B+Bs: To Stand In A Beast's World

108. Floating Beastmen

 The procession of 11 crocodiles came right up to the shore. The village males were surprised by the complete lack of fear they presented considering the precious cargo the water lizards carried.

One immediately stepped out of the water, shifted, and turned to Winston directly. "Does your village have a healer?"

That was direct. I stared at the man who almost passed Winston's height. He wasn't as built as my mate, however, his four stripes meant he was no pushover.

Winston stared at the dark-green-haired male with mild recognition then at the female who remained quiet. "For the female?"

"Yes," the visitor said without hesitation.

Winston sent a look to Grace, then Harvey.

"Yes," Winston said after receiving nods from his family. "He will see her, but only if you comply with his directions."

The astute male did not miss Winston's traveling gaze. "We agree, but two of us will be with her at all times." A hint of desperation leeched into his tone.

Winston agreed. "You will be accompanied and the rest will remain behind." Winston glanced at Grace to make sure that was acceptable.

I felt more than a few stares land on me, but I had enough exposure over the last two years to brush the feeling aside. "Before we take her back, what is she suffering from? Do you know?"

Cold, emerald eyes fell on her, showing a flash of surprise. The male had not expected the female to intervene. It was his assumption that the female was only here to entertain herself. He shook his head.

"Harvey," I urged.

All heads turned to Harvey and he stepped forward. The gazes did not weigh him down either, but his hackles raised in instinctual response.

"I am a healer. I will take a look before bringing her back." Harvey waited for approval before approaching.

"Not an ape..." the male seemed unconvinced, but he didn't have many options. He turned to the males behind him and nodded. The one carrying the female brought her halfway up and the entourage followed closely behind.

Harvey, with Winston by his side, closed the distance and performed a visual check. He saw no rashes or scaly patches of skin upon first inspection. "Female? My name is Harvey, a healer. I will need to touch you to ascertain your ailment, is that alright?"

She showed no sign of having heard him, so Harvey turned to the male who was her current advocate.

"Go ahead," he said.

Harvey did. Aside from paleness and unresponsiveness, she appeared alright, so he kept looking.

He listened for breathing, then checked her heartbeat. Her lungs sounded clear but her breaths were shallow. Her heart was beating a little slowly, but not dangerously low. Her temperature was a little cool, but that could be a trait of her beast type.

His sense of smell told him she was not very fertile despite her younger appearance, but he found no scent of blood on her.

While he continued inspecting her, he spoke to the male, asking him questions. "How long has she been ill? Has she coughed or sneezed?"

"She has been unwell for six days. But only became unwakeable once yesterday and again at dawn today," he answered readily. "No coughing or sneezing."

"She came to on her own once already?"

"Yes."

"Has she had any physical accidents?" Harvey gently nudged the female to wake her but received no response.