23rd of Vhalar, 716.
It'd been at least five trials since Sorclen's last full-body examination. The young scrappy Volareon, still in its early years and with a reputation for an overly-aggressive attitude when play-fighting with the other adolescents-in-training, needed checks at least every seven trials to check healthy growth patterns, signs of infection, nutrition, damage or any other issues manifesting that hadn't already become apparent. Performing them required a lot of patience... and keen observation. Missing a little extra moisture between the toes, under the wing-joints was all it took to open the floodgates for fungus to spread across the foot and lead to serious health complications later on. 'Normal' Volareons in the wild never had any problems... but domesticated ones, spending their times in stables and not in the skies were much more prone to simple infections like these.
But there was more. Discolouration of the skin underneath their thick, opaque, water-proof feathers could mean a more serious infection, requiring specialized treatment from a doctor or surgeon, for diseases Nir'wei had no idea how to pronounce, let alone treat. Soreness in the joints, wings or back could indicate problems in the saddles they were using for training, leading to growth problems that, if left unchecked for multiple seasons, could cause serious damage and in the most serious cases, cripple a Volareon entirely. The more he performed, the more baffling the list of problems became, and every time he performed the procedure, he was expected to check for every single one.
Given the severity of the procedure, he thought he could at least get some privacy while he was performing - well, privacy barring the stableboy he'd grabbed and dragged temporarily from his normal duties to assist. "Lift the wing a little higher, I need more light down here," Nir'wei asked as he knelt down under the shadow of the outstretched limb, feeling a little more sun on his back while he parted the feathers to examine the skin underneath with a critical eye. "Damn, why can't we get a candle down here or something..."
"Because," Gaspard called out from the door, "one slip and you'd set fire to the place and everything in it." From his voice, Nir'wei could tell the old Jacadon expert was probably smirking to himself as he leaned against the doorframe.
"Oh, alright then. Why don't you get down here and show me the technique that you use for finding discolouration with your fingertips," Nir'wei quipped back as he got up onto one knee and squirmed his way out from the little gap left under Sorclen's wing-arch. "Because, y'know, not all of us have those extra-sensory powers that you seem to possess." Even if Gaspard wasn't smiling before, he certainly was now.
However, he came bearing bad news. "Jord is taking over. I've got something else for you to do." Jord?! He'd always hated that guy, he always acted like he knew far more than he actually did, what with living in the city and all, having a successful family, all that crap that raised hopes and lowered perceptions of how the real world worked. Plus, he spent far too long during examinations staring in all the wrong places. Sick pervert. "We've got a couple of new guests out in the lobby that want the tour. You know the drill, right?"
Hell, he'd done the tour before. They were supposed to be educational, aimed more at convincing fresh young faces to join up and do their bit for the city, and the Iron Hand, since they were always running short on extra hands to man all the new mounts piling up around the Lodge. Sometimes he wondered why the tour was even necessary; joining up for a job, same as Nir'wei had nearly half an arc ago, was the most educational experience one could hope for. After all, Poppy and Gaspard were always on-hand to offer any advice, any lessons, any help they could give. The University sure couldn't beat that with their damn seminars and lecturers and academic nonsense that benefitted no-one and wasted more time than an insomniac wasted in bed. "Yeah, yeah, I'll do it. But tell Jord to find some other bird to fondle. Hah, I'll give them a hands-on experience."
It'd been at least five trials since Sorclen's last full-body examination. The young scrappy Volareon, still in its early years and with a reputation for an overly-aggressive attitude when play-fighting with the other adolescents-in-training, needed checks at least every seven trials to check healthy growth patterns, signs of infection, nutrition, damage or any other issues manifesting that hadn't already become apparent. Performing them required a lot of patience... and keen observation. Missing a little extra moisture between the toes, under the wing-joints was all it took to open the floodgates for fungus to spread across the foot and lead to serious health complications later on. 'Normal' Volareons in the wild never had any problems... but domesticated ones, spending their times in stables and not in the skies were much more prone to simple infections like these.
But there was more. Discolouration of the skin underneath their thick, opaque, water-proof feathers could mean a more serious infection, requiring specialized treatment from a doctor or surgeon, for diseases Nir'wei had no idea how to pronounce, let alone treat. Soreness in the joints, wings or back could indicate problems in the saddles they were using for training, leading to growth problems that, if left unchecked for multiple seasons, could cause serious damage and in the most serious cases, cripple a Volareon entirely. The more he performed, the more baffling the list of problems became, and every time he performed the procedure, he was expected to check for every single one.
Given the severity of the procedure, he thought he could at least get some privacy while he was performing - well, privacy barring the stableboy he'd grabbed and dragged temporarily from his normal duties to assist. "Lift the wing a little higher, I need more light down here," Nir'wei asked as he knelt down under the shadow of the outstretched limb, feeling a little more sun on his back while he parted the feathers to examine the skin underneath with a critical eye. "Damn, why can't we get a candle down here or something..."
"Because," Gaspard called out from the door, "one slip and you'd set fire to the place and everything in it." From his voice, Nir'wei could tell the old Jacadon expert was probably smirking to himself as he leaned against the doorframe.
"Oh, alright then. Why don't you get down here and show me the technique that you use for finding discolouration with your fingertips," Nir'wei quipped back as he got up onto one knee and squirmed his way out from the little gap left under Sorclen's wing-arch. "Because, y'know, not all of us have those extra-sensory powers that you seem to possess." Even if Gaspard wasn't smiling before, he certainly was now.
However, he came bearing bad news. "Jord is taking over. I've got something else for you to do." Jord?! He'd always hated that guy, he always acted like he knew far more than he actually did, what with living in the city and all, having a successful family, all that crap that raised hopes and lowered perceptions of how the real world worked. Plus, he spent far too long during examinations staring in all the wrong places. Sick pervert. "We've got a couple of new guests out in the lobby that want the tour. You know the drill, right?"
Hell, he'd done the tour before. They were supposed to be educational, aimed more at convincing fresh young faces to join up and do their bit for the city, and the Iron Hand, since they were always running short on extra hands to man all the new mounts piling up around the Lodge. Sometimes he wondered why the tour was even necessary; joining up for a job, same as Nir'wei had nearly half an arc ago, was the most educational experience one could hope for. After all, Poppy and Gaspard were always on-hand to offer any advice, any lessons, any help they could give. The University sure couldn't beat that with their damn seminars and lecturers and academic nonsense that benefitted no-one and wasted more time than an insomniac wasted in bed. "Yeah, yeah, I'll do it. But tell Jord to find some other bird to fondle. Hah, I'll give them a hands-on experience."