# The grisly truth



## Smurthwaite (Aug 5, 2013)

I post on here semi-often, and normally said posts are rather trivial and/or relatively...eh... Conservative? lol However, this time I need some information on something a tad more brutal. 
Okay, so, here's a little background so you can better understand my reason for seeking your insight:
My female protagonist has to go chasing after her dog in the rain and stumbles upon an injured fey in the forest. Well, to be honest, injured is a slight understatement. He's missing his heart. And still functioning, as crazy as that sounds. Although, to be fair, he is almost completely immobile. I just need to know realistically--overlooking the fact that he's still alive while, for lack of a better term, being heartless--how would the wound be acting while he speaks, moves, etc.? Would it be spurting, dripping, what? All the gory details, please. 
I know this is a rather strange and...grisly, but I want the scene to be as realistic as possible, although granted it's completely implausible. But hey, he's fey, so I'm taking some artistic liberties. Any other ideas and/or additions would also be greatly appreciated.
Thank-you for your time!


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## T.Allen.Smith (Aug 5, 2013)

Considering the heart is the organ that acts like a pump for blood through veins and arteries, there would be no spurting. The wound would seep or pour blood into the chest cavity which would then well up with blood. Death would ensue exceedingly quickly, if not immediately, after the removal of the heart (assuming of course you don't have a fantastical reason to the contrary).


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## Chad Lynch (Aug 5, 2013)

Yea, unless hung so that the wound is the low spot on the body, like the way an animal is hung to bleed during the slaughter process, then the wound would fill with a pool of blood if laying down, draining in a steady, diminishing stream if sitting up.


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## A. E. Lowan (Aug 5, 2013)

Don't forget this is happening in the rain. Rain water is running into the wound, diluting it.  Environment always impacts scene.


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## Smurthwaite (Aug 5, 2013)

Thank-you to all. I did include the dilution, considering the rain. However, the seeping rather than spurting and such didn't occur to me... I've been re-thinking the scene a little; incorporating new elements... I thought I might have him rip out his own heart, so that he might give her something inside. It's funny, because I hate gore, but it's fun to write. The older I get, the more morbid I get. lol But thank-you! I love the people on here. ^.^


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## CAL9000 (Aug 6, 2013)

Since he's not human, you can throw as many notions about being "heartless" out the window as you like. Depending on the details of your fey, you could have him live until his magic (if he has any) runs out, or maybe the Fey don't even have hearts like humans and the thing he ripped out was something else entirely. Don't be afraid to think outside the box.


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## CupofJoe (Aug 6, 2013)

Fey may have distributed hearts like some sauropods are believed to have had, so removal of one may still be fatal but not near-instantly.
Or follow the Gallifreyan model and give it/him 2.
I like the idea of hiding something in/behind a heart...


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