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CHAPTER 8: A HEALER'S PAWS.

Raz the kangaroo, along with Flynn the seal, was hauling up a heavy boulder of ice up the mast to change the balance. This would tip the boat ever-so-slightly towards the south a little more, changing their coarse.

Clementine was wandering around somewhere nearby, watching apprehensively.

"Don't you think that's a little...risky?" She remarked. The kangaroo snorted.

"Heh. If yer a wimp." She glanced humorously towards her, sniggering. Clementine rolled her eyes and directed her attention to a small slab of ice nearby.

It was more interesting than they where, anyway.

The day was foggy and dull; The crew could barely see where they were going so they'd sent Silass along to scout the waters. The chilly air flew past the ship in a soft, uneasy breeze. The ship was moving at a slow pace.

Raz grunted, the vine in her hands slipping slightly. Just a few more pulls and then-

CRASH.

The ship jolted abruptly as it collided with a hidden iceberg below. Raz yelped suddenly as the vine was jerked out of her grasp and didn't have time to dodge as the block of ice she and Flynn had hauled up the mast fell down towards them, its sharp side catching her shoulder and slicing a large cut from it down her arm.

They heard Gutt yelling scornfully at Silass above for missing the iceberg.

The kangaroo recoiled and promptly lost her footing, clasping her injury with a growl.

"Uh-oh!" Flynn exclaimed as the others began gathering around them "Are you alright, Raz?"

"No, ya half-wit!" She spat. Gutt swung down nearby, glancing at her.

"Well that was a job well done, wasn't it?" He said sarcastically, looking back and forth between the two.

"Alright, boys, get back to work. Raz, Flynn!" He turned to them, scowling deeply. "You get yourselves in order and find another block. Quickly."

The tone in his voice made sure to tell them that he meant this to be done with no delay. Raz got to her feet with a grunt, ready to find another block when a timid-adorned voice asked:

"Would you like me to look at it?"

Raz rolled her eyes and turned to face the sap known as the rabbit. Clementine stepped back upon seeing the fierce expression.

"I don' need yer help, mate. Leave me alone." She turned around again when the rabbit called after her:

"That wound won't close on its own. You might need stitches."

Raz didn't know what she meant by 'stitches' and rolled her eyes.

"Nah. I'll heal up. Now get lost."

Clementine watched with dislike as the kangaroo waltzed out of sight. She groaned.

Later Gutt would notice a bad infection and would probably order her to have the healing done- and by that time the cut was going to be ten times harder to deal with.

She sighed. Better get her needle and thread ready...


Sure enough, by the time night had fallen the wound was infected. Raz glared at her shoulder with frustration. It looked pretty bad; Yellowish puss was showing through the skin, and the area beneath the fur was turning red.

Clementine was standing before her with her arms folded, looking quite smug.

"All right, ya lil' pest you can fix my arm but after ya do, ya beat it." Raz pointed a claw down at her. "Ya gottit?"

"Clear as crystal." Clementine had already prepared herself for this. She knew (having dealt with stubborn patients beofre) that infections would begin to hurt and cause sickness, finally making them relent.

The rabbit seemed to change completely as she began mushing up herbs in the bowl with a look of complete concentration. Raz was surprised; It was as if the timid little figure she'd met before was gone and this new long-eared healer had made an appearance. Someone who looked like she knew exactly what she was doing.

Cleaning the wound of puss was grotesque; But it has to be done. Clementine had used a type of herbs that allowed it to seep out of the cut quickly.

Then, she poured salt water on Raz's arms, making sure the kangaroo wasn't looking. If she knew salt water was being poured on her cut she wouldn't protested.

"Ow! ya little-"

"Had to be done." The rabbit snapped firmly. Raz just stared at her in shock. Okay.

"Wha' happened to that lil' squirt I met earlier?" She asked with one brow raised. Clementine had now taken out a needle, followed by a thin, tiny rope. Raz watched curiously as she began poking the string in between each side of her wound (something that proved quite painful) and finally Clementine answered.

"She's busy."

Clementine tied the last stitch, making sure everything was in order. Feeling quite tired as the process was taking a long time, she bound the wound in some spare leaves.

"There you go, all done." She said, a line the rabbit repeated after every job. Raz flexed her arm.

"Heh. I'm sorta impressed, shrimp. How'd ya do that, anyway?" Clementine shrugged.

"I learned from someone else." She didn't want to go into it. The last time she'd told someone she'd learned from a human they'd thought she was crazy.

Raz had to admit if felt much better. "Nice job, then. Maybe you aren't so dumb after all."

"I'll take that as a complement." The doe replied, packing away her things in her pack.

"Remember, I'll have to check that soon. Infections are my worst enemy; they take forever to deal with."

Raz shrugged in some sort of agreement. "I got work to do, squirt. I'll see ya."

"See you." Clementine replied, watching her leave.

"Making friends?"

The rabbit turned, found Argeth leaning against a slab of ice nearby and frowned at him, drawing nearer so they could continue their talk away from the others.

"Good. That'll help us, actually. Encase you haven't noticed, we're on thin ice."

"What do you mean, exactly?"

"I can't say much. let's just say that I struck a bargain, and if we prove too useless we're all going to die."

Clementine blinked. "That's a bit blunt."

"The ends of their weapons aren't though. Keep that in mind."

Clementine watched him saunter off, brow creased moodily. She sighed.

Glett came up to stand beside her, grunting in a form of greeting. She smiled.

"Hey Glett. You doing okay here?" He nodded quietly. The rabbit returned it.

"I'm doing okay...at least, under these circumstances."

Abruptly someone jumped right beside her, making her jump.

"You doing that weird healing stuff a minute ago?" The buck questioned rudely, raising a brow. Clementine folded her arms, looking away from him.

"Yes, I was. And it's not weird, it's useful."

"Huh. Really." The other rabbit laughed a little, clearly not believing her. Raz, however, was listening in on their banter.

"Oy, Squint. Leave the shrimp along, would ya, and come help me stack these weapons. They're not gonna do it themselves."

"What?" He glared over his shoulder at her. " You do it! I'm busy!"

"Get your sorry self over here before someone thinks yer looking for attention!"

Clementine was about to retort when Glett gave her a grunt, gesturing with his round head towards Squint. He'd gone rigid, ears down menacingly.

Then, growling, he march over to help. Clementine spotted Raz wink knowingly and grinned widely.

Making friends proved more useful that she'd thought. She looked over at Glett, who was smiling knowingly as well.

Clementine didn't like the idea that people thought the two rabbits were interested in each other (honesty, she felt mortified) but it was funny how it had affected Squint's pride, as he clearly had the same thoughts as her.

Glancing at Glett, who was clearly thinking the same thing as he watched Squint arguing with Raz, they promptly burst out laughing.


Another chapter is uuuup.

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