Ryn

Chapter Fourteen

War is a time for honor and relentless work. Arrogance is dishonorable. A Ryn must remember that those who have fallen beside and before them will accompany them in spirit.

This is Our Law. 

~ From the Dragonling Grimoire

"Anita, it's time to change the bandages." May said, slipping into the cave where the medical center was set up. The crash had broken my right foreleg and I was pissed. Not only did it hurt and I couldn't shift in case I 'jarred the bone into fracture,' but Queen Dominique had revoked our little deal because I couldn't finish out the war.

But that didn't mean I could leave.

Because I had enlisted with the intent of completing the war, leaving now would be deserting, which was an offense punishable by death. Dmitri assured me again and again that it would be okay, but it still just... sucked. The rest of my squadron were also put on patrol duty along the new borderline and weren't too happy about it.

Leon and Derek assured me otherwise, but Morgana, Ariana and Cody made their feelings pretty clear. They refused to even come visit me, sending Sylvester or Saul in their place when it was their turn for "medic duty."

As Ryns, we learn the basics of warzone healing. Dragonlings have hollow bones and are subsequently prone to broken bones. Thus, we have to learn where to find knitbone, goldenrod and calendula and how to use them, how to weave bandages, and where to apply pressure to stop bleeding. It was no substitute for a trained medic, but warzones were simply too dangerous for them. If a squadron of Ryns had happened across a stray enemy Lira, the results would be swift and deadly.

I found that May not only excelled in impromptu cooking, but healing too. She had pried the scales of my leg off (the only way to get topical medicine on) and applied a soothing knitbone poultice to the swollen flesh. The wyk repeated the process every time she arrived and the rest of the squadron just stood around during their shift.

That was about as much entertainment as I got in a day. Derek and Ruth would often stop in to try and cheer me up, but they had a lot of work to do. Border patrolling a warzone wasn't a desired job for a reason. It was all the hard work of war without the fun of actually fighting.

That's right. Paperwork.

Endless amounts of paperwork.

Because I was bedridden, I got most of the paperwork. It was mostly filing reports of the fallen dragonlings, what territory markers we had won, and things like that. I hated it to no end. The others went to meetings, got to talk with the soldiers and even occasionally went to settle disputes along the ever-shifting border while I was stuck in the medic cave.

And it was all worthless anyways. I wouldn't be free after this.

"Anita?" May nudged my side to pull me from my thoughts. "Hey. What did I say about thinking too much?"