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shadowofwar-goober · 1 year

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The Shaman and the Bard- Ch.3 The Start of Training

It's not easy being a young uruk in Mordor. This is only a taste of what's to come…

xxx

“Why’re you favoring that right hand, maggot! The Dark Lord gave you two for a reason!”

Hûra’s hand burned and ached from hours of holding a poorly made sword in his hand. The hilt has long since splintered against his hand, the wooden shards digging into his palm and causing him to bleed. Blisters and sores stung every time he placed any pressure against his hand. Focusing on his gripping by fingers helped the pain but only led to a poorer overall performance in his training. Reluctantly, he swapped the weapon into his other, slightly less sore hand.

He wasn’t good with it. Not with this hand. His grip was clumsy, weaker than his more dominant right hand. The frustration he felt was punctuated every time his trainer yelled about how nothing they did was ever right.

“I’ve seen ghuls with better forms than any of you globs! Especially you!” A broken nail was shoved between his eyes. Something was nearing its breaking point inside of him. Tension grew in his jaw and his mouth began to water.

Bite

BITE-

Instead of lashing out, Hûra bit the inside of his mouth and set his jaw. He focused on calming his heavy breathing and drying his aching eyes from mental fortitude alone.

Training was hell on them all, Hûra was no exception. Others were like him, struggling and fighting for their lives every time they were ordered to pick up the sword. They all learned quickly that the various puddles and small water sources within the caves of Cirith Ungol did well to soothe their blistered and aching hands. Though, if they were caught doing so, they were punished by training well into the night and morning after with no reprieve to speak of.

Hûra didn’t know if he was improving or worsening his form. Every piece of feedback was negative. He was doing it wrong. His arms weren’t right, his hands gripped it the wrong way, legs too close- now too far apart… He was an embarrassment, he was told. Many a time… He wasn’t the only one, but over the coming weeks, the attention was less and less mutual among them all and more and more focused onto him.

And when he wasn’t training?

“What’re you doing you fuckin’ idiot?!”

Hûra cringed, dropping the scrap of bones he held in his hands. His stomach lurched as they clattered to the stone ground, scattering about his feet.

“Why’dya even have ‘em?! Get back to work!”

Hûra didn’t answer. He was struck with the positions the bones had fallen into. Some still had bits of greasy, stringy meat clinging to them. Others had deep cracks and teeth marks from Uruks attempting to suck out the marrow. They looked like mountains- some white with snow and others covered in trees, encampments, a fortress-

A hand grabbed him by the back of his shirt, pulling his hair as it did so. He cried out and begged to stay for a moment longer! He almost saw something this time-!

“Go tend to the caragors! Now! And don’t come back till the mornin’ when I get you!”

Hûra was all but thrown to the ground and kicked when he didn’t get up as fast as his captain wished. He picked himself up and neverminded the jeers and giggles directed at him by some of his littermates.

Tend to the caragors… Tend to the caragors… T-Tend to t-the…

He wiped away the tears that stung his eyes and walked against the cold mountain air.

At least the beasts understand him…

They never judged him once. Not the caragors, not the spiders, not the crows- Ah… the crows. Hûra felt wrong picking favorites, but the crows held a special place in his heart. Whenever he was alone, sad and confused, the crows always came to comfort him. He didn’t know why, but he was grateful and always tried to sneak them food whenever he could. Even if it took food out of his own mouth…

He was alone outside, with the caragors. Some unlucky uruks were guarding nearby, but they were too busy freezing their asses off to pay him or the beasts any mind. Hûra’s litermates often complained of their time with the beasts. He didn’t understand why. They weren’t so bad; dangerous, yes, incredibly so, but as was everything in Mordor. With the right amount of respect towards them, they seemed to show it back. Or, at least they did so to him, Hûra thought.

Feeding them was cumbersome, but if he was fast enough, they remained rather patient as he threw meat into their cages. Would he get yelled at for feeding them? Probably, as nothing he ever did seem to satisfy his captain. Hûra would rather be in the beasts’ good graces than his own superior’s.

From every piece he threw to the caragors, Hûra ripped a small portion off for the crows. They don’t seem to mind sharing, unlike the other uruks he trains with. No one takes care of one another. It’s every orc for himself and they will take every little thing meant for you if it means they have more, even if they don’t need it… But the caragors and the crows?

Hûra has watched them in the wild. Sometimes it’s hell hawks that pick at the carcass of a recent caragor’s meal. Sometimes it's ghuls, but they are always chased off and never come out in daylight hours, even in the caves of Cirith Ungol. But the crows? Hûra has watched them follow caragor packs. Do they help them find prey? The caragors share their meal with the birds with little fuss even from the alpha, herself. As the caragors enjoyed their meal, as little as there was of it, Hûra turned his attention to his crows.

Already, he has named one: Ghâsh. The alpha of this little family. Or… maybe not so little… Hûra has only met a few of her flock and he doesn’t intend on being ungrateful or impatient in wanting to meet more. He smiles as she settles on the ground in front of him and he crouches down on his haunches.

“Hello, little one…” Hûra reaches out and Ghâsh, surprisingly, doesn’t try to bite him this time! Excited, he presents a small bite of meat.

“Here-” Ghâsh inspects the piece of food then greedily picks it from Hûra’s outstretched hand with the tip of her beak.

It wasn’t much, but it was all he had. Hûra debated on eating a small piece, himself, but he had already decided it was for the crows and it felt… wrong to claim it for himself. Ghâsh called out and a few more crows flew down from the surrounding cliffside and landed around her and Hûra.

He carefully distributed the food he had left. It wasn’t much, but the crows didn’t flee once he no longer had anything to give. Ghâsh strutted closer and Hûra sat down cross legged so she could hop into his lap.

Petting her was an interesting ordeal. Sometimes she loved it and couldn’t get enough, other times she hated it and would bite and hiss whenever he would raise his hand. Hûra was content with her lounging in his lap while her kin walked around him and inspected his person. One tugged at his tunic, another tapped her beak on the knife at his side-

“H-Hey!” Hûra shooed away the curious bird that tugged at his braid. He wasn’t angry, though. How could he be? They were careful even when they were a little naughty and cheeky towards him.

They never failed to make him smile and laugh. When things were stressful, when it was bad and he didn’t know what he was doing, anymore, it was all okay when he was with them. Hûra looked down at Ghâsh and wondered aloud-

“Will I ever become a great assassin?”

She looked up at him with her beady eyes and gently crooned, picking and mouthing at his hands that laid limply in his lap. He smiled and wiggled his fingers at her. Ghâsh played with him as he sat quietly in thought.

Maybe he could be, one day… but he needs to apply himself more. Work harder, pay more attention, push himself more and more… Hûra’s hands ached from nonstop training, but he knew he could do more. A small part of him grew anxious as he remembered the thing his trainer would shout at him and the other boys the most.

“Don’t train alone! It sets in bad habits!”

But… a little wouldn’t be too bad, would it? Just to improve his coordination and grip…

Hûra already made up his mind. He gently encouraged Ghâsh to hop off his lap so he could stand. His fingers ached as he wrapped them around his training weapon. Blunt, but you could kill a glob with it… He stepped away from the caragors and planted his feet firmly-

-and began to swing his weapon.

@space-arsonist, @sinick, @elvenmoans, @boozy-dwarf, @dirtymeanuruk

#lotr #middle earth shadow of mordor #middle earth shadow of war #uruk clans #uruk culture #uruk society #uruk ocs #my ocs #Hûra is a baby #the start of shaman capabilities #animal friends!#crows are the best #determination

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alleycatallies · 9 months

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High-Quality, High-Volume Spay and Neuter Clinic Guide

A veterinary professional tends to a community cat during a high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter clinic.

Holding a high-quality, high-volume (HQHV) spay and neuter clinic is one of the best ways to improve the lives of as many cats as possible. In assembly line fashion, stations help guide a cat from trap to anesthesia and through surgery to other necessary treatment areas. HQHV spay and neuter clinics are a critical part of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), the humane, effective approach to community cat populations.The following information outlines Alley Cat Allies’ tried-and-true approach to running a HQHV spay and neuter clinic. Keep in mind, though, that there are many different approaches to a successful spay and neuter clinic. Adjust this outline and its stations as necessary to fit your own resources and needs.

See our general Spay and Neuter Protocol Considerations for Community Cats at alleycat.org/SpayNeuterProtocol and more resources at alleycat.org/VeterinaryResourceCenter.

Alley Cat Allies has decades of experience working with veterinary experts. Our goal is to ensure veterinary professionals have the accurate, current, and specialized information they need about cats from all walks of life and to bring their attention to the big issues impacting cats. Veterinary professionals have a uniquely powerful voice that is critical for advocating on cats’ behalf. Alley Cat Allies is here to help streamline that advocacy. Learn more at alleycat.org/Veterinarian.

Check-in/Registration Station

When trappers or caregivers bring community cats to the clinic in humane box traps, assign each cat her own number and print that number on two tags. Secure one tag to the trap. The other, called the cat tag, will be tied to the cat’s paw (a rubber band works great) after she is anesthetized. Until that time, you can tape the cat tag to the trap to be used after anesthesia kicks in.

Our Cat Clinic Tag can help ensure that both trappers or caregivers and clinic fully understand the expectations for this visit and the needs of each cat.

At this time, cats should be scanned for a microchip. The microchip ID can be recorded on the cat tag, and the microchip can be scanned at each step of the spay and neuter process to ensure you are treating the right cat. Learn more at alleycat.org/PlanToScan including how to scan community cats for microchips.

Anesthesia Station

Once a cat is deemed healthy enough for surgery based on their physical state, take them to the anesthesia station. Use an “isolator,” (see alleycat.org/Equipment) to guide her toward one end of the trap. This restricts the cat’s movement so that the licensed veterinary technician can inject an anesthesia combination called TKX (telazol, ketamine, and xylazine) directly into the muscle.

After TKX has been administered, leave the cat in the trap and monitor her until she is fully unconscious. Then, carefully take her out of the trap and attach the cat tag to her paw.

The cat tag must stay with the cat through every clinic station, and every medication administered to each cat must be recorded on the cat tag. Also record the amount of TKX administered in the Anesthesia Log.

Express the cat’s bladder carefully and evaluate the sex and health of the cat. Check off “male” or “female” on the cat’s tag. The veterinarian will complete a full physical exam once the cat is under anesthesia.

Prep Station

At the Prep Station, the veterinary technician injects Metacam, a pain killer, subcutaneously, just under the skin, and records the dose on the cat tag.

Because cat’s eyes may dry out under anesthesia, apply a lubricant to keep them moist.

One technique for holding female cats in place for surgery is the use of spay- boards. These are special boards that hold the female cats in the correct position for surgery. Learn how to build your own spay board using Alley Cat Allies’ spay board design instructions here at alleycat.org/SpayBoard.

Shave the female cat’s surgical site and sterilize the area with betadine and alcohol. Administer betadine and alcohol alternately three times starting from the point where the incision will be made and moving out in a circular pattern, purposefully never doubling back over the incision site.

Waiting Area

If the prep station gets ahead of the veterinarians completing surgeries, the cats wait in the order in which they were prepped for surgery until a veterinarian is available. This ensures that veterinarians are never waiting for patients and takes full advantage of the veterinarians’ time.

In the waiting area, volunteers should closely monitor each cat’s breathing and level of sedation to ensure the cats are comfortable.

Surgery Station

When the cat is on the operating table, the surgery assistant opens a sterile spay pack containing a gauze, drape, and instruments. A new sterile spay pack and materials should be used for each cat.

HQHV clinics often utilize special surgery techniques that are faster and ensure a follow-up visit is unnecessary. These techniques include smaller incision, modified Miller’s knot (see our video how-to), and dissolvable sutures.

Eartipping Station

Following surgery, the cat’s left ear is tipped by placing a straight hemostat 3/8″ from the tip of the left ear and removing the tip with a scalpel or straight edge. To reduce bleeding, the hemostat is left in place until the cat arrives at the vaccine station or is just about to be returned to her trap.

See our eartipping protocol at .alleycat.org/Eartip.

All surgical information, particularly anything unusual that may have occurred, should have been recorded in the Veterinarian’s Surgery Log and on the cat tag by this time. Once that is done, transport the cat to the vaccine station.

Post-Op and Vaccine Station

At the post-op and vaccine station, remove female cats from the spay boards and take the hemostat off their ears. If there is any bleeding from the eartip, apply styptic powder to stop it.

The cat receives a subcutaneous rabies vaccination on the right hip. There is an extremely low occurrence of rabies in outdoor cats, but this vaccination will protect them if they happen to come in contact with a rabid animal.

Other vaccinations can be administered at the discretion of the veterinarian and based on the caregiver’s ability to pay. For example, some clinics vaccinate for distemper using the FVRCP vaccine at this point in the clinic. Because there are parts of the United States which are not prone to distemper, some clinics choose not to vaccinate so they can spend that money to neuter more cats. It can cost $2-3 to vaccinate and when added up over the hundreds of cats a clinic neuters, the cost can multiply. One consideration may be to ask clients to shoulder the cost if they choose to have the vaccine administered.

Alley Cat Allies does not recommend testing for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) or FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus) because the percentage of infected cats is low, sterilization contains the spread of these viruses, infected cats can be asymptomatic, there can be false positives, and testing is costly. Learn more at alleycat.org/TestingProtocols.

Microchipping can also be done at this time. Alley Cat Allies encourages caregivers to have all the cats they care for microchipped. Learn more at alleycat.org/MicrochipsSaveLives.

Record all medications administered on the cat tag.

Grooming Station

Gently comb the cat for fleas and matted fur, and shave away any serious mats. Some clinics administer flea treatment at an added cost which is itemized for the client. Because flea treatments do not last long and will likely be the only one a community cat receives, the costs may outweigh the benefits of providing the treatment. With similar considerations, deworming and treatment for ear mites may be administered at this time.

Do not cut the nails of community cats.

Under certain circumstancescold weather, pregnancy or lactation, or by a veterinarian’s recommendation administer subcutaneous fluids.

Record every treatment on the cat tag and then transport the cat to recovery.

Recovery/Discharge Station

When the cat arrives at the recovery station, remove the tag from her leg and record all information on it in both the Medical Record and Intake/Discharge Log.

Compare the cat’s tag number with the tag number on the trap so that she is returned to the same trap she came to the clinic in, which should have been cleaned and lined with fresh newspaper or another trap liner. Cats who received fluids should be positioned in the traps so that as little fluid as possible leaks from the puncture site.

At the recovery station, arrange the traps in numerical order and by colony for proper caregiver matching. Cover the traps so the cats have privacy but can still be seen from the front so trained observers can monitor them while they are waking up from anesthesia.

#Spay And Neuter Programs For Cats #Spay Neuter #Best Friends Animal Society Spay Neuter Programs #Feral Cat Spay Neuter Programs

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