Arun had said his words without thinking, full of good will. But he suddenly remembered that he had none of the clinic's tools with him, and that treating such a deep wound could be difficult, if not impossible, in such a situation...
"I can only rely on you, human. You are far more competent than me in this area." Astera answered, lowering her head, and calmly unfolding her wing to put her wound within the reach of the vet. She had total confidence in him when he did not know what to do !
"Uh... Yes, don't worry !" Arun tried to smile to hide his embarrassment, but he decided that there was no point in hiding the truth from her any longer. He was a veterinarian, and not a magician...
"Unfortunately without the tools of the clinic, I could only heal your injury temporarily... It should allow you to fly long enough to help Naal, that said !"
Arun's face took on a darker and sad expression. There was one detail he could not neglect.
"However, depending on how far they are from us, you might not be able to get back to the city... And we would all be stuck here, because I can't see how we could cross the sea without you." Finished the young man, lowering his eyes. As he had said, his solution was only temporary, and a choice had to be made.
"I will not give up on Naal, no matter if I have to die to save her or not. Her safety is all that matters to me, and I know that at the moment she will be with you, I would be much less worried than now." The black vulture had shown no hesitation, being almost chivalrous in her resolute and firm response. Arun smiled to make her know that he had understood the message, and that he would do his best to respect her will.
"Well, then we can go ! However you risk a little pain, since the injury seems quite deep. And I don't have anesthetic with me. And having no disinfectant either, I won't even be able to disinfect the wound... It could quickly degenerate." It was not really in the nature of the veterinarian to heal the animals halfway, but under the current conditions he was not going to be able to do otherwise. That's why the more they would go to take Naal back and return to the city, the more they would reduce the risk of infection.
The meerkats had gathered around the veterinarian and raptor, all the colony being in the open day under the eyes of the human. They had all helped to find Astera, and Arun had to thank them as he should.
"Shuu... Thanks to you and to all of you for helping me, without you I would never have been able to find my friend and take care of her. I am very grateful to you and I will make sure to pay you back must, providing you with something to eat for everyone !" Said Arun, bowing respectfully to the animals. One of them approached, visibly the oldest of the colony.
"It was just a small, unimportant service, and I thank you for being so kind to us. Helping someone as caring as you is a pleasure." Replied the mammal with surprising politeness. Some humans could take example of him...
"In fact, I have one last piece of information to ask you. Do you know if there's a source of water like an oasis or a river not far from here ?" Arun asked, telling himself that if he could at least have some fresh water to help calm the bleeding, it might help a little.
"Yes, of course. There's a little bit of water a few hundred meters away, I'll drive you there !" Shuu stepped towards the human by volunteering to help him. He really wanted to do well, and seeing it that way could only make Arun smile.
"Thank you very much !"
The two friends quickly headed for a path that cut the grass and vegetation that had managed to settle more and more around. Many animals had to pass by here, and the path must have been created naturally by their passage.
Shuu and Arun arrived safely at the small lake, surrounded by a few trees that seemed more vigorous than those in the middle of the savannah. The water was clear and reflected the light of the setting sun. The vet put his hand in it, realizing it was cool enough for what he wanted to do with it.
"Normally, applying water to an open wound is not recommended at all. You never know what kind of bacteria can be in the water, and it can cause an infection. I helped a dog who had a fever because of that the other day." Arun said, speaking instinctively about his past experiences with Shuu. He had noticed that the meerkat always seemed to enjoy knowing things about the outside world, even if he was sometimes not able to understand everything. And it pleased the young man to share what he knew about a subject he loved so much.
"But the wound of Astera is more serious.It is caused by a sharp weapon that has sunk in her wing. When I'll remove it, I'll reopen the wound that will begin to bleed profusely. Stopping first and foremost the bleeding is the most important, and we'll have to go back to the clinic quickly so that I can disinfect her wing before her condition can deteriorate. This is a real race against the clock..."
Arun stood up and took off his top. It was the only large enough tissue that he could use to compress the wound and stop the bleeding faster. He dipped the suit into the water, soaking it enough, and continued his explanation as he saw Shuu's watchful eyes.
"When there is a bleeding wound, the body uses an immune system to neutralize bacteria before they enter the body, which often causes redness around the wound, and the heat from the body's energy consumption. Using cool water will help relieve some of the feeling and make Astera suffer less. "
"Once again, I don't understand everything... But it's always so interesting, you live so different and unique things..." Shuu seemed to want to ask him something, but he finally abstained.
"I'm guiding you back to her, she'll be okay, I'm sure. With someone like you, there's no doubt !" Shuu shouted enthusiastically, knowing that the young man would manage the situation no matter what happened.