A Wolf In Need - Pt. 2 (JP)

Luna didn’t understand wolves, but she could empathetically discern emotions and intent from Honey’s sounds, body language and context. The horse remained off to the side, out of the way but close to enough to hind kick Honey should she try anything aggressive towards Perrine in her current state.

Meanwhile, Peekaboo was riding Perrine’s shoulder and squeaking in his ear. Damn It Peek, I’m a traveling merchant not a doctor. The two of them were arguing over what they should do. What made the most sense was to put the wolf down and use it for survival, trying to nurse it back to health out here in the wild was a liability and would impede his progress. In addition, he didn’t know how to perform proper surgery on a gun shot wound. Nor did he have a scholarly understanding of internal working anatomy, man or beast, save common sense and his own self as reference material. To make matters worse, all he had his emergency pack and that was void of the proper tools for such a procedure.

On top of all this, he was pissed and trying not to take it out on anyone else. Perrine was angry that Sophia didn’t listen to him. Because of her foolishness she was captured by the worst possible people; other groups he could negotiate with, but not EAST. Not to mention, she ended up getting Honey significantly injured. Even if he managed to save the leg, he was sure it would permanently effect the wolf for the rest of its life. Perrine had to suppress the desire to growl as to not startle those around him.

If EAST took her then she is out of our ability to rescue. he whined in frustration, since all of this could have been avoided. Perrine didn’t want to discourage Honey any further, but it was the truth and he wasn’t going to sugar coat it.

As for the bullet wound, it looks like it may still be in there. We have to get it out and we have to stop the bleeding. He explained after looking it over closer. He had a frown on his face as he continued.
[7:41 PM]
…

I would have you know I don’t really know what I am doing, I don’t have the right tools for this, this isn’t the greatest place to perform such an operation and I don’t have experience with wolf anatomy. So if we try this, it will hurt and I have no guarantee how successful it will mend your leg, or even if you will survive the operation. Understand?

Honey understood. She was no fool. Before meeting Sophia the wolf only had survival as a mean to keep going, but upon meeting that girl, she'd created a purpose for herself. Keeping that bullet from harming the human had made her happier than Perrine or Luna or anyone would understand. Being close to Sophia was like having a pup of her own and she would never regret protecting her, no matter how foolish it had been.

Do what you must, human. She whined out and turned her head away, prepared for the worst. Being fully aware of Sophia's choices and actions had not passed by the wolf-dog's mind, but she had become loyal. She would go through hell and back for the mortal girl.

Sadly, a part of her felt like a failure for not stopping EAST from taking the wind user. If Perrine couldn't help her, she'd find someone else. Someone more willing.

For now, she needed this bullet taken out and time to heal.

The dense forest around Perrine was eerily quiet, as if the woods themselves understood the gravity of the situation. Honey, the wolf who had accompanied Sophia for so long, lay on her side, panting heavily. Her back left leg was a mess—a .45 ACP jacketed hollow point had torn through the muscle, and blood oozed from the wound. Perrine had seen many injuries in his time, but this one was bad. The leg wasn’t just bleeding; it was hemorrhaging, and the wolf’s life hung in the balance.

Perrine’s mind raced as he knelt beside Honey. He had no medical supplies, nothing beyond what a seasoned traveler would carry in a survival bag. But he couldn’t let her die. He wouldn’t.

Hold still,” he murmured.

The first thing he had to do was stop the bleeding. Reaching into his emergency bag, Perrine pulled out a length of paracord. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do. He looped the cord around Honey’s upper leg, above the wound, and pulled it tight, creating a makeshift tourniquet. Honey growled, her jaws snapping at the air as the pain intensified, but Perrine’s grip remained firm. He needed to stop the flow of blood before he could do anything else.

With the bleeding slowed, Perrine moved quickly. He gathered what dry wood he could find and started a small fire. There was no time to gather proper tinder or build it up slowly. He struck his flint against the back of his knife, sending sparks into a bundle of dried mushrooms he had tucked away earlier. The flames caught quickly, and within moments, he had a fire going.

Perrine’s hands moved with practiced efficiency as he selected a small camping knife and a metal fork from his gear. He held the blades in the fire, watching them until they glowed red-hot. He wasn’t a doctor, and this wasn’t a sterile operating room, but he needed to do everything he could to prevent infection. The metal hissed as he pulled the tools from the flames and set them aside to cool slightly.
[10:09 PM]
…

Honey whined softly, her amber eyes glazed with pain, but she didn’t try to move. Perrine found a nearby stick, offering it to her. Placing the stick near her mouth. “Bite down on this. It’s gonna hurt.”

Honey’s jaws clamped down on the stick, her sharp teeth sinking into the wood. Perrine took a deep breath, steadying himself. He had to remove the bullet. He didn’t know much about wolf anatomy, but he knew enough to understand that leaving the bullet in would cause infection, and likely death.

Perrine positioned himself beside the wolf, his heart pounding. He used the knife to carefully probe the wound, trying to locate the bullet. Honey tensed, her body rigid with pain, but she didn’t fight him. Perrine’s hands shook slightly as he worked, but he forced himself to stay focused. The bullet was lodged deep, surrounded by torn muscle and sinew. It was worse than he’d hoped, but not as bad as it could have been.

After what felt like an eternity, the tip of the knife struck metal. Perrine gritted his teeth, using the fork to pry the bullet free. Honey’s body jerked involuntarily, and she let out a muffled yelp, but Perrine didn’t stop. With a final, careful motion, he extracted the deformed hunk of lead from the wound. Blood welled up again, but not as profusely as before. The tourniquet was doing its job.

He tossed the bullet aside and quickly set to work cleaning the wound as best as he could. He poured clean water from his canteen over the injury, washing away the blood and debris. The forest around him seemed to hold its breath as he worked. His fingers were slick with blood, his heart pounding with the weight of responsibility.
[10:11 PM]
…

Perrine knew he had to stitch the wound closed, but he had no sutures, no proper tools. Instead, he reached for a small needle and a length of fishing line from his kit. It wasn’t ideal—far from it—but it was all he had. He threaded the needle with shaking hands and began to sew the torn muscle back together, one agonizing stitch at a time.

Honey growled low in her throat, biting down harder on the stick. Her eyes were wide with pain, but Perrine knew she was holding on. He worked quickly, trying to be as gentle as possible. The fishing line wasn’t designed for this, but it held the wound closed, and that was all that mattered.

When the last stitch was in place, Perrine tied it off and sat back on his heels, breathing hard. The wound was closed, but Honey was far from out of the woods. Infection was a real possibility, and the muscle damage was discouraging. She would likely have a limp for the rest of her life, but at least she had a life to live.

Perrine bandaged the leg with strips of cloth torn from his own shirt, wrapping it tightly to keep the wound protected. Honey’s breathing was shallow, but she was alive. He had done what he could. The rest would be up to her.

You are a tough one, girl,” Perrine whispered, gently brushing the fur on her head. Honey’s eyes met his, and in them, he saw a spark of resilience that gave him hope. She had survived the worst of it.