Another Group Sets Out

[Therdde]

Part One

Characters (In Order of Appearance):
Lykaios – Male Adolescent Wolf
Halidari – Female Adolescent Wolf
Jack-of-all-Trades – Male Jackrabbit
Nova – Female Red Fox
Jesmin – Female Bat
Braxton – Male Red Fox
Kasim – Male Cougar
Rye – Male Coyote
Clover – Female Adolescent Cougar
Roki – Male Adolescent Cougar

- Fallen Log -

Lykaios honestly intended to be searching for the cure days ago. Since then, however, mass chaos has visited him, leaving both him and Hali injured on separate occasions. As such, he has not moved from the general area, despite the fact that he now has absolutely no hopes of the jackrabbit he almost ate once returning. He's lying on the ground, his head on his forepaws, and staring at the ground.

Quite rested from past events, Hali mumbles random nonsense to herself as she sits just off to the side of Lykaios. Earlier she has been seeing doubles of just about everything she saw, but now she sees triples and has taken up to talking to them all. "Have you meet, Lyk?" she asks of one of them. "You haven't... would you like to?" Silence follows the question as Hali turns to the wolf then back to the hallucination before her.

Bounding along the riverbank towards the north, the jackrabbit has actually stayed true to his word, returning to the fallen log to deliver new information to the group of characters who would just as likely eat him as say hello in any other situation. Hopping atop the log, he thumps his hind paw against the top, making a loud echoing sound to announce his presence to those nearby. "Hello again! You all still sick?" he asks, in a way hoping they are so that they have no reason to (and can't) attack him.

Lykaios's hallucinations are not as severe as Halidari's. The ones he has are purely terrifying, coupled with a persistent sense of danger that refuses to fade, but they don't seem as constant. Of course, Hali's hallucinations are just as terrifying for the young male. When the female wolf begins speaking, Lyk twitches an ear towards her. He tries to follow her line of sight to see who she's talking to, with no luck. He has no chance to address her, or the invisible creature she's speaking too, before the jackrabbit returns. Surprise is clearly seen on Lyk's face. He recognizes the creature easily enough, and he stays true to his own word, not even getting up from where he's lying. More honest than he actually intends to be, he says, "I didn't expect to see you again." He doesn't answer the question, no, but it ought to be easy enough to tell that he's still sick.

Being sick was quite the pain, and it was evident that Hali was still that way be her random acts of talking to a plot of open space. To her, there were three birds in front of her, but to others she surely looked mentally ill. The thump from the jackrabbit behind her on the log brings swiveled ears and a sudden glance back where instead of the rabbit catching her eyes a butterfly steals it away. There was no butterfly there, of course. The voice of Lykaios was also heard, drawing Hali's gazes away from the butterfly and to him. See who again.. blinking a few times, she peers off to the log where was going to look first before she was suddenly distracted.

"And risk the chances of you finding me first? I'm not quite that stupid," the jackrabbit responds with a chortle that's only slightly bitter sounding. "I found the flower that made me feel better again. It's some distance to the southeast of here, in the lowlands, where I thought I remembered it being." He doesn't really give any specifics yet, rambling a bit in a way that might be irksome to such desperate invalids.

This is an uncertain period for the vixen, and uncertainty makes her nervous, ears pricked and amber eyes darting as she picks her way through the underbrush. Lately Nova has been tired much of the time, her energy always seeming at low ebb, and her muscles ache from the extra weight she has been toting around. Dizzy spells have even struck her on occasion, forcing her to lie down until the ground grew steady beneath her. All of this, she has attributed to her heavily pregnant state. However, the fox has been suffering more unusual symptoms over the last few days. Occasional hallucinations, starting with harmless blurs and trails, have progressed to seeing frightening shapes in the shadows she normally submerges herself in. Down in her den, she heard passing creatures exchanging disturbing rumors -- a sickness in the woods, rumors of a cure not yet found. Now she is searching for answers, knowing that more than her own well-being is at stake. Hearing distant voices, she makes her way cautiously toward them, not wanting to be seen yet too wary of the shadows to remain fully hidden.

As if produced from the very ether itself, though more precisely the branches above, a tiny flapping body hits the earth-- thankfully atop a collection of soft leaf litter, among the larger beasts. Seemingly unharmed, but clearly out of sorts, Jesmin rights herself upon membrane-enclosed feet and wings with slow effort. The pallid bat crinkles her nose and crosses her beady eyes down her snout. "Ooooooooh," she says to herself, slowly, as if confirming something only her impaired mental institution could understand. "Thaaaaaaat's whyyyy."

Somehow, someway, and with an extreme demonstration of willpower, the weak, barely capable Braxton has made it further than he planned. He must find a cure. It was bad when it was merely dizziness and weakness... but now his mind has deteriorated to madness? With what clarity he could get from his delusions, he knew he must quest for an answer. He knows many other creatures met with this same illness. But when the grass and the trees begin to gesticulate that he is hungry... well, Braxton is hungry. So he is, less than stealthily, trying to catch prey.

Kasim, like his companions, hasn't been very well off either. Along with the sickness that now seems to be affecting his mind, his mental state isn't very good either. Ever since Hali's little incident with Vel, Kasim has been very self-doubting of himself. He let those close to him get hurt, and badly to boot! Plus, it was all his fault!! His troubled mind is clearly shown by inability to sleep and, when he does get some sleep, he always wakes up to some sort of nightmare. Kasim was sleeping a little ways away from Lyk and Hali, mostly to give them so personal space, but also just to try and clear his head. Well, he /was/ sleeping until he started to hear many voices nearby. Giving a loud moan of annoyance, Kasim opens his eyes a bit to look around. Ohhhh, look at the pretty colors everywhere! He's starting to see random blobs of color everywhere and his sickened mental state is making him think it's normal. Then he hears a voice that sounds familiar. Slowly lifting his head up, Kasim gazes around for a while before spotting two strangely colored figures. "Lyk? Hali? That you over there?"

Lykaios takes a slow breath before drawing himself to a sitting position. Being fed has helped him a bit, but he's certainly to threat to the jackrabbit who has been plenty skittish in the past. Being patient is not his strong point, though, and he has to fight to remain outwardly calm. "Things are growing worse by the moment here, rabbit. I don't suppose you've managed to remember more details, this time around?" Lykaios can smell and hear movement nearby, in several different directions, as well as voices. It all makes him very nervous, but his eyes stay on the jackrabbit, right up until one of the voices becomes familiar. He glances in Kasim's direction, and says, "Yes, it's us. And the rabbit has returned." Kasim was there that day, and he hopes the cougar remembers and isn't hungry enough to scare away this jackrabbit.

She had never seen the rabbit before, or maybe she has but just doesn't remember; whatever the case Hali keeps an eye on the rabbit, tilting her head. Moving over to Lyk moments later, she halts half way when Kasim wakes. Looking to him, then away, she wonders a few things, like who this rabbit was. Continuing her way to the wolf’s side she brush him with her nose. She was silent now, with her hallucinations gone, she looks inwardly confused.

"Yes, yes, I have," the jackrabbit responds, though he glances around nervously as what seems like a dozen predators crawl out of the woodwork towards him, instilling another wave of anxiety in the hare. "If you eat me, you know, I can't help you find the cure," he says in a louder voice to no one in particular, more likely to everyone in the surrounding area, using his bargaining chip to ensure his safety amongst them all.

The vixen slows to a stop once she draws within decent hearing range, pricking her ears forward to catch the sounds of their voices while remaining silent herself. Unless the creatures - a small group of them, judging by the sound - are discussing the supposed sickness, she has no business with them. Sinking low to the ground, Nova lies flat on her swollen belly... and listens. She does not actually expect to hear anything interesting, but one word causes her eyes to widen: cure. It takes some effort to remain motionless, but she manages to keep still, waiting to hear more.

The bat seems unaware of the predators, as well as the rabbit. Whether she is uninterested in their conversation or simply too delusional to make sense of it can't be told. Through the directions of her cloudy mind, Jesmin manages to wobble her way across the ground and onto an unearthed tree root, where she spreads her wings awkwardly and stares into space. Her wilted ears twitch sullenly, and she almost sinks into a trance of concentration while trying to discern the voices around her.

The maddened Braxton has found prey! A meal! The desperate fox smells a rabbit. His stomach growls at the thought. Apparently his appetite has returned. If only for now. He approaches slowly and stealthily. A veritable surprise hunter. In his brain anyway. In reality he is making more noise than a drunk horse on New Years trying to approach the jackrabbit for a meal.

The... rabbit? Kasim is at first a little confused with what Lyk says, but then it suddenly comes to him. Oh ya! He was waiting for this guy to show up with info about the cure. Giving a slight nod to the wolf, Kasim makes his way over towards him and takes a seat next to him. He looks down at Hali for a second, only to see her turn away. Was she really that upset about what happened? Trying to shake it off, the cougar looks back up to the rabbit as it starts to speak. Giving a small sigh, he says to Lyk at first, "Did I miss something important?" Just trying to be sure. He then turns his attention to the rabbit and says calmly, "Relax, I'm not even going to think about hurting you. It's not like I have the strength to anyways..." He gives a small sight but is quickly distracted by Braxton slowly making his way towards the group. Wait, Kasim has seen him before. Last time he did, he wasn't looking so well. For now, he doesn't say anything to him, wondering why he suddenly decided to show up...

Lykaios nuzzles against Halidari lightly. To her, in an attempt to help ease that confusion, he says, "This rabbit knows of something that will make us feel better, Hali." The male wolf then stands upright. He's still favoring his right foreleg, but it's more stiffness than actual pain, now. Taking a slow and, he hopes, nonthreatening step towards the jackrabbit, the wolf speaks up, his voice slightly louder than it needs to be. "Nobody is going to eat you. Not while I'm here." A scrawny, ill, and minorly injured wolf doesn't make a terribly formidable body guard, but he nevertheless makes his intentions clear to any nearby ears. Finding the plant that can help them takes priority over filling anyone's stomach. This is followed by a glance to the side, and Kasim. Then, with a small smile, Lyk corrects what he just said, looking back forward. "Not while /we're/ here." Sure feels nice to have friendly companions in moments like this.

Rye pads along the river heading back to the place he used to call home. He's found a few things and well, now it's back home to think about what he has found.

A small smile crawls upon Hali's face as she is nuzzled, soon followed by a nod as Lyk explains the reason for the rabbit. If there has been further talk about the cure and she doesn't know about it, she's been out of it more than she thought. Taking a seat as Lyk stands, she looks around the area and finally noticing that quite the crowd has shown up. They all here for the same reason, she wonders before slowly turning back to her group and the rabbit tilting her head once more. What’s all this talk about eating someone? No one has made the attempt yet that she was aware of, then again her mental state isn't running full circle either.

The hare glances around skittishly, holding his forepaws protectively in front of his chest, before finally inhaling deeply and nodding to Lykaios. "All right. Well, there's a certain type of flower that grows in the prairie south of here, like I said, that I found and ate when I wasn't feeling too good and it made me feel right as rain again. It's a purple bloom - sage, I think." He scratches a long ear, tail flicking nervously. "I, uh, can't quite remember where exactly I found it, though. But I'm sure you could find someone who lives in the area there that would know their way around and could help." He quickly glances about at all the gathered creatures, the jackrabbit apparently now the center of attention, and hopes that knowing the type of flower will be enough for them to spare his life.

Nova's questing ears flick, picking up another noise. She hears cracking, crunching, like something crashing clumsily through the underbrush. Blinking, the vixen casts a nervous glance into the shadows, still spooked by the memory of her earlier hallucination - and she gives a startled yelp when something actually does come clambering into view. She's on her feet, eyes wide with panic, before she sees that the /something/ is actually another fox, making his way toward the group she had been eavesdropping on. Well, so much for stealth. Her near-panic subsides into a low annoyance as she moves into sight herself, shifting her gaze from the obviously-unwell Braxton to the odd gathering of animals. Wolves, a cougar, a bat and a hare. The vixen simply blinks and sits down, peering attentively at the group - and the hare, in particular, the strangeness of the situation leaving her at a loss for words.

Jesmin doesn't even budge at the sound of the fox stumbling through the brush, naught but a twitch from her held out wings signals any life from her still form. The world spins in on blank eyes. A silly smile wriggles across her pink snout. After a long teeter backwards, she finally loses touch with balance falls upon her back from the root. She stares into the leaves of the tree above, sighs, and mumbles something about beetles and bears.

Kasim gives a small smile to Lyk but it soon fades when he catches sight of Hali's movement, the memories about him failing clearly still on his mind. He leans down and gives her a comforting nose on the shoulder and asks almost desperately, "Are you feeling better?" Well, she's alive and that counts. However, his attention immediately returns to the rabbit when something he says catches his attention. South of here? That would mean... "Wait a minute... When you went down to the south, was there a cougar tribe living nearby?" The others are completely ignored for now. If this rabbit was in Amaranth lands, then this could be slightly easier than he thought.

Purple flowers... Follow the river south... In the prairie... As Braxton comes more fully into view, obviously headed in the direction of the rabbit, the young wolf gives a light snarl, no longer looking at the jackrabbit. "Back off, fox." The information isn't a lot. It will take time to find these flowers. However, the rabbit did go potentially out of his way to come back and tell them what he knows, putting his life at immediate risk, and Lykaios has every intention of living up to his portion of the bargain, and then some, even now that he has all the rabbit has to offer. He's not going to guard over the rabbit for life, no, but while they're both standing right here, he's not going to just allow some creature to eat it.

[Therdde]

Part Two

Rye stops dead in his tracks. What's this... a very interesting group is talking. He sits down, looking at those that are here, then at the rabbit in the middle. Besides being a good meal, there might be something else there. The yote sits down, trying not to be too noticed at the moment, he does see the fox he's met before. He listens and tries to catch up on what is being talked about.. though he does know this Sage. The two-leggers that were in the area he came from used it for different uses. Hmmm... Could this be the solution to his friend’s problems. Blinks as something falls from a tree on the far side of the area. That's not the important thing right now. He keeps an eye on the wolves. They don’t' seem to be taking too much interested except for the information. He then blinks. Cougar tribe.. could this be the same tribe of that cougar he met the other day.. The one leading him up the mountains. He nearly laughs out loud, and probably does make some noise. He was just there.. just there and didn't know it. He then watches the interaction. He should make sure that Braxton doesn't do something silly, so he walks a little forward.

Asked a question, Hali doesn't acknowledge it at first as if she were in some sort of deep thought, that after a moment she head shakes turning to the cougar once nosed. "Feeling better..." What does he mean by that... then, she’s all like 'oh yea' shaking the confusion away. "Yeah." she answers back with a short sigh and smile. She can't control what she sees and she's talking to figments of her imagination... oh yeah, Hali is much better. Flicking her ears to a few things around the area, she is silent once more.

"Cougars? No cougar tribe that I noticed, thank the spirits. Oh, and don't mistake red for purple in your illness! It'll only make you feel worse rather than better," the jackrabbit adds, reminding the few of those gathered who've already heard that bit and informing the rest of the mildly poisonous flowers. But now that he's held up his end of the bargain, he hopes the others will keep their own promise as well. But some of them present were not involved in the original deal, and he eyes the poorly-hunting fox warily, even despite the other wolf's warning. "I'd best be off. Good luck!" he calls out before hopping off the log and darting into the underbrush, not nearly brave enough to risk outstaying his welcome.

It takes a moment for the vixen to realize what Braxton's intentions are, but she moves quick enough once she sees that he is targeting the messenger. Nova moves forward, the sudden swiftness causing her to feel light-headed... but she aims a bite for Braxton's tail regardless, aiming to stop him in his tracks. She may not be particularly large, but she /is/ quite heavy with kits, likely too heavy to drag in such a weakened state. "Be still!" she snaps at the other fox, whether muffled by a mouthful of foxbrush or not. Dizziness causes her to squeeze her eyes shut, grimacing. Unaware of the coyote's arrival, the vixen struggles to focus on the hare, listening to the rest of his information - and then the thrum of his paws as he bounds away. Only then does she back away from Braxton, casting a wary glance over the others gathered, as if to gauge their reactions to the hare's message.

Braxton makes a leap for the delicious hare only to stop in mid-air and drop as Nova grabs hold of his tail. With a *whump*, Braxton is knocked out of his delusion, and the seemingly sadistic plant life in the area stops making him feel he must go for the hare. He blinks to find himself in the familiar dizzy world of before.

"That's good to hear." is Kasim's reply to Hali's statement, though there's some sadness behind his voice. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have had to go through that. Not being able to look her in the eyes, Kasim says, "I'm sorry I didn't stop him from hurting you." With that done, Kasim turns his attention towards the retreating rabbit. "Thank you very much, dear rabbit." Purple flowers somewhere in the southeast of here and /don't/ take the red ones. It's not much but it's finally somewhere to start looking! With the rabbit gone, Kasim tunes back into the world around him, only to see that he's missed quite a lot of people. He backs up Lyk's growl with one of his own, but does no more than that, not wanting to take lead after what happened the last time...

Lykaios growls, having no idea Braxton may have been under some delusion, and leaps to place himself between the fox and the direction in which the rabbit ran off. Smart rabbit, and for that, Lykaios is grateful, but Lykaios still moves to prevent Braxton from taking off in the rabbit's direction. He holds his right forepaw up, even as he lands, protecting it, though it makes him appear odd. Once he's in position, though, he makes no threatening moves towards Braxton. Rather, he merely stands there, keeping one eye on the fox. Unlike Kasim, he appears to have no compunctions about taking charge. Likely quite stupid, considering what happened last time.

Rye ponders some as he listens in. Oh come on now, he was just down there, he was just talking to a cougar the other day. Life is like that. The only problem that he hears, is that if others know this... There might be some territorial problems. yet he KNOWS that the plant Sage actually is fairly common. There is plenty for everyone that is sick. But then again, he knows the other animals, and also their concern for those that have it. It could get really messy. He then turns back to the problems at hand, making sure that Braxton doesn't do anything stupid. He finally decides to chime in. "So.. it would be much easier to look for this flower as a group right.. then it's more eyes to spot them." he looks to the others, plus there's always safety in numbers. "Since this sickness affected all animals equally, it would be in our best interest to find the cure for those that are sick." He continues to look at the others each one carefully.

The cougar didn't need to be sorry; Hali wasn't; in fact she puts no blame on Kasim for the way he handled things. If she were in his position she probably would of done the same just perhaps slightly different. However, things aren't about her anymore, there about the cure, and perhaps the fox everyone seems to be fussing over. "It’s alright." says Hali as she turns from him and over to the ruckus just a spits distances away. Flicking an ear to Rye, Hali nods to what he has to day. "The Coyote is right. Searching for this flower will save us time and energy. The faster we find this cure, the faster we can return to the lives we left behind." If any lives were put on hold because of this, that is.

The vixen narrows her eyes, regarding the assorted creatures with obvious impatience. The hare gave his instructions, so what are they all standing around glaring at each other for? "Did you hear that, todd?" Nova asks, redirecting her attention toward Braxton. "A cure. Looks like you could use one." Blatantly ignoring the cougar and the pair of wolves, she circles between them and the disoriented fox, attempting to nudge him to his feet. In fact, she pays no attention to the others whatsoever until the coyote makes his suggestion, drawing a sidelong look from the vixen. Frowning, she looks between him and the female wolf. "Oh? Do either of you actually know where to look?" she asks, sounding skeptical.

Kasim's mood is slightly uplifted by Hali's forgiving words, but it still doesn't take away some of the self-pity. Still, he can worry about that later... After giving Hali a small smile, he turns his attention to the group that seems to have formed. He walks over to Lyk and says to him quietly, "The rabbit should be long gone now, there's no need to worry about him anymore." Even if the rabbit took a pit stop, Kasim doubts anyone would be able to catch him in their sick state. Giving a slight nod at the coyote and Hali's words, he then turns his attention to the skeptical vixen and says, "The rabbit mentioned towards the southeast so that's somewhere to start. There's a river close by that should lead us there. Plus, they're both right. There's no way we could find this cure on our own, we need to help each other."

Lykaios told Hali that they would have to leave soon to find the cure. There's no reason why soon can't be now. The wolf peers around at all of the creatures who are gathered here. Kasim's description of where the general location of the cure is matches Lyk's own recollection. Slowly, the young male returns to Hali's side. His favoring of his right foreleg is barely noticeable. The more he moves, the less stiffness he feels, making it easier to walk. "Best we get started then."

Rye nods to the wolf, then to the vixen. "Actually, I might. I met this cougar the other day that was leading me to her areas land.. She seemed to think they could help in some answers. But, the important thing is.. is that it was south, along the river. That's how I got back here. But that's why we're going to try to look as a group. It will be much quicker." He then stands up. "Yes, let's head out." He will hopefully keep an eye on Braxton as well, though he seems in good hands with the vixen. What a strange group they are.

Halidari has no complaint on leaving now. Nodding to Lyk, she stands readying herself. The south, if this was any other time, she's be able to navigate the river side with her eyes closed, but now things are different; everything has changed.

Loath as she is to trust these strangers, Nova feels that she has no other choice. As Kasim points out, the hare mentioned that the flowers are found to the southeast, but the vixen is a newcomer to this territory, unfamiliar with what lies beyond it. It might take her quite a while to find the plants on her own, and she feels a growing sense of urgency, knowing that her kits are due at any time. With a nod she concedes, and looks back at Braxton to see if he is willing - or even capable - of joining the search.

Kasim is also just as eager to get going, but knows that he'll have to take it a bit slower than he would like to. Giving a nod to everyone's choice, he starts to follow Lyk to check on Hali again, but the mention of cougars from Rye catches Kasim's attention. He trots over to the coyote and goes to walk in step with her. Looking him in the eyes, Kasim asks, "Would you mind if I asked who the cougar was that you ran into? Did she have any specific markings of some sort?" Of course if she was an Amaranth cougar, she most likely would have her red markings showing somewhere on her pelt. As he moves to pass Lyk and Hali, he pauses for a moment and smiles down at both of them. Looking to Lyk, he states, "I trust you can look after her during this journey." Oh, that reminds him. Turning back to face the group, he asks everyone, "Is anyone here /not/ infected by the sickness? Of course, not counting you since you seem to be expecting pups," the last part referring to Nova. If anyone isn't sick here yet, then they could be very helpful in the long run when someone might be too sick to carry on...

Of course Lykaios can watch over Hali. He has scarcely done anything but since this illness took them both. Lykaios remains standing near Hali and looks back to Kasim, watching the small gathering of animals as Kasim asks questions of the few animals in the area. Quietly, to Halidari, he asks, "Are you ready for this journey?"

Rye starts heading off, not really leading the way but there in case he spots the flower. He seems to be the only one that's seen sage before, judging by the way the others are reacting. He does glance at the foxes, then when the cougar comes over. "Well, hmm, Uh.. let me think." He tries to remember. It was a female, but he can't remember if there was red. Maybe there was. "I believe there was some, but I don't fully remember, I know it was a female cat. She was healthy, as I am too." He adds just to answer the other question. He generally doesn't just stick out too far. Things that have happened in the past. "Just keep an eye out for the flowers.. They could be anywhere." He notices that everyone is ready, both foxes, wolves, and others.

Everyone is taking too long to get the move on; what were they waiting for... was is really them not moving fast enough or was it Hali who was in a rush. She wanted the cure just as much as everyone else Hali just couldn't help herself but to end this quickly. Looking to Lyk as he asks her a question, she nods. "I am." Is her answer. She then starts moving, waiting just long enough for everyone else to as well.

Nova blinks at Kasim, not bothering to respond; besides expecting pups, she /is/ sick, although not quite as severely as some of the others seem to be. She snorts, her impatience building as the female wolf is fawned over; after one final glance at Braxton, she sets off after the coyote. At least /one/ of these strangers seems to have the right idea. The vixen feels sympathetic toward the dog-fox, but unfortunately, there is not much she can do to help him along.

- Trickling River -

Kasim gives a nod at Rye's words and walks ahead of Lyk and Hali, trusting them to get up and follow. He gives a nod to Rye to let him know to follow him so they can keep talking while walking. Once the coyote catches up, Kasim looks at her and responds, "Yep, she probably did have some red on her. Down towards the south, there is a cougar tribe called Amaranth and they mark their members with red markings." He takes a quick glance behind him to make sure everyone is following him and Rye, then continues, "I'm also glad that you haven't been infected yet by this sickness. It seems everyone else in the group has it to some degree. If it's alright with you, we might need to depend on you to get the food for us." He pauses slightly again, then decides to introduce himself, "The name's Kasim by the way. Pleasure to meet you." If they're going to be traveling together for a while now, might as well try to get along well with each other.

At the river's edge, one such red-painted cougaress has her head dipped toward the peaceful trickle of the river's edge. As she drinks, her ears flick sideways. Sounds reach them, and eyes turn northward where she spies the unusual troupe. Brief uncertainty sweeps over Clover at the approach of such a ragtag bunch, until she notes the scent of her own kind among them-- and there's sickness. A beam spears her placid expression into one of cubbish mirth. "Hey!" she calls, disregarding caution. Not from desperation of any sort, but purely through her own naivety. Surely these are on the same mission as herself and so many others she's come across. A queer spell of dizziness passes over her, then she greets again, "Hello!"

Some small part of Lykaios resents the strangers in the group. Most of it is caused by his illness, but he doesn't know this. Neither does he act on it, at least not yet, but it betrays itself in his expression as he walks alongside Halidari. He slips into silence, as he is so often prone to doing, allowing the disoriented thoughts to keep him occupied as he merely follows along, feeling as though he is not doing nearly enough, which is where his delusional state of mind decides to play and warp the thoughts of this wolf.

Rye follows along, catching up with the cougar up front. He's not sure that he really wants to be that known to everyone. What will happen when this all gets cured and things like that. He then turns and talks.. "I'll do what I can. We'll have to see what is up when we find the area." He then nods a little, "Rye." in answer to his name. Some of these cougars don't act like the cougars that he's seen before.. Maybe it is the sickness. He then blinks as he notices another cougar.. And a sick one as it looks like. This one is red. "Like that?" He asks the feline next to him. He does keep his ears flicking around, he doesn't want to be blindsided by something.. anything.. It's not like this is quiet group.

Halidari has been following and even though it was only a short distance it felt like they'd been walking for hours. Often at times, the illness wasn't even a bother, but when it was it hit hard draining every last bit of energy from the body. Hali was tired, but didn't want to give up, not after she's come this far. Her fatigue was more than just shown on her face, it was displayed in her walk which was slowing down every few meters. Gaze to the ground, she only tries her best to keep going.

The vixen trails a short distance behind the rest of the group, bringing up the rear in a straggling train of various species, all brought together by a single purpose. She is keeping pace with them as well as she can given her current state. Though Nova is determined to make the journey, it is not going to be easy. Already panting with exertion, she follows the group of larger predators, her tracks mingling with their own as she follows them along the river's edge. If nothing else, at least she no longer feels impatient. Like Lykaios, the fox seems lost in her own thoughts until a greeting causes her ears to flick. She squints ahead. Another cougar, this one a female, looking bloody from a fight or a kill. No, wait -- Nova blinks, trying to focus on Clover as another dizzy spell sets in, briefly doubling her vision. Not blood, she realizes; dyed markings. The animals around here are so /strange./ "Sick, too, I assume?" the vixen inquires, trying to sound nonchalant despite being out of breath. "You ma

The strange animals around here just got stranger as another cougar nearby Clover seems to be asleep. He has similar red dye markings as the female except in addition to those there seems to be large feathers woven into the fur on his shoulders and lower neck!! Roki does not seem to notice as a stampede of animals trample into the area, and remains undisturbed from his deep rest.

Kasim is, admittedly, not like other cougars in the sense that he is more peaceful with other creatures that aren't cougars. Just look that the group behind him as proof! He's a peaceful kind of guy and won’t hate anyone unless they give him a reason to. Kasim looks over to where Rye motions towards and sees a cougar with... pink markings? No, those are yellow aren't they? Or are they orange? No that can’t be right. Kasim shakes his head a bit to clear his mind and finally sees the red markings on the cougar. "Yep, that would be one of them." Which would mean that they're getting further south and closer to finding the cure. This pit stop is also good because it can give everyone a chance to rest if they need to, Kasim included. Going into a sitting position, Kasim turns towards Clover and says, "Hello Sister of the Amaranth. I am Kasim and we are all traveling together in search for the cure for the sickness that you seem to have as well. Like the fox said, if you want you should join with us." Roki, for now, isn't seen...

As it is, Clover is unaware that she's even sick. Perhaps she's denying it, or maybe she's really just that absent minded. Dizziness? Pfft. Maybe she just wandered through a bad patch of mushrooms! Still brimming with yet undaunted energy, Clover pads close to the group, but keeps a respectable distance alongside until invited for conversation. Though not accustom to such an amount of different critters, her animated demeanor seems to win out when it comes to any latent animosity she may have, particularly with the larger canines. "Sick?" she questions the dark vixen, then looks to Kasim. A brief look of confusion marks her face, but is quickly dashed. "Oh, no no no-- I'm quite well! But I've got some friends who aren't. -- For sure, there is? Oh, good skies! That's fa-fabulous!" She stutters, perhaps through excitement? One could almost see the bubbles pouring out of her enthusiasm. Without warning, she's bounding back to the riverside. "Guys, guys! Wakey wake!" She gently nudges Roki with a paw, pushing against his feathered shoulders.

Lykaios remains beside Halidari, despite the gnawing, deep-seated thought that are telling him he should be leading this motley crew of mostly sick creatures towards the crew, to save Halidari, himself, his one friend, and any of Halidari's pack who may be ill. After all, they know nothing about the strangers with them, and no way of telling if they're trustworthy. Those feelings intensify as the group seems to draw to a halt. As Lykaios looks up to determine a cause, the expression on his face is less than welcoming.

Rye every so often, he looks back to make sure they aren't losing anyone. Especially the foxes. He doesn't want them to fall that far behind. How many are sick and how many are well. It's just very... strange how it affected some but not others. It looks like everyone is sick but him. This can't be good, but oh well, a rest it is. "Get some water here then if you need it, then we can continue, right?" Oh, there's another one.. wow, how many were affected by this.

Welcoming the chance to rest, Nova follows Kasim's lead and settles back on her haunches, taking a moment to simply catch her breath. She feels light-headed, though for now, thankfully, the dizziness seems to have passed. It seems strange, regarding the cougars and wolves without fear, but these are anything but normal circumstances. She doubts there will be trouble during the search, though she is unsure what will happen once they /do/ find the sage. Hopefully there will be enough to go around. Not caring whether the red-painted cougar or her sleepy companion join the group, Nova begins to feel her impatience returning. The vixen is eager to continue.

Roki opens his eyes to the nudging and peers around a world that seems to be spinning too fast to exist in.. not that his slumbers were any less disturbing. He looks up into the face of what could only be described by him as a dripping swirling fern monster of some kind that’s trying to wake him up.. before promptly passing right out again.. it’s not one of the good days today.