One Step Forward...

[Therdde]

(Editor's Note - I only read much of this log after I posted it, and I realized I should have titled it something to the order of 'Geez! Join the Chesmu Hate Club, for crying out loud!' I'm starting to feel bad for the poor guy. -Lyk)

Part 1

Characters (In Order of Appearance):

Therdde – Male Duck
Paoro – Female Cougar
Chesmu – Male Cougar
Plisken – Male Rattlesnake
Lotus – Male Wolf
Darau – Male Wolf
Helaku - Male Wolf
Dichali – Male Bighorn Sheep
LaVeaux – Male Adolescent Cougar

- Wind-Blown Lowlands -

Therdde spent most of the last few hours in the river. The duck has been on dry land for far too long, and he appreciated the chance to spend a few hours in the water, and not only for the vague sense of security it gives him. He's still having trouble forming logical thoughts, and the idea of eating seemed particularly unpleasant, but he got plenty to drink and spent a short time grooming himself and ignoring the rest of the world, much needed to preserve his sanity. Finally, the duck leaves the relative safety of the water to rejoin his companions, still preferring walking to flying. Best he save that kind of strength for when he really needs it.

Several hours have passed since the group overcame their first obstacle - the herd that stood between them and the river - and as the sun peaks high overhead, Paoro is waking up to the same feelings of sickness the night before. Maybe she can find some soothing herbs along the riverbank along the way while they're here. She looks around at her fellow travelers, seeing if they're all awake and well-rested yet. "Are we ready to start moving on?" she inquires gently so as not to aggravate any headaches. "If so, we'll need to decide whether we want to head due east until the river ends, or angle a little towards the south where the plains open up wider. What do you all think we should start our search?" She's hesitant to suggest they split up, but it might be a good idea, given the vast lowlands in front of them. "And I'm not sure it's the best idea, but should we perhaps split up into two groups, to scout in both directions?"

Chesmu is still resting up from his long stretch of activity. Of course, if anyone were to ask the cougar, he would tell the anyone that he would have chosen to keep an eye on the group, being the only real able-bodied one to do anything about it. But, he wanted to avoid a tiff with Paoro, especially after what happened with that stallion. His chest rises and falls slowly, as he sleeps.

Plisken erfs slightly as his depth perception fails him again and he bonks his snout against a rock trying to slither at record speed. So much distance to cover. He is half angry at himself for not taking his chance when it was first given. However the warm beating of the sun’s rays calms him and keeps him moving. Such a wonderful thing the sun is. Continuing to move, he feels the ground for any other movement he thought he felt, trying to track down the group. However Paoro's voice alerts him, letting the snake home in on them. Finally! He smiles, pleased with himself now, he has found them.

Lotus rouses himself from a very light sleep. He hasn't slept easily since the dizziness befell him yesterday, afraid that if he rests too long, he'll wake up feeling worse than before. It takes him a few minutes to absorb what Paoro is proposing. "If we do split up, we should have at least one healthy per group." He mumbles, practical mind going to work. And he still hasn't fully accepted that he's sick, so the division makes sense in his mind. As for which way he wants to go? The wolf doesn't seems to have an opinion either way.

All Therdde knows is that, if they split up, he wants to travel with Paoro or Lotus. Especially since Dichali seems to have fallen back into a deep state of sleep. Good for the ram, who Therdde knows is suffering. Bad for Therdde, who appreciates having Dichali nearby as a sort of bodyguard. "I don't think Dichali is going to wake up soon. If we split up, I'd prefer to head east. It'll be easier to find my way back here to get him, that way." Especially with this disorientation. If he starts heading north or south for any extended period of time, he's liable to get himself confused about what he's doing.

Moving over to Chesmu's sleeping form, Paoro nudges his side gently with a forepaw, intending to stir him awake. She nods in response to the duck and the wolf after they voice their advice - not yet realizing the wolf has come down with the sickness as well. "Very well. How does this sound - Therdde, you'll go with Lotus, and you can backtrack once you've found anything to pick up Dichali. Try not to go too far beyond the end of the river, so you can use it as a guidepost." She looks down at Chesmu once he's awoken. "Chesmu, you'll be going with me towards the southeast." After his last spot of trouble with the stallion, she's not taking any chances of leaving him unattended.

Chesmu murrs a bit as he is nudged, then opens an eye and looks at Paoro, as she tells him he's going with her. After a length ritual of waking up, yawning, stretching, and the like, he finally stands. "Very well, I'll go with you. Let’s hope we don't find another horse herd on the way."

Plisken coils himself in the sunlight, "What a beautiful looking motley crew this really has become!" The snake turns his head to the side to look over the group with his single eye, "I apologize, how abrasive of me. And how /are/ we doing?" he seems to smile broadly, holding back the fact that he is in fact catching his breath. He does his best to lift his head high to examine the area, but fails to get much out of it, with little to nothing to perch from.

Therdde is as ignorant to the fact that Lotus has fallen to their sickness as Paoro is. It seems they don't rightly have enough healthy people to go around. In his ignorance, though, the duck nods. "Assuming any of us find something... Meeting back here is probably not a good idea, thanks to... Trouble with the horses. Where should we go?" Too much of the mallard's skepticism comes through, in his wording, though not in his tone. They're back on the right path, but it's still a lot of area to search.

Lotus nods at Paoro's suggestion, glancing to the east afterwards. He doesn't know what, exactly, to look for. But he's sure that'll become more clear in time. "And when do we leave?" He wonders, adding his question in after Therdde's. The wolf shifts from one paw to the other, no less restless than he was last night.

Paoro looks around at her surroundings for any prominent landmarks. She easily sights the waterfall, but that's to the west and thus a bit out of the way of their current trajectory, so she turns to peer into the distance towards the east. She thinks she can make out something down along the river's path, but isn't fully sure from her low vantage point. "Therdde, are you still able to fly? It looks like the river widens out a little further down...perhaps that can be our rendezvous point?" She turns to Lotus, answering simply: "As soon as possible. I think we're all rested enough to at least look around for a bit and try and figure out where to go from here." The cougaress' ears flick at the sound of a voice that's both familiar and unfamiliar to this group, glancing around and seeing no one - at least until it occurs to her to look down. She spots the serpent from earlier, and offers him a bob of the head. "We've progressed in the journey I spoke to you about," she answers him.

Plisken humms some, his tongue flicking about as he nods, "Yes... yes, I've noticed." he nods to Paoro and he looks around amongst. "Any progress is good progress... I've given it some thought... I wouldn’t mind being a part of this little rescue team. Though truthfully it is out of a little iota of selfish thought... the reptilian world does not receive an over abundance of good rumors and happy thoughts, you see." he runs the tip of his tail down his head, as though scratching an it or thinking before offering a coy reptilian smile towards the apparent leader of this mixed pack.

Therdde has avoided flying as much as possible, if only so that when it becomes absolutely necessary for him to fly, he can. It'll be rough, but he can manage it. "Yes, I'm sure I can." For how long is the question. That much, he's not quite so sure about, but he'll deal with that when the time comes. The mallard glances to the snake, growing ever further out of his element. He keeps his opinions to himself, knowing full well that these other animals are not currently a threat to him, that his over reactive thoughts are a result of his illness, not their behavior. "I'll be back soon." The mallard spread his winds and seems to take to the air easily enough. The only thing that could possibly inhibit him in such an open area is his strength. At least there are no trees to run into here.

Lotus nods a second time, turning slowly to avoid the spinning in his head again. He watches as the duck takes flight, ears perked as he waits for Therdde to return. He listens vaguely to the conversation with the snake, but otherwise doesn't pay the serpent much mind.

"What, exactly, are your motivations, then, serpent?" Paoro inquires, hesitant to allow someone with such professed 'selfish' motives to join them without a good reason. Not like she could stop him if he wanted to follow, but she doesn't have to share whatever knowledge they might gain with him. She returns her gaze to the duck, nodding at him as he takes off towards the northeast.

Chesmu looks at this snake. He can't believe this. Now *reptiles* are affected by this illness, too? Just what madness is this? The healthy cougar looks in the direction they are theoretically going. Ho boy. Something tells him he's going to regret being so curious about this disease.

Considers gaining their trust as a friend, a colleague. Why I am healthy, he could say, I wish to aid my people as a whole and cure a handful of fellow forest dwellers of this terrible disease! But no... Plisken smiles for a moment, and his one eye seems to close, collecting himself. They get dizzy, and dizzy he shall appear. "I worry that proximity to you the other day may have spread affliction to me." he coils tightly, now as though he were hugging himself, "I hope it is mere hypochondria but I feel it is too serious to just let by." He looks up at the cougar, and then to the rest of this group seeking help, "I envy you all your legs," he mumbles before closing his eye and looking to the ever so close ground. "I would also like to... apologize to your canine friend for my reaction earlier on. It was rash of me."

"Very well, then," Paoro replies to Plisken, satisfied with his answer. "You may travel with Chesmu and myself to the southeast," she instructs, figuring the duck will be less on edge if he's not traveling with a snake as well. "What shall we call you, serpent? I am Paoro, and I have already mentioned Chesmu. The wolf is Lotus, the duck is Therdde, and our sleeping ram friend is named Dichali," she says, introducing the group as a whole.

Plisken opens his eye and holds back the faintest smile. You may call me, sir. He looks up to Paoro, "Plisken." he looks about to each of the others, "My name is Plisken. Thank you, I will gladly aid your cause in any way I can." he pauses and smiles now to them, "Our cause."

Lotus swivels his head down again, offering a glance to Plisken. He hasn't forgotten the snake from before, and it's clear the wolf isn't ready to stop being wary of him. For that reason, he's somewhat relieved that the serpent will be heading off with the cougars.

Paoro nods at the snake when he provides his name, then turns back towards the east to watch and wait for the duck's return.

Chesmu eyes the serpent carefully. Plisken is making him feel uneasy. Something is just, well, off. He'll have to find out more about this snake. He looks at Paoro with a look that says how-about-we-go-now...please? "Shall we?"

Plisken returns Chesmu's gaze and lifts his scarred tail in an almost prehensile fashion and smiles, Oh the games we will play. He smiles sweetly, and lets his expression waver as though the sickness turns his innards backwards.

Therdde returns to the area with relative speed. He's flying a little closer to the ground than before, perhaps having trouble maintaining his original altitude, but he notably doesn't look like he has crashed into a tree or anything else. Once he got nearer the lake, he recognized it, having spent some time there in previous years. He prefers the mountain, though. He comes to a slightly rough landing near Lotus and takes a few, forcibly slow breaths, before saying, "It'll work. Easy to find, and not highly occupied." So they shouldn’t run into any more problems with animals who happen to be upset by, oh, say, being threatened.

Paoro nods to Chesmu - she's just as eager to leave as he is - but she's not moving until they've got a rendezvous point in mind. Therdde returns with affirmative news, and the cougaress nods. "That'll do, then. Let's split up and search for an hour or two, then meet back at the pond to discuss what we've found." She looks to Chesmu and Plisken before orienting herself towards the southeast, beginning to pad away through the plains.

As soon as he hears the sound of wing flaps, Lotus turns to watch Therdde make his landing and then give the report. As soon as Paoro responds and then begins to head off, the wolf spares some concern for the duck. "Are you able to make it on the ground, or would you care for a lift?" He remembers how Therdde had spent much of the time using Dichali as a ride, but the ram isn't joining at the moment, and Lotus doesn't want to worry about leaving the bird behind.

Plisken uncoils himself, no longer basking in that wondrous sunlight. He winds up towards Paoro then, taking an 's' shaped path, taking his time, really, "As good as any time." he smiles up at the cougaress, "Rainbows and sunshine?" he asks with a smirk.

Chesmu just starts walking. His curiosity in this matter is reaching an all-time high. Especially what he can do to capitalize on this cure.

"To rainbows and sunshine," Paoro affirms with a light smirk before beginning to lead the trio to the southeast, trying to keep her paws steady and headed in the same direction as best as possible.

Therdde gives a nod to Paoro and watches as she and her group begin to head to the southeast. His head turns to his new solo companion when the wolf speaks, though, and, for a moment, surprise registers on the mallard's face. He had begun to understand how much Paoro was willing to sacrifice of herself for her companions. He hardly expected it to be a common trait among predators. Once his voice has returned, though, he says, "I'd appreciate that." If he knew Lotus is beginning to feel ill, he might be more reluctant. As it is, he hops up on the wolf's back. He's fast in the air, or even in water. On the ground, not so much.

As Therdde situates himself on Lotus' back, the wolf can't help but smile. These are certainly the most bizarre sets of circumstances he's ever found himself in, and now he's the perch for a duck. If any other wolf saw him now, they'd most definitely be laughing. "Ready?" He asks, prepared to start off the moment he gets an affirmative.

Therdde begins to nod, but realizes he can't be seen anyway. He, it has to be safer up here, anyway, where he's not within easy biting distance. "Yes, I am." And to the resting begins again, preparing for the time when he'll have to take to flight again.

[Therdde]

Part 2.1 (Lotus and Therdde)

- Grassy Plains -

After a bit of walking, the two leave the river behind and enter the drier plains to the east. Without really thinking about it, the wolf's tongue rolls out to pant, while his eye sweeps the area for anything of interest. "See anything?" He wonders. If the duck is even looking, that is. But even as he asks, the wolf's gaze is drawn to one direction in particular, one where he's sure he's never tread before.

Therdde's eyes are, in fact, open, but he doesn't see anything that he would be able to note as out of ordinary. He's an aquatic creature, and he has spent most of his life being aquatic. "I don't. What about... Smelling? Do you smell anything?" The duck's sense of smell is practically worthless on land. It was one of the few things that Chesmu was good for, and Therdde wonders if it will help them to find anything of use.

Lotus seems to be thinking something over when Therdde makes his suggestion. "Worth a try." The wolf lowers his head until his nose is but a few inches from the dirt, and there he begins sniffing and moving in lazy circles about the area. There are numerous scents, some old and others not. Horses passed through here a while back. But more interesting, at least to Lotus, is that one of the most recent is of another wolf, apparently having come from the east. "Hmm." He murmurs, starting in that direction without so much as an explanation.

Therdde has no idea what the wolf he is riding smells. He does know that Lotus seems to be headed in a very particular direction, and he's curious about it. As such, it's hard for him to keep his bill closed, but he manages. To occupy his own mind, he does his best to simply observe everything he can of the area, aided by how low Lotus is holding his head.

In all his wanderings within these lands, Lotus hasn't ever ventured so far to the east. But with the cougars investigating the south, the seems to be the logical direction to head. "The only thing of interest I can find is coming from this way." He explains, for Therdde's benefit, before resuming their easternly path.

Therdde takes that as an opportunity to ask further questions. "What do you smell?" He will never understand exactly what, or how, other animals smell, but he does understand how his own sense of smell works, especially while he's in the water, so it isn't entirely foreign. He just wishes his could be so useful. But then, the vast majority of his life, it would go entirely unused. It's only in situations like these, where countless animals are threatened by a mysterious illness, that it would be useful to him. So, like, once in a lifetime.

"A wolf." Lotus replies. Then, realizing that's an immensely vague answer, he clarifies; "I mean, there's a lot of old scents, but that's the only recent on, aside from a horse." And he's had quite enough to do with /those/. "It's not really special I suppose, but I don't see anything else around here." He admits. After a short time, the wolf slows to a stop. The lands to the east of vast, and he's not sure whether or not they should go on without informing Paoro and the others.

Therdde waits several moments after the wolf has stopped. He hasn't seen any wolves in this area. It may figure that one of them has come looking for a cure. And, maybe, the wolf found it. At any rate, they have parted from Paoro and her group only recently, and as they have not found anything yet, they should perhaps continue looking. "Are you... Waiting for anything in particular?"

Lotus is silent for a time. It looks like he's thinking at first, but in truth, the wolf is trying to focus. "I'm..." His head is starting to spin, and the more he looks out at the vast prairies before them, the worse it gets. "I don't think we should go on." He mumbles, tail hanging low. He's not ready to admit how badly he feels, not yet; but it's surely obvious that the wolf is not currently feeling terribly well.

Therdde opens his bill before he catches the wolf's tone. Some big bad this is. He catches Lotus's tone he can speak, luckily, and he shuts it to give himself time to think. When he finally does speak, he asks, "You've caught it, haven't you?" The mallard's tone is sympathetic, certainly. He knows how vicious this illness is. before allowing the wolf to answer that question, he continues, "Why didn't you tell us?" Especially after suggesting there should be one healthy animal in either group.

Lotus sighs. "I didn't really... think I was sick." He answers honestly. Well, maybe not entirely honest. There had been that nagging in the back of his mind, but in the end, the wolf had thought he could manage it. Maybe he still can. "I'll keep going for a little while, but if we find nothing, we should head back." The wolf has a change of mind and he remembers Paoro; she's sicker than him, but she helped them all this way. He'd feel guilty if they didn't have /anything/ to show for this venture, all because he was a little dizzy.

Therdde hops down off of Lotus's back to walk along beside him. He's light, but he hopes the reduction of even that slight amount of weight will help some. "Ten more minutes. If we haven't found anything, we should head back." Therdde has had opportunities to eat recently, even if he hasn't eaten. As far as he knows, though, none of these predators have had a chance to break off from the group to hunt. They must be feeling the strain worse than he and Dichali are, to some degree.

Lotus nods slowly. Ten minutes, he can do that. "Alright. Please let me know if I look like I'll fall over." The wolf is half joking, but there is some chance that he just might need that warning. Once again, he resumes heading east, making sure not to go to fast, so that Therdde can keep up.

Therdde follows after the ill wolf. He manages to walk well enough himself, given how much rest he has had in general, but he knows what Lotus means, how rough it can be. "How long have you felt ill?" Certainly not since they began this adventure. And now the duck tries to remember how long it has been since /he/ started feeling ill.

- Unknown Lands -

Lotus tilts his head back, thinking. "I suppose it started yesterday, after the whole scene with the horses." He recalls the dizziness had first started then. "Although I assumed it was because of the... annoyingness of that situation. But since then, it hasn't really gone away." He sighs. As they enter the unknown lands, Lotus looks around, then lowers his head to sniff at the ground. What sort of place is this?

Therdde narrows his eyes slightly as he follows along of foot. If he remembers right... Lotus only has a few days before it all gets worse. With a deep breath, he asks, "Do you smell anything?"

Lotus shakes his head, ignoring the dirt that gets stuck to his nose. "Nothing." He frowns, lifting his head. Are they going the right way? This whole place is unfamiliar to him. "Shall we keep going?" And hope the wolf doesn't get them lost.

Therdde shakes his head. "No. We need to go back and meet with the others." if they didn't find anything, maybe the group as a whole can continue on this way today. If it's just Lotus and Therdde, though, they're likely to get lost, and with both of them being sick, that could be fatal.

Lotus takes on last look around, then turns to head back the way that came. "With luck, the others will be waiting already." But hopefully not /too/ long. He'd to end up being the reason they were kept waiting.

Therdde nods to the wolf's statement, and begins walking back west. He wonders, for a while, if Dichali as woken yet. He's worried for his friend, and for the group as a whole.

[Therdde]

Part 2.2 (Paoro, Plisken, Darau. Chesmu, and Helaku)

== Sweeping Steppe ==

Continuing to pad in the general direction of the southeast, at least as best as her inner navigation senses can manage despite her dizziness and persistent headache, Paoro keeps a constant pair of eyes out for anything that might hold some sort of importance to it, something that might help them figure out where to go next. To her, the plains all look the same, with not many landmarks to distinguish one area from the next. "Hm."

Plisken follows along, "Hmm indeed." he half scoffs. If she thinks the plains are boring, take a snake's eye view. If he were to let them get to far he'd nearly be lost. And thusly he remains close, using the two cougar butts as mobile land marks. At least he is headed in teh right direction as much as they are, he supposes, scooting along the ground.

Darau pads along aimlessly, he was officially lost now with no sense of comming or going. What was going on around here? With a 'huff', the wolf sits down and look on into the distance, having no spacific direction to go and animals acting crazier with every incounter.

Chesmu has been following Paoro closely, though he's been more or less keeping ot himself as they've been journeying in this direction, he being the only well one of the entire group, so far as he knows. A dizzy snake and female, and himself. He almost feels like he's the subject of a long-winded anecdotal joke told by nervous rabbits. A cougar, a snake, and a ram walk into a clearing... Chesmu grunts. Communication.

Padding towards them from almost the direct opposite direction, a warm-hued wolf makes his way through the lowlands easily, as though he's able to divine his location from some unseeable force. Helaku's amber eyes flit up at the sight of movement in the near distance, and he sights a pair of cougars making their way towards him, and another wolf nearby. "Hail!" he cries out, announcing his presence as a clear friend rather than a shady foe.

Paoro starts at the sudden greeting, not expecting such a friendly call - or even any call at all - in this nearly deserted corner of the lowlands. The reasons why aren't surprising - the plains, true to the eagle's words, look to be lacking in water sources for quite some distance. The Amaranth matron calls back to the wolf who spoke - not yet noticing the quiet one - with a similarly friendly: "Hello, brother wolf! How are you faring?"

Plisken coils at Paoro's feet, listening, wolves? Of course. What wonderous luck... He lets out a long yawn, his deathly looking fangs peeking into view as he stretches. No... no not. keeps his sense on the ground, "There is another" he speaks up, though he can not feel where. His eyes shift around and he smells the air.

Darau's ears perk and turn followed by his muzzle, looking back behind himself. Seeing the others some distance off, his heart leaps at the sight of somebeasts as he charges towards them, afraid they might move on. "Hellooo! Helloooo! Wait for me! I'm comming!" Darau's tongue out as he leaps and bounds across the grasses, terrified of being left alone again.

Chesmu is about to open his mouth to speak when another wolf calls out and turns to look as Darau starts to bound towards them. Boy, these wolves seem awfully glad to see two cougars and a serpent. To Paoro he says, "Doesn't this strike you as odd? Most wolves I know would be more cautious when greeting creatures such as us."

"Better than most in my family," Helaku responds honestly, no stranger to the sickness himself - in fact, his pack's home is close to the area where the disease originated. "Have you heard of the illness sweeping the nearby region?" He's referring to his own homelands, as he doesn't yet realize it's traveled here as well.

Well, this is a surprise. Paoro's ears are attentively pricked forward as the wolf speaks of a sickness - the chances are too low for it to be a mere coincidence. She murmurs back to her companion: "These are anything but normal times, Chesmu." The other wolf bounding closer, she calls out to him before answering the brown-toned wolf. "Ho, gray wolf, what is the rush?" And then Helaku draws close enough for her to notice what he's referring to - dye markings. Hers red, his yellow. "Indeed it would seem so, brother. But yes, we have heard of the sickness - several in these lands beyond us have been affected by it as well." No need to draw attention to their disability if it's not necessary.

Plisken scents the air, proud of himself hearing the second wolf, but scrutinouse, He doesnt trust wolves. A bias he may be force to overcome someday. He slides past Paora then and comes closer to Helaku, analyzing. The rattler remains at length for a moment before coiling himself again. No this is not him.

Darau arrives in just enough time to hear Paoro speaking of an illness, panting lightly as he sits down and nods to all present. Focusing on Paoro he smiles,"Sorry, I was just afraid you might leave. You all are the first beasts I've met since leaving the waters." Turning to Helaku he nods,"Nice to see a fellow wolf in these parts, I've mainly only seen their kind lately,"Noding towards the felines,"No offense of course."

Helaku spares a glance at the odd behavior of the gray wolf, flocking to the cougars as though he considered himself one as well, before returning his gaze to the cougaress. "It is an unfortunate epidemic. So you are from these lands then, I gather? Might you have heard any information as to where a cure might be found? The rumors in our own region say it's somewhere within the deserts between my pack's home and the rivers to the north, but I've not yet heard anything more specific than that." He looks over at the wolf and offers a polite bob of the head in acknowledgement.

Chesmu eyes the wolves. Their overt friendliness makes him uneasy. Wolves acting happy to see cougars without even knowing who they are strikes Chesmu as quite reckless, unless there is something seriously wrong. He can't find himself trusting them. He'll have to mention this to Paoro. "Deserts?" Now that is new information. "What else does your pack believe about this epidemic, wolf?"

"We're not leaving, at least not until we've figured out where to go next," Paoro responds to the gray wolf before turning back to the brown one. "That's all we've heard as well, foreign friend," Paoro replies with a twinge of sadness, realizing that they're no closer to finding a cure than before they met this stranger from other lands... But wait. Perhaps he can be of some help, after all. Maybe he can't lead them directly to the clue, but he should be able to help them out in another way. "You say it is within the deserts? And you are familiar with the landscape here? Might you be able to give us some advice on how to navigate these vast plains without getting lost or going in circles?"

Plisken shudders at the thought of the desert. Dry, good, hot, good... but too dry and too hot. He glances about and moves over to inspect Darau now, slithering within feet of him. "I'm not sure they can help us any more than we can help them." he speaks aloud.

Darau relizes how rude he is being, and bows to all present quitly not wanting to interupt, but also listening closely. He could try to explain himself later, obviously being the odd one out here. But that was what he was use too, and he liked it for the most part. He takes the time to look over each present, the female cougar obviously being some one of importance. Hearing the snake he looks to the ground,"Oh, I don't know. Beasts usually tend to suprise me, especially outside of the forests. It sounds like you all need more help than me at any rate. I havn't been in much contact with this 'sickness'."

"We do not 'believe' anything about it, aside from what we have actually experienced. One of our alphas is...not well. He is seeing things that are not there, and often raves about illogical things. His case is undoubtedly the worst in our pack," Helaku answers Chesmu solemnly before Paoro's question catches his ears. "Of course, fellow travelers. We are all brought together by this tragedy - there is no reason why we should not assist each other where we can." He gestures to his marking. "Our pack follows the sun. It guides us home when it first rises, by keeping it on our left shoulder as we go. If you travel in this way from the rivers to the north, it will eventually lead you to a tall rock in the midst of the desert. Our pack lies east of there - but I can assure you that the cure is not to be found in our territory, unfortunately. But perhaps the rock will serve as a suitable landmark for you until you have learned more."

Well! That is indeed useful, if not leading them more directly toward the cure. The deserts. Not quite the same direction they are going, but Chesmu knows without adequate preparation or knowledge, they may as well lie down and die on the spot before they try to go very far into the deserts. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to go over all this information in his head. One of their Alphas is apparently driven to madness by this disease? Perhaps, and Chesmu is incredulous to himself for thinking this thought, just perhaps this touched alpha knows more than they might think. But... it *is* in the wrong direction than the deserts. Conflicting...

If you keep the sunrise on your left shoulder...then you'll be heading to the southeast. Paoro figures this out mentally before nodding to the wolf. "I am very grateful for your assistance, brother wolf. If we find a cure, I will be sure to deliver some to you and your pack. Should you need to find me, seek out Paoro of the Amaranth tribe on the mountain." With another bow of her head, she turns back to Chesmu and Plisken. "I believe we should head back to the pond now...both to inform our companions of this bit of information as well as to enjoy the water for a bit longer." Just looking out at the dry prairie to the south makes her feel dehydrated.

Plisken scoffs slightly at the word 'beasts', "My ancestors survived practically built this world. I'll not allow something as trifling as dry air stop me." he pauses, and sighs, regretfully, he agrees, "Yes... water." Her point then made. He turns back to her and Chesmu.

Darau starts to panic a bit as he realizes he might be left behind,"Um, if it's not to much trouble I'd like to help. I'm healthy as ever and could help guard the sick. and I'm pretty fast to boot, if I know where I'm going." Something in his memory clicks,"Wait, your Paoro? I met a cougar a few days ago that spoke of you, she seemed quite impressed."

"My own name is Helaku, beta of the Sun Pack," the desert-colored wolf replies with a polite nod of his own. "I wish you luck on your own search. Perhaps we shall meet again someday." With that, Helaku turns and retreats a short distance away before lying down for a quick nap in the afternoon sun.

Paoro tucks the wolf's name away for future reference as the other wolf offers his help, and mentions having heard of her before. "Oh? From whom? And you're welcome to accompany us, particularly if you're of good health." The more the merrier. Figuring they can walk and talk at the same time, she begins to lead her growing group back towards the north - and water.

== Grassy Plains ==

Darau thinks back and continues talking to Paoro,"Her name was Armani, I think. She was a drifter like me, so we got on just fine. Armani was actually the first cougar I've ever really talked too. I guess I just assumed all felines in this area were that nice. Sorry if I startled any of you before."

Chesmu catches up with Paoro, keeping a wary eye on Darau a moment before getting close to Paoro. "I am concerned, Paoro." he starts off. Sure, he should be a little more trusting, but he can't shake the feeling he got from that meeting.

Paoro tries to remember such a name...and thinks she remembers meeting a cougaress by that name a few weeks back. She nods at Darau before answering his later comment with a simple 'no worries'. She continues padding as directly to the north as she can, hoping to make the shortest walk to the pond in the distance - especially if there happen to be any herbs there that she can use to quell the unhappy motions beginning again in her stomach. Chesmu's murmured words catch her ears, and the one closest to him flicks once. "About what?"

Plisken is keeping up at his top speed, "Envy is not descriptive enough for the feelings I wish to portray at this particular moment." he squeezes between everything, rocks, grasses, its delicate and nimble like a dance, but slow and inefficiant.

== Tranquil Pond ==

Darau nods and looks around, recognizing this place from before,"I was here a few days ago, before I got lost in the plains." He sniffs around checking a small paremiter before returning and sitting,"What now?"

Chesmu looks at Darau again. "I am not so certain we can trust what we have been told, Paoro. They seemed all to happy to give us the information." To him, getting something that easily usually means there's got to be a taint in the information. "And then there's the idea of going into the deserts..."

Paoro pads up the last few yards to the pond and takes a long drink, settling down on her side at the bank and beginning to groom herself before answering the other cougar. "Trust is all we have, Chesmu. At least trust will carry us in some direction, even if it may be the wrong one, whereas doubt will get us nowhere." She glances down at Pliskin, pulling up the rear, and considers for a few seconds before making a brave offer: "Might you be able to travel better on my back?" As long as he doesn't like, dig in with his fangs if he starts to slide off of her.

"It would be a cold day the deep abyss for me to consider asking such a thing." Plisken catches up to her, "However a limb offered is a limb received." he mentions in a sort of gracious tone. Brave indeed. But if he is to make it to this place he intends to go, he will need help. Passing the wolf, "I wouldnt invest much thought in the lack of trust from this Chesmu." he offers in moral support. Perhaps even as a slight jab as well to Chesmu.

Darau smiles and nods, unphased by Chesmu's words and starting to like this snake more and more,"Oh, I'm Darau by the way. Thanks for letting me tag along and all. I'll do my best to help. Who all are you traveling with, and how bad is this sickness everyone is talking about?"

Chesmu sighs. He was afraid Paoro was going to say that. He's not *trying* to be difficult, but it seemed like that other wolf wanted them in the desert, and Chesmu can't think of many creatures that would set paw in the desert very far and come back out again. "You're right... but maybe a little more caution would be good... and some decent investigation. We can't expect to just walk into the deserts and be okay."

"Well, you're one of the not-ill among us, perhaps you could do us a favor and do some of that investigation on your own?" Paoro suggests, turning to the banks and pawing at a short clump of small flowers, wondering if it's a kind she could benefit from. She takes a sample bite, a behavior the rattlesnake has seen her do before.

Plisken looks up at Chesmu and grins, "I cannot imagine you are afraid, Friend?" he chuckles darkly before looking to Darau, nodding in return to his greeting, "Well met...My name is Plisken.. He hums softly in thought, "This sickness seems to be as bad as everyone calls it out to be..."

Given the rest, Darau starts to think about the other pack out in the desert. He had searched the forests as well as the mountains for his friend for months, if not longer. Maybe...his mentor had gone further. It was possible, but Darau didn't get too worked up about it. Finding this cure must come first. After all, he himself could become sick soon enough. Coming back to reality he nods,"Sounds terrible." Then he smiles,"Me and Chesmu could scout ahead into the desert together! We could get there and back in no time, assuming Chesmu can put some speed on, hehe. Besides, if there is wolfpack out there, you'll need a wolf to smooth things over."

Chesmu glares at Plisken, then looks back over at Darau. "We could do that, but we must be careful out there. Not much use for a cure that might not even be reachable."

No bad effects yet, at least. "There's even less use for a cure that is reachable but isn't sought," the matron replies in her usual wise way. "I'm sure your assistance will come in handy, Darau," Paoro answers the wolf before beginning to groom the pads of her paws some more. She idly wonders how long it will be before the other two return from their own journey to the east. But in the meantime, the quietness of this secluded pond is quite welcome to the crowded, dry plains.

Plisken chuckles mostly to himself as he slides up onto a rock not far from teh water, still warm and welcoming. Coiling himself up while there, he breathes a sigh of releif and settles his head down. Letting his belly scales rest.

Darau settles down to wait for the next move, getting what little rest he might be able too before thier trek into the desert. Then a thought hit him, what if they did find the cure, but there wasn't enough for everyone...if brought that to a pack, any pack, he would surely be let in as one of thier own. The question is, is that what he really wanted....

[Therdde]

Part 3

- Tranquil Pond -

Following the scent of water, because the wolf still feels too dizzy to be sure he's going the correct way otherwise, Lotus makes his way toward the pond where they were to meet up. His pace is slow, as the canine takes care not to get too far ahead of Therdde. Lotus peers around, to see that they were indeed beaten here by the other group.

Therdde took to flying again for the last part of this journey, especially given that the terrain is so clear. The worst part of the fact that flying is so difficult is the fact that duck is really impatient, and walking is just so /slow/. That also give him the opportunity to look down on Lotus, to make sure he's all right as well. When they reach the pond, Therdde actually lands in the water, and his landing seems so much nicer than any he has made on land since he ran into this group. Landing in water is /easy/, and hurts so much less. Quickly, though, he makes his way to the shoreline.

That flower she tried seems to have stifled her sensations of nausea. Paoro is considering this as the duck suddenly flies in for a crash landing in the pond, and she quickly looks up at the sound of breaking water -- perhaps a bit too quickly, as her dizzy headache flares up with a vengeance at the move. Wincing, she nonetheless manages to speak through gritted teeth: "Did you manage to find anything?" They certainly did, but she's curious about their own scouting first.

Plisken lifts his head then...actually half waking up. Peering around with one eye, getting his bearings again. In his stretching his tail flicks and his rattle churrs playfully. Far from the warning hiss of any other occasion. He wonders if there was anything to be found at all though, and listens closely.

Darau stands up and watches as a duck flies in, smiling, he wonders who else makes up this rgtag bunch he had joined up with. He was about to say something, but introductions could come later, there were more important things to do right now.

Chesmu has been keeping watch again. He doesn't wish to rest at this time.

As soon as Lotus reaches the pond, he lowers his head and takes a drink. It doesn't sooth his dizziness completely, but it does help. He's brief about it, though, and after only a few moments, the wolf sinks onto his haunches and looks to Paoro. "We found... something. A very large prairie to the far east of here." He sighs and slides the rest of the way to the ground. All that way, with his head spinning, and all they have to show is some vast expanse of land. Does it even help?

Which certainly doesn't seem helpful. When the duck nears the shoreline of the pond, he speaks up. "Lotus has begun to feel sick. We weren't capable of going any further, because neither of us could recognize the surroundings." Which doesn't mean no one else here has never been there. It's kind of what they were hoping, because if there is something in the area, someone who knows the terrain will be the most likely to find it, rather than simply end up getting lost.

"We found something similar...beyond where the herd scents faded, it seemed that the plains stretched on for miles. But," Paoro interjects, "we also found a wolf from a desert pack who was able to give us some advice on how to proceed without getting lost. If we travel southeast from here, we should eventually see a big rock. That will serve as a guidepost for navigating the lowlands, at least, until we know how else to proceed." She glances between each member of the group. "I'm curious as to what we'll find in these unexplored lands, but I think it might be wise to wait here until Dichali has regained his consciousness before we leave the river behind." The duck's news comes as a bit of a surprise, but not too much of one. "I found these small flowers here...they're similar to the ones we use on the mountains to help with nausea. Eating one may help you both."

Plisken hmphs softly from his place, "How wondrous...The funny thing about rainbows and sunshine, you never truly 'catch' them. they just exist."

Darau takes in all the information, making a mental note on the direction of each place, in case he were to ever get separated from the group. He could track the group easily through the plains, but the desert might be almost impossible, depending on the conditions.

Chesmu mutters. That is a scary prospect. "The deserts." That is all he does. It still blows his mind.

Lotus winces slightly when Therdde reveals his condition, although it's better they know now. He wouldn't be able to hide it for long. He listens to Paoro's description of what they found, ears perking at the mention of a desert wolf; he would have liked to meet them. For a moment, the wolf zones out, until the female cougar points out the flowers. Hesitantly, he leans over and sniffs at them.

Therdde debated over whether to reveal Lotus's status. After all, there had to be some reason why the wolf chose to hide it, even after he was sure... The debate was very brief, though, mostly because Therdde didn't want to sort through all the pros and cons and whether Lotus had a right to keep that information from the group. There's a chance the not knowing Lotus is ill could endanger them all, though. Lotus included. So he told. Making his way onto the ground, Therdde heads towards the flowers. He's hungry, and he doesn't normally eat dry plant life, but he won't be eating much of anything if this nausea doesn't fade. As he walks, he says, "I appreciate it, Paoro... Both the plants, and that you're willing to wait for Dichali." Therdde likely would not have gotten this far if not for his ram friend, especially since he's the more skeptical of the two.

"Of course," Paoro replies cordially, relaxing back into a lounging position as she waits for some sort of sign that Dichali's awoken, but resting in the meantime before they have to walk for who knows how long into the prairie.

- Time Passes -

Therdde left very shortly after everyone settled down by the pond. He flew the short distance to the lowlands, for the second time today, with very little trouble, and was pleased to find Dichali awake. The mallard, who has begun to feel a little better since eating the flower that Paoro provided, flew the distance back as well, keeping an eye on the ill ram as he did. With Dichali having enough trouble as it is, he doesn't need the added weight of the duck any more than Lotus did. It also helps to have nice, forgiving water to land on, which is where the duck heads when he returns once more.

Being awoken by the splash landing of the duck Darau gets up and shakes off the nap he just took, hopping it would help in the long journey ahead. Of course, he was in better shape than most. In fact, he started to wonder if joining up with such a sickly bunch was such a grand idea. Oh well, its gotten him this far. He notices yet another odd beast wandering up, looking just as bad, if not worse than the rest.

Dichali makes his way up to the rest. He'd had to catch up to them a second time now, he was honestly staring to feel very horrible about that. The big strong ram isn't supposed to be the sickly person that keeps getting left behind! He'd just have to make up for it somehow, he supposes. The ram seems to be acting less and less like himself, however, becoming less talkative as time goes on.

As the ram approaches their quiet little corner of the river, Paoro chirps a friendly greeting towards Dichali. "Feeling any better?" she inquires, gesturing towards some small, pale blue flowers near her. "If not, try munching on a couple of these. They do wonders for nausea."

Chesmu is keeping watch while the dizzy, sick ones mill about, being sick. He's feeling a lot like a babysitter now, in a very depressing daycare. He finally starts pacing around, a bit agitated. He just doesn't like all this. Blindly trusting all this advise they got.

Therdde again makes his way to the shore of the lake very quickly, to join his companions. There's no hesitation before he gets back onto land. After all, his very-ill bodyguard is back. He remains near the water, though, sitting and tucking his wings in close to his body. He keeps his mouth shut, using the opportunity to rest from the brief period of physical exertion, and thinking, vaguely, on how they've started to actually get somewhere.

Darau looks around taking a head count, and pads over to Paoro, sitting down and waiting for instructions.

Augh...all these thoughts at once, and the madman wishes he could take control of them... He walks slowly ....very slowly.... through the shadows, murmuring absentmindedly to himself, not even having bothered to wash the blood of his last kill from his lips and it had painted streaks of red across his disfigured face. His eyesight is clouded and as the fog of thoughts is briefly broken by a torrent of voices, LaVeaux comes to a stop downwind, just watching.

Dichali offers a little grin toward Therdde and Paoro. "Yes, thank you," Dichali replied, "Those flowers don't happen to work on weakness do they?" He peered over the flowers closely. The ram didn't feel nauseous, and thus didn't want to waste it for others who did.

"I'm afraid not. But hopefully the subsided nausea will help keep your strength up a bit longer," Paoro responds to the ram, before movement in the shadows along the riverbank catches her eyes. "Who's there?" she calls out, ears pricked forward alertly. "Show yourself, stranger."

Chesmu stands at full alert, teeth bared, ready to fight. He's the only one who stands a chance of defending a group. The only well one there! "And show yourself slowly, so I won't have to break you for attacking this group!" He takes a few steps forward to make sure he seems more of a menace."

Therdde lacks the sense of smell that some of these predators have. Yes, it is nice to have them around occasionally. He remains by the river shore. If only all of the sick ones were as easily capable of reaching a place of almost complete safety as he is. When someone's back won't work, the water definitely will. For now, though, he remains seated where he is, glancing off in the distance in the direction where the others seemed to have noticed something.

Darau's ears swivel as he notices the others attention changing suddenly, he moves up with Chesmu and peers into the darkness, not sure what to expect. At this point, in this place, it could very well be anything.

"Very well..." The voice is soft, almost calm, even though it is follows seconds later with rambles which make no sense to anyone, not even himself. A dark, damned beast slinks out of the shadows slowly, squinting his eye as he struggles to focus it on these new creatures... He is too disoriented to think up a witty comeback, and instead he turns his head to take in all the scents of those around him....

Dichali hesitantly grazes slightly on the blue flowers while he twitches his ears. He's curious as to what's happening, but assumes he should get the eating out of the way first. The ram does take a look once he's had some of the flower, however.

Many changes have occurred in the young adult male cougar before her, but Paoro will always be able to recognize her children. Her eyes widen as said recognition occurs, her maw parting slightly. "...LaVeaux?" she murmurs breathlessly, more to herself than anyone else. As her dizzy mind runs through a flurry of emotions - love, anger, relief, sadness - she suddenly feels very, very sick. Her eyes roll up in her head, and she collapses to the ground in a faint.

Chesmu looks over to Paoro, and he walks over and nudges her with his muzzle. So she knows this cougar? He turns to LaVeaux, "And what business do you have causing this amount of trouble, boy?" he says, naturally with a tone of anger about it. That's Chesmu for you. The loner *enjoys* getting angry at other cougars, or even just other animals if they seem relatively careless or clueless.

Therdde has no idea what has happened between LaVeaux and Paoro in the past, but it can't have been good. The duck is now doubly worried about this newcomer and the effective leader of their little group. He walks the short distance to Paoro, though there's really nothing he can do. Someone ought to be beside her, while those who are capable prevent this new cougar from causing any more trouble.

Darau eyes the newcomer carefully. This was cougar business, something he knew very little about. But something smelled funny about this one, a sickness that seemed...different, more severe, if possible. Darau stays put, his eyes never leaving the cougar, looking sharp for any threatening movements. "let's not make things worse Chesmu...," but the wolf repeats the question, somewhat more diplomatically. "Can we help you stranger?"

LaVeaux takes no interest in Paoro's fainting, as he fans his whiskers slowly in one last huff. "I see that there....this....all of you...." Ugh, can't think straight! "...There's an epi....epidemic..c... going around, have you heard...." He sways on his still-capable paws, watching them with a flashy red eye.

Chesmu keeps a wary eye on the other cougar, and ignores Darau's advice. A cougar that appears does not immediately cause *other* cougars to pass out without cause! "I know of an epidemic, boy, but you didn't answer my question!" He looks down at Paoro. A shame, that.

Darau sees that obviously this cougar is infected, or at least seems to be worse off than most here. As his stomach growls he figures he probably isn't the only hungry one here where meat is concerned. Confident that Chesmu could handle this he turns and calls back to Chesmu and the others, “I’m going to hunt, don't worry about leaving me behind, I'll catch up on my own if you leave."

Therdde doesn't know if the new cougar is suffering from this sickness, but can tell that LaVeaux is having trouble organizing his thoughts. Maybe, just maybe, Chesmu is so abrasive because he hasn't experienced the disorientation that many of them have the past few days. Really, Therdde doesn't care. He's out of his element, has been dizzy for days on end, and he's just plain fed up. With the whole thing. So he'll take that aggression out on Chesmu, at least verbally. Yelling at the top of his very small lungs, he shouts, "Back off, Chesmu! Hounding him isn't going to allow him to remember, to tell you anything anymore coherently!"

"Answer what question?" was LaVeaux's slow response. Obviously the question had been lost among the wave of other voices swarming in the male's pounding head. He growls miserably, struggling to stand but eventually gives in and lies down.

Paoro begins to stir awake after several moments, moaning as she comes to from her fainting spell. Blinking blearily, she tries to focus her dizzy mind and fuzzy vision on the cougar she recognized as her son. By blood, at least. "LaVeaux...why are you here?" she manages to ask in a slightly slurred voice.

Chesmu is about to give LaVeaux another round of tongue-lashing when Paoro wakes. He doesn't move, however, and his angry expression only hardens. Troublemaking males suddenly appearing like this? And Paoro seems to know him. Chesmu either believes the boy to be daft, or stupid. Possibly both.

The ram, who has been suffering from confusion to match his weariness, is in no better position to protect Paoro than any of the ill fold, but he takes a somewhat passive position between Paoro and LaVeaux, just in case. In order to get to his mother, if his intentions are less than honorable, he'll have to get through Dichali's horns that were built to do just that sort of thing--fending off an attacking predator.

Therdde is not so sure that LaVeaux means any harm. No matter what, he is definitely in over his head, and as far as he's concerned, so is Chesmu. Protect Paoro and the rest of them, sure, that's fine. But for all any of them know, this new cougar is just ill too, and Paoro reacted badly to it because she's ill, weak, and they're obviously of some relation. Who wants to see a family member suffering like that at any time, much less when your body is fighting off some terrible sickness?

"Who else..." comes the weary voice in a droning hiss. "Who else knows what I'm talking about? With the dizziness and the world flip-flopping this way an' that...Can't even stand up right now and all I can see are spots..." He shuts his eye wearily, struggling to keep his ears perked.

"You're not well, LaVeaux," Paoro responds as firmly as she can manage, her teeth gritted as she tries to keep from passing out again, her head swimming. "You need to rest." She's torn between following tradition and shunning the male who disowned his heritage and trying to take care of him like any normal mother confronted with a sick child would do.

"*Personally,* I would rather see this boy show a little *respect.* before he rests anywhere near me." growls Chesmu. He knows nothing of his history, all he knows is, this boy has done something, either real or imagined, to tick Chesmu off. "If he can carry his own weight, fine, but we can't always stop for those who cannot stand on all four paws correctly!" Mighty bossy, but Chesmu just doesn't like him.

Therdde desperately wishes he were large enough to smack some sense into Chesmu's head. Speaking strictly to Chesmu, he says, "Stay out of it. You have no idea what is between them, so put your nose right back where it belongs." Heck, Therdde would settle for watching one of the other large animals knock some sense into Chesmu. Alas, all except for the horse, none of them have seemed inclined to do so, and Chesmu obviously didn't learn his lesson about keeping his big mouth shut that time around.

"Knock me around if you will, stranger..." LaVeaux growls in return, finally registering the other male's voice. "I am here to gain knowledge, not to start fights. If you wish to start a fight, then you may, but remember that it is of your own accord."

"He is my /son/!" Paoro suddenly shouts at Chesmu with a growl, surprising herself just as much as the others, and then wincing sharply as the repercussions from the loud noises slam through her head. She repeats herself again, softer this time as well as with a sadder tone: "He /was/ my son." Her head drops slightly at this, and she turns to begin padding away a short distance from the others until she's at the far end of the pool. She lies down, facing away from the others, and lowers her head to her paws, all without saying another word.

Chesmu blinks in surprise at the outburst... and in the actual information within. Looking down at Paoro, Chesmu backs away. Five paces, and sits. That shut him. *Was* her son...? Just what has her ex-son done to get such a branding? Would have to be a terrible, terrible thing, Chesmu reasons.

Being small is frustrating beyond belief! As Paoro reveals that this new cougar is... was... her son, then walks off, the duck says to Chesmu, "We, Dich and I, are lucky that she is so passive. You're luckier." Any other animal would have torn Chesmu to shreds long ago, Therdde is certain. He has done little but make this journey all the more miserable, and what has he done to pay for that? One night of playing guard? There are no words for this small animal to express how he feels, and he returns to the water, having a desperate desire to remove himself from everyone here for a few moments, at least.

LaVeaux ignores everyone else and in seconds the large male is snoozing, albeit uttering crazy jumbles of words in his speech. Who knows what LaVeaux is dreaming about.

The ram can't sort through the fog clouding his brain enough to figure out what he should do. This situation isn't right, and he knows it. Finally, he places himself not between Paoro and LaVeaux, but between Paoro and Chesmu. Slowly, he eats grass, hoping to build up some strength, as he keeps an eye on the male cougar. His placement is as much protection for Chesmu as it is for Paoro. He probably would be no more surprised than Therdde if the normally passive cougaress decided to rip through Chesmu. Family relations are nothing anyone from outside the family should force themselves into.

Chesmu fumes for a good long time. So he made a few mistakes!!! Hasn't he been useful to the group? Hasn't he made sure they're *safe?* So what if he's not so immediately trusting of everybody. What if there was someone who could exploit that trust. He really does mean to protect the group, dammit, and their reactions aren't making him any happier doing it. He fumes a bit more, looking from Paoro, to the new male, back to Paoro, to the others, before stalking off. He'll be back.