground, his tail lashing and curling in pain. He knew the bird was trying to help- if only because the bird had spoken in a calm, friendly, voice the entire time, and kept saying words like 'Help' and 'Heal,' which despite his limited knowledge of words, he knew were good things. Still, it HURT, a LOT, and he wished helping didn't have to feel like this.

"F-fix?" He squeaked out through clenched teeth. He wanted to know more, about why this was happening, why it had to hurt. Rifling through his limited vocabulary, he managed to squeak out "Help? Kn-knowledge?"

"Spoken Words."
Thoughts

tags: @Doctor
notes: ---

coding by wulf for template purposes

Doctor nodded along cheerfully as he moved to the next limb. But there he paused, staring at the hind limb, half talking to Vivianite and half to himself.

"Well, yes! I don't know how much you'l understand, of course--you're still very young, One-... hmm, should I leave this one? A control! -or I might break the other two--no, no, I need healthy limbs for comparison but ah-! What if they alter structure to compensate-? Shifted musculature, altered balance... ahh, didn't take this into account..." His tone was lamenting, but after a moment he got on with it, attempting to splint the second limb. Lots of binding with vines would follow, if he managed; his talons were relatively mobile but not exactly as articulate as fingers, after all.

"It is for science, little One! You see, we have many injuries in the caves, yes-? But if a child breaks its leg, we don't know how to treat it. Do we bind it, like this? Or leave it? Which is best, for healing? So this helps, you see! This helps other children, and future wounded! It is all for science."

It sounded fairly reasonable, if one didn't know that Doctor had just shattered the poor little kid's legs. Or, at least, had them shattered.

The woven bindings, driven by magic, worked better this time--and Doctor attempted to pin Vivianite's hind leg to ensure the 'cast' of splint and weavings took.

@Vivianite

One tried to listen to The Doctor the best he could, but with how many words the bird used, and the distraction of pain, much of it went in one ear and out the other. He watched as the vulture began to move onto the other leg. He instinctively cringed, getting ready for the painful process of binding the bone back in place. He turned his head to stare at a wall while The Doctor worked.

"Sci-ence." He echoed. He turned his head to look at the bird, but kept his gaze on the vulture, and not on his broken legs, as if not looking would make it hurt less.

He continued to listen to Doctor. I wanna help people! He thought. But why did HE have to do it? It did hurt, a LOT. Well, the Doctor has to help people like this. He reasoned, And the Big Hunter has to chase! and hunt! One wasn't sure he could do either thing. Maybe this was the best he could do to help! And then everyone would want to be his friend, because he helped people! That'd be nice, right?

"Help healing!" He chirped, excited to be helping people. And then, after a small pause, "It hurts..."

"Spoken Words."
Thoughts

tags: @Doctor
notes: ---

coding by wulf for template purposes

Doctor glanced to Vivianite, and paused, for a moment. For just the briefest instant he felt a twinge of pity, and--was that guilt? The child's eyes were wide with pain and earnesty.

"It will pass," he assured, warmly, with surety in the dip of his head.

He wished, for a moment, that he had something that he could use to dull the pain. He had a few plants that had seemed to calm the rats, but he didn't know if they lessened pain, or just drugged the subject.

-Time to test, perhaps?

Doctor hesitated, not quite willing to mix his subjects of study all at once, lest one taint the other. But... One looked to be in pain, and so he offered.

"Er, I have plants that might--perhaps?--lessen the pain, if you wish to try that? One?"

...Surely 'breaking a child's legs' wasn't as bad as 'offering unproven drugs for testing pain-killing,' right?

@Vivianite

One nodded, looking a little unconvinced. It was hard to imagine such a thing would just go away. The Doctor was nice, he was helping him heal after all! This was ignoring the fact that The Doctor had his legs broken, but One hadn't exactly put two and two together yet.

At the mention of plants that could help the pain, One immediately nodded. "I wanna try." He replied, the desperation clear in his tone. He didn't know the risks of eating plants if you didn't quite know what they did. And even if he had understood that, he would've just as quickly said yes.

"Spoken Words."
Thoughts

tags: @Doctor
notes: ---

coding by wulf for template purposes

Doctor considered, and paced up to the potted plants. He'd brought skulls back from Canis, turned them upside-down, carried dirt in them and used them as planters. It looked a little grim, but it worked.

He hopped along the row, looking at them, muttering to himself.

"This one was--yes, drowsy, but pain-free, yes? That one was unconsciousn--mm, or was that this-"

He paused, and hesitated.

"Well! This one is either the one that makes you sleep, or the one that makes pain go away. I am fairly sure it is the latter!" Doctor, however, was wildly incorrect; this was, in fact, the one that made the imbiber sleep.

After mild hallucinations.

Doc didn't know this, since the rats couldn't speak to tell him; effects such as nausea and, yes, hallucinations, were unknown to him.

He hopped over and laid the sprig--it looked like a fairly dry, gray-green herb with bits of yellow flower on it--before Vivianite. "There you go, One. Eat that, and I am sure all will be well."

@Vivianite

(please put the tag after the table, outside of it! It isn't tagging me from inside the table :( )