Without really thinking, Starling activated [Environmental Awareness] eyes sweeping the canopy for any sign of where the disturbance was coming from. Their hearing sharpened and they instantly knew the rough location of the noise.

It’s that way, somewhere downhill and to the ‘East’ if I stick with the names I gave the mountains yesterday.

Now that they had a location, their training snapped into action. Goading them to get moving in the direction of the noise. Most people, hearing someone screaming like that, would move away, too scared that whatever is happening to the other person might happen to them, but Starling’s training had been thorough, and a big part of that was responding to a cry for help. Their feet moved before their mind had a chance to protest, before that traitorous voice deep inside could whisper ‘stay away’, before they could think about the last time they had rushed in headfirst to respond to a cry for help.

They took off at a sprint down the gentle slope, crashing through the calf high ferns that mostly covered the ground. The treeline met them quickly, and they slowed a little as they passed into the darker forest, careful where to put their feet, remembering to use [Wilderness Navigation] to pick the best path through the trees, following the natural flow through the forest rather than fighting for a new path. They flashed through the undergrowth, picking up speed again as their natural caution was overridden by the confidence that the skill gave them. It felt like their feet knew exactly where to land, that they were able to duck and weave to dodge every branch as they sped across the forest floor.

Despite the danger, and the plight of the person ahead Starling let out a whoop of excitement. The thrill of moving through the forest like this filling them with joy. It felt good to run at full tilt, with no cares or worries, just moving with purpose and power to a destination. The spiced air burned in their lungs as they took deep breaths, the ferns whipped against their legs, some letting up clouds of spores that swirled in the air as they passed. They felt the warm leathery bark of the trees as they braced and pushed off them, carving a path through the forest like a ship through a reef. It felt so right, so correct to use the skill like this. Their laughter grew as they indulged in this new power, this new ability they had unlocked.

The laughter faded abruptly when they suddenly came upon the site of the commotion and they halted with a start at what they saw..

A man was lying against a tree trunk, a crude wooden spear lay shattered in pieces that lay across his lap. Other whole spears lay in a small pile next to him. Starling saw in an instant that they were badly made. Crooked and unfinished, they were sharp sticks more than spears. The man's head was hanging down over his chest and he was bleeding heavily from a wound to his upper body. Standing over him was a dark figure that made Starling instantly uncomfortable.Iit was strangely hard to make out, some sort of humanoid with too many limbs. The creature was holding a weapon that Starling couldn’t define the silhouette of. The creature and its weapon seemed wreathed in shadow, the light bending and blending around it. It was flat and texturless, like a hole in the world. Without [Environmental Awareness] cranked as hard as they could push it Starling would have struggled to see it at all.

[Environmental Awareness Blocked]

[Unknown Entity Detected]

[Warning: Interference Pattern Detected]

[Warning: Multiple Skills Active]

[Stamina Drain Rate: Elevated]

The creature startled at Starling’s appearance and with a glance down at the man, turned and faded quickly away from them, Starling didn’t see it’s legs move, one second it was there and then it faded into the distance.

Starling stood terrified for a second, whatever that was, whatever had been there had been wrong in a way that they had never ever encountered before. The tree-crab had been terrifying because of the physical violence it could mete out, a visible visceral threat but whatever had been here a second ago… Starling shuddered and almost melted away into the trees themself, but just as their nerve started to fray the man coughed and groaned, blood bubbling from his lips.

I need to administer first aid, If I don’t do anything he is dead.

He looked so feeble, so broken. Starling guessed he would stand over 6ft, broad shouldered and proud but this injury had felled him like a tree. He was wearing what looked like a postal workers uniform,, he even had a satchel at his side. His clothes were dirty and marked though, and he had a cloak woven from what looked like leaves and cord over his shoulder.

I can’t leave him, but this looks really bad. That is a huge amount of blood he is losing at a rapid rate.

With a start Starling remembered their [Physical Assessment] skill and quickly activated it, hoping it would help determine what was wrong with him.

“Diagnosis is your most important skill when dealing with physical trauma in the wild. Move the wrong person, perform the wrong steps and you could kill them rather than help them. Assess, Identify, then act!” Walt’s words rose in their mind unbidden, another lesson.

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Starling hadn’t used [Physical Assessment] on anyone else before, and wasn’t sure how the skill would manifest. They were pleasantly surprised when the man's wounds were instantly highlighted in the same way as the climbing holds.

[Physical Assessment Active]

[Prior First Response Training Enhancing Feedback]

Sections of his torso started to pulse a bright red, indicating actively bleeding puncture wounds. His lips were highlighted in blue, showing his declining temperature and lowering blood oxygen levels. His whole body was highlighted in orange, indicating to Starling in a strangely instinctive manner that moving him would be a mistake.

Ok, we have deep penetrating wounds on the torso, and he is coughing up blood. Worst case scenario we have a punctured lung.

Starling cast about, uselessly, looking for inspiration. Patting empty pockets like they would magically find bandages or a hospital trauma center.

I have neither the skills or the tools to treat a punctured lung! But if I don’t do anything this man is going to die… I can’t let that happen… Not again!

Starling started with the basics, tearing his shirt to access the wounds and look at them, whatever it was that had made them had left a pattern of four penetrations on the man's tanned skin. Thick dark blood was oozing from them and Starling could feel that they didn’t have very long to do something to save this stranger's life.

Getting desperate, Starling activated [Environmental Awareness] shocked to find there was a skill synergy while also using [Physical Assessment].

[Skill Synergy Discovered!]

[Environmental Awareness + Physical Assessment = Natural Medicine Detection]

The forest around them suddenly erupted with new information. Several plants nearby glowed faintly, an indication that they might help but that they weren’t powerful or urgent enough as an option.

[New Skill Discovered: Natural Medicine Detection]

[Primary Attribute: Wisdom]

[Nature provides remedies for those who know where to look]

Capabilities:

* Identify natural healing properties

* Detect potency of organic materials

* Recognize dangerous reactions

* Basic treatment compatibility assessment

* Emergency remedy identification

[Note: Requires careful testing for safety at low levels]

[Note: Skill synergizes with Environmental Awareness]

Starling could feel their Stamina plummet, they couldn’t keep this up for long or they would be in serious danger of tapping their Health like when they defeated the crab. They looked around again, suddenly realising that the tree behind the man was pulsing a dark heavy red.

Potent. Powerful. Dangerous.

Starling’s memory flashed up images of the red sap leaking from the trees, the tree-phalant’s wounds coated in a thick red crystalline amber. They looked down at the man in front of them. His breathing was shallow, his face pale, he really didn’t have long to go.

He’s dead anyway, I don’t have the tools I need to help him. My skills are telling me this is extremely dangerous but if it could help him, even if it stopped the bleeding for now. Crap if anyone caught me doing what I am about to do they would kick me out all over again. They would re-enroll me just to kick me out with prejudice!

Starling hesitated a moment, then with their Stamina almost completely drained they grabbed the sharp end of the broken spear lying on his hip and scraped it across the bark of the tree. A thick ugly scar opened in its flesh and then seconds later the thick red sap started to ooze out. Acting on instinct Starling poked the sharp end of the spear tip into the sap and then brought it down on the wound, pressing it to the nasty punctures on the dying man's chest. There was a hot sounding sizzle and the smell of burning meat and hair filled the air. The man cried out, arms jerking into the air for a second. He whimpered loudly, hands falling to the ground limply as he fell back into unconsciousness.

With barely any Stamina left Starling gave him a look over with [Physical Assessment], terrified they have just spattered a dying man with what appears to be burning sap for no reason. Thankfully, his outline is a cooler colour now, and his wounds are the green of having been addressed. Starling's skill isn’t powerful enough to tell what, but they can see there are going to be serious side-effects from this treatment. The alternative was death though, surely he would understand.

I guess I need to try and get him to safety now. He’s a lot larger than I am, maybe a litter?

They were just starting to try and come up with a plan to move the man when they heard a rustling in the ferns and then voices calling out a name.

“Jeff! Jeff where did you go! We heard you shouting! Jeff! Are you alright!”

Starling stiffened. They had dropped [Environmental Awareness] to preserve their Stamina. They had gotten so used to its reliability that they had forgotten to rely on their perception and this man’s friends had nearly found them! With one last look at his status, happy to confirm that it was stable and that his friends were on the way, Starling slipped off in the opposite direction. Too tired to use their skills, their flight was a lot more cautious and slow than their approach had been,

Behind them they heard cries of shock and horror as the people found their injured friend, and a part of Starling relaxed a little knowing for sure he was back in safe hands.

[Trust Check Failed: 6 (-2 Compromised)]

[Flight Response Activated]

[Warning: Rational Decision Making Impaired]

[Ability Level Increased: Empathy has grown through action!]

[Growth Note: Helping others strengthens emotional connections]

[Current Level: 9 (-2 Compromised) - Increased from 8]

[Additional Growth Blocked: Requires Trust Development]