Nature and Animals
With the dead weight of the mountain lion draped over his shoulder, Connor needed to find a final resting place to bury this great fallen warrior. All warriors who meet their end in honest combat need a proper burial, even predators. They only do what comes naturally and instinctively so Connor couldn’t begrudge such compassionate needs. In fact he felt a closeness with such creatures. That’s what they are designed for, to hunt and carve out their lives by will alone. Connor would want the same respect given to himself should he fall, no more and no less. Still he needed to find a place and not take too long. The smell of blood would bring in more predators for sure.
As he came across a large natural depression in the ground, that was just the right size for the great cat, Connor gently laid him down into the moist recess. With only the use of his hands, dirt and stone easily moved to cover the cougar, a few yards away wild flowers were blooming since winter’s snow had finally melted away. Connor unearthed a small bundle of the vibrant vegetation, buried it atop the mound as a small memorial to show the task completed and honor had been properly given.
Getting up from the ground, Connor closed his eyes and focused his hearing to listen out for any nearby running water. There are a lot of nearby streams around the area luckily and especially after last night’s heavy rain storm. The sounds of a slow and decent trickle of water ran nearly two dozen yards away, hidden behind some ferns. He walked over to the flowing stream. Firstly he washed the blood off of Tool and then he washed the dirt and blood off of himself as well. The last thing he needed is for his mom or Kara to freak out by seeing blood.
Now clean, Connor stood and looked for raw materials to clean Sarah’s wounds. A small piece of bark lay near the trunk of a tree that seemed capable of holding a little water, shaped like a natural shallow bowl. He picked it up and filled it with the clean and clear running water. Connor could only hope the water didn’t hold any parasites. Now a good antiseptic needed to be found just incase.
Searching for the right plant or herb can be quite daunting and dangerous if one doesn’t know where or what specifically to look out for. The worst thing to do in the outdoors is use or eat anything that you don’t know about. Being raised in the outdoors, Connor learned quite a bit about medicinal herbs from his grandfather’s survival lessons. Many times he had to treat his own wounds from careless mistakes. In about five minutes he found the exact plant he was looking for and would serve the desired purpose.
The shrub like herb barely reached up to his hips. It is a long stemmed plant that has tear shaped leaves and they have a glossy green color. Connor snapped off a few healthy leaves and stuffed them into his pocket, careful not to break them just yet. “Let’s see if Sarah knows what this is.” He said to wryly to himself and snickered. “She probably will, being three hundred years old and all. I’ll still see if she knows.”
He picked up the container of water and headed back to where he left Sarah.
Balancer's Soul Page 14
