"No, leave it in! Leave it in! Leave it in!" Sekai growled, already in pain, as she slashed with her claws at the physician when he attempted to grab the fang.
Doc stumbled backwards and fell. As he stood back up and dusted himself off he huffed, "It has to come out, Mayor! Elgin, lend me a hand, would'ja?"
The bobcat stepped up and said, "Waffles, Turley, hold the mayor's arms."
The horned lizard and turkey vulture restrained her as Elgin and Doc got into position, wrapping their paws around the root of the fang.
"On 'three'," instructed the hare. "One, two, th-"
"W-wait! Wait, wait a minute! I'm not ready," interrupted Sekai in panic. "M-maybe if I had something to bite down on."
Waffles fetched the mayor a wooden stick which she positioned right between her back molars.
With everyone in place Doc started again, "One, two, th-"
"Stahp!" Yelled Sekai before spitting out the stick. "I can't do it! I just can't!"
Elgin groaned, irritated by the mayor's stalling.
"It's okay, Mayor, jus' look at me an' it'll be over real fast," comforted Waffles as he offered her the stick again.
The little fennec hesitantly accepted it again as she whimpered, "Okay…"
The fateful countdown began again, "One, two-"
Suddenly, Sekai screamed in anguish as Elgin yanked the fang out on 'two', "Ahhhh! Elgin! You sadistic son of a bitch!"
The bobcat gently set the huge tooth down, "Sorry, Mayor."
"Alright, we have to work quickly. Don't want to let her bleed out too much," said Doc as he pulled a needle and thread from his medical bag. "Buford, bring tha cactus juice!"
"W-w-wha?!" Asked the mayor, her paws trembling with stress as Waffles and Turley continually held her arms.
Buford began to pour the liquor over her open wound. When it touched her raw exposed nerves it stung so intensely that the mayor completely lost it. Canines bared, she roared at Waffles, startling the daylights out of him as he fell backwards and let her go. With an arm now free she swung as hard as she could and punched Sergeant Turley in the face!
"What're ya two doin'?! Don't let go of her!" Yelled Elgin before deciding to take matters into his own paws. He leaped upon the mayor, seizing her arms and pinning her to the ground, "Dammit, Mayor, we're try'na help ya!"
"Stop!" Commanded Henry. "The alcohol in that cactus juice is far too harsh an antiseptic for a wound as severe as this. It's no wonder the mayor won't tolerate it. Here … try this."
Henry handed a dark brown bottle to his fellow rabbit. Doc examined it curiously a second before pouring it over the gash. Immediately the liquid started to foam violently.
"Woah! W-what is that stuff? Is it magic?" Questioned Waffles as he came back and took the Sekai's arm again.
"It looks like ordinary water, " said Turley, doing the same.
Henry sighed, "It's called hydrogen peroxide. It'll gently clean the mayor's wounds."
In no time at all the team was able to slow the bleeding to a standstill using gauze soaked with peroxide. However as the venom swept through her system, Sekai felt as though her body was ablaze and she continued to thrash in an attempt to get the men off her.
"Gee, Mayor, yer blood sure clots fast," observed Doc as he removed the gauze from her leg. "I was gonna let it bleed slowly fer a bit to hopefully draw tha poison out…"
"Can't we jus' cut it back open?" Elgin inquired, pulling his knife from its sheath.
The mayor, full-on 'rabid face', snarled menacingly as she stared Doc and Elgin down.
"Ha!" Laughed Doc while he put on his rubber gloves. "Tha mayor says no! Nah, we can jus' do it tha ol' fashioned way. Someone'll have to suck tha poison out."
Everyone looked at each other awkwardly for a moment. Who was going to risk getting their face clawed off to get the venom out of the vicious mayor's body?
"Uh, Doc, she's a-heatin' up like skillet in th' summer sun," informed a concerned Turley when the mayor's sweat-soaked arms began to slip in his grasp.
"That'd be tha fever," he replied. "Don't ya dare let her go, Turley! You either, Waffles!"
Just then, Sekai stopped fighting as she suddenly heaved up what little food had been in her stomach.
The physician gasped, "There isn't much time; the poison's spreadin' fast."
"Hell, I'll do it!" Shouted Spoons right before he spat out a huge wad of chewing tobacco.
"Well, Spoons, I 'preciate ya volunteerin' but … it might be better if'n someone wit' a cleaner mouth did it. Tha mayor don't need no infection."
"What 'bout you, Mr. Ashton? You're all clean and good-smellin' … like some kind of witch," Sekai breathlessly teased, voice tight and gruff with discomfort.
"I'm helping out as much as I can, but I could never bear someone else's blood being in my mouth. I feel faint just imagining it. What about my guinea pig here?" Henry smiled, giving Waffles a good-natured, if not somewhat rough, rap on the back. "I just brushed this boy's teeth myself. Ain't no one with a cleaner mouth in the whole town! Isn't that right, son?"
"Yeah! I could do it. My breath is still minty fresh an' ev'rythin'!" Added the ever-excitable horned toad.
Elgin switched places with Waffles, then he and Turley tightened their grip on the mayor's arms while Doc used his old shears to cut the fabric of Sekai's pants from around the wound. Waffles hesitantly positioned himself near the fox's leg, wondering what the mayor would do. His eyes stayed locked to Sekai's even as her lips curled up in a snarl the closer he got to her injury.
"Relax, Mayor Sekai, we're only helping ya," soothed Turley, hoping to prevent another of the fennec's brutal outbursts.
"It's alright, boy," said Elgin. "Go ahead, we ain't gonna let th' mayor get'cha."
The horned lizard gazed earnestly into Sekai's angry eyes, "I'm awful sorry if this hurts ya. Believe me when I say that was never my intent."
Using his claws to pull the fabric of her pants away from the wound, he brushed a thumb over the blood-soaked but still soft fur of her thigh. Was he really about to do this; put his mouth on the mayor ... in front of the whole town?! He blushed a bit and quickly stopped himself from thinking like that. After all, he wasn't being permitted to promiscuously mouth the mayor's leg in public. He was saving her life! It was his duty!
Waffles pressed his lips to the mayor's bare thigh, covering as much of the deep puncture as he could with his mouth. Inhaling deeply, his oral cavity quickly filled with warm, thick, horrible-tasting plasma.
"Spit the tainted blood in here. I want to save it, " instructed Henry as he produced an empty jar.
The townsfolk looked at Mr. Ashton like he was the world's biggest freak before their focus returned to mayor. Sekai yelled and writhed in agony, but Elgin and Sergeant Turley held her firmly pinned to the ground. Waffles spat the poisoned gore into the container before drawing another mouthful. It wasn't long before instead of just holding the little fox's wounded limb still, Waffles found his hands gradually roving over her bare skin. Suddenly, the mayor sat up pulled Waffles atop her, her arms wrapping around his waist as she kissed him deeply. After her lips parted from his she seductively crooned, "Waffles, you can stop now."
"Huh?" He inquired, his mind foggy with arousal.
He awoke from his trace to Elgin shaking him fiercely, "That's enough, ya damn leech! Leave tha mayor some blood, consarnit!"
Waffles looked at Henry's jar that was now completely full of the mayor's blood. Then, he observed Sekai who was still conscious, but her movements had grown so weak and sluggish that Turley now held her by himself. It was merely a daydream? The horny toad was relieved if not somewhat embarrassed by his sudden, yet inappropriately timed, suggestive fantasy.
"S-sorry, I wasn't sure how much I needed to suck out," Waffle apologized as he took the towel Doc offered to wipe his bloodied face clean. "I wanted to make sure I didn't leave any poison."
"Well, if she doesn't die of exsanguination now, the poisoning should be mild," Doc jeered.
Waffles whined sadly.
Shockingly, the rabbit slapped him on the back, "I'm jus' kiddin' ya! Yeah, she's lost a lot o' blood but her body'll make more. She jus' needs lots o' fluids, besides there's no otha way to get Jake's venom out." He stopped the bleeding with more peroxide and gauze and then proceeded to stitch Sekai's wound closed. As the cactus needle and thread repeatedly pierced the mayor's flesh, Doc laughed, "See, Waffles? It's a good thing she's so out of it now, else she'd be eatin' me up fer this. Let's get her to her office so she can rest."
Majority of the curious Dirtonians return to their lives to spread the news of the mayor. It was easy for Elgin to pick up Sekai by himself and carry her to the sofa in her office. Meanwhile, Waffles and Priscilla had run to get water to help bring down the fennec's temperature. Henry Ashton had also went in search of provisions, returning to his mutilated birds and stagecoach. He picked a few things from the wagon's debris and met up with the others in the mayor's room. This time he handed the doctor a jar of mashed herbs blended in oil, "Here, apply this balm to her injuries. It'll further fight off infection and promote fast healing."
Priscilla and Waffles returned with a bucket full of the horned lizard's own share of water. He ladled some into a cup to give to Sekai.
Henry quickly took the cup from his grasp and sprinkled a fine white powder into it before giving it back, "This here is crushed asprin. It'll break the fever and help with the pain."
Waffles brought the mixture to Sekai who weakly reached for it.
"That was mighty foolish. What kind of example was that fer a little child?" Priscilla scolded the mayor as she drank.
"I beat him … didn't I?" Sekai wheezed, her voice barely audible and her face ghostly pale. She noticed the saddened expression on the cactus mouse's face. "Stop looking so … upset. I'm gonna … be fine…" With those last words, her eyes unfocused and she passed out.
"Eeeeeek! She's dead!" Screamed Priscilla at the top of her lungs thereby frightening the heck out of everyone in town. Even Rango was startled awake from where he'd fainted in the street.
"M-Mayor?" Queried Waffles, cupping the fox's face in his hands. "Sekai?! Say somethin'!"
"Wha's goin' on?! Did'ja pull the fang out?!" Asked Rango anxiously as he ran into the mayoral office. When he saw the mayor's pallid, still form he shrieked, "D'ahhhh! She's dead!"
Doc and Henry rushed over, pushing Waffles out of the way to examine Sekai's vitals.
"Phew! She ain't dead," informed Doc after checking her pulse. "She's in a coma."
"'A coma'?! Is that good or bad?!" A still worried Waffles asked.
"It's generally bad … but it can be good…"
"What does that mean?" Grumbled Elgin in annoyance at the doctor's vague reply.
"It's good 'cuz it's a deep sleep which is jus' what she needs right now so her body can heal itself," answered Doc, taking off his gloves. "It's bad 'cuz … if'n the damage is too great that her body can't mend it … she may never wake up again. Truthfully, even if'n she does fully recover … she might never wake up again."
A collective gasp swept through the room.
"A-all right! Ya'll heard what the doctor done said! Let's give the mayor some peace!" Ordered the sheriff as he ushered everyone out.
Priscilla locked the door to the office so that Dirt's fallen hero wouldn't be disturbed.
"We's gonna hafta change them bandages every few hours or so," said Doc to the remaining folks which consisted of Henry, Rango, Beans, Elgin, Waffles, and Priscilla. "I'll be back when it's time. Oh, and Mr. Ashton, them 'hydron proxide' and 'spirin' tonics of your'n was mighty useful. I'd be grateful if'n you'd sell me some to use in my practice."
"Of course. I have to see what I can salvage from my wagon, but I can always get more from my home," Henry replied as Doc left with a nod. Then he turned to the others, "Well, … I better be moving on. I need to head back home to get more supplies."
"A mysterious town with magical potions … where'ya from, Mr. Ashton?" Asked Priscilla.
"It's a settlement about a three or four days' ride west of here. It's called The Valley and it's a lot like Dirt, … except there's … plenty of water to go around. There's plenty of crops and we've even got … grass."
"What's that?"
"It's what grows from the ground when the ground gets enough to drink. A lot of the plants there are what I use to make my tonics," reminisced Henry. He placed a paw on the mayor's door and sighed, "Well, … if Sekai wakes up … tell her I said … 'thanks'."
The cactus mouse corrected, "Don't you mean when Mayor Sekai wakes up?"
The adults all exchanged solemn looks before Beans took little Priscilla's hand and led her off, "Of course he meant 'when', darlin'. Wanna help me cook up somethin' fer the mayor to eat that's sure to have her on her feet again in no time?"
The remaining men stood silently for a while as they absorbed the graveness of the situation. Finally, Rango spoke up, "We all 'preciate your help, Henry. Ain't nothin' left to do now but wait. The mayor's gonna hafta pull through on her own. Ya know, the desert's too dangerous a place to walk. We may not have a wagon to spare but we can surely hook you up with a roadrunner. Help me find one will ya, Elgin?"
"Thank you," replied Henry as he followed the both chameleon and the bobcat out.
"Mr. Ashton!" Called Waffles. "What're ya gonna do with the mayor's blood?"
"Oh, well you see, rattlesnake venom is a neurotoxin."
"Uhhh…," droned the horned toad, not even pretending to know what that meant.
"A neurotoxin is a poison that affects the nervous system," explained Henry.
Waffles bit his lip with a persistent confused look.
"It'll stop her breathing!"
"Oh!"
"Anyway, if Sekai wakes up at all … it may take a while for her to get better. If I can extract the venom from the sample of her blood, I might be able to … prevent things like this from happening to people in the future."
Waffles asked, his expression now horrified, "What about Sekai?"
"She will be in my prayers," sighed Henry Ashton before departing.