We're Going to Play a Game

[ayett]

Part One.

Location: Leafy Glen

Characters Involved: Atreyu, Cottonpaws, Haben, Haze, Liam, Sierra, Silvan, Silver, Simone

Silvan makes it back to the glen, carrying a large hare, and pauses to take a look around and make sure everyone is where they should be. After that is done he makes his way to the den, setting the hare down and listening for any sings that anyone is awake down there.

Cottonpaws is still there, alive that is. Resting on her side not three feet away from the den. Not moving, tired... Just contemplating the water and the trees and that wolf over there and everything, except dad.

Sierra pops up from behind a newly-sprouting bush, blinking blearily at Silvan. The pups have been spending more time outside the den, both due to Mother taking up so much space down there, their being bigger now and it being cramped, and just their natural maturing process. Sierra looks a little worried as she spies Silvan, and doesn't immediately rush to greet him. Her dark blue eyes flick over toward Cotton, then down toward the pond. Should Silvan follow the little girl-pup's gaze, he would see Silver, sprawled out at the pond's edge, paws and chin in the water, eyes closed.

Atreyu is by Cotton. And, by "by" Cotton, I mean, he's sitting on her. The normally ever-active playful sister he knew was lazy as heck today, wasn't she? Or.. was she like Mom? Sick and tired and.. Oh Cotton! He's so worried about you! "Cotto-ooooon.." He whines, shaking her with his two front paws. Sierra should be helping him get her up. She wanted to play with her as much as he did, he was sure of that. "Uuuuup.."

Silvan blinks a bit at finding Silver almost /in/ the water, heading over to her with the hare and passing Cotton and Atreyu along the way, pausing to say, "I don't think Cotton feels good Atreyu..." moving on to silver's side after that. He hasn't felt good himself today, his bout of dizziness earlier having him even more worried, "Hun? I brought you something to eat."

Haben, having once again fallen asleep outside, is not just starting to get up. His small playing time with Liam and his stick wore him out more than he thought but now he's refresed and ready to play! After getting to his paws and shaking the dirt from his pelt, he looks over to the den enterance and instantly spots Cotton and his brother. Hey look, playmates! Quickly, Haben makes his way to his big sister only to notice that something seems to be wrong with her. His tail droops a bit at his sister's unhappy aura and he gives her a small lick on the nose. "Cotton... ok?" he asks, giving a slight head tilt.

Cottonpaws is perfectly fine, please don't worry about the half-alive girl that's near the den. Cotton sees the male get closer to her, and it's not the sigt, but the scent, "I'm just sleepy..." She tells her father, which is a lie, but you know ol'Cotton, "Is Fluffy ok?" Awwwwwwwww, you gotta admit that's cute. She hasn't seen that good for everything boyfriend of hers. And yeah, she doesn't feel any pup on top of her.

It's been several hours since Haze retreated to mourn his brother's death in solitude, and he only now begins to slowly pad back towards the glen, feeling immensely tired, both emotionally and physically. He pauses at the entrance of the glen to observe the goings-on, simply watching everyone quietly for a few moments.

Sierra whines softly, picking her way down toward the others, and sits down alone in between them all, watching. She doesn't know what to do, she feels she SHOULD do something, but what could she possibly do, really? Silver opens her eyes a fraction, the roll back toward Silvan and then close again. She groans, twitching, and mutters something incoherent, puffing bubbles in the water. She licks at it, then whines loudly, ears pinned back.

Atreyu leans down over Cotton's face, having padded his way up the lazy wolf's side. "Cotton?" Head tilt. She said something, didn't she. "Cotton, up!" Jump jump. Well.. this isn't working. Looking around, he spotted momma. She's still laying around too, but.. he knew better than to jump on her. What about Sierra. She's not busy. Jumping off the unresponsive sister, he goes to a hopefully playful one. "Cotton -dead-." The word all the others were using the other day. Some how.. he felt it fit. <_<

Silvan looks over at cotton, shaking his head and saying, "It's okay if you're not feeling well." before leaning down and nuzzling Silver, "Come on hun... you have to eat something."

Ok, clearly Cotton is /not/ ok. This causes Haben to tuck his ears back to his head and whimper loudly at her. After all, she was the one who played with him first and was so fun to have around. Feeling that some comforting is in order, Haben walks up to his big sister and lays down next to her muzzle, giving it a small lick again. He gives a small headtilt at Atreyu's words and looks back up at Cotton. "Cotton dead?"

Cottonpaws looks at the pups, frowning... Who the hell taught them that word!? Haze for sure, and probably the jerk thought it was a good idea to teach them that Cotton and Dead are two awesome words that are fun to say together, "Cotton not dead..." She tells them, chuckling softly and reaching a paw to nudge Atreyu, "Cotton tired. Tired."

Sierra blinks at Atreyu and Haben. "Not dead," she echoes Cotton's words. Dead meant...gone...right? But there was Cotton, and Cotton spoke, and moved, so she's here. She isn't very playful, though, worried about..everyone...as she is. A pup this young shouldn't have so many worries in the world! Honestly...She sighs.

Silver rolls her eyes toward the hare, blinking a few times. She whimpers, trying to scramble away from the hare. "Can't you hear..." she rasps, "hear it screaming?" She curls up, panting desperately, trying to cover her ears with her paws. The world was spinning, every time she opened her eyes she was assaulted by things she'd never even imagined. Even her dreams were horrible. At least in the den the world was muffled, cut off. The only thing that drove her out was her burning thirst.

Atreyu's ears droop, feeling like he may have said something bad. But, Cotton's paw reassured him. Turning to look at her, all headtilted and blinking, "Tired? Like Mom?" He looked over towards the mentioned shewolf.. just in time for Silver's hallucination freak out. As wide eyed as he'd even been, he froze. Before turning and diving behind Sierra-- peeking out around her side. Traumatized. Surely.

The reassuring words from Cotton do little to calm Haben's nerves. Something just isn't right. Mom has been acting really weird lately and now Cotton is all tired. It all just doesn't seem right. His thoughts are only confirmed as Haben catches Silver's total spaz attack. Ok, that was scary. Whimpering louder than before, Haben ducks behind Cotton's forepaw, his ears plastered to the back of his head. "What's wrong wit' Mom?" he whimpers. There's just so much he doesn't understand and it's all so scary...

Cottonpaws's ears perk up at her father's voice... The girl sighs, standing up even if she feels like she's going to hit the ground again any second. The girl drags the pups closer to her, making them sit or stand, whatever, in front of her. Then, with the best smile she can offer, she whispers to the pups, "Mom and I are playing a game, but dad doesn't know it." Obviously, Silvan ca hear this too, and Cotton hopes he gets the idea of what her plans are, "Ok? So don't tell dad, and don't worry about mom, she's playing." And about that, the girl noses the pups, one at a time, "You guys want to play too?" End of scene, fade in, we have a whole pack of pup on the ground 'playing', pretending they're all sick, genius!

Haze's ears prick forward at his mother's peculiar actions, and he carefully takes a few quiet steps closer to the pond, lowering his head and whining anxiously at the odd sense he gets from Silver's behavior. "Mom? Are you okay?" Auric may be dead, but his mother is still alive. Let Cottonpaws do damage control, he's too upset over all the emotional ups-and-downs lately to try and put on a happy face just yet.

Sierra stares at her mother. She saw her doing that sort of thing before...she saw Silver crawl out of the den and half stumble, half fall down to the water's edge. She heard her babbling and whimpering, and saw her desperately lapping at the water as she collapsed into it. So this new fit is just one more thing...She whines, leaning comfortingly against her brother. When Cotton stands and whispers to them, she perks up a bit. A game? That's a very silly game...Mother said she was sick. She glances skeptically back at Mom, before standing and toddling over toward Cotton.

Silver lies there, panting. She hears Haze's voice and opens her eyes, blinking blearily up at him. "Haze? Wh..where's your brother? I cant' find him...Lost..lost in the snow..." she rolls onto her side. "Lost with Kiva...Running in Luna's pack with his father..." she rambles.

Atreyu is still staring at mom. That was just about the most frightening thing he's seen so far in his short life. It was double upsetting because, that was his MOM. She can't be... that bad off. Cotton blocked his gaze after Haze approached, and he looked up to her with teary eyes. This.. wasn't a game. Was it? It certainly wasn't a fun looking game. "I don't wanna play.."

Liam's braveness from the other day, when he brazenly asked Haze to play? Yeah, that's all gone. He sits there, and for the first time feels terrified of his own mother. She's gone crazy. Jostled a bit as Cotton pulls he and the others close, Liam breaks eye contact with Silver, but the image is burned into his memory. He looks up at Cotton, his beloved older sister, and says sadly, "Ok." He doesn't believe a word she says about things being a game, though. Mom is definitely crazy.

Silvan grits his teeth a bit, his stomach trying to tie itself in knots from all the stress lately. after a moment he looks over to the others saying, "Haze, Cotton, take the pups to the other side of the glen, and keep them there." they shouldn't see her like this, it's scaring /him/ let alone the pups.

Haben just can't beleive what his little eyes are seeing. There was Mom, the strongest person he knows of, and she's out there acting all crazy and stuff! What in the world is going on? Cotton's words about it being a game do little to nothing to help him calm down. It still doesn't take away the images of his Mom acting crazy. "Me neither..." he says in responce to Atreyu's statement. He plops himself onto his stomach and snuggles up against his brother for comfort. He needs all as much as he can get now.

Cottonpaws sighs at her sibling... This is not working. The girl looks back at her father, wondering what she can do to help, but... She can't even help herself with food, now this? The girl nods to him, "Come on guys. Mom and dad need to talk." Oh sure, and the game? She knows the pups are not stupid... The girl starts walking to the other side, making sure the pups follow.

At his mother's depressing words, Haze's body practically droops all over, his ears and tail tucking as he crouches low to the ground, whimpering, out of how nervous the atmosphere is making him feel. "Auric..." He chokes up, and tries again, struggling to keep back tears. "Auric is with Pinta, and Grit, and they're all running with Luna, that's right." He tries to force a smile for her. "But Kiva's not gone, mama. She came by the other day. She's not feeling well, but she's still here." He crawls closer to lick and nuzzle Silver's cheek. "And I'm still here, too. Your family's still here. You're safe with us." The brindle-furred adolescent brazenly ignores Silvan's order until he hears some other response from Silver - his rebellion against his not-father may finally get him in trouble, but it's not intentional. He's simply worried to death about his mother, and is willing to risk a verbal or even physical reprimand from the alpha male if that's the price he has to pay to make sure she's all right.

Sierra heaves a sigh, and follows along behind Cotton. Mom will be okay. She's always okay. She's...well she's MOM! She has to be okay. She's invincible! She does as told though, too down to object or rebel.

Silver perks her ears up, having a moment of lucidity. She looks around, as if Haze's words brought her out of her delusions. "He is...It wasn't a a dream, was it.." she says quietly, ears splaying. She struggles to sit up, having trouble fighting her dizziness. But there's something that must be done. She tips her head back and lets out a long, mournful howl. So much sorrow for her little family, so much pain. Was Luna testing them?

At the Leafy Glen, Silver howls.

She hates the ill feeling she's getting within the territory. Simone half-trots to the edge of the water and whines lowdly in a half-howl toward her Ones. She steps up to Silvan, eartufts erect. "You sent the younglings away? Good... Because I fear that if we don't figure out what has befallen Silver..." She trails off, turning her attention to her female superior. "Silver!" She says it in an almost instructional tone. "Silver! Can you hear me?"

Atreyu goes to follow as he's requested, but his tail doesn't wag, nor does his ears perk at Cotton's renewed activity. The air is thick with tension, and then that.. that word again. Auric. It makes him stop, and look back. Auric always made things worse, made things sad. Everytime it's brought up. Momma, dad, maybe-brother Haze. Sure enough, Silver reacted much like she had before-- howling out. He whimpered, turning back to Cotton. He didn't want to be around the Glen right now.

Casting one last glance over his shoulder, Liam begins to follow Cotton. He walks with his head down, paws dragging, tail between his legs; the epitome of gloom. Until tonight, he had not been as aware of the situation. Now he's been exposed to the chaos that has currently consumed his family. The worst part? He wants to be the one licking Mom's cheek to make her feel better, but he's too afraid. He feels helpless, and that is the worst sickness of all.

Silvan nods to Simone as she makes her way into the fray, bumping Haze's sholder to try to get him moving, hoping Cotton was to far away to hear what he said about auric and saying, "Go help Cotton with the pups. She doesn't know about Auric yet... don't tell her... things are bad enough without dragging that up right now." he looks back to Silver and nuzzles Silver's neck softly, saying, "Stay with us hun."

Haben doesn't really want to leave right now. How /can/ he with his mother like this? He wants to be over there by her side and comforting her. In fact, there's a slight second where Haben almost runs towards her, but as he brothers and sister start to walk away, he decides against it and just follows them, his tail in between his legs as he walks. Walking alongside Liam, Haben tries his best to nose at his shoulder as a comforting gesture. "Don' worry. Mom'll be fine." If Haben actually beleives that is anyone's guess...

That's not possible, is it? Auric? Her brother? Gone too... Cotton stops walking for just a moment, ears twitching at the voice of her now only brother. She doesn't say anything, she doesn't do anything for a couple of seconds. She just takes a deep breath, then looks back at the pups, "Alright, all of you, in front of me all the time." She waits a moment, "Haben? You in front of your siblings, the rest? I want you to make a line and march. I'm going to show you how the valley looks like, ok?" She needs to get them as far as she can from mom, for the pack's safety and mind...

Haze gets his response, if not much of one, but the crowding in of Silvan and Simone eventually push the adolescent male away from his mother. Stepping away with a lurch, as if forcibly removed from his mother's side, Haze sulks away towards Cottonpaws, herding up any pups that might have escaped her.

Sierra doesn't linger, knowing that Mom needs to be alone. She'll be okay, she just needs time, right? She does pause to glance back toward her new big brother as he joins them, and though she barely knows him, she knows he's sad, and she boldly gives him a little nuzzle, trying to make him feel better. Hey, he's family, right?

Silver lowers her head after her howl, heaving a sigh. The hallucinations have passed for now, and she seems to be remaining lucid. She glances back toward the retreating pups. "Any word from Makya?" she rasps. Hey, she remembers the bird's name, that's a plus, right? She looks at Simone, taking a moment to recognize her though, before returning her gaze to Silvan. "I'm scared.." she whispers, wobbling slightly.

"As we all are, young one," Simone replies. She's not one to offer any false hope like the others, for the Elder herself is truly frightened but has to stay strong and try not to become so emotionally involved that it clouds her logical judgement. The old one shakes her head slowly, glancing toward the sky. "No...no word from the Raven. I had been keeping my eyes open for his return."

Atreyu finds Sierra in the little parade and sticks close to her. Therefore, close to Haze. Looking up at his -big- brother, Trey follows silently. Even he could tell the bigger wolf was sad. Maybe even angry. Sierra seemed comfortable enough to nuzz at his leg, so the male pup did the same-- running to the other side to nuzz the opposite.

Liam's ear twitches at the sound of Haben's voice. Slowly, he looks up at his brother. The words are a comfort. Knowing that he's not alone in his feelings is a comfort. Liam gives Haben a small but genuine smile before falling into step behind him, at the direction of Cottonpaws. He glances up at her, then back at Haze, and then at the rest of his siblings. He doesn't say so out loud, but seeing the valley sounds a little like fun. At the very least it will give him something else to think about.

Silvan nods and licks at Silver's neck, trying to be as comforting as he can, turning a moment to watch the pups leave with their bigger siblings, at least that's one less thing to worry about. he nods toward the rabbit, saying, "I am too hun... but I think you should eat... I haven't seen you eat in days."

Haben's mood is slightly uplifted by his little brother's smile. Even despite the whole situation, it's still nice to see a genuine smile. Nodding up at Cotton, Haben trots to the front of his siblings-- where he belongs since he's the oldest XD-- and waits for Cotton to tell him where to go. Truthfully, exploring a new spot could be fun but knowing the state that Mom is in now will make the adventure less exciting. Giving a sigh, Haben starts to march off in the direction of the vally, the thoughts of his mother never leaving his mind...

[keegan]

Meanwhile...

Location: Wooded Terrain

Characters Involved: Misery, Keegan, Keraan, Nirra

Misery comes galloping down the hillside, dragging a rather fat marmot. It bounces jauntily in her jaws as she leaps and bounds down the hillside. Nope, no illness here...well, the marmot may have been ill, much to its...Misery...HA! The coyote chortles to herself at the thought, but sobers quickly as she remembers she's got THREE pups to feed now, and one of them probably isn't interested in milk...The thought gives her pause, but then she nearly drops the fat rodent with her guffaw at the mental image of the big white wolf nursing next to the two pups. It's so entirely ridiculous an image, she has to stop, set down the marmot, and cackle. It's just too much.

Keegan's certainly not in such good shape as the... imaginative coyote ( <_<; ). Ever since running the news down to Silvan about his son, his state has only worsened. He'd practically collapsed after reliving the session with Misery, and had hardly risen since. Seems that, no matter how much he slept, he never gained the energy he needed to function. It was, understandably, frustrating. He's no pup, but here he was; curled up in the den with Keraan and Nirra nearby-- entirely dependant on Mis' hunting. His job. Now he just felt like a burden. Where was that yote anyways?

Misery picks her burden back up after her hearty chucklefest, which of course erupted into some yelping howls - as is the way of coyotes, dontchaknow - and continues down the hill toward the den. The fat rodent bounces comically along as she moves over the uneven ground, then with a mighty leap, she drops down in front of the den. She plops the marmot before the tunnel and plops her arse down next to it to peer inside. She's glad now that she gave in and agreed to dig the den big enough to fit both of the adults, despite how arduous and time-consuming a task it was. "You all right in there, Kee?" her voice is soft and concerned, despite her previous boisterousness.

Keegan's slow to respond, but he does. Just takes him some time to clear the cobwebs. "Yeah-yeah, fine.." Some mild shuffling can be heard, and with care he squeezes out of the tunnel and into the fresh air. The first time he'd left the den in, what he feels like at least, must of been days. Everything was stiff and strained. "How did it go?"

Misery places a paw triumphantly on the fat marmot. "Seems we hunters arent' the only ones afflicted by this illness. This fellow barely moved when I bit his spine in half." She sighs. "Eat up, then the pups should eat."

Will you guys shut up!? Raan comes out from the den, clumsily pacing to his parent's direction, falling down... And for the first time, he doesn't even try to stand up, sniffing the air carefully to mom's direction... hey! Come here!

Keegan looks blearily at the coyote, then down beside her. He didn't even notice the marmot there. Taking a weak step forward, he lowered and sniffed it. Smelled fine.. Besides being, you know, dead. "Uh.. Is it safe for you to eat? I mean.. Will it infect you?" And through her, to the pups.

Misery sticks her tongue out, "If I was gonna get sick, Kee, dontcha think I'd have already got sick from you? 'Sides, it isn't the first sick critter I've eaten. Natural born scavengers, ya know!" And then she sees Keraan. PUP! Her tail is instantly a-blur and she shuffles over to nuzzle and lick and ooze affection all over him.

Yes! Do that... Come on mom, lick me and make me feel good... The pup lifts his head just a bit, nosing mom's huge muzzle, whimpering lightly, obviously trying to get more attention.

Keegan doesn't look behind him. He knows Keraan followed him up. He'd sorta, kinda, maybe stepped on the little guy as he stumbled his own way out. Must of woke em up. For now though, his priority was on the fat marmot. Munch munch munch.

Misery glees at the pup...and then he nozes at her muzzle...and happens to nudge into the corner of her mouth...She blinks, coughs once, then takes a step back and coughs up some of the aforementioned previously-eaten critter. Heey! Lookit that. Puppy chow. She licks her lips and sits down, glancing over at Keegan, glad to see him eating. He wonders how the Viridian are doing with their One ill.

Keraan stares at the god darn thing mom just spit... Then he looks up at her again, wide eyes... No way he'll eat that! Where's the milk!?

Keegan probably shouldn't be up, but to hell with that! He's a big wolf, he can tough it out. So what if he's tired, confused... sick... nauseous.. and doesn't think he wants anymore of the marmot... He'll be fine. "Nnng.. What's.. what's up with Raan?" He stepped back from the barely touched meal. A few minutes more, and he could be adding to the puppy chow. "He doing alright?"

Misery eyeballs Keraan, an ear cocked. She narrows her eyes, dipping her head to sniff him all over. She sighs. "I think he's sick too..." she lets out a low whine, nudging the despondent pup. She looks to Keegan, "You said you knew something about this illness?"

Keraan looks from mom to dad, perking his ears. What's illness? and what's this about being sick, huh!? The pup looks again at the goeey thing mom just spat, sniffing at it for a moment before backing away from it.

Keegan weaves a bit. Nausea setting in.. Oh boy. Ride it out Kee, ride it out. "I just know what that duck told me.. About that squirrel and the cougar.. and the c-cure stuff." Carefully, he pads closer to look down at his son. Misery was right. Sure he was weird before, but he was weird.. -er- now. Never a good sign. "That and your Viridian friends have someone with the group tracking it down.."

Misery whines, spinning in place a few times. What to do, what to do!? She can't LEAVE her little family to see help...who will feed them? The marmot won't feed them long enough, and with Keraan refusing to eat meat yet...She heaves a sigh, pacing back and forth. "There's a cure...you said there's a cure...they said there's a cure...there HAS to be a cure..." Oh she's just rambling now.

Yes mom, you're ramlbing, shut up, you're making my head hurt even more. Raan looks up at his mother, then at his father once he's close to recieve an official trademarked 'Raan nuzzle. Call me weird again dad, and you'll suffer! The pup winces softly, standing up and placing himself below his dad. Don't worry mom, go get help, dad will protect me, and if he faints, I'll gnaw my way out from his intestines.

Keegan watches Misery spiral. This would be about the time he'd go comfort her and stop all that coyote yipping and yapping. But, bleh. No energy for that today. It was tough enough to be out of the den, trying to hold what he'd eaten in his stomach. Things were starting to look bleak aright. "The duck.. The duck said he'd come back this way.. If they found something." Maybe. He thinks that's what the duck said. What was Raan doing? Aww.. what a good son. -PAT PAT- Heavy wolf paw to coywolf pup head. Good boy.

Misery whimpers, listening to Keegan. "The duck?" What the hell is lunch gonna do about a cure? She snort-sneezes and shakes herself. "If I stay, you may get worse, and then what? If I go...who will feed you? And then what? What if I only go a little ways...a few days?" She paces more.

Nirra has arrived.

Keraan stands as tall as he can, bumping his nose to... Hey! That's cheating dad! Raan can't really reach his father's belly, even if he tries... But! Slowly he pads to one of dad's forelegs, nosing it! Ha, he may not reach belly, but he'll gnaw your leg till mom gives him some food!

Keegan's ears twitch, straighten. Misery? Going off? On a possibly wild goose chase full of danger and cougars and more danger? "Wha..? No.. I'm sure it'll be fine." Lying out his teeth of course, but like any good partner, he'd rather have Mis here. With him and the pups. Where he could still protect her. Maybe. "The duck could come through. W-What about the Viridian? They may get it soon.." Oh boy. He's worse than you thought! He's -actually- trusting the Viridian. Bad, bad omen there. "You don't know if it's even- Guh, Raan, what? There's your food." Points to rodent remains/coyote-vomit. "Eat."

Misery sighs at Keraan, looking down at the regurgitated meal. If only he would eat meat. It doesn't LOOK good, but then neither does a fair deal of what a coyote eats, scavengers and all. "But I can't just sit here and hope you get better. What if...what if you don't?" she whimpers at the thought.

Then we'll all die and you'll be all alone mom, simple as that! Raan sees that this is not working... Clever pup... Moves to mom's direction, looking up at her, whinning... Feed me! The pup flops on his belly right in front of her, looking at her belly.

Keegan just stares at his son.. Oi. Back to Misery. "I don't know.. but I don't want you going alone. What if something happens to you?" Clouded mind or not, he wouldn't just let her go without a fight. It was Stubborn. Over protective even. But still.

Misery eyes Keraan stubbornly. Two stubborn asses here, that's for sure. "Eat some o' that, and then I'll let you drink some, deal?" And then she'll go. Maybe just a little ways...up over the mountaintop. Maybe the cougars know something...she supresses a shudder at that. Cougars...hopefully they won't kill her.

Keraan sighs, rolling his eyes at her mother... Eat that thing? No way, mom slobbered all over it. But still, the pup looks at it, just to shudder and look at the opposite direction. Mom wouldn't let him starve to death, ha!

Keegan sighs. She's going to go. No matter what he says. If only he felt a little better, he'd sit on the equally stubborn yote. But, things aren't quite so easy. "What about.. the Viridian? Could you, I don't know, get one of them to go with you?" They were in deep trouble with Silver out of commission too. They might send someone with, if they asked. "Raan, that isn't going to work kid." Honestly. What was so bad about the brown lump of flesh and bone and spit? Really.

Misery huffs, "If they had someone to send I'm sure they'd have sent them already. I can run faster on my own, and I'm good at hidin' and sneakin'. Don't you worry." She looks at Keraan. "Get used to it. Soon you won't be able to get enough of the stuff!" She leans down and takes a bite. It was only in her belly a short while before she arrived with the marmot, so it really is quite fresh. Not like..ya know...dogs eating vomit. >.>

Keraan looks at the thing again... Sighing and walking closer to it, pawing at it at first, then again on his belly and staring at it.

Keegan watches Misery take the bite. -URMPH!- Yeaaah, he's still working on riding that nausea out. Hasn't gotten sick yet! Nnnnnnng.. "Mis.. Are you sure..? The cougars. They might.." They might kill her dammit! Like that overgrown rat Chesmu. He was out there! "I can't.. talk you out of it. I know."

Misery nudges Keraan encouragingly. It's not bad. Not for their sort. She looks back to Keegan. "No...but if I go too far without finding anything, I'll come back. I don't want to leave you for too long. What about Nirra...is she sick too?" She hurries to peer back down into the den.

All was well in the girl's little world - at least until the momma behemoth goes and blocks the sunlight. A soft whine of complaint emerges from the den entrance, and but a moment later a soft gray head emerges to glare accusingly at the cause of the problem. Hey! She was enjoying the warmth of the sun out of the wind! Bad mamma! A tiny tongue sticks out as the girl's black-tipped ears back against her scalp. Get out of her light!

Keraan raises his brows at his mother... No way... But ok, if mom says she'll give him the precious milk if he eats that, he can do a sarcifice... Slowly, his muzzle reaches the 'thing', sniffing... And taking a... Glomp. He tries to swallow it as fast as he can... But his eyes suddenly go wide. HOly crap that's delicious! Even if it looks like. . . That, it tastes quite good! Mom, keep your milk, no one needs it anymore! Desperately, Raan continues gnawing on that mix of thingies.

Keegan lowers onto his belly. Anything to settle his stomach, and rest his weak legs. "Don't worry about the kids.. I'll watch'em good.." Besides, they'd get used to those meals, as Keraan obviously was. He was sure to have one or two helpings to serve up over the next few days. He -may- be able to catch a rat or two and he wasn't going to keep most of his down. He eyes Nirra.. Yeah, she's fine. Weirder than Keraan. But that was her norm. "When are you going?"

Misery spots Nirra in the den entrance and there goes her tail again. She lavishes the same affection on her daughter as she did her son, and nabs her by the scruff and nudges her toward the regurgitated meat that Keraan is already enjoying. "As soon as I'm sure these two are fed and everyone will be all right for a little while while I'm gone."

Minor complaints about her mother blocking her light aside, they escalate to a full-on wail of annoyance and dismay as she comes under assault by the loving tongue of a doting mother. Protests don't cease, as when she's picked up, the girl throws in The Squirm to match with The Complaint... and only stop as the girl sees the... mess before her. ... ... You can't be serious. Emerald eyes turn to give yet another accusing stare at her mother. This isn't Breakfast. Where is her breakfast?

Keraan looks at his sister... Dude, you gotta try this! It's better than it looks! Honest! The pup licks the sides of his muzzle, eyes fixed on Nirra... He has this awesome grin that he's loving it, just dig in and try it!

Keegan grins. Feels like crap, but hey, his kids are cute sometimes. Maybe whine a bit much, but what pup doesn't? Looking up to Mis, he-- wait.. Uh-oh.. No more riding it out for this wolf. Getting up as fast as his legs could in this state, he steps up to the pile of "food" and... well.. adds some of the marmot to it (Missing Keraan, thank god.). Hey! More for Nirra now! Awesome. Hopefully she won't be turned from it now that she knows where it came from. "How- how long -Urrrgh- do you think you'll.. be gone..?"

Misery gives Nirra a nudge toward the now-larger food pile. "Your brother loves it, see? You better hurry and get some before he gobbles it all up!" Inciting sibling rivalry. Woo! Winning tactic. She looks back to Keegan and nuzzles him. "I won't be gone more than a couple days if I can help it. I know there are some stashes in the area if you get really hungry before I get back."

Nirra wrinkles up her nose as her father... yeah. Is this some sort of new game she's supposed to be playing? Should she be doing the same as them? Gamely, and bravely the little girl does her best to mimic her father's actions... and thankfully is interrupted before she can make any /real/ progress by her mother's ever helpful nudge... an unexpected movement that sends her sprawling, her nose landing just outside the... pile. Sullenly, the girl only takes a bite after tentatively sniffing at it for several seconds and regaining her feet. A small nip. ... ... and a tiny growl, eyes still like daggers back at her mother. It's... passable. She expects a full course meal of what she's used to soon though! This princess will settle for nothing less!

Keraan looks at his father 'add' some more of that thing. Dude! Stop that, really! One time was enough, you don't have to be mom... But hey, whatever, more food means more food, Raan gladly continues eating on that thing.

Keegan licks his lips after giving his pups their extra helping, nosing up against Mis' nuzzle almost desperately. Things were serious, he knew that. But they were together, at least. Now she was going. It made him sick to his stomach, even though he'd just emptied that. "I know the spots.. I'll keep these two full. You just be careful, please.." He wanted to go with her. But, that was impossible. She'll be fine though. She's smart. He knows that.

Misery sits and waits and watches, making sure that the pups will actually EAT the food, and thus survive without her milk for a few days. Once they've eaten a fair bit, she flops onto her side and invites them to nurse the rest of their fill, tail flopping. "I'm never anything but careful..."

Nirra finishes eating, going with only as much as her belly can hold and stopping when it tells her that she's no longer ravished. A little edge to hunger is never a bad thing, right? A few more mouthfuls of regurgitated... whatever it is and she's content. However when momma flops over onto her side, the girl gives her a flabbergasted look... and then turns, stands, and starts marching away towards... oh... that bush over there. Hrmph! Mrs Priss is not happy. Tail and nose up in the air, eyes nearly completely shut, a short prance... yeah. She's working on it. Give her some time... she still has to figure out hot to get daddy to wait on her every whim. She'll figure it out.

Now that's what I'm talking about! Raan continues licking his lips and the sides of his muzzle, until mom flops and literaly offers the sacred breast! Oh man! Milk is awesome! Raan stands up, feels like he's losing balance and going to a side... So he decides to sit down again, whimpering and looking at his father. Hey! Take me to mom, please?

Keegan nods. It's true. Misery knew what to do out there. But, you know you can't blame him for worrying. Nirra seems to have finished.. doing her little huff and puff off towards some bush. He raises a brow. When and where did his daughter learn to do that? "You. Don't go far." Now, Keraan.. needing to go the, what, 4 feet or so to mom? Boy, you're lucky you're sick. He scooped the pup up by his scruff, depositing him by his mother. What remains of the meal is his. He had to eat -something-. "-Your- kids will miss you too."

Misery rolls her eyes at Nirra's show. That one's going to be a handful. She'll have to be hard-nosed with her daughter, it appears. She sighs, not looking forward to it. She smiles at Raan as he's plopped next to her, but her ears splay in worry that he had to be moved at all. She gives him a few licks and glances back at Kee with a smirk, "Yer kids too..."

Her? A pawful? Never! Not if she can get papa to side with her eventually. That's the element the girl hasn't figured out yet. Give her time - she's new at this! Maybe if she acts all cute and pouts around him... now there's a thought. We'll file that away for now. The little gray lass stops over by the shrub and sits, the black line going down from the crown of her head, along her spine, and to her tail curving this way and that as she finds a waterdroplet on a leaf to examine and she tries to view it from different angles. Oooh! Pretty!

Keraan rests close to mom, not caring for food for the moment to climb on her side and nuzzle her. I'm fine mom, don't worry... The pup stays there, close to mom.

Misery nuzzles Keraan, but gently dislodges him after a few moments. She goes over and retrieves her errant daughter, picking her up by the scruff and trotting back to deposit her at Kee's legs. "I've had a thought." She declares. "We're all better off if we stick together...I think you should take the pups and go to Viridian. At the very least, there're more there to watch 'em, and they can all play together."

Keegan gives a little scoff, his grin hidden since he was turned away from Mis and towards the delicious barf before him. It was gone within seconds, mainly cuz the pups made a pretty big dent in it. Heres hoping he keeps it down this time. "But.. really. They'll be waiting for you." So you better come back. For all their sakes. Kee needs Mis too! Not just to keep up with these two. He blinks, just about to go get Nirra to give her mother some affection, but now has the pawful deposited infront of him. Then at her suggestion. "Wha? Now?" Of all times!?

Nirra resorts to The Sulk as she's planted at her father's paws and merely glares her mother's direction once more. How dare she! She was enjoying that plant over yonder! There were so many colors visible within that droplet when she looked at it the right way... Sighing, the little girl gets to her paws, turns around and sits, facing away from her father, glowering at her mother and brother. She'll have her revenge! Yes she shall!

Keraan is again on the ground! Hey! Mom chose Nirra over him? How is that possible! He ate that thing first, he deserves priority!nah, not really. As soon as sis is put on the ground, Raan pads to her direction, bumping his forehead to her shoulder. Shut up, you won't have revenge, besides, you're half blind, you could only see blue green and red, so shut it.

Misery's mind is made up. This works perfectly. She doesn't have to worry about them while she's gone, they'll be safe. "Can you carry Nirra?" she inquires of Keegan. She doesn't wait for an answer before snatching up Keraan by the ruff and heading off down the hill toward Viridian land.

Keegan gapes for a moment more, looking down at his pouting daughter. "I-I guess, but-- Hey!" She's off already, with Keraan dangling from her maw. He looks down at Nirra, back to Mis.. This is going to be fun. Graaaah! "C'mere." Snagging her scruff, he follows. Hopefully he won't stumble in his state. Bad news for the coywolf riding along.

Nirra doesn't get the opportunity to counter her brother's friendliness... rather, she's bodily picked up by her pop and with a yawn decides to take a nap since she's along for the ride anyways. Bwath... papa won't drop her. She's too precious for that! And, if he did, she'd... do something. >_> Maybe something involving waste, and his fur... Hrm...

Keraan is now a toy, but mom chose him! Ha! Beat that Nirra! Raan's mom's favoriiite, Raan's mom's favoriiiiiite! Raan doesn't do anything, just stays till while he enjoys the journey to wherever they're going.

[ayett]

All together now...

Location: Viridian Valley

Characters Involved: Atreyu, Cottonpaws, Haben, Haze, Keegan, Keraan, Liam, Misery, Nirra, Sierra

Cottonpaws continues her way with the pups, making sure no one gets left behind, but her eyes remain fixed on Haze, wondering if she should talk with him or not, "Ok kids, take a look around and don't wander too far, ok? And don't eat things that look--- Don't eat anything." To make sure. The girl wnices softly at Haze, "Come here..." She softly says.

Haze trudges along behind Cottonpaws, his tail hanging limply behind him and his eyes cast to the ground, before his sister's quiet voice reaches his ears. He looks up with dull eyes that only seem to barely register she's there, the mind behind them focused on everything except the current situation, and pads a few steps closer as requested. "Yes?"

It was a pretty depressing walk for Haben, to say the least. Walking away somewhere with the knowledge that Mom isn't doing well certainly wont help this either. However when he finally reaches the vally, the thought of his parents are temporarily pushed to the side when he sees this giant new landscape in front of him. "Woah!" is all he can think to say right now. For a pup his age, this is pretty cool!

Atreyu's mind was still on the Glen, but he couldn't deny his child curiosity at this point-- scanning the valley displayed all around him. He never thought much on what laid further than the Glen, but now it was all he -could- think about. If this was here, then what else? He had some bounce in his pace as he passed Sierra, giving a little bump against her to get her to follow. They could explore together! Maybe Liam and Haben could come too!

Liam is trying not to think about Mom, as bad as that sounds. Right now, his duty is to make life easier by doing as he is told and making the best of it. As he sets foot into the valley, he realizes that that won't be hard. This is freakin' awesome! He trots up beside his brother, eyes as wide as can be. Drool is practically hanging from his wide-open maw. "This is so cool!" The flowers, the bugs, the fallen trees-he had no idea where to start. He looks over his shoulder at Trey and Sierra. "Look!" he barks.

Sierra trudges along with her head down, though she is by no means ignoring all the interesting sights, sounds and smells around her. She's just a little too morose to truly enjoy them. Soon enough, when Mom is okay and is out here with them. She glances back at the glen, heaving a sigh. Poor Mom. Liam's bark catches her attention and she looks back to him, ears perked. "Wha?" she peers around for what exactly has captured her brother's curiosity.

Not a second after Haze gets closer to Cotton, Cotton buries her head on his neck, reaching a paw to sort of hug her brother, snilffing and sobbing and making a tear mees on his fur. Which last only five or six seconds, holding her breath... She doesn't want to upset the pups, she must look strong in front of them, clearing her throat lightly, "Tell me it's not true..." She softly says, keeping her head on his neck.

As Cotton practically falls against him, Haze manages to remain standing almost perfectly still, already having cried his share of tears. "It is," he murmurs in a voice deep with sadness. "I'm sorry." He has nothing to actually be sorry for, but that feeling of guilt hasn't quite been shaken off yet.

Haben's ears swivel backwards when he hears the small sob from Cotton. Oh no, not her too! Then, the images of his mother acting crazy back at the Glen... it's just too much for Haben. Giving a faint whimper, he lays down onto his side and curls up into a ball. Slowly, the feeling of sleep comes onto him before finaly overtaking him. As much as he would have loved to explore more with his brothers and sisters, the gloomy aura around everyone just finaly got to him and he couldn't take it anymore. At least there will be other chances...

Atreyu trots along, up to his two brothers-- just in time for Haben to walk over to some spot and get comfortable. Guess it was just a little too much back at the den. He understood, but there was so much new around him. So much to climb over and dig under. "Where should we go first Liam?" The downed tree? The flower patches? The creek? There was just so much to do! Liam had to decide. Atreyu couldn't. Luckily, the sad scene behind him goes unnoticed. New mood preserved!

Liam turns suddenly as Haben trots off, right in the heat of the excitement. What?! How could he?! He whines, having lost a playmate. However, Trey is an instant distraction. Happiness! He waggles his tail and looks around, scrunching up his eyes and pretending to think very hard. "I think...the downed tree. Yeah. Looks creepy. Race ya?" He is all set and ready to run.

Sierra looks over at Atreyu and Liam...are they...going to race? She whimpers, toddling after them, her little ears splayed. "Don't go far..." she whines, worried something will happen to them too. She stops as she sees something coming down the valley, and rushes over toward the adults to nudge at them.

And what's coming is an odd little group. A large white wolf and a small black coyote, each carrying a pup approximately the same age as the Viridian pups, and coming at a quick pace. They slow when the group comes into view, the characteristic huge ears of the coyote snapping upward as she raises her head, causing her pup to dangle a bit. She stops when she's close enough for voices to be heard, and lowers her tail and ears submissively. It's obvious from the way she's carrying herself that she's anxious.

Cottonpaws takes another deep breath, turning away from her brother and looking at the pups. She doesn't say anything, there's nothing to say actually. The girl pads to Haben's direction, curling up around him and resting her head on the ground, "Where are you....." She sighs faintly, closing her eyes.

Haze hears words that ring a bell of dim recognition - flashing back to many moons ago when he was still just a young pup himself, and Auric was still alive, and they were all happy... ("Maybe we could race down through the valley?" "On my mark...get set...go!") His brother's voice seems so near, yet so far away now... Heart racing, Haze snaps out of his reverie and practically dives in front of Liam and Atreyu, no doubt scaring the pups with his sudden and feverish exclamation: "No!" He breathes heavily for a few seconds, blinking as he seems to regain himself. "No...it's not safe..." he tries to explain. They could end up in the same trouble that Auric did, but maybe they wouldn't be as lucky as he was...initially, at least. The newcomers go completely unnoticed.

The big wolf that came along with the coyote wasn't a complete stranger to the valley, but he'd never seen these two wolves before... Wait.. That was Cotton, right? But this other wolf. Nothing registered. Kee was either too confused to think back that far, or he'd just really never met this guy before. Leaning down, he set Nirra onto the green grass-- keeping both eyes up on the group ahead. They were here now (thanks to Misery), so, they may as well introduce themselves. "Hello.. there! Uh.." Dammit.. he just had the female's name in his mind..

Atreyu sorta spazzed at his big brother's sudden appearance on the scene, scrambling back just as he was about to take off. He jumped back a few feet, almost ready to bolt back to the den-- in the safety of SANE GUARDIANS... Well, maybe not mom..

Cottonpaws quickly stands up, so much for finding a decent spot to rest. The girl looks past the pups, spotting Misery and Co., "Great..." She mutters to herself, ignoring the idiocy of Haze, which alsto freaked her out, "I hope everything's alright?" She stands right in front of the others, looking at the pups for a moment. Awwww, look at those hybrid cute monsters! "Why... Why are you here? You need help?" Misery wouldn't leave her den if it wasn't important... Or something dangerous.

Liam had never before been so quickly reprimanded, Haze's words bringing tears of fright and embarrassment to his eyes. Quicker than a blink, he escapes into the safety of the tall grasses, not far away at all but still out of sight so he can shed some hot tears and compose himself.

Sierra blinks at Haze, eyes wide at his display, frozen in place. Oh dear...she looks back at her brothers, and shuffles over to curl up next to Liam. "Everyone's sad...and upset...it'll be okay," she comforts. "Trey...c'mon...let's just rest." She figures the adults have adult-talk to take care of, and wants to be out of the way.

Silvan makes his way slowly up to the rendezvous point from the den looking exhausted, but still on his paws. he stops when he sees Keegan, Misery and their pups, blinking and asking, "What's going on?"

Haze begins to realize that perhaps his feverish warning did more harm than good to his new siblings - it certainly scared them away from danger, but perhaps that wasn't the best way to make them realize they have to be careful if they're going to play near the river. Seeming to sulk even lower, he too retreats to a quiet place out of the way, in no mood to deal with strangers and their odd-ball children at the moment.

Atreyu wasn't quite as upset as Liam, maybe, but it still scared the heck out of the little pup. Then Liam ran off, jumping in the grass.. Crying? Haze scared him worse. It.. actually made him mad-- his little ears preening back against his head. Sierra goes over to Liam, and Trey's response to Haze is cut short. He grumbles, glaring at his big-brother, before scampering over to his younger siblings.

Misery sets down Keraan, panting now that her jaws are free. She steps forward to stand over her son, dipping her head. "Cottonpaws, Silvan..." She doesn't know Haze, but offers him a polite nod as well. He must be Silvan's other son from her previous litter. "Silver once offered me shelter within your land if I desired it...With this illness ravaging the mountain and beyond...I need your help." She looks over at Keegan and her pups. "Kee is sick...so is Keraan," she touches the pup between her paws with her nose. "I need to join the hunt for the cure, I can't just leave 'em without anyone to watch 'em...Kee's too sick...I thought maybe they could be pupsat with yours..." She splays her ears, hoping they aren't too sick or mad to understand how desperate she his.

Keraan wakes up once he flops on the ground. What? This is ... This is not home! The pup looks around, spotting Silvan and the others. Eyes go wide as he tries to see who is who, who is friend, who is mom and dad... The pup rushes to dad's direction, hidding below him and glancing at the others. (This is definitely not Disneyland!

Keegan grumbles low, probably not heard. He felt inadequate after Mis' introduction, like he couldn't take care of his own kids. Sure, sick and all that, confused. Yeah yeah. He needs help. He's aware of that now. "You offered help when we needed it to me as well.." He stepped over his daughter, already asleep. "And I know it's sudden. All of us appearing at your-" He has to pause, adjusting so he doesn't step on his scrambling young one. Again. "-valley without any notice.. We've got no where else to turn."

Cottonpaws sighs, looking at her father for a moment, then at Misery and Co., "You must understand there's not plenty of food for all of us." Just like mom said, she's a fast learner! "I..." What really bothers her, is that she can't let her mother be seen in that state of mind-less. The girl turns to her father, shrugging and looking around for the pups, "Liam, Treyu... Come on kids..." She paces to their direction, knowing they're scared, "Come here guys, time for a nap or a story." The girl sits next to Sierra, nosing her head.

Sierra cuddles up against Cotton, though is eyeballing the stranger pups curiously, her little ears perked. She yawns widely and rests her head on her paws.

Liam is quick to cover the tears, wiping his face along his left front leg. He gives a start as Sierra appears next to him, but licks her to show that he's grateful for her presence. He doesn't really know what to say after that. As Trey approaches as well, he gives him a half-hearted canine grin. "I guess we'll have to check out that log later." He grows quiet, listening to the voices. "Heeey," he says, spying something in the grass. "More pups!" he whispers eagerly back to his siblings.

Atreyu is still upset. Still mad at Haze. Even if Liam was recovered and seemed more curious in these new pups than anything. He perks at his brother's words, offering a small grin in response. "Sure.. Maybe tomorrow?" It's been a long day, and Haze was still around anyways. He didn't feel like earning another sharp scold for doing nothing more than playing.

Silvan sighs a bit as he get's an idea of what's going on here, looking over at Misery and Keegan for a moment before saying, "We're not doing any better than you are it seems... I don't know what help we can be to you."

Keraan looks at the direction where the other pups are... Wow, they talk too? Amazing! And they're odder than him! The pup's ears perk up, looking at their direction. hey! He wants in too! Whatever they're gonna do.

Misery smiles lightly, "At the very least, it is safer within your boundaries than without. I will go for a few days and try to find what I can about the illness and this mysterious cure. If I find nothing in that time, I will bring back food, and strike out again..When this passes, we will leave your land once more if you wish it.”

Keegan looks down to check on Keraan and Nirra, nestled between his legs-- then back up to Silvan. "Another pair of eyes is all we ask for.. I can.. probably feed the kids, on my own." Mice, rats, anything of the sort would do. Hopefully his condition wouldn't get even worse and make even the smallest of prey impossible to catch. "We won't be a burden."

Cottonpaws curls around the pups once they're all close to her, nosing them lightly, "Don't be scared ok?" She says softly, now licking each one of their foreheads, "Mom will be ok in a few days. When I was your age, she went through the same thing. I happens to all mommies when they see their pups growing so fast and strong, she's proud of you. ok?" Awwww, she's at least trying.

Silvan nods and settles back to his haunches when his legs start getting a bit wobbly, determined not to look weak in front of the pack, and especially the outsiders, even if they are allies, "You can stay in the valley, and we'll help if we can. but we're not faring well ourselves.”

Liam is still immensely curious about the pup he just saw. However, like Trey, he does not want to risk another scolding. He is still trying to forget about the last one. Feeling fully the effects of this long and dramatic day, the wolf pup heaves a tired sigh and cuddles up next to Cotton. He tries to listen to the adults' conversation, but can't keep his eyes open. He drifts into what will soon be a restless sleep.

Sierra curls up with her siblings as well, and is soon asleep. She'll just have to investigate those other pups tomorrow, assuming they're still there.

Atreyu steps up against Cotton, laying into her fur. Even if the words don't quite strike the comfort she was asking for, just her company and the fact that she's at least trying too sooth them is enough for him to nuzzle and give his big sister some affection. "She'll be better soon?" He asks quietly-- hopeful, but tired. "Promise..?" Whatever response Cotton would give, Trey didn't hear. He was out right after asking the question, laying against Cotton's side.

Misery dips her head in a sharp nod. She nudges Keraan toward the other pups, and turns to nuzzle Keegan. "I'll be back as quick as I can, Kee...and I'll find some way to help.." She has to...She looks to Silvan. "To help us all." She slathers her pups with affection, then with one last hesitant look back at the pack that she has befriended, she turns and tears off up the valley like a black bullet.

Cottonpaws nods to her lilttle brother, offering a chuckle and gentle lick across his nosebridge, "I promise..." She says softly, resting her head on the ground and looking at the others.

Keegan is relieved to hear that.. dropping rather limply on his furry behind. Thankfully, he didn't sit on Keraan, but he couldn't help it-- his legs had gone numb by now. The trek down took more out of the sick wolf then he thought. In fact, he was close to dropping right then and there. He whispers to the coyote during her nuzzle, eyes closing. So tired now. "Please, be careful Mis.."

Keraan shakes his head at the nudge. No mom, they're bigger, and talktative, screw that! Raan cuddles close to his sister, but never leting his gaze wander from the other pups.