Had the lady withdrew one of those magic wands, Djura would've barked a command of halting, with all the authority of his days as a Colonel. But instead she procured a handkerchief, evidently quicker than him to jump to the conclusion that her two working hands were better than his one. He stonily allowed it, not so much as batting an eyelid as the sting was brought to sharp relief upon contact. He had suffered through far worse.

"I am grateful", he replied, looking down at his arm a little guiltily as the crimson of his blood already began to soak through one edge of the cloth.

"In all my days wandering woodlands, I've never known the combination of gale and branch to be so... malicious."