"When you're living in the Mysterious Beyond, you need every advantage you can get," Spiral said, looking himself over. Most of the cuts on his side and back were small and not really that concerning to him. The larger one on his leg did give him some trouble, though. From what he saw and felt, he thought it could keep him from running for a few days, if not more, but he couldn't really tell. Treating injuries was an area of learning that was somewhat lacking in his case.
Kariya picked up the speech where Spiral left off. "Sometimes, we need a bit more reach than we can get with our claws or beaks. The sticks serve us well for that," she said.
While wondering what he was going to do about his leg, a quick thought struck Spiral. Hmm...that might help.
::Can I have my stick back now?:: he signed to Kariya.
Flipping his stick so that the blunt end was facing him, she handed it off to Spiral, who took the leaf off the sharp end and pressed it onto the cut on his leg, where it stuck. "Thank you, Teacher," he muttered. One of the first lessons taught to him by an old spiketail: Everything can be used for something else.