ATTACHED TO INCIDENT REPORT DRAFTED ON THE 17TH DAY OF NEW BLOOMS, IN THE 1386TH YEAR OF UNDERSTANDING
Medical Assessment of Forager Keen-Ear and Scholar Ink-Talon
Recorded by: Physician Mindful-Sight
A disclaimer: My assessments have always been as direct and without unnecessary judgements as possible. I have a healthy disdain for those who are asked to state their opinions on a narrow set of facts, such as the health of an individual, and then contribute additional thoughts, often moralizing about the scenario and providing anecdotes with no bearing on what they were asked to do. However, I cannot in good conscience provide a medical judgement on this case without also speculating on ideas of a more abstract nature and passing judgement on things beyond my expertise. This is beyond anyone’s expertise. In the interest of transparency, I will make myself clear here and now:
What has happened to these two is important. In the interest of their well-being, as well as that of anyone else subject to this phenomena in the future, I judge any and all dismissal of their perspectives as delusions, hallucinations, or amnesia with no other components to be ignorant, irresponsible, or both, for reasons that shall be made abundantly clear in the proper assessment.
The patients were delivered into my care in varying states of physical health. Forager Keen-Ear, a gray squirrel native to here in the Blacksoil region, was alert and responsive, with no physical injuries or symptomatic illnesses. It was confused by its circumstances, but clearly aware of what was happening. Scholar Ink-Talon, a common crow native to an undisclosed region, arrived unconscious, witnesses having reported delirium and emotional instability prior to loss of consciousness. Keen-Ear reported that Ink-Talon did not seem to have slept the previous night. Upon examination, sleep deprivation is the obvious physical diagnosis.
Seeker Silver-Tail had engaged in extended conversation with the Forager during retrieval, and provided the following testimonial:
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“Forager Keen-Ear is damaged in ways that I did not believe possible. We have been friends for several years, as the roles of Seeker and Forager allowed us to share techniques for exploration, navigation, and searching. But the squirrel I spoke to today behaved like a different person altogether. Beyond simple loss of memory, the Keen-Ear I know is outspoken and blunt. Quick to anger, and passionate to a fault. This squirrel is reserved, thoughtful, and considerate, even in the face of a great hardship. I displayed clear discomfort in our conversation, and rather than playfully chide me for it, it acknowledged my unease and ceased asking questions, despite its confusion and curiosity. It claims to have been someone else, of a species I do not believe exists in the Known World. I am not inclined to believe such an assertion, but I am certain this Keen-Ear does.”
After the physical assessment of both patients, I moved on to a deeper cranial assessment, my standard examination for cognitive function. The physical mind is complex to the point that obtaining a complete Understanding of it would take more time than any creature has in its life, so I concern myself only with an Awareness of motor and sensory connections. Associations created within the physical mind between the true mind and the body. It is in this regard that the nature of the Forager and Scholar’s conditions becomes more concerning.
Damage to the physical mind can break connections. One may find that skills they have practiced no longer come naturally, or that scents or sounds that recalled emotions and events no longer do. It can never create new connections from nothing. Not only are the physical minds of these patients undamaged, but I am keenly Aware of new connections with no clear origin. Every time either patient consciously moved its body, many of these connections would go nowhere, in a manner similar to an amputee suddenly without a limb. Others function properly but prompt unnatural responses, such as emoting using muscles in the face rather than with ear or tail orientation. This is most impactful for Scholar Ink-Talon, who had developed a negative association with the physical mechanisms of avian sleep patterns. Without intervention, their insomnia would have likely proven to be terminal.
As such, I can only offer one conclusion: different consciousnesses than before reside in the true minds of both patients, ones used to entirely different bodies and physical capabilities. This is not a matter of medicine, but of existence, and I can only implore the College to treat this matter with the utmost care. I fear that if we do not, then more than the lives of two people may be at risk.