There was a crowd ahead, a lot of people gathering around to look at something in the midst of it. I couldn't tell what was going on, not at first, but crowds generally meant that there was something going on that might require help. I shifted back and forth, trying to shove my way through the crowd - everyone was so bloody tall around here that all I could see as I tried to clear a path was the back of people's heads. I knew I was drawing some attention from people, my case was large enough to push people further out of my way. My ears flicked as I got halfway through the crowd, to the point where I could actually hear the person in the center. Shit!

"Par-pardon me, excuse me, pardon me," I picked up my pace as I pushed past people, but as I got closer people didn't want to move. "EXCUSE ME." I gave one last person a shove, and burst through the last ring of people, into the center of the crowd. A young woman was on a horse - red hair tied up, her eyes wide and frantic as she shouted for help. "Miss! Miss, down here!" I jumped up, waving my arm wildly, trying to catch her attention. Damn it, damn this short body! It took a moment for her eyes to focus on me. "Yes, Miss. I'm a healer, trained. What's going on?" She shook her head, probably ready to dismiss me. I couldn't let that happen. "Miss. Please. Ignore my height, I'm an adult. Whoa, easy there! Shh, shh." I'd been moving closer to the woman on her horse as I spoke, and the mount was clearly feeling its rider's tension. I reached up and stroked the horse's neck, speaking softly as I kept my eyes up on the woman.

"Really. I am trained. What's happened?"

"My group has wounded. We desperately need help. Please." I nodded, and judged the horse.

"Will your mount seat two?" She hesitated, then nodded. I unslung my case and handed it up to her, and her eyes widened as she took it. "Careful, Miss. That's my tools and supplies." She held onto the case as I jumped up. It took me two jumps, and I was getting rather embarrassed, before I was able to actually get a hand on the back edge of the saddle, a firm enough grip to let me pull myself up. I scrambled up, and then took my case back from her. She made sure I was steady, and then we were off, the crowd clearing out of the way rapidly when the horse began moving.

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It took twenty minutes, roughly, to get from where the young lady - who I had learned was named Beth - had found me, to the camp that they had set up. She reined the horse in in front of a tent. The smell of blood was thick in the air, along with moans of pain and concerned voices. I hit the ground before the horse had even fully stopped, my knees flexing to absorb the impact before I began moving. I shoved my way into the tent and began looking around. People were rushing about - but one group in particular caught my attention, a woman pressing desperately on a man's chest, trying to stem the flow of blood that was oozing around her stained hands. I shoved through, drawing people's gazes as I forced my way around and over to her. I dropped my case to the dusty ground and quickly unlatched it, throwing the doors open. My hands shot in, and grabbed up wads of sterile gauze and tore them from the thin hook they were hanging from. I discarded the sheathe that they were wrapped in, and moved to the woman.

"When I give the word, remove your hands. I'm going to get this gauze in place to try to start getting the blood to clot. What was he hurt by, smooth edge or barbs? Is there anything left in the wound?" Crises kept my normal shyness at bay as I spat out questions. "Move your hands!" She stared at me blankly for a second, and I let out a low snarl before I shoved her hands out of the way myself and slapped the gauze in place. The white quickly darkened to red, but I kept leaning on the wound as I stared at the woman, my ears flat against my head. "Well? What kind of a wound is this?!"