The Serpent Was Craftier Than All The Beasts

[Therdde]

Part One

Characters (In Order of Appearance):
Chesmu – Male Cougar
Therdde – Male Duck
Paoro – Female Cougar
Dichali – Male Bighorn Sheep
Camarin – Female Horse
Makya – Male Raven
Darau – Male Wolf
Lotus – Male Wolf
Plisken – Male Rattlesnake

- Tranquil Pond -

It has been several hours since Chesmu has left the group in his anger. He's hunted, enjoyed his hunting, vented, ranted, wandered for a bit, but eventually a nagging feeling began to tug on him. How could he just leave the group just because they wouldn't let him yell at Paoro's former son. So, he finds himself trekking toward the group, wondering just what might be said, done or thought.

Therdde has remained in the water throughout Chesmu's absence. The small creature is still angry, but mostly just tired. It's not so much physical, but mental. This sickness is wearing on him more than he originally imagined that it would, and he uses the apparent solitude to take a break from attempting to sort through his jumbled thoughts in order to interact with the others. Luckily, Paoro's plant works, and he manages to get himself a decent amount of food, which helps immensely. He hadn't really realized exactly how long it had been since he had eaten, not until the hunger is actually gone.

Having fallen into a restless sleep not long after she awoke from her fainting spell several hours earlier, Paoro rouses from her catnap as the sun is beginning its descent down the western sky. She practically drags herself to the water's edge - not too far away from where she fell asleep - to get a drink, not having the strength just yet to push herself up to a standing position. She, unlike the others, hasn't eaten anything aside from flowers for a few days now - and unfortunately, for a large carnivore, that's not enough to sustain her.

Dichali seems to be feeling a deal better between having gotten so very much sleep lately, having eaten, and having had those flowers. He's still weak, muddled, and confused, but at least now he should be able to trek for some time before feeling the need to collapse into exhaustion. The ram watches Paoro and seems a bit troubled by her plight. He'd consider asking someone to hunt for her but, the only person he'd bother to ask is likely still in a rather foul mood.

Chesmu finally reaches the group. He's loads less angry then when he left. And he did seriously consider leaving the sick ones to their own devices. But the good in him wouldn't allow him to do that. Though there is Darau, he knows that they probably need him more than he realizes. So here he is. "I have returned."

Therdde hears Chesmu's voice from where he is in the pond. Let's go in for utter chaos and aggression, round three, shall we? The duck takes a final deep breath, and then makes his way toward the shoreline. He and Dichali are the lucky ones. They can eat just about anywhere, and with minimal effort. Little does he know, that may be about to change, if they head towards some desert. The predators in their little group have to be suffering, though, and it's only a matter of time before that suffering reaches a point where they may take a bite at himself or the ram. If they're going to find a cure, they need to find it quickly.

Paoro glances up at the sound of approach, almost mistaking Chesmu for her son before she realizes that LaVeaux has disappeared into the shadows once again sometime while she was asleep. "So you have," she replies simply, not willing to beg the other male for charity despite her poor situation.

Dichali almost debates trying to get something for Paoro himself. However, that honestly goes against almost every code he's got. It's not the fact of helping a predator...there's really not a problem there. It's the fact of offering to kill something that's no threat to him. No matter what the reasoning, taking on something that was not good enough to be a challenge or an enemy was rather disgraceful.

Therdde keeps his bill shut. He wants no piece of this, but he wouldn't blame Paoro for being angry either. He remains in the water just by the shoreline. That ever-present skepticism has stopped doubting that a cure exists. Now he just doubts their ability to find it, with the group beginning to fall apart, and heck if he knows how to hold it together.

"I suppose so," Paoro replies in as neutral a voice as possible, trying to keep her emotions in check, before her stomach loudly rumbles in the relative quiet of the area. She glances back at her belly as though to chastise it for being so rude, but doesn't say anything aloud about it.

Chesmu hears this loud growling of Paoro's stomach, and it occurs to the intelligent cougar that the carnivores might not have eaten for a while. He looks over the entire group. "When was the last time you've eaten? And I'm not counting those flowers you eat."

Dichali frowns over at Paoro before distracting himself by looking over at Therdde. "How are you feeling," he asks of the duck.

Therdde is not feeling well. But the last thing this group needs is his own internal drama. "I'm fine." The mallard even manages to sound like the almost believes that. "How about you?" The ram is up and about, and has been for a while. That's an improvement, and the duck is honestly glad of this. That joy just doesn't go a long way to combat all of the other, more pessimistic feelings the mallard is going through.

Camarin is wary. She's been wandering for quite some time, listening to the rumors carried with birds and other small animals. There is sickness in the land, a sickness which seems not to be particularly choosy with who it infects. Just yesterday she heard that now even predators and prey are putting aside their instincts and traveling together. Whether they are looking for a cure or the sickness has just driven them all mad, she's not sure... and now it seems she's stumbled upon one such group. She is wary, yes, but she's also intensely curious and more importantly, she's very thirsty. Since the creatures she watches from the distance seem not to be aggressive toward one another, perhaps they will leave her be if she comes to drink. Step by step, she begins to inch closer, keeping her head down and sniffing the air. She's still far enough away that she can easily take off should any hostility be sent her way.

"A few days," Paoro admits, though perhaps not owning up to the full truth of how long she's been going without food. Between her own sickness and her mate's departure, she hasn't been up to the hunt as of late. At the sound of approach, her ears flick, gray-green eyes seeking out the source - perhaps assuming it's her son again - and finding it to be a horse. She wonders if it's one of the herd, come to push them out of their temporary resting spot.

Black wings carry the Raven toward the pond. He's been traveling for some time, criss-crossing over parts of the plains with no success. The area, it's bleakness, is still a bit overwhelming, and it's a comfort to see something break up the land. Makya glides over the pond, looking for a good place to set down, when he spots the large, motley group of creatures. The ram, one of the bigger ones, is the first he recognizes. Landing carefully on a patch of sand at the water's edge, the bird watches the others, but doesn't speak just yet. He dips his head to the water, scooping up a bill full before throwing his head back to swallow it.

Chesmu looks at the others. "Perhaps it is best that I go hunt for the good of the group." He notes the horse, but not knowing if that is one of the herd nearby, he ignores the horse and runs in another direction to hunt.

Dichali looks greatly relieved as Chesmu goes to do the hunting. "Oh I'm feeling better," he answers, "Not well of course, but you know..." He then looks toward the two new arrivals, but says nothing of it.

The arrival of the troublesome, interrogative, prank-playing raven is exactly what Therdde needed to improve his mood. It doesn't occur to him that he has just had several hours of supposed 'peace'. Giving a nod to the ram, he says, sincerely, "I'm glad." He's also glad that Chesmu is making productive use of himself, not only for the fact that it makes the carnivores less likely to take a bite out of one of their travelling companions. Paoro is key to success in this fool's errand, he knows this, and without her functional, the entire group would be lost. Which is about as positive a view of a carnivore as he could ever have.

Camarin pauses briefly, narrowing her eyes. Well, there's a bird that just landed, and he's not scared. No, this group looks like they're not much of a threat at all. As a matter of fact, they look sort of depressed and ill. Might as well see if they have any news, then, provided they're not all nuts from the plague. Continuing her approach, the mare raises her head and offers a polite nicker as greeting. "My, what a strange group I've found. I take it you lot are all traveling together due to whatever plague roams this land?" She stops at the water's edge, and despite her thirst she intends to at least introduce herself before drinking. After all, if there's one thing her mother taught her its manners.

Chesmu's act of kindness improves his status in Paoro's eyes at least by a little, and she's thankful that there won't be another chance for him to rile up the horse herd now that he's left the group for a little while. The raven goes relatively unnoticed - the cougar is aware of its presence, but she doesn't pay as much attention to him as she does the larger visitor before her, nor does she recognize him just yet. "You are correct in your assumption. Are you of the herd near here?" she inquires, beginning to doubt that she's been sent on behalf of the stallion if she's not already been made aware of their situation.

Makya spots the duck and smirks to himself. He'll bother the mallard later, to see if he's still sick. For now, he wants some more information, if there's any to glean. The cougars he spotted earlier are closer now, easier to identify. Chesmu slinks off to hunt before Makya gets a good look at him, but Paoro is still clearly here. He blinks, then takes a couple steps in her direction, keeping quiet as she speaks with the horse. He knew the eagle was on a fool's errand, but it's is more of one than the Raven had previously guessed.

Dichali gives a dip of his head in greeting to the horse once she addresses them. He lets Paoro do the talking there though. His attention goes to the familiar raven instead. "Hmm so, have you found out much since the talk with the squirrel, raven," he wondered curiously.

Camarin shakes her large head. "I've seen them... but I am not of them. I'm just a wanderer, for now. My name is Camarin. Have you news of a cure?" She herself is not sick, but she's seen and heard enough to know that something has to be done, and soon. Her ears perk forward, she is obviously hopeful that a cure is close to being found.

"We've figured out that it's located somewhere south of here, in the lowlands, but we've not found anything definitive beyond that," Paoro answers the mare. "Are you sick as well?" she inquires as the raven hops closer, turning and blinking in mild recognition, though she can't be sure without a voice to corroborate her guess. "Hello. Were you the raven who sought me out on the mountain?" she ventures.

Makya blinks the nictitating membranes over his eyes as he's spoken to, momentarily turning his polished-onyx orbs a flat white. He then bows to Paoro, his head nearly touching the ground while his beak points up to her. "That I am. You have started to travel in search of the cure, I take it?" This will make the job for those who are seeking her more difficult, indeed. She's nowhere near the mountain.

Camarin looks visibly relieved. "Well, it certainly is a start. And no, I'm not sick at all. Otherwise I'd likely already be dead since I have no herd to protect me from predators. Just my own hooves." The mare finally lowers her head to drink, and when sated, she speaks again. "How about all of you? You look exhausted, as if you've been traveling a long way."

Paoro nods to the raven, remembering him now. "Yes, I have. I am not content to sit by while my family and others are stricken. I intend to do all I can to help find the cure and spread it to the masses." Her eyes turn back towards the mare. "You're skilled at deducing things," she replies with a light chuckle. "We've been walking around a good bit for a couple of days now."

Makya rights himself and nods to Paoro. He understands not wanting to sit idly by on this matter. "How are you feeling?" he asks, wondering if she is getting any better, or any worse. Traveling, he is sure, won't be helping the cougaress' plight. This makes him all the more thankful that he isn't ill.

Dichali peers back over to the horse. "Most of our band were ill before we started, or have gotten ill since," he states, "We have been traveling too, as Paoro says."

Camarin snorts, chuckling herself. "I am skilled at nothing but survival, and sprinting. I would be glad to aid you in your quest for a cure, if you would have me. This sickness, should it cause widespread death... well, I fear it will upset the balance of nature far too much. Besides that, I just hate seeing everyone so miserable all the time. The birds in the forests I traveled through barely sing anymore. It's /depressing/." It's also very true that the mare has absolutely nothing better to do with her time, aside from joining a herd and being subject to the harassment of a stallion to bear his young. An adventure sounds much more interesting. Camarin turns her gaze to Dichali. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that. It must be tough to keep going on, especially since I hear the symptoms include dizziness. I wish I could be of more help, but I'm not big enough to carry all of you." She chuckles again. "Unless we had a cart like the humans build. I know how to pull one of those, but not how to build one, and there aren't any around that I know of to steal one from."

Therdde finally manages to put his social face back on. Buck up, soldier on, and whatnot. The duck remains in the water, seeing no reason to leave since the group obviously isn't going to depart until after Chesmu has returned with a catch for the predators, but he does insert his own thoughts into the conversation. To the horse, he says, "We'd be more than happy to have you along, and there's no need for you to carry us." Another herbivore, and one big enough to trample loud-mouthed predators, at that. Therdde would gladly welcome her to their cause.

"Exhausted," the cougaress admits to the raven with a frown, if it wasn't already obvious by the fact that she hasn't moved from her prone position since she woke up. Hopefully the fresh meal Chesmu's going to bring back will rejuvenate her spirits a bit. She glances over at the mare as she, too, offers her assistance. "Quite the unusual tribe we're becoming," she muses aloud before answering the mare with a nod. "It's fine by me if it's fine by the rest of the troupe." She tenses at the mention of humans. "I'd rather not go nearer to Man's domain than I absolutely must," she hisses. "I wouldn't be surprised if this sickness was somehow a result of their doing."

Makya walks a bit closer to the cougaress, having no fear of her, it seems. "I've heard a few more rumors, but I think they're nothing more than that. Have you, by chance, run across any species who do not have any ill members?" The duck seems to at least be swimming now, but he was sick, and that makes the golden eagle's rumors just that, in the Raven's mind.

Dichali nods in agreement with the others. "The more people we have, the more likely to get to the cure, I'd think," the ram states. He also seems a bit worried at the mention of humans. "I've never seen a man but I was always taught that they're completely /mad/."

Camarin moves away from the water and gingerly lays down in the warm sand. "Ah, man. Sometimes a blessing, most of the time a wicked curse. It's true, their meddling with things they ought to stay away from may have caused something in the land or water to change, causing the illness. But at the same time, some of their meddling brings them cures and medicine. Not that they bother sharing with us, unless it benefits them." She snorts, obviously her bad experiences with humans outweighs the good by far. Thankfully, the cougaress's statement means that as far as they know, their cure does not involve man in any way, shape, or form. Addressing Dichali, she shakes her head. "Madness isn't their problem. They're arrogant and selfish. Though there are those who are kind and try to remain close to nature, most think themselves above and beyond it."

Paoro ponders on this for a moment. "Now that you mention it, none of the horses we've met so far have shown any signs of sickness." There could very well be others that aren't sick either that she simply hasn't met yet, but out of the handful of horses she's come across, not one of them has seemed affected by the epidemic. Surely the stallion would have known if one of his mares was sick, too. "Do you think that's relevant somehow? Or just pure luck on behalf of the herd?"

Therdde is of very little opinion about humans, the same way he is about domesticated species. They are a world apart, no matter how close they are in proximity. He has nothing to add to this part of the conversation, and so he again grows quiet, merely listening to the others share their opinions, highly negative, of that particular species. Like Dichali did earlier, Therdde has lost any hint of a talkative nature.

Makya glances back toward the silent mallard. "No horses... I haven't seen any ill horses either. What about the mallard? He still sick?" He asks Paoro since he doesn't expect Therdde to be all that honest with him. One little prank, and he's evil in the eyes of the duck. Flat bills have no sense of humor... "And there might be some relevance. I heard a rumor that this illness only targets certain species, that it's meant to wipe out only certain ones." He doesn't mention the part about the saved ones being avians, at least not yet.

Dichali blinks at that. "That really doesn't make sense," he mutters, "I'm the only sick bighorn as far as I know...the rest were all completely healthy when I left...and yes, Therdde is still sick."

Camarin blinks as Paoro points out that horses seem to be unaffected. She tries to think back to what she saw of the herd... but they all seemed relaxed and well. "I will venture to say that luck has nothing to do with it... but then..." She thinks a minute. "How isolated is the nearby herd? They may have simply not been exposed. But I've almost certainly been exposed to it by now and I'm not ill. Perhaps the sickness can't infect my kind." She looks mildly disturbed at the idea that there is ill intent behind the spread of the disease. That means man /could/ be involved. Who else would unleash such a horror? "I sincerely hope that is only a rumor."

Paoro is skeptical of the raven's overheard rumor. "None but a divine being could wield such power," she retorts to his claim. "No offense, mare, but I doubt the horses are capable of creating an epidemic so widespread by themselves. And it's highly unlikely that they haven't been exposed themselves - it's swept up from at least a pack in the southern deserts to the mountain, and likely the forests beyond."

No, not evil. Just abrasive and unpleasant, both in his sense of humour and in how he speaks to others. Chesmu is evil. Of course, precisely how of Therdde's attitude is genuine and how much has been exacerbated by his illness is a mystery even to him. He can hold a grudge very well, and he doesn't think the raven is funny, but normally it wouldn't, or shouldn't, bother him quite so much. "I've seen illnesses that don't seem to cross species, before. But I've never seen one that will affect many species, but not all." There has to be something else. Pure dumb luck, lack of exposure, or even just the fact that Therdde and the group with which he travels have not exactly questioned every creature of every species in the area. Then again, that could just be the duck's skepticism.

Makya nods lightly as the information comes into him. "I figured it was only a rumor," he states. "Have you heard anything else on the cure? Where or what it might be?" He has a couple new clues, but he doesn't yet know if he wants to share them with the group as a whole. Paoro for sure, but he's not sure how far he trusts the others. And he still has his own plans of delaying the cure to the Lazuli, if he can.

Dichali quietly settles down into a laying position as he has nothing further to add and does not wish to waste his energy unneededly. He starts nosing at the ground a little as if he's looking for something.

Camarin is not offended. "I never thought that horses might be behind this... you are right in that we have no ability to cause widespread illness. Nor do we have the motive to kill indiscriminately... I'd think that if we were going to kill off any species it'd be the ones who hunt us. No offense, of course... I'd never consider such a thing even if it were in my power. It's downright unnatural. Perhaps we should continue to question whoever we come across about who is getting sick and who isn't, starting with the nearby horses. That's only provided that the information might lead us closer to the cure, of course. Otherwise it's a waste of time."

"Not much. We met a wolf who told us of a tall rock landmark in the southeast direction of the desert, but that won't necessarily help us find the clue more than it will simply serve as a guide post during our travels of the unfamiliar terrain," Paoro answers the raven, before glancing back to the horse. "I'm not sure it will necessarily lead us to a cure. It just means that horses are somehow inherently immune to the disease." She pauses, thinking of how the flowers made her nausea diminish, and how the horses were almost all grazing when they were near. "Or else they've eaten something in the plains that's kept them from getting sick." It's really not too big of a revelation - herbs have been known, at least by the shamaness-to-be, to treat a variety of maladies - but it's not yet been completely realized or voiced aloud until now. "I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I guess I just wasn't sure /what/ we were searching for until now, but I think we should be looking for some sort of plant." But what kind? And where can it be found?

Which makes sense. The flowers that Paoro offered to help ease their nausea are, obviously, plants. "A plant... in the desert?" That would narrow it down. It'll be an unpleasant journey, more so than it has been, but there have to be fewer plants in that area to begin to eliminate. Dichali's 'searching' goes unnoticed by the mallard for the time being, with this conversation taking up the majority of his attempts to force his thoughts into some coherent pattern.

Makya had been thinking of an herb or plant since the journey started. He has known shamans, and has watched as herbs and roots have healed ailments in the past. Mentions of a desert cause him to think. Beyond the two rivers... Maybe that doesn't mean east, but beyond where the waters of the rivers nourish the lands. Which would be a desert. The strange rock, the same one that the same wolf mentioned to Paoro was mentioned to him as well, and he starts to think. He can travel further, faster, than any of these. He's healthy, and he can fly. Perhaps he should go find this rock, fly to the edge of the plains and head south toward the dry lands. The sun-wolf may have been closer to the cure before he set off on his travels.

Dichali just starts staring at the water with great interest, seemingly having nothing to say at the moment.

Camarin remains silent for the time being, she is growing quite sleepy. A plant, or a combination of plants, would make sense. She has never been to the desert and has reservations about how well her skinny legs will hold up in the sand, but the cure must be found. After listening to the conversation go back and forth for a minute, she speaks. "Going into the desert will be quite a task. I suggest we load up on water and rest well before we undertake it. I'm going to nap now... but I don't need much sleep. I'll stand watch afterwards if you all want. You never know what might see sick animals as an opportunity to be taken advantage of."

All of these animals have had their sleep schedules interrupted by this sickness. Maybe that's a good thing. Therdde has a mental picture of deserts very similar to this horse's, and travelling when the sun is lower may be beneficial. To the horse, who expresses an intention to nap, he says, "Most of us have slept fairly recently. We won't be leaving until after the carnivores among us have had a chance to eat, but I imagine it will not be long, after that, before we leave." So, chances are, they won't need her as a guard, at least not immediately. Of course, the mallard hasn't have guard duty since that day he and Dichali unknowingly nearly wound up Chesmu's meal.

[Therdde]

Part Two

It took Chesmu a while, but it was well worth it. He has got to be either the luckiest cougar, or the most resourceful, but he managed to track, stalk, and kill a bighorn sheep from a distance away. Since he already hunted for himself, this is for Paoro. A little winded from going the whole distance lugging this carcass, Chesmu finally reapproaches the group.

Camarin nods. "Alright, then. Just wake me when it's time to depart. Hmmph, I guess I'll at least be useful out there as a provider of shade, if nothing else." With this wry observation, the mare drops her head to the ground for a quick snooze. She is asleep before Chesmu returns, so she'll just have to get acquainted later.

The scent of blood reaches Paoro's nose, and her intense hunger is enough to motivate her to quickly roll onto all fours, trotting towards Chesmu as he drags his catch towards the pond. "Thank you, Chesmu, it's much appreci..." she trails off as she gets close enough to see exactly what it is, casting a furtive but worried glance behind her at their own ram companion - but he's apparently too focused on the pond to have noticed yet. She tries to block his view as best as possible, but hunger trumps morality at the moment, and she quickly begins to tear at her dinner.

It's probably a good thing that Therdde doesn't have the sense of smell that others among this group do. nevertheless, he sees Paoro take a sudden, avid interest in something, and he follows her movement to the prey Chesmu brings back. Of course, the male cougar has to bring back the most questionable prey possible. Did he go all the way back to the mountains to kill it? The duck shakes his head, and then begins to turn away, having no desire to watch a carnivore eat.

Makya has seen enough. Though he wants some of the carcass badly, he knows he can find other food elsewhere along the way. The gift of being a scavenger, he can eat just about anything and live on it. He suppresses his hunger and makes only an idle note of the fact the cougar brought back a bighorn ram, not unlike the one that's in the group. Define irony... Spreading his wings, and without uttering a goodbye, the raven strikes off. He's faster, and he'll get a head start if the group hangs around long enough to eat. He got new information, which is all he wanted.

Dichali turns his head after a few moments of staring at the water for no apparent reason. The first thing he sees aside from Paoro's backside is the head of another ram. As opposed to being insulted, he actually looks a touch delighted. "Oh, hey, I know you," he greeted toward the dead ram, "You look /great/. Too bad about all this sickness stuff..." He's talking...to the obviously dead ram... What's going on THERE?

Chesmu gives Paoro the room she needs, and is immediately distracted by Dichali's sudden... what the? did he miss something? Can't the ram... oh dear. Chesmu realizes he might have just picked the wro-- What the? He looks on in absolute amazement as Dichali starts carrying on a conversation. "I must have missed something.

Paoro stops mid-chew as Dichali suddenly speaks up - but not to protest. In fact, he seems to be carrying on a conversation with her meal. She feels even sicker than before as she wonders if this could be one of her new friend's relatives. Swallowing heavily, she looks down at the carcass with a heavy weight in her stomach, unsure of what to do. Ignore him? Continue eating? Drag it off somewhere?

Therdde is drawn to look back when Dichali starts speaking suddenly. Slowly, he looks between the live ram and the dead one. He knows he has been confused recently, but... That's not confusion. That's madness. To Dichali, he says, "Dich? What are you doing?" He doesn't know the ram all that well, sure, but this really doesn't seem like him.

Dichali blinks a bit as he realizes what Paoro's up to. "Wai---," he demands, "Why are you EATING me? Why am I even out of my own body?!" He peers at Therdde and tilts his head. "I'm talking to myself," he answers, "WHY are you letting me get eaten?"

Chesmu just stares at Dichali in wonder. Just what the devil is going on with him? Must be the illness. He looks over at Paoro, and just shakes his head. He went to all that trouble to bring the thing here. Just eat it. Dichali will forgive you! ... He hopes.

Paoro isn't really sure how to deal with this situation. 'It's not you, it's your cousin'? She's famished, but she doesn't feel comfortable eating in front of the ram anymore - perhaps out of sight will be out of mind for Dichali. Grabbing a hold of the carcass with her strong jaws, she begins to tug it behind a clump of bushes.

Therdde wonders if he should be relieved that Paoro is dragging the carcass away, or if Dichali is going to go after it. More confused than ever, the duck is quick to take to the air from the water and land between Dichali and Paoro. "Nobody is eating you. You're right here, not over there." The duck has no idea how to react in such a situation. This is far outside the realm of anything he's had to deal with in the past.

The ram looks thoughtful for a moment. "Oooh, him," Dichali replies, "Oh that's fine, he was kind of a jerk anyway, and if he was caught by a lone predator he probably needed to get eaten." He then frowns a bit. "I think I need more blue flowers," he mutters, "I feel sick."

"You think?" Chesmu asks in absolute astonishment. He looks at the others. This seems to be a new thing for the sickness. He decides maybe to keep an eye on Paoro before the ram decides he *does* care about this sheep.

Paoro successfully pulls the carcass behind cover of the shrubbery, but suddenly she feels very odd. Blinking, she seems to have temporarily forgotten where she was. Glancing down at the meal at her feet, she lowers her mouth for another bite before she suddenly stops short, looking up at the body's head to see familiar horns. "...oh no. No no no." Surely she didn't...eat one of her own companions? Someone who trusted her? And then dragged it away out of shame? How could she do that and live with herself? "Oh, Dichali...I'm so sorry..." Her words are mumbled, likely going unheard by the ram himself or the duck.

Therdde doesn't like where this may be going. If Dichali is seeing things that don't exist, now... The rest of them may not be far behind. Unless Therdde is the one hallucinating? Cringing at the thought, the duck looks to see if there are any flowers around once Dichali seems to regain touch with reality. He finds on, and walks to it to pick it up in his bill and return it to the ram. Of course, he doesn't know, yet, that Paoro has started worsening too.

Dichali gratefully accepts and munches upon the flower Therdde got him. "Thanks, suddenly got nauseous there for a moment," he stated, "...what were we talking about again?"

Chesmu overhears Paoro on his way to her. What the devil? "Paoro! Snap out of it! That isn't Dichali... Paoro?" He quickens his pace to get to Paoro. If she convinces herself of this hallucination, she might not eat. That is bad. "Paoro?"

Paoro blinks several times as Chesmu repeats her name, shaking her head and snapping out of the delusion. "W-wha..?" Her stomach growls again as she gazes down at the ram - and now that she is no longer confusing her meal with her friend - whom she can hear and see, fully alive - she decides to eat as much of it as she can while she has the opportunity. And isn't thinking it's a friend or family member.

Camarin wakes with a start and quickly is on her feet. She looks around from one of her new companions to the next, utterly confused. "What the...?" She dozes for just a little while and now everyone's gone mad. The air reeks of blood, which makes her extremely nervous, but she manages to keep her wits about her despite the gory site of the half-eaten sheep. No one's hurt, it was just a successful hunt on the cougar's part. Carnivores need to eat too, after all. "Is everyone okay? What happened?"

Therdde doesn't know if he should tell Dichali what they were talking about. That seems like a pretty bad idea, actually. Rather, the mallard replies as much to the nervous mare as to Dichali, "Chesmu brought some food back for Paoro. She's... Eating it discreetly. She'll be back momentarily." He hopes. He didn't hear Paoro speak, but he heard Chesmu, and he wonders if Paoro is experiencing the same level of disorientation as Dichali was.

Dichali gives as much of a smile as a sheep can at that. "Oh that's great, I was hoping that someone would get her food," he states, "...Oh yeah, I saw him go to get something, didn't I?"

Chesmu sits near to Paoro to keep an eye on her. He's not sure what the nature of this disease is, but he realizes that there's a potential for all sorts of trouble. What if that delusion could have been violent? He can't risk it. "A new symptom, do you think?"

Paoro pauses in her chomping down of fresh meat to answer Chesmu: "Probably. Which means we should try and hurry with our quest as much as we possibly can." She swallows. "I'm not sure how much worse this is going to get, and how much time we really have." The wolf hadn't mentioned any deaths in his pack, but there were still rumors nonetheless...

Camarin relaxes as much as she can while the blood from the kill assaults her nostrils. She'll be glad to get out of this place. At least now Paoro will see some strength return. Speaking of keeping strength up... the mare noses at some nearby grass, but can't bring herself to eat. She'll just have to either eat later or go on without it. For now, she paws at the ground, still slightly distressed.

Therdde offer a weak nod to Dichali, who seems to have to recollection of his momentary dementia, for which the duck is extremely grateful. The duck finally sits, sticking to land now. The peace was very short-lived, and has been ended with an infinitely more stressful situation than the one he left. Now, if only they can move on before Paoro's estranged son shows up again... The duck finds himself hoping Paoro finishes her meal very soon.

Darau had been gone for a good bit and was surprised, though thankful, to see everyone still around when he returns from his hunt. In his maw are two rabbits hanging dead, which he drops at his feet once he rejoins the group, "I'm back, got an extra one if anyone wants it." It's not untill he looks around that he realizes he's missed something. As he drags one of his kill over and starts crunching into bone and flesh he asks cautiously, “Everything ok?"

At some point within the last few hours, the one-eyed wolf had slipped from the group with the intention of going unnoticed. Lotus is used to the feel of an empty belly, but he acknowledges the need to keep his strength up, and thus had to see to his own needs; seeking out the scraps from old carcasses, and any other inert sources of protein, so to at least stop the hunger pangs--they were making him feel worse than he already is. As the canine returns to the pond, Lotus looks around only long enough to ascertain that they haven't left without him, and then plops down beside the willow, not really in the state of mind to want to take notice if anybody acting amiss.

Paoro quickly fills her starved belly on ram meet, licking her reddened muzzle in a vain attempt to clean it off before facing her herbivorous companions. Stepping out from behind the bushes, she seems to have regained both her senses and her strength for the time being, and she nods to those who have recently rejoined them. "Things are fine," she answers, perhaps not telling the entire truth for the sake of not making them any more worried than they already are. "I think we should leave soon, though. Very soon." Where will they go? They'll go as far as they can manage - there's nothing they'll learn just sitting here at the pond, that's for sure. And this has become quite a pressing matter.

Camarin turns back to the pond. If the group is leaving, best fill up on water while there's still water to be had. Without a word, she lowers her head and starts to drink, figuring the others will follow suit if they need to.

Therdde glances to Darau. The attitudes of everyone around the area certainly seem grave, but the worst of it seems to have passed, for now. He stays near enough to speak comfortably to Darau just long enough to say, "It'll be fine." The duck then returns to the water. His own nausea is beginning to make him uncomfortable again, and everything that just happened may have something to do with it; more how Dichali reacted to sight of the dead ram than anything else.

Darau nods at Paoro's words, not questioning any further and picks up the pace on his dinner, ripping and tearing the bunny to bits, somewhat oblivious to anything else at the moment until the duck waddles up and to him. "Let’s hope so, I'm starting to get a little...nervous. I hope we leave soon." As he finishes, he starts to move towards the water but thinks twice about it, not wanting to risk getting sick from the others, if that is in fact how the illness is spread.

Dichali gives a careful nod to everyone before he wanders about to eat another blue flower or two.

Lotus glances at Camarin. Who's she? Another addition to their little motley 'pack'? The wolf doesn't ponder long, rather following her lead. He lifts himself up and slinks to the pond, lapping at the surface before turning to Paoro. Lotus says nothing, but he is ready to go whenever everybody else is.

Chesmu has decided to stay close to Paoro. She would probably be the most dangerous in the case of hallucinations. Whether she likes it or now, he's her shadow now... which makes his idea of hunting more difficult. "No matter where you go, Paoro, I'll be there to make sure you don't have lapses in judgment. Wouldn't be good to have you think that all the animals are food... or that I'm your enemy or anything."

Taking the lack of objection to be a tired sort of acquiescence, Paoro simply nods to Chesmu and, with a final drink at the pond, begins to pad towards the south and the plains that lie beyond with her rag-tag tribe following behind.

Camarin decides to bring up the rear, since she can easily send the others on ahead and fight off anything attacking from behind. She stands and waits for the others to start off after Paoro, and then falls in line behind them.

Wait, they're leaving? That's what Therdde gets when he doesn’t pay attention. As soon as Paoro starts walking south, the duck leaves the water again, taking immediately to the air to make sure he doesn't even begin to get left behind. His own illness doesn't seem to have gotten any worse recently... Hopefully it'll stay that way, and he can stay airborne for a little while.

Plisken scoots along the water, a fat lump in hit gut where a small mammal has found its grave. catching a listen onto what Chesmu says to Paoro, and smiles then, oh how beautifully marvelous. He "I apologize! I am coming!" he makes it to the group, "I'm afraid my hunt for food turned into more of a recovery than an honest hunt." he calls out as he arrives, unphased that yet another has joined their ranks.

- Unknown Lands -

Darau trots along at a steady pace keeping an eye, and nose, out for anything unusual. This place is HUGE and easily confusing to the wolf. He's glad he didn't have to track any beast here. "Wow...um, ok. Now what?"

Dichali follows along after the others, looking around quietly. Luckily, in spite of his worsening condition, he felt much better than he had in days prior. Thus, he was actually doing well on this trek.

Lotus only half follows. He remembers this place from when he was here with Therdde, although it still intrigues him. The wolf sniffs at the ground, while still flowing in the general direction the group is going.

Leading the troupe of unexpected allies even despite her recent delusion, Paoro leaves the river for the open prairie, facing it down with a firm look of intent. Orienting herself against the sun - now that it's beginning to sink, they should keep it on their right flank instead of their left shoulder - she angles towards the southeast, embarking on a trek through the unknown lands.

Chesmu keeps a close watch over their leader. If she ever shows signs of danger, he'll attack only with enough force to get her down to the ground, pinned, and nothing else. "Where are we? I have never seen this place."

Camarin follows, keeping her ears perked and occasionally craning her neck around to glance behind for danger. Fortunately, there are no foreign scents on the wind so she's not entirely on edge. As they trek over the plains, she occasionally leans down to snatch a mouthful of grass. The trek is peaceful and almost enjoyable if not for the constant nagging in her mind that though she feels fine, her companions probably feel considerably less so. She remains silent for now, since she's never been this way and can't answer Chesmu's question.

Therdde remembers this area as well as Lotus does, though what lies ahead is still a mystery. The duck is flying too near the ground, in case his strength should abandon him, to see far ahead of the group. he's got an uncanny sense of absolute direction, but that's combined with instincts that have been misfiring recently while he's been flying, thanks to some confusion. Answering Chesmu, he says, "This is the area Lotus was talking about. I doubt any of us have been far beyond here."

Plisken hmms some, putting a sort of sprint to his step, gathering what seems to be taking place, he catches up to Paoro, "Correct me if I am wrong... how are you feeling, Paoro?" he inquires, however his voice is far from compassionate. He keeps an eye on Chesmu, curious, but allowing him to speak with the avian. YEs, watch him. He seems to bite down on his own jaw focusing on keeping up. but does so.

As they continue on, Darau moves alongside Lotus, being the only other wolf in the group, and tries to start up a casual conversation, though somewhat softer so as not to address the entire group, “So, what do you think of all this. This group I mean. They seem nice enough but, what do you think is going to happen if we actually find this 'cure'?"

Lotus lifts his head, ignoring the mental swirling that accompanies the motion. "Hm?" He considers the question for a moment. "Some of them so seem that way, it's true. However, I have no delusions." Not yet. "I'm sure we'll see everybody's true colors as we near this cure." He answers with a swish of his tail.

"I don't think many of us have. We've had no reason to," Paoro responds to Chesmu, echoing Therdde. "The water ends here, and apparently the grasses do as well a little further on." It's certainly a vastly different type of terrain than she's used to up on the mountains. Looking down at Plisken, she manages a light smile. "I'm feeling better, thanks." She remembers her offer from earlier: "If you get tired, let me know and I'll let you climb atop."

Chesmu closes his eyes and takes a whiff. Dry. "More sparse than I imagined." he says. "A good thing we ate before entering... I get the feeling we're going to face greater trials here." He looks over at Paoro. "I am beginning to understand your position on trust, Paoro. If you think you might face another outbreak... let me know?"

Camarin is still behind everyone, and intends to remain there as they continue their journey. "If any of you need to rest, just let me know... you can hop onto my back if you're small enough and think you can hold on." With that, she falls silent again, and walks on, ever vigilant. She'll follow until they stop to rest and then get a little more sleep.

Therdde has had enough rest that he has no intention of riding on anyone's back in the immediate future. The movement feels good, and probably will continue to feel good until the next wave of dizziness hits. Or nausea, or terrible confusion. he slips into silence, focusing his energy on keeping himself airborne for the time being and listening to the conversation down below, as well as looking ahead for any potential obstacles that could be risky to the whole group.

Plisken continues along beside Paoro and nods, "I would appreciate the lift, please." he accepts, grinning then. "Are you sure you're feeling better?" he asks. Could she doubt her own feelings? With this odd disease anything is possible it seems. "What exactly happened?" he's curious, having been away on his hunt, he wants to make sure they make it to their destination, though as this group continues to grow... no we must still reach this cure, he thinks to himself.

Darau nods and keeps his voice low towards Lotus thinking about everyone's 'true colors' as he watches Plisken get onto Paoro's back, "That’s what I was thinking...so, if anything happens, I can count on you, right? I'll protect you if you’re too sick by then, I promise, as long as I have your word. Paoro seems ok, but lately...well, everyone is acting weird around her. And some of the others..." Darau glances at Chesmu briefly, "Well I just think we should be ready for anything is all."

Dichali was still walking in silence before he stumbles a little. "Gah," he mutters, "Why's the world suddenly trying to move so fast?" Poor ram must seriously be getting sicker and sicker with the passing moments.

Lotus's left ear twitches. He keeps his tone down, as well. To match Darau's. "It's okay to trust them for now, I think. We're all after the same goal. But it's wise to be ready for anything." Goodness knows he's learned that many times. "As for whether you can count on me... I'd like to think you can. I give you my word that I mean no ill on you, or others. If you accept that, is for you to decide." Other than his words, the one-eyed wolf can only offer a small smile to the other wolf.

Paoro nods to Chesmu at his concerned question. "I will try." Her eyes remained focus on the path ahead of her, however, and she attempts to seek out the landmark that Helaku had told them about in the distance. She lowers herself to allow the snake to slither between her shoulders, providing her with a rather dangerous ornamentation. After several more moments of walking, she sees something promising, a dark lump growing out of the otherwise flat lands.

[Therdde]

Part Three

- (Different) Unknown Lands -

Chesmu looks over at Paoro, then ahead. Ahhh, the rock! No doubt Paoro saw it before he. "There it is." he says. "I suggest we stop and consider our next decision once we reach the rock." He looks at the other members of the group. Trust.

Therdde flies downward so that he's closer to the one creature who has been with him since the very beginning of this illness. He can't keep track of all the different conversations, but he did hear what Dichali said. He lands as gentle as he possibly can on the ram's back, simply to hold a conversation with him more easily. "Are you holding in there, Dichali?" Therdde is still concerned about the ram's earlier episode, and he knows that Dichali is growing worse with each passing moment.

Plisken looks to the rock and coils loosely over Paoro’s neck to anchor himself best he can, "Do you truly believe we can trust him?" he asks in her ear, "He treats you like you are too weak to lead." His foreboding whispers target Chesmu, "Even the rest of our 'pack' keep their eyes in /his/ direction." He slowly cranes his neck out pasted her face, his single serpent's eye looking to hers, "But you and I know you are going to be just fine... aren’t you." His voice not a question but a quiet suggestion.

Dichali wobbles slightly as he walks, but at least it's not so bad as to make Therdde fall. "Yeah...it's just that it feels like the world is spinning around me..." he mutters, "I don't think the world is very happy with me right now."

"I /am/ too weak to be a justifiable leader," Paoro replies. She may be a natural leader, but she at least is capable of realizing when someone else might be better at the helm. "But in this instance, I will keep going on as long as I can to prevent any hang-ups in our progress." As Chesmu suggests they stop at the rock, the cougaress nods in agreement. "Indeed. I'm not sure where to go from here." Paoro lowers herself to the ground to allow the rattlesnake to disembark before looking the large landmark over. Something odd about the rock catches her eye then, and she lifts up on her hind legs to get a closer look, propping herself up with her forepaws. "There are...markings here. Scratched into the stone. How odd."

Chesmu walks up closer to examine the markings. He is oblivious to the snake’s devious and insidious attempts against him. "Strange indeed. I don't understand them." He frowns at the markings. "Does anyone here know what these markings could be?"

Therdde looks ahead to the nearby large rock. "It's all right. We're about to rest." With that in mind, the mallard hops off of Dichali, landing on the ground and beginning to walk. He approaches Paoro and Chesmu cautiously, not certain how the cougaress's condition may have deteriorated during the short journey. From his vantage point, he can barely manage to make out the fact that there are markings in the stone. He couldn't even begin to 'read' them, and even if he could, there's no way he could decipher their meaning. "I'm afraid I'll won't be any help."

Plisken half rolls off, and grunts. Becoming angry that all he managed to do was effect her spirit. He sits beside Therdde and humms softly, then shakes his head, then wonders what he will do next. Slithering around Paoro he grins sees how ill that poor tam seems to be, and slithers towards him, recalling his name, "Dichali..." his voice is cool and quiet, "Oh sweet Dichali are you alright?" his sweet tone is a sickening mockery of compassion that the snake purposefully muses, as though to be his own caricature.

The very ill ram blinks a bit as the snake speaks to him. "Wow...hello," he greets, "I think I can still make it...the sickness is just hitting me really heavy...I'm tired and weak and nauseous and dizzy and confused and I don't know what all else..."

Paoro's ear flicks back to Therdde as he speaks, and Paoro frowns slightly. "I'm afraid I can't make much sense of them either. It's obvious there are several drawings of animals here, but if we're meant to interpret these symbols, we'll have to find some other sort of help." She wonders if that desert wolf might know, but figures he would have told them if he did. She turns back to the group. "So, now what should we do?"

Chesmu blinks at the glyphs and sighs. "We can't turn back or we'll likely lose you all to this illness. I fear we might even have to guess what it means if it means moving that much closer." He looks over at Paoro. "What do you recommend?"

This is not good news. The duck certainly looks dejected, and tired, and worried. He tries to think about what kind of animal could have possibly carved those symbols in the stone like that. He doubts any winged animal could have held himself steady to do so, which eliminates talons and narrows it down to something with claws, probably. A bear? Large enough, strong enough... Patient enough to stand the desert climate? Maybe, if lives depended on it. The confusion won't allow him to think of anything else, so he voices his train of thought. "What do you think could have made those symbols, Paoro?"

"We're all very confused..." Plisken replies, offering a strange smile and nodding before moving back to the others and the rock to inspect it himself, "What kinds of animals are they? Are they doing anything?" he asks from so far below. Listening to them, unable to see the carvings himself. He will deal with the ram later.

Dichali carefully makes his way closer to the carvings. He doesn't want to trample anything after all. "Hmm...you don't think it might have been a man thing, do you?"

"Gods. Or Man. Perhaps Man /is/ a sort of God, albeit not necessarily a benevolent one." Paoro peers in a little closer at the markings, as if she'll be able to discern some meaning if she looks closely enough. Suddenly, one of them moves. Then another. Paoro blinks. And all of a sudden, all the crudely-drawn animals seem to lurch to life, running around the circumference of the rock shelf as if fleeing or pursuing in a never-ending chase. "What...what's going on?" she asks, suddenly very confused.

Chesmu looks over at Paoro and blinks. "What? You recognize them?" He hasn't quite caught onto the idea that Paoro is having another hallucination.

Therdde didn't know Paoro suffered from some delusion earlier. He looks up, and again sees nothing but a few vague lines in the rock. Nothing's going on, and what Paoro says doesn't sound like she's simply thought of something. He had wondered how long it would take before she began showing the same signs of affliction as Dichali. Shaking his head at Chesmu, he states, "She doesn't see what we see." But, if these symbols have something to do with the disease, is that necessarily a bad thing? Might the disease actually result in some heightened way of reading these markings? Maybe whatever Paoro is hallucinating is not, in the strictest sense, untruth.

Dichali blinks and peers hard at the markings. "What are you," he muttered, "Why are you theeeeeeeeere?" He acted as if he honestly expected some response from the markings...

Chesmu looks at the ram and female cougar. But, remembering his promise, he's not about to let Paoro go too far into the hallucination. He said he'd help her with that. "Paoro!" he barks out sharply. "You're drifting!"

"No...they're moving," Paoro replies to Chesmu in a voice that sounds almost dream-like in nature, her head tilting slightly as she watches the images race around, almost hypnotic in their repetitive motions. The cougar growls out her name, loud enough to reach some part of her mind still unaffected, and she slowly pulls herself out of the reverie, the carvings slowly fading back to their original positions. She drops to the ground, eyes wrought with concern. "I...I think we might need to rest again before we press onward." At least the ill among them.

Therdde is not a very spiritual creature. Paoro has proven herself to be. And yet, even Therdde has to admit that this disease seems to be someone beyond them. Rumours that it may not affect certain species, even though it crosses the species border, unlike most illnesses Therdde has seen. The young duck still has to wonder if these hallucinations are bordering on visions. Speaking up, he says, "Dichali needs to rest too. I think you're right, Paoro." And in the meantime, for those who don't need to or feel like they can't rest? This large rock should offer them all plenty to think about, if they can still think logically.

Dichali seems to tire of looking at the markings and blinks a bit as Therdde mentions him. "Yeah maybe I should sleep so the world stops trying to make me fall over," he mumbled before carefully settling into a laying position.

Paoro lies down next to the rock and quickly falls asleep, no doubt soon to be dreaming about those mysterious symbols.

Chesmu looks at the rock. "Maybe someone healthy should scout around?" That might seem wise. So long as the rock stays within view, no?

Therdde looks to Chesmu. He started talking to the cougar again earlier today, and since then nothing terribly bad has happened that the mallard would perceive as being Chesmu's thought. With a brief nod, the mallard says, "Just remember that we may be here for a while, and we have no idea where there may be water or food." In other words, 'Don't do anything stupid that you may have to recover from.' Even if the mallard said it like that, the fact that he shows some small amount of concern for the male cougar's well-being ought to be impressive.

Dichali just mumbles to himself about the symbols as he lays there. It's not even constructive mumbling, just non-sensible stuff.

Chesmu looks down at Paoro. He looks at the others. "I won't go far. And I suppose i might have to backtrack to familiar territory to get food if I have to... assuming I do not get lost."

Therdde gives one more nod, then settle down some short distance from Dichali and Paoro. No telling what one of them might do if taken by a fit of hysteria, and he'd prefer the potential ability to have some time to react, should things turn really ugly.