Knowing the Stakes of Life

[Althaea]

Location
The Fallen Log

In Order of Appearance
Kasim - male Cougar
Lykaois - male adol. Wolf
Velefar - males Cougar
Halidari - female adol. Wolf (Laz)
Seven - male Wolf

Scene
To be frank, having this sickness just plain sucks! Kasim is the kind of guy who always tries to help others when he can but being sick like this and having to limit his actions just doesn't sit well with him. The only thing that he really /can/ do is rest, travel for only a little bit, and rest some more. Still, his information about the cure to this strange sickness is growing, even if only by a bit, and it's enough to keep him satisfied. Right now, Kasim is simply resting next to the fallen log, but he intends to go searching in the direction that Jackrabbit told him about the other day; south of here and towards a fork in the river. It's not much to go on, but anything that could possibly lead to the cure of this sickness is something Kasim has to at least check out.

Good good, so the young prey is resting... Amazing, just what Vel needed. The older cougar is not resting, he couldn't feel better to be honest. Slowly but surely, dancing from branch to branch and heading to Kasim's direction, the dark cougar smiles to himself. He's as silent as the wind, but it's a shame he can0t hide his scent the same way. But he doesn't mind, he's not about to eat the poor and defenseless kitty, is he?

Lykaios did not sleep well the previous night, and today has been entirely unproductive. The youthful canine makes his way into the area, at least no longer thirsty. Hunger still gnaws at him, but he's beginning to get used to it... Again. Spring had spoiled him with abundant prey that even he could catch, and now he's back to not being able to catch anything, though not for the lack of prey this time. The wolf travels slowly, but far from quietly, as that would require too much energy.

After feeling he had a long enough rest, Kasim gets up slowly to his paws. He's about to leave when an unfamiliar scent catches his attention. He's been around these parts for a while now and has gotten used to the many scents here but that was definitely not one of them. Kasim looks around for a bit but doesn't find anything. Either he’s starting to lose his sense of smell-- which he wouldn’t put past this sickness to do-- or this mystery someone wants to keep himself hidden or /that/ is not good for Kasim.

After looking around for a little longer, Kasim spots Lyk making his way up towards him. Giving a smile, Kasim slowly makes his way towards the wolf and gives a happy, "Hey!" to him. Once he makes his way to the wolf, however, Kasim lowers his voice so that only he and Lyk can hear it and says, "There's someone here, keep your eyes open." Sure, Kasim doesn’t really know this wolf but he was friendly enough to him last time they met so the least he can do is warn him of a possible threat, right?
That's cheating! Two on one is not a fair game. As the younger feline wakes up and decides to take a walk to the dog that's nearby, Vel simply stays there, looking through the branches and the leaves, staring at the others. He has all the time in the world, so.

Two sicklies on one who isn't sick? It would seem plenty fair to the wolf. He perks his ear to what Kasim tells him, then nods. Getting sick is quite possibly the best social move the wolf has ever made, because he no longer has the will to avoid people who only might be aggressive towards him. This is how Kasim got to know him, and how he gets warned of a presence here. With a slight nod, the young wolf replies, "I will. Thank you." Thereafter, he sniffs the air cautiously.

It's not like Kasim would be aggressive towards anyone, sickness or not. He has no reason to be aggressive towards the young wolf anyways so there's no point in doing it in the first place. Giving the air another sniff, Kasim identifies it this time. "Cougar." he says in his hushed voice to Lyk. Then, trying to seem as if the whispering game had never happened, he raises his voice to normal speaking level and says, "So, how've you been? You holding out alright?" The /last/ thing Kasim wants is for the mystery stocker to know is they /know/ he's there. Plus, with them both feeling pretty bad, it'd be best to avoid a fight if they can.

Pfft, that was awesome... Vel can’t help but roll his eyes, easing down on his stomach on top of the branch. Fools, so they don't want him to know they know he's there, huh? That's actually confusing... With a grin on his muzzle, he takes a small twig and tosses it to a place away from him and away from the others, just to see how jumpy they are by the sounds of the stalking twig.

Halidari had finally gone home, but you know what, she still hasn't spoken to anyone about the sickness. Alone, confused, dizzy... dizzy confused.. maybe both; she's lost track. Trekking back to where everyone was last seen, the wolfess makes herself rather obvious. "Anyone here... awake... Lyk, Sev... Kas..." Throwing out a few other names she continues forward looking all around. Managing to spot a cougar, an unfamiliar one, Hali calls out with a "Hey, have you seen..." stopping mid sentence when she notices that she's just said something to a stranger, she back up. Crap, now she's done it; she's going to be eaten now.

Lykaios is ill, underfed, and tired. Of course he's a little jumpy. But Kasim is on edge for some reason. Possibly for all the same reasons Lyk is jumpy. His ear twitches to the sound, but he forces himself, against every instinct he has, to not look in that direction. Rather, he responds to the cougar who is actually facing him, rather than to the one who is off somewhere nearby doing something that undoubtedly isn't good. With a slow nod, he says, "Hanging in there. And you? Any news?" The wolf spent the majority of his day away from the area, and the tiniest part of him, the part that believes that everything works out well in the end, wants to believe the jackrabbit will be back with something to

Kasim's ears perk up at the sound of the thrown stick and he slowly turns his head in that direction. It's more out of habit, now that he's learned he can't do things too quickly without making his headache worse, than actually being jumpy about the situation at hand. Looking back to the wolf in front of him when he sees there's no one there, Kasim simply gives a sigh and says, "Not too bad. My headache is really bugging me, though. As for news, nothing yet. I was thinking about heading over to where the rabbit mentioned to check it out for myself but I'm still not sure." Normally he would go and just ignore his headache but, lately, his legs haven't been the most cooperative on the whole 'walking' issue. At the sound of a familiar voice, Kasim looks over to see Halidari again... and talking to someone he hasn't seen before. So that's where their stacker was. "So, that's where you've been this whole time."

Cool, more have come. Vel couldn’t be happier, looking how things are from above. But, since the female comes alone, from a totally different position compared to the males, well... The feline comes down from his hiding spot about three inches away from Hali, "My my. What have we got here?" The cougar glances at the female first, and then he casts a glance at the males, but again at the female. Nah , "You don't look good darling, how about you and I go play breakfast, I'm so sure you will feel better." What's with everybody being weak and all?

She was confused; she just wanted to run about hoping to run into someone she knew and save herself the effort of actually trying to work through a muddled mind and think straight. Look at what it got her into, however; face to face with a cougar that, for all she knows, will make her into a side dish before the appetizer is served. Backing up some more, with every attempt to escape, Hali trips on a rock and plummets to the ground. Fumbling along the ground trying to get up, her head shaking, Hali freaks. "Stay away from me... you... you...” Getting to her paws, her dizziness is spiked from a sudden act of fear. Seeing a slight double of the cougar, she growls. Outnumbered, what is she going to do. "If you know what’s good you... you won't eat me...” Yeah... he'll get sick too if he does. hahahaha.

Lykaios was ready to fight Roulette when he threatened Halidari the night before. This cougar isn't... that... much... scarier... Right? The young wolf crouches to prepare to spring forward. Growling, he commands, "Stay away from her!" His mind isn't big on thinking about repercussions right now. Hence, there's little hesitation before he darts towards kali and this strange, threatening cougar.

Kasim is no fool and he can spot a threat when he sees on and this new cougar /definitely/ is one! Also, with Halidari not at the top of her game, this could turn out pretty bad. Quickly, Kasim barks to her, "Hali, get over here now!" He's not one to raise his voice very much but when a friend is in danger, things change. The sudden growl from behind him catches his attention and he looks over his shoulder to stare at the wolf. "Take it easy." he says calmly but it's obvious his words mean nothing when Lyk charges right towards the strange cougar. "NO, DON'T!" he yells quickly. For now, Kasim doesn't move from where he is but he's very ready to jump in if he is needed. Headache or not, he'll be damned if something happens to his friends.

See? Felines are smarter than dogs, no matter what kind... It's not the clumsy girl that simply fell to a side and... Well, she fell, felines don't fall like that. And the other feline warns the dog to stop, which is actually a good thing. Before the wolves get a chance to 'react', as clumsy as the reactions may be, the cougar topples the female, placing one claw carefully on her forehead, between her eyes as he looks at the brave wolf who's running to their direction, "You take one more step and she dies before you learn the name of your nightmare." Compared to everyone else, Vel looks quite calm, but still letting his weight land on the female's back with his free paw.

Don't eat me.. don’t eat me.. it runs through her head over and over till the voices of friends breaks it. Looking over to them, a mistake no doubt, Hali looks relieved but only for a moment. It is then that she is forced to the ground with a paw to the forehead; and it doesn't take much. Closing her eyes as she hits the ground, she winces nearing yelling. "Please don't! I don't want to die...I... don't... want to... die!" She may of thought differently a few nights ago, but now... now that she's got a reason for living she wants to LIVE. Reopening her eyes, Hali peers with a single eye to the nearing wolf... "Lyk..." She says, her tone just moments from terrified. With pressure now building on her back, Hali beings to whine.

Lykaios is forced to grind to a none-too-graceful halt. When he comes to a stop, still crouched and glaring at the cougar. Hali's tone about tears him apart, and he continues to growl. "I swear, if you hurt her, I will rip you to shreds." It may sound funny coming from a half-starved wolf, but he means every word, more than he has ever meant anything. He'll find a way. Or, more likely, die trying.

Aww crap!!! This just /had/ to happen, didn't it. And at the worst possible of times to boot! The moment he sees the mysterious and obviously dangerous cougar go on top of Hali, Kasim rushes to Lyk's side, not even caring how bad his headache gets anymore. Trying to keep things as calm as he can, Kasim tries to silence Lyk by saying, in a soft yet firm tone, "That's enough. We don't need to be making threats just yet." Then, looking down at Hali, he says to her in a comforting voice, "Hali... Hali listen to me. You need to calm down. Take a deep breath in... then out, in... out." Once that's done, Kasim finally turns his attention to the hostile cougar. "Suddenly coming here and taking a friend hostage, clearly something is on your mind. Who are you and what do you want?" His tone, for now, is that of being very relaxed and calm, though he's ready to try to resort to other methods if he needs to.

Ok, since the others decided to behave and 'stop' walking to his direction, Vel lowers himself just a bit, getting comfortable on his brand new sick miserable dog pillow, taking a deep breath and looking down at the female for a moment, "Listen to your friends darling, calm down, take deep breaths. I've heard it makes the meat tenderer." His claw never moves from that spot, and just for fun he scratches the female's forehead, though scratching doesn't hurt most of the times, "My name is not you business brother... So do not bother asking again." Hmmm, can he actually take all them down? Probably not, "Who of you two brave gentle freaks wants to take her place and be my meal, huh?"

He wants her to calm down and breathe... what kind of situation does he think she's in. Shaking her head to the voice of Kasim, Hali doesn't think she's even capable of doing such a thing when she can hardly breathe to begin with. "Shut... up!" she calls out taking in a breath that’s only pushed out by the felines act of laying on her; the scratching on her head doesn't help either, as it just makes her wince. Eyes glossing, Hali growls, fighting the weight on her body. Why are they just standing there? Get this loaf off before there’s nothing left to save.

Lykaios's growl shifts to a whine. He's killing her! All the same, Lyk manages to listen to Kasim... Barely. Now seems like the perfect time for threats. He remains crouched, hackles raised, looking for all the world like he intends to spring forward again at a moment's notice.

This is really bad! Not only is this guy crushing Hali to death, he's also demanding that he be able to eat one of them. Plus with Lyk about to jump at a moment’s notice makes this a pretty tough situation. Looking over at Lyk, Kasim says calmly, "Please Lyk, control yourself. Everything will work out." Easier said than done. Turning back towards the cougar, Kasim simply stares at him for a good minute, thinking. What to do now? He /could/ try to fight him off, but the sickness has lessened his strength and endurance. Wait a minute.... that's it! It's a little iffy but it just might work. "I wouldn't try and eat any of us if I were you. You see, we are all infected with some sort of mystery sickness with no cure as of yet. If you ate one of us, you would only be hurting yourself. And, please, could you stop putting so much weight on her."

The dark feline hmms at the others, ears perked up. Oh, so they're sick? Awesome, he can watch them die slowly and then eat them. With a chuckle, not one that sounds pleasant though, he puts some more weight on the female's head, leaning his head to see her, "Interesting..." He mutters softly, licking slowly the female's cheek, hmmm, "She doesn't taste . . . Ill... Besides, there's no need to eat what you kill, just making the world a favor getting rid of this... Dogs."

Oh sure, like telling him to less weight is really going to help. Looking up Hali would nod to that, but you see she can’t so.. "Yea.. would ya. I thought you wanted.. ahhhhhggg!" her words broken by a sound of agony. First her body now her head.. what’s next? Now between a rock and a hard place, literally, Hali is licked by the guy; how disgusting. "I'l ta.. tha.. as a ... comp'ment." she snaps in broken words and a grunt. Practically crushed now for the most part, Hali is so close to just giving up.

All hope is lost it seems, and it's not the fact that she's giving up; it's the fact that no one has the courage to do something. Not... Looking well, the zig zag walking wolf comes behind Kasim and Lyk, blurry shapes, the lots of them... "Humberral... Narr..." Yeah, he hasn't eaten a long time, and he's not the best to help them, in fact! he has no idea what's going on. But, as he looks past at the others, and the growling, and her voice being cut off... Seven shakes his head, trying to focus on what's in front of him... Holy cow! "Hali!" He yells, walking to that direction, not that he can run or anything, "Oh pal you are so dead!" Tah dah!

Lykaios really, really hates the feeling of not being able to do anything. It couldn't have come at a worse time, either. Lyk just recently swore to Hali he would keep her safe... Or something like that. And it's much more difficult to think of it as some sort of game, like he did yesterday, when Roulette was ill and aggressive. This isn't some confused, sick dog. This is a sadistic, evil cougar. He forces himself to pretend to calm down, at least, and says, "The nearer you stay to us, the more likely you are to catch what we have." Lyk has no way of knowing that, but it seems true. And, as Kasim says, there's no cure. The frightened male holds his ground, but he looks less likely to leap forward at a moment's notice. Of course, it's all an act, but he hopes that isn't obvious.

Jeez why did this have to happen to him? He's tried everything he can think of to get this guy off of Hali by peaceful means but it's becoming clearer by the second that it won’t work. A fight just seems inevitable. He's about to say something before he is interrupted by what sounds like random babbling. Looking around him, Kasim recognizes the new wolf as the one that passed out right before Sister Deer showed up. This might actually help him out a bit... Before Seven can move any closer, Kasim jumps in front of him with his back to Hali and the cougar. "Look, we have a bit of a situation here. Don't do anything sudden." It's a stern warning that he hopes Seven gets. He turns back around to face Hali, now slightly closer, and asks again, "Is there anything we three can do to convince you to get off of her?" In his mind, Kasim says a silent prayer that the cougar answers yes. He /really/ doesn't want to fight.

Velefar looks at the new wolf, then at the same wolf, and back to the 'creative' traitor. With a grin, he points his nose at the wolves; sort of nooging the female's head, but harder than being any kind of game, "You my ... So called brother." His voice is just mean, he's such a jerk, "Fight the dogs, do NOT befriend with them. Show me you have what it takes and fight them and I will let her go." That just MIGHT convince him. His head is lowered slightly, murmuring to the female, "And you, if you value your life, choose which one of your friends live and which one dies."

At this point Hali has no idea who’s around her and who isn't, even if their voices ring load and clear. Her name rings through deaf ears as Hali allows herself to take to the ground like the ill infected wolf she is. If this is the end, then make it quick. Looking toward the sky, Hali would cry is there were any tears to weep. How was she suppose to choose between them... she can't, she won’t; there must be a better way. Refusing to answer the cougar, she shakes her head. "No... I can't. He mustn't. I will not have it." What can she do about it though; she can hardly move not to mention fight back.

The hell with that, Seven is not going to waste time listening to silly cougars order him around... The wolf takes a step to a side, not that he actually wanted to do that, he's dizzy, ok? The wolf bares his teeth, lowering himself and growling at the monster that's harassing the girl, "We have to do something..." He sounds drunk, even if he isn't. Taking another step closer next to Kasim, whispering something to him, then his gaze meets Hali's again, breathing slowly.

Finally, someone who agrees with Lykaios. They have to do /something/. This strange cougar obviously isn't willing to hear a word they say. Unfortunately, now Kasim stands between the two male wolves and the cougar who is threatening Halidari. Lykaios falls to the other side of Kasim than Seven is on, taking a cautious step forward. There's no way this strange cougar could beat the three of them combined, even sick though they are. So why doesn't one of the older ones attack, already?!

It's amazing how quickly a situation can go from bad to worse for one individual. Unfortunately, that individual just so happened to be Kasim. At the cougar's words, Kasim looks back at his two wolf 'friends' with a mixture of worry and some fear. He's /not/ at the top of his game right now and a fight will just make him worse... But if he does nothing, then Hali will surely be crushed. As Seven pads closer and whispers into his ear, Kasim jumps back away from him as though he's suddenly afraid of him. "Don't even think about it." he says as menacingly as he can but gives Seven and Lyk a small wink of his eye to show that he understood Seven. Waiting cautiously, Kasim bends down into his fighting stance, ready for one of them. May the spirits have kind judgment on his soul...

Velefar raises a brow at the others, thinking... Will they? Come on, he wants to see someone bleeding or dying or whatever, entertain him you dogs! With a growl, the feline unsheathes his claws, literally gripping the female's head with them, "You are wasting my time!" He yells as loud as he can, looking between them and taking a step backwards, "Ten..." His claw very slowly presses on the female's forehead, going up her skull, "Nine..." Licking his teeth as he looks at the other cougar, paw wanting to crush the female's skull with his weight, "Eight..."

[Althaea]

[continued]

Why are they just standing there; do they actually want her to die by the paws of this crazy creature. How could they just stand back and watch her suffer; it was a painful thought knowing that any moment could be her last; that is could be their last... Closing her eyes once more, Hali waits for the end lying there in the arms of death. Her head gripped by claws then 'ten'. Was he counting down to her doom? Pain struck sharp across her forehead as the cougars claws began to sink in. A faint whimper can be heard. 'Nine' - it was then that blood trickled to the ground. 'Eight' was Hali even there, has pain taken her senses.

Seven snaps at Kasim, almost biting the younger cougar, "Just do it!" He growls at the cougar, moving to stand between Kasim and Lykaios, what for? Well, he has his reason. The wolf launches himself to 'attack' Kasim, but more like he's should tossing his weak body against the cougar, not biting or trying to do any damage.

Lykaios is more than a little confused, for more than a mere moment, as Kasim's attitude changes. He doesn't really realize what the two intend to do until after Seven actually snaps at Kasim, when it begins to dawn on the muddled young wolf. The fright is easy to feign as he takes a step back from the two who are fighting. He has to fight from saying something to the strange cougar, who might figure out their game if Lyk appears too worried about Hali and not at all worried about his 'friends'.

When Seven snaps at him, Kasim pulls clear away from both wolves and backs up a few paces, careful not to get to close to Hali for fear that the other cougar could take that as a threat and hurt her more than he already has. He glares back at the other wolves with a small growl escaping his throat. He doesn't want to do this at all, but he knows he has to... for Hali's sake. When Seven 'pounces' towards him, Kasim manages to get out of the way in time, his headache and tired muscles not making it easy for him, and immediately goes to pin him. No claws, no teeth or anything, just convincing fighting. Still, Kasim knows that Lyk will need to get involved in this if it is to look convincing enough for the cougar to buy it. They just need to wait for the perfect moment... then try and get rid of the cougar for good.

Convincing fights have claws and teeth and blood, that's not really convincing for Vel's eye... But who ever said it needed to be convincing. AS the others start fighting, Vel only chuckles, waiting for the opportune moment, which surely is when Lyka joins the fun too. The cougar lowers his chest a bit, whispering to the female, then again licking her ear with that evil chuckle.

Tainted by her own blood, Hali has become the cause of all this and she must be the one to end it as well - but how? Eyes closed her breathing deep, the wolfess tries to think but her head is filled with pain making it quite difficult. The low whisper; a sudden direct noise; destroys all thought in her muddled mind. Remain still or die... what choice did she have? As the cougar's voice fades and silence takes its place Hali leans back limp; his lick practically unfelt. Her dizziness has returned and the combination of that and head trauma don't exactly mix. She passes out.

Seven is easily pinned down; he's like an old carpet now, flat on his stomach with his eyes closed... If that's what it takes, he won't care... Not even making a sound, he just waits to see what happens, if Kasim actually will try to kill him or not.

Lykaios had sincerely hoped that only the fully adult animals fighting would be enough to satisfy this strange cougar. Apparently not, and as Lykaios witnesses the female wolf pass out, he resumes his growling. Fine. This cougar wants him to fight? He'll fight. He'll likely end up hurting for it, but he'll fight. As soon as the young male starts growling, he crouches, and a moment later he leaps at Kasim. He doesn't carry a lot of body weight, but he hopes to knock Kasim off of Seven anyway. Notably, there's no use of teeth or claws, but it is rather more vicious than the only other recent scuffle he has had, which was nothing more than play with Seven and Hali. This is much different.

Of course, Kasim has no intention at all of killing Seven. He just needs this to look convincing enough for the cougar which apparently works since he hasn't spoken up to them yet. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Lyk about to leap at him. He raises his paw up, making it look as though he's about to strike down at Seven, but instead lets Lyk hit him from the side. Once he hits the ground, the world suddenly goes spinning and upside down. Kasim needs to take a couple of seconds to gather himself again before he slowly gets to his paws to face the two wolves again. Wow, that's something he doesn't want to experience again.

Good boys! Vel is so proud of you all! The cougar grins, taking a deep breath. And let’s face it, they are actually fighting. The cougar is like a shadow, he could be there or he could be at least one mile away from them now. But they won't notice for some more minutes, let the boys play.

Velefar has left.

What the hell is Lyka thinking about? He shouldn't have done that, the whole idea was for Seven to fight Kasim and leave Lyk out of this. The wolf looks from Lyka to Kasim, growling and standing up, circling around Kasim slowly and waiting so see what he does. Not that'll really react fast or anything.
Lykaios did what he wants. He got Kasim off of Seven. Lyk hits the ground a little more roughly than he would have preferred, on the other side of Kasim, but he's quick to get his feet back under him, and he crouches again, facing Kasim and Seven and still growling. He hasn't seen Velefar abandon Hali yet, or this act would be over in a heartbeat.

It's not like Kasim is doing this because he wants to. He only agreed to this whole fighting thing in the first place because a friend was close to dying. If Kasim had it his way, he'd either be checking out the spot where the rabbit told him about or resting up to go there. Plus, with his headache getting worse by the second and his legs feeling like they are about to give way underneath him, he's not in the best of conditions to be play fighting. Desperately, Kasim shoots a look over at Hali to check if she's alright... only to see that the cougar is gone. That means... that means that they can finally stop this! Quickly looking at the two wolves, Kasim says, "Guys stop, the cougar is gone!" and he turns towards Hali's motionless body and sprints towards it. Oh no, she doesn't look good...

Seven looks at Kasim, not believing in his words for a moment... But when he turns and sees Hali on the ground like that, well... The cougar isn't really there, but you can't be so sure. as fast as he can, Seven ... Tries to run to her direction, falling to a side and standing up again, "Kasim! Get help!" Or... Something! The wolf reaches Hali, nosing her forehead lightly, "Hali, wake up! Co---" Oh darn, it's getting to him again, that dizziness, "Wake up girl, come on."

This whole thing started, as far is Lyk is concerned, when he made the supremely stupid mistake of threatening the strange cougar. As soon as Kasim speaks, the young wolf stops growling and looks back to face Halidari. Seven reaches her first, and Lyk hangs back for a minute, pressing his ears flat against his head before he slinks up to the unconscious wolfess. Seven's tone is extremely familiar, and it reminds Lykaios of when Hali merely pretended to faint. With a low whine, he noses up against her. 'You can stop pretending now. He's gone.' He doesn't say it, but that's what first enters Lyk's mind.

Lyk may feel that it's his fault but Kasim, on the othe paw, feels the responsibility solely on his shoulders. /He/ let things get to far. /He/ let the cougar continue to harm Hali even when she was whining out for help. /He/ took leadership of this when he started to 'negotiate' with the cougar so, therefore, he's solely responsible. Seeing just how bad Hali turned out to be just proves to be the last straw for him. He abruptly comes to a stop once he catches sight of Hali's bloody wounds and, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach, vomits on the ground and collapses onto his side. It's more a mental collapse rather than from lack of physical strength but that does have a part to play in it. For now, he says nothing and continues to let the world crash down around him...

Fainting probably wasn't want the cougar had in mind when he said to keep still but it did seem to work and if Hali was awake she would appreciates the whole idea. However, the wolfess had little control over her state of consciousness and this is how she wand up. The voices of her friends fall upon deaf ears as Hali just lies there; her light bleeding stopped and mind motionless. The nudging to her body doesn't even get a response to; was she dead... no, signs of breathing are evident.

Unlike the other two, Seven is trying to fix this... Sort of, with tears on his eyes, he nuzzles Hali, licking her wounds, "Don't do this, come on girl, wake up..." He whimpers softly, turning to the others for a moment and growling, "Don't you stay there! Get help! Do something dammit!" Slowly, he gets on his paws, circling around Hali to see if she has other wounds, but since he can't find anything worse than... well, her head, he goes back to rest in front of her, "Wake up ... Please girl." He's actually crying now, nosing her again and again, "Everything will be alright... Everything... Will be alright." The howls, trying to get help from anyone who can hear him in Lazuli or anyone for that matter.

Lykaios has no idea what he could possibly do. He doesn't know where Hali's den is, and he doesn't know if he would be received well there anyway. He doesn't know anyone he could get who could help, or anything else he could do that would actually be of help. In frustration, he whines, "What do you expect me to do?" Only half of his indecision is caused by his own illness, which continues to cloud his mind, especially in the face of yet another crisis he doesn't know how to handle.

Kasim wants to be doing something to try and help but he simply can't right now. He's going through his own mental crisis and Seven's begging words fall on deaf ears. How could... how could he let this happen? Why didn't he just offer himself as the cougar's 'meal' instead of trying to talk him out of it? Even when it was painfully clear that he wasn't going to listen, Kasim kept trying... How could he be so stupid?! Hali was sick and in no fit condition to be laid upon by a cougar. Even if she wasn't sick, she would still most likely have trouble with him. For now, Kasim doesn't do anything except pant heavily and hold back the urge to vomit again whenever he looks back up at Hali. Seeing her in that state was just too much...

The struggle of those trying to revive her may not appear to be working but in reality they are. Seven’s crying is the first to initiate something from the wolfess as a short, soft whimper escapes from her. Then it is the howl which causes movement from the paws. “Mmm.” Much like her whimper, so is her tone of voice. “You have to… do that… so load.” Gouged in the head, and trying to figure out where she is exactly causes Hali’s head to pound. Lykaios words are the next thing that enters her mind. ‘What do you expect me to do…’ be there for Hali… let her know you’ll always be there at her side.

Great, the so called friends are frozen in the background like extras in old movies, not really helping, or trying to BE something useful to the situation. Seven grunts at them, "Kasim! Hurry up to the Lazuli, just north from here, tell... Anyone you see that Halidari's hurt, DO IT!" As for the other one... Well, didn't he have food or something? "Lyka, go fi---" Wait, was that a whimper? Did she just talk? The wolf quickly turns to face the girl. Call him sick and stuff, but she's still there, not moving and bleeding to death... Or he's hallucinating... Heck yeah he's seeing things, "Don't give up... Come on girl, hang in there." Ha, hallucinations are awesome.

Lykaios hasn't eaten in days. If he'd had any food, it would have been long gone. He perks his ears, beginning to listen to the orders Seven is giving. Then, however, Hali makes a noise, and Seven becomes entirely unimportant again. The younger male noses Hali again, oh so gently. She spoke. For two reasons, the wolf remains very silent, though for once he /wants/ to speak. First, Seven is already talking, a lot. The second, Hali seems to have a headache or some such. The loud noise upsets her, at least.

Kasim /does/ want to help out now, he really does! It's just that when you think that you're the sole reason for a friend to be half dead, it can get a little overwhelming. It takes a lot of willpower on Kasim's part to not bark back at Seven's loud demands but he manages. Even though Kasim knows he's right, he's in no fit condition or state of mind to be travelling anywhere right now. When Hali starts to make her first movements, Kasim's head perks up to look at her with a hint of relief and happiness in his eyes. She's alive! If something happened to her, Kasim wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Slowly crawling forward towards her, Kasim lays back down next to Seven and falls silent again, trying again not to lose his lunch at the sight of all the cuts on his friend's head.

She just said something and all Seven can do is say 'Come on, hang in there.' What’s wrong with him; has he lost his mind at the sight of her. Please let there be someone sane enough out there that can tell she's going to make it. Moving once more, to the touch of Lyk, Hali slowly opens her eyes part way. "What took...you...so long?" Hali says with a faint smile. They sure took their time; but what does she care, she's alive.

NO! "Don't touch her!" Can't you see she's bleeding!? Seven snaps at Lyka, obviously not seeing any response from the girl. If they don't do anything, she'll die right there! CAN'T YOU SEE!? What the hell do you think you're doing!" He growls at the younger wolf, "Get help dammit! What are you two waiting for!?" Irony... He's lost his mind... Again.

Lykaios was not expecting that from Seven. The young wolf yelps, whether Seven made contact with him or not. He then slowly backs away, low to the ground. He's torn in half by indecision. He doesn't want to leave Hali's side, but the last thing he wants is for her to die. He spares a very brief glance at Kasim, who is in no condition to head looking in search of Halidari's pack. Seeing no choice, and still expecting aggression towards him, Lyk stays close to the ground as he begins to slink around Hali and Seven, wanting to get away from the older male's teeth before he stands to head further into Lazuli territory to search for her family.

Kasim can understand why Seven is feeling so upset and worried but yelling at Lyk like that takes it a step to far. Still, he's still a bit afraid of trying to take control of the situation since it almost killed someone the last time. Trying at least to calm Seven down, Kasim says in his calmest voice, "Seven... that's enough. You don't need to be yelling at Lyk like that. I know you care for Hali but please try to lower your voice, for her's and my sake." Seriously dude, you might as well claw him across the face with that yelling of yours! Looking back at Lyk, Kasim calls out softly to him, "Lyk, you don't need to go searching for her pack just now. You, like me, aren't in any fit condition to walk that long of a way. Come back here and help Hali get through this." As he says this, Kasim says a prayer in the back of his mind to the spirits that his judgment isn't wrong again and it won’t coast Hali her life.

Seeing Lyk , just barely, slink away around them, Hali wines. Where is he going - don't go... don't leave me. It was hard for her to do much else, but she wasn't going to be stuck here with a crazed wolf; sure Kasim was alright, but... wait, he does care. Trying to get up and go after him, which probably isn't a good idea, Hali only manages to get to a crouched position before her head spins and she's forced back to the ground.

My God! She's ok! Seven can't believe what he's seeing... Shaking his head a few times, the wolf looks at the girl... God, she's fine... Kasim's words make some circuits do something inside his head, standing up and shaking his head... Without words, the wolf turns around and starts walking away. He'll find that cougar and eat him... Or at least try.

Lykaios turns around when Kasim talks to him, still holding himself low to the ground, just in time to see Halidari try to lift herself from the ground. Of course, that means he's facing her in time to see her fall back to the ground, which only makes him feel all the more guilty. Nevertheless, he takes several long steps back to the female wolf and then lowers himself onto his belly beside her. "Don't move. Just lie still." His own voice is quiet, and he looks uncertainly towards Kasim and the departing Seven.

Kasim lets out a huge sigh of relief when Hali finally starts to move a bit more. She'll live and that's what matters. But when she starts to get up and walk towards Lyk only to fall back down, Kasim again becomes worried, though not as much as before. He knows that she must be tired from what just happened to her, but he can't help wondering how much of this was due to the sickness. This only pushes Kasim more to investigate about the rabbit's directions, but not now; Hali needs company. Kasim is a bit surprised by Seven's sudden actions but doesn't move at first, but then changes his mind. Turing to look at Lyk, he says, "Look after her, I'll go have a talk with him." and giving Hali a comforting nose to the shoulder, Kasim gets up slowly and makes his way over towards Seven. Once he's managed to get next to him, he asks calmly and politely, "Look, can we talk for a minute?"

Halidari isn’t going to object to Lykaios’ words not matter how much she wants to stand. With Seven leaving now, she gives the look of wanting him to stay as well, but it’s hard to get an old friend to sit then it is to get him to revenge her. Remaining where she’s at, Hali peers up to the departing wolf in silence; would he even listen to her if she said something? As Lyk comes back and lies beside her, she’s put at an ease; leaning against him for support and perhaps other reasons as well. Taking notice that Kasim is now taking care of Seven, Hali flicks her ears, which hurts, to listen in but her ability to focus isn’t at the top of its game right now. Looking over to Lyk, “Thank you for… coming back.” She says to him before putting her head on his shoulder for support.

Seven doesn't stop, even if he feels he's being followed. No need to stop, besides, he hardly hears reason; he can hear the cougar's voice mocking at him, "Kasim go back, make sure she's safe. I don't want to hear a no for an answer." He turns his head lightly just to see the cougar, "Promise me you'll make sure she's fine..." He stops, for just a moment, waiting for a 'yes' as a reply.

Lykaios keeps his eyes on Kasim when the cougar speaks to him. He nods quietly, then focuses his attention back on Halidari. "I wasn't leaving you. None of us are." A glance to Seven, then he looks back at Halidari. "I was just trying to find help. You aren't..." Hurt? Of course she's hurt, stupid. So then what does he mean to ask? "I mean, do you think you're going to be okay?" Lykaios just isn't sure, but he has to know that Hali will survive this, or he'll follow through on his promise. He'll find a way to rip the strange cougar to shreds.

Kasim gives a sad sigh at Seven's response. He knows what's going in the young wolf but that still doesn't make up for the fact that Seven is being pretty stupid right now. He jumps in front of Seven to halt his progress, ignoring the sudden pain in his head. "Seven give me a minute to speak then I promise I won’t say anything else." Taking a deep breath, Kasim continues. "You don't need to worry about me keeping her safe. I'll do whatever I can to do so but I'm not the one she cares for. /You/ are the one she cares about and she needs you now more than ever. You and Lyk are obviously her closest friends and she'll need /both/ of you to be there for her. /One/ isn't going to cut it. Just look," he says and motions over at Hali in time to see her look of him wanting to stay. "I can make that promise, sure, but can /you?/ If you walk away from her now, then your answer is a solid 'no'. We both know Lyk's answer... what's yours?" With that, Kasim steps off to the side and clears Seven's path. "If you want to keep going, then I won’t stop you but if you do, just know that you'll be making a big mistake." Kasim has had his say, it's up to Seven now...

"It’s not that." She comments. "I didn't..." Glancing up at him, Hali raises a brow to his incomplete question, blinking when it’s changed. Was she what... hurt? That was pretty obvious, but that’s not what bothers her, its the way he said it. "I... I think I will." That is her response to his question. It’s just a head wound after all and the only thing that could happen is if she goes comatose or starts seeing things. Lets all hope that doesn't happen. Catching some of what Kasim is saying to Seven, Hali frowns. "You think Seven will..." Her head hurts again and she doesn't finish what she was saying but instead closes her eyes tight and says, "My head." She doesn't know how badly her head injuries are; but it clearly has to be bad according to how she feels.

What is it cougars and bad things on the same sentence. Kasim's words are not only heard, they go through a whole cycle to first be processed by Seven's mind, then they reach his heart and again go back to his brain, sending just a tear to the eyes... The wolf listens, just like all those time he's stopped to seek the wind's advice, this time it's a cougar who manages to make him think of what he's about to do. The wolf lowers his head, closing his eyes as he takes a deep breath. There's a moment of silence as one of the tears falls on the ground, "You don't understand..." The wolf tells Kasim, slowly looking up at him and then back at the younger wolves, "You DON'T understand..." He grunts at the cougar, turning around and resting on his belly, looking at the others from the distance, not talking about miles, but still not shoulder to shoulder. Keeping his gaze on the others for a moment, he thinks of the mistake he just made... But, there's something else, there always is, " Go on, go back with them and keep your promise." He sort of orders the cougar.

Lykaios is still far from convinced, but just he'll have to deal with that uncertainty until it's proven, one way or the other. Keeping an eye on the other two in the area, Lyk still has no idea if Seven is staying in the area, even after he lies down. He's not entirely sure how the question Hali started asking was meant to end, but there's a couple ways he imagines it could. Looking up to the other male wolf as he answers Hali, just barely loud enough to be heard by seven and Kasim, "He's coming back." Lyk just doesn't know when, but he better not go off and get himself killed. Once more, he looks back down to Hali. "Close your eyes, Hali. Just rest. It'll be all right." He keeps promising her that, but he has yet to deliver on it.

Kasim lets out another sigh at Seven's words and reactions but is mentally pleased with himself for keeping him here a little longer. Sure he promised that he wouldn't or talk anymore to Seven, but he just can’t leave a conversation at that. Giving another sigh, Kasim lays down next to Seven, staying quiet for a minute or two. He gives a smile and nod to Lyk and his words, then turns back to Seven and asks, "/What/ don't I understand? You aren't making much sense here..." Then he tilts his head behind Seven's ears and whispers something to him. Once he's done, he looks back at Seven to see if his hunch is right or not...

Halidari has her eyes close and plans to keep them that way for as long as it takes; for as long as it took to regain the stability she so longed for. Keeping herself right up against Lyk, even laying her head on the ground should that help, she hears his words and hopes they are true. Those words Seven said, though, they don't promise anything. What didn't Kasim understand... Seven is the greatest friend she's ever had, but her life wasn't worth risking his own - was it? She wants it to be alright, everything; but in the end will everything actually be like that. Relaxing, the only thing Hali can do is hope.

Seven's eyes go wide as he hears the cougar's words, turning slowly to face and whisper back. After he's done whispering, he offers a big smile, one that doesn't look warm, more like... full of sarcasm. After that, the wolf rests his head on the ground, closing his eyes and trying to get some rest.

Lykaios doesn't know how much pain Halidari may still be in. As such, he tries to avoid touching her as much as possible, rather just allowing himself to be a pillow for her. He slips into silence, looking over at Kasim and Seven again. The older wolf appears to be staying in the area, which has to be good, right? It may be that there will come a time to go after that strange cougar. Tonight, while all of them are ill and one of them is seriously injured, is not it, though. Even Lykaios understands that, when he has half a moment to think about it.

Giving a small chuckle at Seven's reply, Kasim is at least happy that he seems to be in a good mood again. Even though he didn't really get an answer to his question, he can wait on that for later. For now, he needs his rest as does everyone else here. It's been a tough day but at least everyone came out of it alive. Before he settles down to rest, though, Kasim takes a minute to look at Hali and Lyk in front of him, seeming to be searching for... something. Then he smiles to himself and lays his head down in between his forepaws. Yeah, Sev is probably right...