[piosenniel]

Volondil lay on the ground, still as death. Blood, like a bright red flower, spread open its petals and grew large upon the outside of his tunic. He moaned, a low, weak sound that made the small black and white bird perched on a low limb above him, frantic with worry.

'Stop squawking so!' cried Holly. 'I'll need your help if we are to save him.' She held up a small bunch of sphagnum moss pulled from her small medicine kit. 'He has a large, deep gash in his side. We need to clean it, then lightly pack it to let it drain out any infection. Can you find some more of this moss for me to use? i have enough to take care of it now, but in about eight hours, we'll need to clean and pack it anew.'

The jackdaw flew down to take a closer look at the required moss. Holly indicated where in this area she might find additional patches of it in the wild. 'Take Peri.' she said. 'You can pack quite a bit of it into one of his side packs.'

She held out one other slender stem with a few silvery leaves on it. Try to find some of this, too, while you're at it.' The jackdaw arched her feathered brows and focused a beady black eye on the hobbit. 'It's King's Foil, good for wounds of all sorts, among other things.'

She turned back to the injured Ranger who lay before her, and cut open his shirt to fully expose the wound. 'Hurry!' she urged the jackdaw. 'Bring me what I need that I might help him.'

She took a flask of clean river water and sluiced the debris and clotted blood from the long wound. It was gaping, about 2 inches at the widest point where the spike had first touched flesh and then tapering down as it gouged itself along his mid ribcage. A rough poultice of aloe and King's foil was laid lightly along the length of the wound, which was then packed with moss and bound loosely with wide strips of cloth from Andreth's petticoat.

She sent Olo to fetch Mistress Bethberry and Gandalf. He cannot be moved right now.' she told them. 'Even a wagon would jolt him as it went along the bumpy road, and I fear his wound would open, and he lose more blood.' If you will, Olo, Bird and I will stay here and care for him until he is ready to travel. I have no doubt he can do some travel over short distances in two days time.' She looked directly at Gandalf. 'We will catch up to your group as we can.'

'Bethberry, if you will leave me some small supply of willow bark to keep his fever down, I would appreciate it.'

Volondil moaned once more, his eyelids fluttering under the burden of painful dreams. Holly turned back to him and propped him on his uninjured side as best she could, pulling his limbs into a position of comfort to him. She put her hand to his forehead, and leaned in low near his ear, murmuring words of comfort and rest.

[ November 23, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]