Post by Pavane on Nov 11, 2011 15:03:06 GMT -5
A hideous fate is revealed! Doom and death all around! It's SO AWFUL!
At: the Hilltop Vista
With:
Ahiga, male adolescent wolf
Ikuna, male adolescent wolf
Tala, female adolescent wolf
Wachiwa, female wolf
The Doom:
Oooh, it's a lovely spring day! Flowers are in bloom, birds above are singing their little birdie songs, the sun all but has a smile on her face! But...Ahiga is shrouded in a blanket of woe. He's sure he's not seeing colors as brightly as he did yesterday. For some reason, he can't catch a mouse or even /find/ one for that matter. And he's nearly positive that despite the sunny sky, his bones feel a little chilled. ... It's happening faster than he thought! Ahiga makes a meandering walk up the hill, heading in from the crabapple tree with his ears splayed to the sides and head held in line with his shoulderblades.
Meanwhile, all of Ikuna's hard practice has paid off! He spent hours lying in wait, and slowly creeping closer, and then he pounced, and now... he's got a squirrel! He carries it proudly, all but dancing as he makes his way back to the densite. He's a hunter now, a real hunter! Next stop: deer. Or maybe elk. Sky's the limit, really. All that joy lasts right up until he sees Ahiga approaching because man oh man, does his friend look terrible. Ikuna's ears splay with concern, and he looks worried as he trots toward the other young wolf, still carrying his prey.
Oh oh, who is that over there? Ahiga blinks his eyes, and although he's .. pretty sure he can see Ikuna rather clearly, there might be a hint of blurriness at the edges of his vision. Maybe. Just a little. Perhaps. "Don't come near me," he warns, ears perking up as he notices his friend beginning to walk toward him. And oh! He has food. Something far bigger than a mouse. Ikuna is going to be a better hunter than him, especially now. Now that his life is so close to being severed. He comes to a halt, folding his ears back down again.
Tala is stretched out near the den, and looking rather asleep at the moment! Her fur is covered in a mixure of mud and dirt clearly proving she's been out playing around and having a great time for sure! A faint snuffle escapes her, maw twitching and she shifts on her paws a few times before lifting her head and licks across her maw a few times. Her gaze drifts one way then another while she takes in the area. So far she hasn't picked up on the fact that her brother and best friend is around.
Ikuna blinks at Ahiga's warning. "Huh?" He sets down the squirrel, and stares intently at his friend. "Why not?" he asks sensibly. He doesn't /see/ anything wrong with him, except the expression he's wearing! His sister goes unnoticed for now, because, dude. Ahiga of doom!
Oh, this will be difficult! Here stands one of his closest friends...who he'll likely never see again after this day. Well..might as well get this over with. Ahiga inhales a breath and lets it out with a huff a half second after, brows furrowing. "I'm gonna ... y'see...I got... dog," he says, cringing at the deadly word, and he turns his head a little, glaring at the grass. "Happened yesterday, an' I'm gonna turn. Fast. It's already happenin'. I feel weird." With his head still turns, he shifts his eyes his way, bracing himself for the worst. And...ack, to make matter's worse, Tala's up! He hears her snuffle but can only look her way momentarily before turning his eyes down.
Tala shifts upwards onto her paws, she gives herself a shake and moves on over towards her brother and Ahiga still looking well.. asleep. She trods onwards, heading right towards Ahiga with another yawn escaping her in the process, and she even attempts to leeeaaannn against him, her head plunking down against the ground next to him while she flops down. "What we talking about tonight?" Is questioned ahilw she still tries to wake up.
Oh, no. Some deadly illness. This might be bad. It never turns out well in Asku's stories. They're always doomed, one way or another. Generally a tragic death, or they take matters into their own paws and kill themselves before they can - wait. "Dog?" he repeats, his tone a little incredulous. "Like... weird-colored wolf thing?"
Ahiga swallows. He didn't want to have to tell the both of them. Ideally, he would've told one of them, and that one would've told the other while he went off to find some place to go gently unto that good night. But maybe killing two birds with one stone isn't such a bad idea. "Talkin' about me, Tala," he says over to the female as he settles slowly onto his haunches, moving as if every bone aches with the minor movement. "An' how I caught...dog." Cringe. To Ikuna, he nods. "Yeah. I saw a wolf yesterday who had it. He must've had dog for a long time cuz he was the weirdest lookin' wolf I ever saw. He didn't even look a little like a wolf anymore. An' he made no sense. He was droolin' everywhere and was like...crazy in the brain I think. Prolly cuz've the dog he caught from somebody. He touched me, an' now I got it. I'm gonna turn ugly 'n weird lookin', and I'm gonna start talkin' dumb. I don't want you guys to catch it too."
Tala just blinks, and licks across her maw, peering at Ahiga and then over at Ikuna, looking well.. confused to say the least. "Ahiga.. What are you talking bout.. You'r not making /any/ sense. How can anyone catch 'dog'?" She blinks and her ears perk forward as she snuffles at Ahiga. "You don't smell no different.."
Lucky for the kids, here comes a fountain of wisdom! ... or er, at least, a fountain of thoughts. Wachiwa is currently dragging something along while walking backwards in stiff yanks-- Oh! It appears to be ..the remains of a moderate sized deer, and she's pulling it along by the forelegs slowly. Most of it's been et up by something else -- but Wachiwa knows better than to pass up a good meal if it's just going to be laying around uneaten. She's probably been watching it for a while to make sure it WAS abandoned, too.
"I saw a dog once," says Ikuna, considering on this. "Ma chased her away." Not like she was sick, though, he didn't think. Just because... his mother chased away just about everyone. Like Tala, he didn't think that dog was contagious like that, but he can't deny Ahiga's apparent symptoms. He's got... uh... a dazed look. And a great deal of what is presumably general malaise. Hurm. "Even if you did catch it, You'll probably get over it... right? I mean, I got sniffles, in the winter, but they went away. An' you're way strong, so you can fight it!"
He's not making any sense?! Woe! "See! It's already startin'," Ahiga says, brows furrowing. Gah, he thought he had a little more time before he started spouting gibberish. He leans way back as Tala aims a sniff at him, making sure neither one of them gets too close. "Your ma knew dog was bad. She chased it away cuz she didn't want ya guys gettin' sick. D'you understand what I'm sayin'? I'm not droolin', am I?" he asks as he raises his paw to rub the back of it against his muzzle, checking for uncontrolled goo. And aw, Ikuna is nice for saying he is strong, but...Ahiga has seen the end effect, and he's not even sure /he/ can battle this. "I dunno, dude. I mean, that thing I saw was /way/ sick, an' I already feel it in me. I've gotta go away before anybody else gets it." Anyone else like Wachiwa! Gasp. He ducks his head down a bit. Maybe laying low might make him look a little less sick.
Tala frowns at this while she just watches Ahiga, she shifts upwards onto her haunches. Her maw twitching and she licks across her maw. "Ahiga.. I think your just being crazy. There is no such thing." She offers with a shake of her head, a forepaw lifting to scratch at her neck a few times. "You can't get sick from stuff like that." She points out with a matter-oh-fact like tone it seems. Her gaze turns over to Wachiwa and she shifts up onto her paws, tail swaying around a few times. "AND Wachiwa is gona tell you that too!" She states while shifting to bounce over to where the adult wolf is. "Chewy! Can you tell Ahiga that he isn't gona get 'DOG'?"
"Wurf?" Wachiwa blinks as she drops the leg, leaving he deer in a lurch. Her ears twitch and she peers at the kids, head tilting slightly. Her bad eye is at least looking better, but she's certainly not sure what to make of the question. "... Dog?" She blinks, then trots closer. "You have to be /born/ a dog to be a dog, what's this 'got dog' thing?" She shakes her head, before examining Ahiga closely with her good eye, and then sniffing at him. "You don't smell any different. What do you mean you 'got dog'? Where would you get near a dog anyway?"
No way. That's not how it works around here. "If you're sick, you gotta stay near here so we can help," says Ikuna firmly. Because, DOG or not, Ahiga certainly seems to be doing poorly. "You gotta eat, an' keep up your strength." He picks up the squirrel again, and pads closer to his friend, brandishing the meal like a veritable weapon! He pauses mid-step when he hears Chewy, perking his ears to her. Yeah, that's... sorta what he thought. Okay, then. Not that it's going to get a sick Ahiga out of sticking around and being cared for until he gets over whatever sniffles or... or fleas or whatever... he may have picked up from this dog. He continues advancing, squirrel in jaws!
No such thing, puh. Little does Tala know. But, Ahiga will spare her. He doesn't want their last conversation to be an argument. Ah, he's so considerate, even on his deathbed. But hey, what is she doing? "Hey, shh! No, don't tell he- uuugh!" Too late. Cat's out of the bag. He lifts his head up a little, though still keeps it below a normal level. What's with these wolves and getting close? Don't they know an infectious creature when they see one? "Don't get close! Wachiwa, this thing was a wolf that was sick, I promise ya. He was the color like...uh, like the sun, kinda. An' his ears were weird and droopy. And he was a doofus. He was sick, I swear. He was here!" He pauses, head tilting a bit. "Well...around here, not in this spot. In the watery place." He raises back onto his paws now, backing away as Ikuna comes near. "I can't stay close else you'll all turn into freaks. Plus, when /I/ turn into one, I don't want you to see me."
Tala tilts her head and grins up at Wachiwa whom she leans to nuzzle and brush up against a few times. A soft wruffle escaping her in the process. "See!" She points out with a nanner like tone to Ahiga. Her head tilts and she settles to her haunches while watching her friend and she snuffles. "Why.. do you believe that your gona get sick and turn into a dog when we tell you and an't true?"
Wachiwa siiiighs. Well, okay, a dog isn't as big a threat as some animals that could have been around, but Skah's going to want to know about the visitor. She steps forward and starts to come for Ahiga at an around motion to make for his backside. "Ahiga, calm down, and take a seat. You aren't going to turn into a dog. You have to be BORN a dog to become one, and you were born a wolf. Now if this dog had anything else the matter with it, THAT would be a problem. Did it bite you?" She asks, trying to get him to calm down with a levelheaded tone. Oh, for the days when she could be a puppy.
Ikuna puts down the squirrel, and gives Ahiga a stare. His posture is erect, confident; his ears perked, his tail up. It's an unconscious echo of the sort of gestures his father would use when laying down the law. "If you're going to turn into a freak, then..." Oh, here it comes. The castigation. The being outcast. Ahiga's argument has been accepted, with all that means. The young wolf will die, a dog, alone. Ikuna continues, "...so am I!" All that posture disappears in an instant as he leaps toward his friend, trying to charge directly into him and thump against Ahiga's side to get himself well and truly covered with whatever it is Ahiga has or thinks he does.
Why does he believe despite their protests? Well, can he really be too careful when it comes to the lives of those he loves the most? Can he risk their health? Unfortunately, none of that leaves his mouth and all he can say is, "uh..." because he can't think of a good enough answer for Tala. His eyes flit from wolf to wolf to wolf, and gradually he does sit down as he's told. "No, I didn' get bit, just run into," he assures Wachiwa. He stops there, for now his attention is on Ikuna. Oh no, he knew it. Ikuna is finally seeing the light, and now comes the hard truth. But that's ok because he's braced himself for this. He inhales a breath and holds his head up a little, ready for the hammer of dismissal to crash down. but... "Huh?" Blink, pounce! "Ikuna noooo!" But it's too late, the collision is complete, and although he tries to scrambles away from him, contact has been made. The disease...is spreading. "Why'd you do that!"
"Well, then, see, there you go," Wachiwa says, smirking slightly, as she reaches a paw out to bat at both Ahiga and now Ikuna as well. "Unless you got /bit/, you can't get /sick/. Stuff that comes from dogs has to be spread by getting bit. Besides, if you were sick, you'd smell bad, and probably be throwing up alot. Unless it's the Great Anger, but I don't think we've had any of that in a long while around here. And if you had that, the dog you saw would have bitten you for sure, because that makes you want to kill everyone, the Great Anger."
Success! Ikuna grins, and rolls himself Ahiga a little before the other boy pulls away. Then his expression turns earnest. "Because I'm not gonna let you go. I don't care if you turn into a freak. I'd rather be a freak an' be with you than be without you." Earnestness is fleeting, and he wiggles at Chewy's pawbat, rolling with it and grinning. "Maybe he gave you the sniffles, though. That mighta been why he was drooling..." Sniffles can be caught without bites, and they're certainly no fun, but they go away. It'd explain why Ahiga's looking so droopy... well, assuming it's anything except hypochondria.
....Oh so he's not dying? Ahiga rather likes that thought, cuz noble as he's trying to be, death seems like...well, like a very permanent and lonely thing. Where's the fun in rotting away while the world goes on without you? As he scrambles to his feet, he thinks this over, fixing Ikuna with a curious look. That was another very nice thing to say to him, and his tail slowly wags inadvertantly in response. "I don't smell bad. I ain't throwin' up. He didn't bite me...maybe I'm /not/ sick. I feel a little bit better already." Maybe it was just downtrodden spirits that had him feeling so low! "What's the Great Anger?"
Ears lay back some, and Wachiwa says, "Well, it goes by many names, Ahiga. 'Great Anger', 'Madness', 'Rage Sickness'... It's.. very bad. What happens is whomever has it loses their mind; they slowly begin to be overtaken by... something, that makes them want to bite everyone and anyone, and anything that they see. They can't drink water anymore, they can't see, they can't walk well.. they're always frothing at the mouth. And if they bite you, you're as good as dead, because you'll have it, too, and they always die a horrible death in the end." She frowns. "So if you ever see an animal that's not walking right, or is all foamy white around the mouth, or even is trying to attack other animals for no reason, please run the other way, or get one of us adults--.. well, one of us older wolves, so we can try and figure out what to do." She frowns, before she leans in to sniff at him and Ikuna both, before licking them. "Nope, no sickness here, I'd taste it if there was."
Ikuna stays where he is, half-sprawled, and grins as he sees Ahiga perking up. Yeah, see? Everything is gonna be okay! Now he's wondering about where Ahiga met this dog, anyway, and what he's like... but that question is put on hold for now as Chewy starts to explain the madness. The grin fades as he listens, because wow. That doesn't sound very pleasant at all. He nuzzles up and licks at her in return when she sniff-tests him, then says, "We gotta know ourselves, though. There's not gonna always be older wolves." Skahla and Shawnee thought they'd have his parents to help, and see what happened there? He and his young friends can't just rely on the adults forever, and he knows it.
Alright, so maybe Ahiga kinda had this dog disease thing a bit overblown. In comparison to the Madness, dog sounds like a walk in the park. And this dog thing he met definitely does not sound as if he has that disease. And so yes, Ahiga is getting calmer by the minute, and miraculously, his stooped posture begins to lift and straigthen a little, and he even smirks as he sniffed and licked at. He raises a paw to push the female's nose away, though sobers a little as he listens to Ikuna. "Yeah, Ikuna's right. Everyone's always tWlin' us to go get someone else. We can do things too, y'know. I chased that dog off cuz I didn't want it to get anyone else sick..when I thought it was sick, and I did that without anybody."
Wachiwa chuckles. "Well yes, I agree, you guys need to learn to handle things yourselves as well. But for at least another summer.. if you see anything like that, let us know? Please?" She smiles. Then hmms, and flops over a bit to her side. "Besides, you've got more important things to learn first. Like how to hunt, and how to sing. And maybe how to chase your tails like proper adults." She grins. Then offers, "Tell ya what though-- I'll take you guys out for a hunting lesson soon. I figure it's safe enough now that we could try that, all of you. Besides, it's spring, there'll be easy prey now because of the ones who've gotten sick over the winter, and the ones the Great Spirits will choose not to survive birth."
Ikuna sits up, and nods. "Well, yeah. We're still gonna listen, 'cause you older wolves know more." He gives a glance to Ahiga, clearly intending for that 'we' to include his sometimes-rebellious friend. "At least, when it comes to big problems. We're big enough to handle stuff on our own, though. We can hunt some," he says, with a tilt of his head back toward that squirrel he caught, "-and we can defend the pack," a nod toward Ahiga, who chased the dog away - the right thing to do, even if it wasn't a horribly contagious beast. "We're big enough for a lot of things."
"Sing?" Ahiga wrinkles his nose a little. Singing is totally for girls! Or birds. He grins at the tail chasing comment and rolls his eyes good naturedly just before flopping onto his stomach. Phew! It's a good thing he doesn't have to go searching for a death spot. All this worrying has tuckered him out. He turns an ear Ikuna's way, and he nodds a little to show that he's in agreement about listening and reporting Mad Beasts. He's not quite sure if he'd even want to handle that on his own, if it came to that. "Oh yeah, we can hunt stuff. I jus'...didn't catch anything today," he says, remembering Ikuna's impressive squirrel. He'll need to up his game. A yawn interrupts whatever else he had to say, and when its down, his head is settled upon his paws. "But tomorrow I will, you'll see."
Sighing as Ahiga settles in for a nap -- he probably needed it after spending all day worrying about becoming a dog, of all things -- Wachiwa mms at Ikuna. "I know you guys are growing up.. but sometimes it's hard for us adults to want you to be grown up. It was the same way for our parents when we were your age," she says, though she trails at that thought, and starts licking a forepaw thoughtfully, with a bit of missing comfort to the idea. When she was Ahiga's age, her parents were already gone. She hmmfs. And then wuffs out a breath.. and smiles. There, bad stuff all gone. "Like I said, I'll take you guys out for hunting lessons, soon. We can all run together."
Ikuna nods to his friend. Of course Ahiga will catch something tomorrow! No question. For now, the wolf needs his sleep, leaving Ikuna and Chewy to continue. He nods, though his expression clearly says he doesn't quite get it. What kid ever does? "You'll figure it out," he says. She will, too, 'cause she's smart. Then he grins, and nods about the hunting lessons. "Yeah. That'll be great. We can get the little stuff... sometimes..." How many days did it take to catch that squirrel? Yeah, we're not gonna share that tidbit. "- but there must be all sortsa stuff you can show us."
"Of course. The most important thing I can show you, no, tell you, is why we take only the wounded or infirm. We do it because it is a kindness to them that we end their lives, and for that their spirits will bless us with a good hunt in coming days. It is bad to kill the young unless they are weak or ill, because if we killed the firm and fit, that would be one less chance for the number of prey to increase, which would in turn mean we would run our of food." She smiles. Then she looks upward at the sky and adds, "And remember, Ikuna, always respect the spirits; it is by their grace that we are given our blessings in life."
Ikuna perks up his ears, listening. He nods at the idea of taking those prey who hurt - yeah, that makes sense. He wouldn't want to see anyone suffer. As for the spirits... His muzzle takes on a slight frown. He's not so sure that spirits can help the living like that. If they could, then why didn't his dead mom and dad help him and stop the bad creatures? Whatever happens when someone dies, Ikuna's pretty sure it makes them dead and gone. Still, there's another, more physical reason behind it, and that one makes sense to him, so he nods again. And besides that... "They're the ones we can catch. The ones... meant for us." He means it half-practical, half toward the spirituality that Chewy clearly believes in even if he doubts it.
"That's right. They're meant for us to eat, the ones who are weak or hurt. It is better to eat the injured than to take the healthy so they can continue to reproduce." She smiles.. but then frowns a little, as she considers things. "Ikuna, I ... I still feel like I failed you somehow. it was my job to be watching you pups, and I wasn't when the shewolf tricked you, when the bird took you. I should have been. I feel like what the bird did was meant to be my punishment for failing you.. but I also feel like I still owe you an apology... do.. you see what I mean? I feel like I.. Well." She sighs, and lowers her snout a little. "I'm sorry."
Yeah. Like this squirrel he caught, who had a limp. Otherwise he couldn't have grabbed him before he ran up the tree. It makes sense, and Ikuna nods. Then he tilts his head to the side, as Chewy goes on to another matter. His mouth opens on a protest when she talks about failing him, then closes silently as she goes on. He listens, and then he steps forward to her. He has to lean up, to press the side of his muzzle against hers... but not very far. Definitely not as far as it used to be. "It's okay. I'm sorry you got hurt... I don't think you deserved to get punished. You're just one wolf. You can't do everything." He laughs a little. "Least, not all at once." His expression gets mostly serious again, but he still smiles. "It's done. I still love you."
Tail thumping at those words, Wachiwa murmurs, "I love you, too, Ikuna, which is why I worry so much; I love all of you, Ahiga, Tala, you, even grumpy old Skahla and wishy-washy Asku." She smiles a weak smile, then says softly, "Don't ever forget that, Ikuna. We all love you even if we get mad or overprotective some times." She nuzzles at him.. and sighs. he's growing so much. Soon he'll be the same size she was when she was his age! And oh how long ago that was! "And who knows, Ikuna. Maybe some time you'll be in my position, looking after pups." She smiles.
Ikuna smiles back, and wags his own tail. "I won't forget."
At: the Hilltop Vista
With:
Ahiga, male adolescent wolf
Ikuna, male adolescent wolf
Tala, female adolescent wolf
Wachiwa, female wolf
The Doom:
Oooh, it's a lovely spring day! Flowers are in bloom, birds above are singing their little birdie songs, the sun all but has a smile on her face! But...Ahiga is shrouded in a blanket of woe. He's sure he's not seeing colors as brightly as he did yesterday. For some reason, he can't catch a mouse or even /find/ one for that matter. And he's nearly positive that despite the sunny sky, his bones feel a little chilled. ... It's happening faster than he thought! Ahiga makes a meandering walk up the hill, heading in from the crabapple tree with his ears splayed to the sides and head held in line with his shoulderblades.
Meanwhile, all of Ikuna's hard practice has paid off! He spent hours lying in wait, and slowly creeping closer, and then he pounced, and now... he's got a squirrel! He carries it proudly, all but dancing as he makes his way back to the densite. He's a hunter now, a real hunter! Next stop: deer. Or maybe elk. Sky's the limit, really. All that joy lasts right up until he sees Ahiga approaching because man oh man, does his friend look terrible. Ikuna's ears splay with concern, and he looks worried as he trots toward the other young wolf, still carrying his prey.
Oh oh, who is that over there? Ahiga blinks his eyes, and although he's .. pretty sure he can see Ikuna rather clearly, there might be a hint of blurriness at the edges of his vision. Maybe. Just a little. Perhaps. "Don't come near me," he warns, ears perking up as he notices his friend beginning to walk toward him. And oh! He has food. Something far bigger than a mouse. Ikuna is going to be a better hunter than him, especially now. Now that his life is so close to being severed. He comes to a halt, folding his ears back down again.
Tala is stretched out near the den, and looking rather asleep at the moment! Her fur is covered in a mixure of mud and dirt clearly proving she's been out playing around and having a great time for sure! A faint snuffle escapes her, maw twitching and she shifts on her paws a few times before lifting her head and licks across her maw a few times. Her gaze drifts one way then another while she takes in the area. So far she hasn't picked up on the fact that her brother and best friend is around.
Ikuna blinks at Ahiga's warning. "Huh?" He sets down the squirrel, and stares intently at his friend. "Why not?" he asks sensibly. He doesn't /see/ anything wrong with him, except the expression he's wearing! His sister goes unnoticed for now, because, dude. Ahiga of doom!
Oh, this will be difficult! Here stands one of his closest friends...who he'll likely never see again after this day. Well..might as well get this over with. Ahiga inhales a breath and lets it out with a huff a half second after, brows furrowing. "I'm gonna ... y'see...I got... dog," he says, cringing at the deadly word, and he turns his head a little, glaring at the grass. "Happened yesterday, an' I'm gonna turn. Fast. It's already happenin'. I feel weird." With his head still turns, he shifts his eyes his way, bracing himself for the worst. And...ack, to make matter's worse, Tala's up! He hears her snuffle but can only look her way momentarily before turning his eyes down.
Tala shifts upwards onto her paws, she gives herself a shake and moves on over towards her brother and Ahiga still looking well.. asleep. She trods onwards, heading right towards Ahiga with another yawn escaping her in the process, and she even attempts to leeeaaannn against him, her head plunking down against the ground next to him while she flops down. "What we talking about tonight?" Is questioned ahilw she still tries to wake up.
Oh, no. Some deadly illness. This might be bad. It never turns out well in Asku's stories. They're always doomed, one way or another. Generally a tragic death, or they take matters into their own paws and kill themselves before they can - wait. "Dog?" he repeats, his tone a little incredulous. "Like... weird-colored wolf thing?"
Ahiga swallows. He didn't want to have to tell the both of them. Ideally, he would've told one of them, and that one would've told the other while he went off to find some place to go gently unto that good night. But maybe killing two birds with one stone isn't such a bad idea. "Talkin' about me, Tala," he says over to the female as he settles slowly onto his haunches, moving as if every bone aches with the minor movement. "An' how I caught...dog." Cringe. To Ikuna, he nods. "Yeah. I saw a wolf yesterday who had it. He must've had dog for a long time cuz he was the weirdest lookin' wolf I ever saw. He didn't even look a little like a wolf anymore. An' he made no sense. He was droolin' everywhere and was like...crazy in the brain I think. Prolly cuz've the dog he caught from somebody. He touched me, an' now I got it. I'm gonna turn ugly 'n weird lookin', and I'm gonna start talkin' dumb. I don't want you guys to catch it too."
Tala just blinks, and licks across her maw, peering at Ahiga and then over at Ikuna, looking well.. confused to say the least. "Ahiga.. What are you talking bout.. You'r not making /any/ sense. How can anyone catch 'dog'?" She blinks and her ears perk forward as she snuffles at Ahiga. "You don't smell no different.."
Lucky for the kids, here comes a fountain of wisdom! ... or er, at least, a fountain of thoughts. Wachiwa is currently dragging something along while walking backwards in stiff yanks-- Oh! It appears to be ..the remains of a moderate sized deer, and she's pulling it along by the forelegs slowly. Most of it's been et up by something else -- but Wachiwa knows better than to pass up a good meal if it's just going to be laying around uneaten. She's probably been watching it for a while to make sure it WAS abandoned, too.
"I saw a dog once," says Ikuna, considering on this. "Ma chased her away." Not like she was sick, though, he didn't think. Just because... his mother chased away just about everyone. Like Tala, he didn't think that dog was contagious like that, but he can't deny Ahiga's apparent symptoms. He's got... uh... a dazed look. And a great deal of what is presumably general malaise. Hurm. "Even if you did catch it, You'll probably get over it... right? I mean, I got sniffles, in the winter, but they went away. An' you're way strong, so you can fight it!"
He's not making any sense?! Woe! "See! It's already startin'," Ahiga says, brows furrowing. Gah, he thought he had a little more time before he started spouting gibberish. He leans way back as Tala aims a sniff at him, making sure neither one of them gets too close. "Your ma knew dog was bad. She chased it away cuz she didn't want ya guys gettin' sick. D'you understand what I'm sayin'? I'm not droolin', am I?" he asks as he raises his paw to rub the back of it against his muzzle, checking for uncontrolled goo. And aw, Ikuna is nice for saying he is strong, but...Ahiga has seen the end effect, and he's not even sure /he/ can battle this. "I dunno, dude. I mean, that thing I saw was /way/ sick, an' I already feel it in me. I've gotta go away before anybody else gets it." Anyone else like Wachiwa! Gasp. He ducks his head down a bit. Maybe laying low might make him look a little less sick.
Tala frowns at this while she just watches Ahiga, she shifts upwards onto her haunches. Her maw twitching and she licks across her maw. "Ahiga.. I think your just being crazy. There is no such thing." She offers with a shake of her head, a forepaw lifting to scratch at her neck a few times. "You can't get sick from stuff like that." She points out with a matter-oh-fact like tone it seems. Her gaze turns over to Wachiwa and she shifts up onto her paws, tail swaying around a few times. "AND Wachiwa is gona tell you that too!" She states while shifting to bounce over to where the adult wolf is. "Chewy! Can you tell Ahiga that he isn't gona get 'DOG'?"
"Wurf?" Wachiwa blinks as she drops the leg, leaving he deer in a lurch. Her ears twitch and she peers at the kids, head tilting slightly. Her bad eye is at least looking better, but she's certainly not sure what to make of the question. "... Dog?" She blinks, then trots closer. "You have to be /born/ a dog to be a dog, what's this 'got dog' thing?" She shakes her head, before examining Ahiga closely with her good eye, and then sniffing at him. "You don't smell any different. What do you mean you 'got dog'? Where would you get near a dog anyway?"
No way. That's not how it works around here. "If you're sick, you gotta stay near here so we can help," says Ikuna firmly. Because, DOG or not, Ahiga certainly seems to be doing poorly. "You gotta eat, an' keep up your strength." He picks up the squirrel again, and pads closer to his friend, brandishing the meal like a veritable weapon! He pauses mid-step when he hears Chewy, perking his ears to her. Yeah, that's... sorta what he thought. Okay, then. Not that it's going to get a sick Ahiga out of sticking around and being cared for until he gets over whatever sniffles or... or fleas or whatever... he may have picked up from this dog. He continues advancing, squirrel in jaws!
No such thing, puh. Little does Tala know. But, Ahiga will spare her. He doesn't want their last conversation to be an argument. Ah, he's so considerate, even on his deathbed. But hey, what is she doing? "Hey, shh! No, don't tell he- uuugh!" Too late. Cat's out of the bag. He lifts his head up a little, though still keeps it below a normal level. What's with these wolves and getting close? Don't they know an infectious creature when they see one? "Don't get close! Wachiwa, this thing was a wolf that was sick, I promise ya. He was the color like...uh, like the sun, kinda. An' his ears were weird and droopy. And he was a doofus. He was sick, I swear. He was here!" He pauses, head tilting a bit. "Well...around here, not in this spot. In the watery place." He raises back onto his paws now, backing away as Ikuna comes near. "I can't stay close else you'll all turn into freaks. Plus, when /I/ turn into one, I don't want you to see me."
Tala tilts her head and grins up at Wachiwa whom she leans to nuzzle and brush up against a few times. A soft wruffle escaping her in the process. "See!" She points out with a nanner like tone to Ahiga. Her head tilts and she settles to her haunches while watching her friend and she snuffles. "Why.. do you believe that your gona get sick and turn into a dog when we tell you and an't true?"
Wachiwa siiiighs. Well, okay, a dog isn't as big a threat as some animals that could have been around, but Skah's going to want to know about the visitor. She steps forward and starts to come for Ahiga at an around motion to make for his backside. "Ahiga, calm down, and take a seat. You aren't going to turn into a dog. You have to be BORN a dog to become one, and you were born a wolf. Now if this dog had anything else the matter with it, THAT would be a problem. Did it bite you?" She asks, trying to get him to calm down with a levelheaded tone. Oh, for the days when she could be a puppy.
Ikuna puts down the squirrel, and gives Ahiga a stare. His posture is erect, confident; his ears perked, his tail up. It's an unconscious echo of the sort of gestures his father would use when laying down the law. "If you're going to turn into a freak, then..." Oh, here it comes. The castigation. The being outcast. Ahiga's argument has been accepted, with all that means. The young wolf will die, a dog, alone. Ikuna continues, "...so am I!" All that posture disappears in an instant as he leaps toward his friend, trying to charge directly into him and thump against Ahiga's side to get himself well and truly covered with whatever it is Ahiga has or thinks he does.
Why does he believe despite their protests? Well, can he really be too careful when it comes to the lives of those he loves the most? Can he risk their health? Unfortunately, none of that leaves his mouth and all he can say is, "uh..." because he can't think of a good enough answer for Tala. His eyes flit from wolf to wolf to wolf, and gradually he does sit down as he's told. "No, I didn' get bit, just run into," he assures Wachiwa. He stops there, for now his attention is on Ikuna. Oh no, he knew it. Ikuna is finally seeing the light, and now comes the hard truth. But that's ok because he's braced himself for this. He inhales a breath and holds his head up a little, ready for the hammer of dismissal to crash down. but... "Huh?" Blink, pounce! "Ikuna noooo!" But it's too late, the collision is complete, and although he tries to scrambles away from him, contact has been made. The disease...is spreading. "Why'd you do that!"
"Well, then, see, there you go," Wachiwa says, smirking slightly, as she reaches a paw out to bat at both Ahiga and now Ikuna as well. "Unless you got /bit/, you can't get /sick/. Stuff that comes from dogs has to be spread by getting bit. Besides, if you were sick, you'd smell bad, and probably be throwing up alot. Unless it's the Great Anger, but I don't think we've had any of that in a long while around here. And if you had that, the dog you saw would have bitten you for sure, because that makes you want to kill everyone, the Great Anger."
Success! Ikuna grins, and rolls himself Ahiga a little before the other boy pulls away. Then his expression turns earnest. "Because I'm not gonna let you go. I don't care if you turn into a freak. I'd rather be a freak an' be with you than be without you." Earnestness is fleeting, and he wiggles at Chewy's pawbat, rolling with it and grinning. "Maybe he gave you the sniffles, though. That mighta been why he was drooling..." Sniffles can be caught without bites, and they're certainly no fun, but they go away. It'd explain why Ahiga's looking so droopy... well, assuming it's anything except hypochondria.
....Oh so he's not dying? Ahiga rather likes that thought, cuz noble as he's trying to be, death seems like...well, like a very permanent and lonely thing. Where's the fun in rotting away while the world goes on without you? As he scrambles to his feet, he thinks this over, fixing Ikuna with a curious look. That was another very nice thing to say to him, and his tail slowly wags inadvertantly in response. "I don't smell bad. I ain't throwin' up. He didn't bite me...maybe I'm /not/ sick. I feel a little bit better already." Maybe it was just downtrodden spirits that had him feeling so low! "What's the Great Anger?"
Ears lay back some, and Wachiwa says, "Well, it goes by many names, Ahiga. 'Great Anger', 'Madness', 'Rage Sickness'... It's.. very bad. What happens is whomever has it loses their mind; they slowly begin to be overtaken by... something, that makes them want to bite everyone and anyone, and anything that they see. They can't drink water anymore, they can't see, they can't walk well.. they're always frothing at the mouth. And if they bite you, you're as good as dead, because you'll have it, too, and they always die a horrible death in the end." She frowns. "So if you ever see an animal that's not walking right, or is all foamy white around the mouth, or even is trying to attack other animals for no reason, please run the other way, or get one of us adults--.. well, one of us older wolves, so we can try and figure out what to do." She frowns, before she leans in to sniff at him and Ikuna both, before licking them. "Nope, no sickness here, I'd taste it if there was."
Ikuna stays where he is, half-sprawled, and grins as he sees Ahiga perking up. Yeah, see? Everything is gonna be okay! Now he's wondering about where Ahiga met this dog, anyway, and what he's like... but that question is put on hold for now as Chewy starts to explain the madness. The grin fades as he listens, because wow. That doesn't sound very pleasant at all. He nuzzles up and licks at her in return when she sniff-tests him, then says, "We gotta know ourselves, though. There's not gonna always be older wolves." Skahla and Shawnee thought they'd have his parents to help, and see what happened there? He and his young friends can't just rely on the adults forever, and he knows it.
Alright, so maybe Ahiga kinda had this dog disease thing a bit overblown. In comparison to the Madness, dog sounds like a walk in the park. And this dog thing he met definitely does not sound as if he has that disease. And so yes, Ahiga is getting calmer by the minute, and miraculously, his stooped posture begins to lift and straigthen a little, and he even smirks as he sniffed and licked at. He raises a paw to push the female's nose away, though sobers a little as he listens to Ikuna. "Yeah, Ikuna's right. Everyone's always tWlin' us to go get someone else. We can do things too, y'know. I chased that dog off cuz I didn't want it to get anyone else sick..when I thought it was sick, and I did that without anybody."
Wachiwa chuckles. "Well yes, I agree, you guys need to learn to handle things yourselves as well. But for at least another summer.. if you see anything like that, let us know? Please?" She smiles. Then hmms, and flops over a bit to her side. "Besides, you've got more important things to learn first. Like how to hunt, and how to sing. And maybe how to chase your tails like proper adults." She grins. Then offers, "Tell ya what though-- I'll take you guys out for a hunting lesson soon. I figure it's safe enough now that we could try that, all of you. Besides, it's spring, there'll be easy prey now because of the ones who've gotten sick over the winter, and the ones the Great Spirits will choose not to survive birth."
Ikuna sits up, and nods. "Well, yeah. We're still gonna listen, 'cause you older wolves know more." He gives a glance to Ahiga, clearly intending for that 'we' to include his sometimes-rebellious friend. "At least, when it comes to big problems. We're big enough to handle stuff on our own, though. We can hunt some," he says, with a tilt of his head back toward that squirrel he caught, "-and we can defend the pack," a nod toward Ahiga, who chased the dog away - the right thing to do, even if it wasn't a horribly contagious beast. "We're big enough for a lot of things."
"Sing?" Ahiga wrinkles his nose a little. Singing is totally for girls! Or birds. He grins at the tail chasing comment and rolls his eyes good naturedly just before flopping onto his stomach. Phew! It's a good thing he doesn't have to go searching for a death spot. All this worrying has tuckered him out. He turns an ear Ikuna's way, and he nodds a little to show that he's in agreement about listening and reporting Mad Beasts. He's not quite sure if he'd even want to handle that on his own, if it came to that. "Oh yeah, we can hunt stuff. I jus'...didn't catch anything today," he says, remembering Ikuna's impressive squirrel. He'll need to up his game. A yawn interrupts whatever else he had to say, and when its down, his head is settled upon his paws. "But tomorrow I will, you'll see."
Sighing as Ahiga settles in for a nap -- he probably needed it after spending all day worrying about becoming a dog, of all things -- Wachiwa mms at Ikuna. "I know you guys are growing up.. but sometimes it's hard for us adults to want you to be grown up. It was the same way for our parents when we were your age," she says, though she trails at that thought, and starts licking a forepaw thoughtfully, with a bit of missing comfort to the idea. When she was Ahiga's age, her parents were already gone. She hmmfs. And then wuffs out a breath.. and smiles. There, bad stuff all gone. "Like I said, I'll take you guys out for hunting lessons, soon. We can all run together."
Ikuna nods to his friend. Of course Ahiga will catch something tomorrow! No question. For now, the wolf needs his sleep, leaving Ikuna and Chewy to continue. He nods, though his expression clearly says he doesn't quite get it. What kid ever does? "You'll figure it out," he says. She will, too, 'cause she's smart. Then he grins, and nods about the hunting lessons. "Yeah. That'll be great. We can get the little stuff... sometimes..." How many days did it take to catch that squirrel? Yeah, we're not gonna share that tidbit. "- but there must be all sortsa stuff you can show us."
"Of course. The most important thing I can show you, no, tell you, is why we take only the wounded or infirm. We do it because it is a kindness to them that we end their lives, and for that their spirits will bless us with a good hunt in coming days. It is bad to kill the young unless they are weak or ill, because if we killed the firm and fit, that would be one less chance for the number of prey to increase, which would in turn mean we would run our of food." She smiles. Then she looks upward at the sky and adds, "And remember, Ikuna, always respect the spirits; it is by their grace that we are given our blessings in life."
Ikuna perks up his ears, listening. He nods at the idea of taking those prey who hurt - yeah, that makes sense. He wouldn't want to see anyone suffer. As for the spirits... His muzzle takes on a slight frown. He's not so sure that spirits can help the living like that. If they could, then why didn't his dead mom and dad help him and stop the bad creatures? Whatever happens when someone dies, Ikuna's pretty sure it makes them dead and gone. Still, there's another, more physical reason behind it, and that one makes sense to him, so he nods again. And besides that... "They're the ones we can catch. The ones... meant for us." He means it half-practical, half toward the spirituality that Chewy clearly believes in even if he doubts it.
"That's right. They're meant for us to eat, the ones who are weak or hurt. It is better to eat the injured than to take the healthy so they can continue to reproduce." She smiles.. but then frowns a little, as she considers things. "Ikuna, I ... I still feel like I failed you somehow. it was my job to be watching you pups, and I wasn't when the shewolf tricked you, when the bird took you. I should have been. I feel like what the bird did was meant to be my punishment for failing you.. but I also feel like I still owe you an apology... do.. you see what I mean? I feel like I.. Well." She sighs, and lowers her snout a little. "I'm sorry."
Yeah. Like this squirrel he caught, who had a limp. Otherwise he couldn't have grabbed him before he ran up the tree. It makes sense, and Ikuna nods. Then he tilts his head to the side, as Chewy goes on to another matter. His mouth opens on a protest when she talks about failing him, then closes silently as she goes on. He listens, and then he steps forward to her. He has to lean up, to press the side of his muzzle against hers... but not very far. Definitely not as far as it used to be. "It's okay. I'm sorry you got hurt... I don't think you deserved to get punished. You're just one wolf. You can't do everything." He laughs a little. "Least, not all at once." His expression gets mostly serious again, but he still smiles. "It's done. I still love you."
Tail thumping at those words, Wachiwa murmurs, "I love you, too, Ikuna, which is why I worry so much; I love all of you, Ahiga, Tala, you, even grumpy old Skahla and wishy-washy Asku." She smiles a weak smile, then says softly, "Don't ever forget that, Ikuna. We all love you even if we get mad or overprotective some times." She nuzzles at him.. and sighs. he's growing so much. Soon he'll be the same size she was when she was his age! And oh how long ago that was! "And who knows, Ikuna. Maybe some time you'll be in my position, looking after pups." She smiles.
Ikuna smiles back, and wags his own tail. "I won't forget."