The young female tarragon was a beautiful specimen of a dragon; long thin neck, majestic black wings, and an elegant, flowing tail that was decorated with spikes and fins at its end. Sleek and strong, the beast had smooth reptilian skin; so flawless, her green-blue scales glinted like gold in the light. Upon her head, a fringe of spiny horns flowed in a backward sort of way, as if blown by the wind, striking in appearance. She held her head regally, as if wearing a crown, which would have been appropriate had she not also been chained at her neck and spine as well.

Lying on her side, the young tarragon held one of her wings out in limp display. The flaccid piece was folded halfway onto itself -- fractured -- which meant she could neither fly nor escape. As such, the young dragon moved in a slow and deliberate way, as if avoiding pain or conserving energy for a more concerted effort. She pushed a hind leg underneath herself to ease the pressure off of her broken wing.

Unwittingly, the loose wing heaved forward.

Shhhrrrkkkk!! Aaarrrkkkk!!!

The tired, helpless beast sank deeper into resignation. Trembling lightly, she looked about her unfamiliar surroundings. Through the darkness, she made out the enclosures of a wide and elongated space bordered by grey, stained concrete walls. Solid structures, which matched the integrity of her chains. She turned to inspect the links, only to feel a vibration at her neck; strong, loud and searing at a certain distance; punctuating that noise in the background, that humming, that buzzcutting. She noticed spackles of electricity in the air on an invisible plane -- evidence that a laser matrix was being used. Tension on a live wire.

An abrupt metal clanking occurred. An entrance at the far end of the space opened, and a small contingent of humans quietly entered the room. Led by Dr. Tomas and his senior resident Tober, the orthopedic class brought in a convoy of rolling, equipment carts. Dr. Wilem, another instructor and former pupil of Dr. Tomas, was the guest lecturer for the day. Among the students in attendance were Lucuz, Tewyn and a new student at Anderson Science Center named Alessandro.

"What a magnificent animal!" Dr. Tomas remarked. "So wondrous, don't you think, boys and girls?"

Alessandro, in his first lecture course, was wide- eyed and spellbound, gawking at the very size and existence of the dragon.

"Alessandro, my pathologic friend, what're you doing here?" Lucuz asked in a low voice. He and Tewyn had recognized Elliot's friend from lunchtime the other day. "Isn't this class for juniors and seniors only? You're definitely someone's gottle, aren't you?"

Alessandro flashed a quizzical look.

"It means you've got connections," Tewyn explained, "since it's only your first trimester."

"Remember, students," Dr. Wilem lectured aloud, "the animal here is afraid for her life. Move slowly and calmly. No sudden or threatening movements. We don't want to scare her. She needs to know that we aren't going to hurt her. Everyone understand?"

"If we are to make peace with the animals someday," Dr. Tomas added, "we must earn their trust. They must understand we do not mean them any harm."

Off to the side, Tober stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He turned from the teaching group and rolled his eyes. Thereafter, he looked at the individual students to see if any of them had noticed him do so.

Alessandro, though, was preoccupied with the tarragon and her fracture. He crouched down and looked into the eyes of the injured animal. He followed each of the chain links that held the flying lizard down to their secure ends. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.

Aaarrrkkkk!!!

"So, what do we know about the animal's injury?" Dr. Wilem questioned.

The members of the small study group looked at one another.

"Was there a study guide?" Tewyn asked Lucuz.

Dr. Tomas and Dr. Wilem waited for engagement.

"Was a history report provided beforehand?" Lucuz asked aloud.

"Of course not," Tober scoffed in the background.

Dr. Wilem raised an eyebrow. "It's not a trick question. The point is, you may not always know something about the animal's injury. Sometimes, you must figure it out by direct examination."

"It was probably flying too low," Tober added, "and not watching where it was going."

A couple of students chuckled.

Dr. Wilem looked at the senior teaching assistant with disdain. "Actually, they're a lot more intelligent and graceful than the credit you're giving them. I can assure you, this fine creature did not just randomly fly into a tree or too close to a rocky cliff."

"They're not that smart," Tober scoffed. "They're still animals. They're worse than lotells."

There was an awkward pause of silence, as Dr. Wilem stared at Tober.

The senior student felt contempt. "The damn lizard was probably chasing a human and broke its wing! Who cares what happened to it?"

"Okay, okay," Dr. Tomas broke in calmly. "Let's be respectful." He took a step toward Tober, only for his senior resident to frown and turn away.

"It does matter how the patient got injured," Dr. Wilem explained. He walked to the security control panel at the wall. "Different traumas produce different types of injuries. Let's start with simple observation. Note how this animal is holding herself."

The students looked at the suffering dragon from afar, noting her asymmetric wing.

"It's obvious she's got a broken wing, right?" Tober said to one of the students.

"After a good, general survey," Dr. Wilem continued, "we must examine our findings more closely." He touched the control panel and turned the laser matrix system off. The buzzing in the room stopped. He motioned with his hand to direct the students closer.

The students shuffled in half-steps toward the giant reptile.

Shhrrkkk!! Aaarrrkkkk!!!

The great winged beast turned her head and swung her tail to clear her detractors.

"We can't examine her if she's moving around like that!" said Tewyn.

Dr. Wilem nodded in agreement. "She could injure herself worse, or injure one of us instead."

"She could kill one of us," Tober emphasized.

Aaarrrkkkk!!!

"To examine her more closely, and to eventually set her fracture, we will have to sedate her," Dr. Wilem instructed. "Let's assume we do not have sedation sharps or anesthetic gases available. What other forms of sedation can you use in this situation instead?"

Aaarrrkkkk!!! Shhhrrrkkkk!!

The students froze at the idea of sedating the gigantic beast.

"Come now, children," Dr. Wilem heartened. "Don't be afraid to speak up!" He looked for any semblance of curiosity.

The students turned toward one another for an answer.

"These students are as stupid as shermin," Tober muttered as he looked away.

There was still no attempt at an answer from the study group.

"You could use a laser gun," Tober finally answered.

Dr. Wilem scowled.

"Yes, that is correct," Dr. Tomas answered dryly.

"Wouldn't that kill her?" Luc inquired.

"Not if you use a low power setting, and shoot with shorter bursts," Dr. Wilem answered. "If you limit the total number of hits, you will only stun the beast. Not hurt her."

Aaarrrkkkk!!! Shhhrrrkkkk!!

Accordingly, the students drew their laser guns and adjusted their settings.

Alessandro, however, did not.

Dr. Wilem noticed Alessandro's reluctance and made eye contact with him for an explanation.

Alessandro shook his head in deference.

Tough first course for the new pathology resident, Dr. Wilem thought. Why did Berman take on a new resident at such a strange time on the calendar?

Lucuz, Tewyn and Alessandro approached the large tarragon together.

"I should've taken that elective in computer coding instead," Tewyn said.

"Me, too," Luc agreed.

"Use the Force, Luc," Alessandro quoted in a different tone of voice.

Lucuz frowned, not understanding. "What did you say?"

Alessandro only smiled.

A slight curl formed at Lucuz' mouth. He took in an easy breath. His shoulders relaxed a bit.

The young men turned their attention toward the large, injured tarragon that lay screeching and shrieking in front of them.