Wild Rye Fields X Gon' Give It to Ya

Askan should have known as soon as he got the sniffles it was only going to go downhill from there. But no, he'd shrugged it off and went about his business as though nothing was wrong. As though a stormy headache wasn't brewing in the back of his skull, waiting for the for the first clap of proverbial thunder. But then of course, he'd woken up next to his mate on this fun summer day and uh....He felt awful.

Askan had faced death before, he'd had it breath down his neck as the life was air was squeezed out of his lungs. But this? Oh it was so much worse, quite possibly the worst thing ever! Was he being over dramatic? Yes. Was he going to admit that? No. And most importantly, was he going to sulk and whine about it like a pup? Oh damn yes he was.

Sniffing, Askan plodded along with his head hanging low. His nose was all runny and his throat was all sore, like he'd gargles loads of tiny pebbles. Who had done this to him, cursed him with such an awful affliction? He had been minding the pups-a troublesome bunch- a lot recently, so surely they had to have done this to him. Percy had never made him ill before, so why did these little pests have to?

Approaching the communal den, Askan let out a mighty sneeze, which was so loud that all the birds resting in the nearby trees were spooked into flight. He sniffed again and bowed his head to wipe his nose on his front leg. Maybe they had some herbs left, after all Jessie surely couldn't have used all of them as Lachesis had brought so many...Then again she had used them to aid her during the birth of her pups, so maybe she had.

Huffing, Askan dramatically flopped to the floor with an groan. This was it, this was the end of Askan Selwyn.

It wasn't often that he ventured towards the main den. Especially out of his own free will. But there was a first time for everything and it wasn't like he was trespassing or something. He was just... Wandering. Exploring the pack territory without much rhyme or reason. He figured that if he kept making rounds eventually something interesting would jump out of him. So far he was proving to be horribly wrong. Because there really wasn't much happening and he didn't know if it was because of the heat or it was just the way the world worked.

He joined Wild Rye Fields for new experiences, dammit!

And even if that wasn't the entire truth it was close enough for him. Especially when he was bored. When he even stopped being lazy and started using his nose in hopes of rooting out excitement. He still got nothing! Just the familiar scent of grass and warmth that radiated off the lands like a beacon for home. It was enough to make him want to do something drastic. And while his idea of drastic was ultimately harmless and only somewhat annoying, he still considered it a big deal.

With determined paws he shuffled towards the old oak tree that stood tall on the edge of the forest. The closer he got the stronger the scent of pack-mates grew in his nostrils. But his eyes saw nothing and it was enough to bolster him forward. It wasn't until he picked up one particular odor that stood out from the rest did he stop his march.

Askan.

The man who just might have been the smartest wolf he ever met and his best friend! He wanted to be disappointed that his plans were now sidetracked. That he didn't even got a chance to flop onto the ground and start whining like a puppy for attention. But his curiosity outweighed everything else and he figured that it was worth it. And as he approached the man sprawled out on the ground it was already proving to be the better option.

Why the heck was he groaning like that? Why was he even on the ground in the first place? Faintly Cottongrass wondered if this was how Reyes felt every time the older wolf stumbled upon him like this. But otherwise his mind was quiet.

He approached his friend without any hesitation. Didn't even think twice before he dropped onto the ground against their side. The grass was prickly and it smelled all kinds of itchy inside of his nose. Somewhere behind him his tail thumped against dirt and fur. And without fear —

Cottongrass reached over to poke Askan's face with the tip of his nose. Just like the annoying puppy he was deep down. If he was snapped at he already had a good excuse on the tip of his tongue. Which was that his friend was acting weird and he was just making sure he was still alive, just like all good friends did for each other. Reyes had inadvertently taught him that.

His tail continued to wag away in the grass while he waited for something entertaining to unfurl before his eyes.

COTTONGRASS

Askan was lonely, he wanted company. He wouldn't dare admit that aloud, but it was what he felt and he damn well had a hard time resisting it. It was a bad idea of course, he didn't want to pass on whatever he had...But he also wanted to be comforted, for someone to take pity on his poor soul and offer an earnest 'there there' to help him feel better. It was stupid as hell, he knew it wouldn't help at all but there he was anyway, groaning in despair as he hoped someone would stumble upon him.

And not a few moments later, he felt a warm body press against him as the scent of Cottongrass barely touched his nose. Damn it, he couldn't smell a thing. He was useless! A sham of a wolf!

"Noooo."He groaned, his voice all tired and raspy. Almost like what he'd sounded like before , days after his life had taken a turn for the worst."You'll get it too. Run whist you can."

He was acting like he had the plague, forever the drama king, but he meant well. Cotton was a good kid, he didn't deserve to feel this shitty...But again, it wasn't like Askan really wanted him to go. Contrary to common assumption, the Selwyn wasn't a complete recluse. He liked having his friends about and as odd as it seemed-even then- Cottongrass was Askan's friend. Or at least his equivalent of one.

"M'sick."He mumbled, as though it wasn't obvious enough."Dying maybe." An exaggeration if he'd ever said one. He knew what dying was like...and as awful as this was, this was not it.

He was expecting more of a reaction. Like maybe an unhappy response for him to move or some futile wiggling in an attempt to put more space between them. But Askan didn't do either of those things. Instead there was a drawn out groan and a sentence he didn't fully understand. He didn't know what the heck a whist was or what it had to do with running.

A part of him was starting to wonder if there was actually something wrong with Askan.

The next two sentences didn't help his suspicions.

"Wait." He whined. "I can't tell if you're being serious." And maybe it was another testament to his naivety but there was genuine concern in his voice. He didn't know what being sick was like. For all he knew it was fatal and he was moments away from losing one of his best friends.

Behind him his tail gave a panicked wag and his ears swivelled forward. There was nothing but bewilderment in his yellow eyes as he looked over his friend. Nothing seemed wrong. But then it struck him that he didn't actually know what a dying wolf might have looked like. He reached out to give his friend a few worried pokes. His nose even twitched and he couldn't tell if Askan smelled different or if he always smelled like that.

Maybe he should get help...

COTTONGRASS

Askan sniffed not once, nor twice but three times before he was able to respond. Stupid runny nose. Honestly, that was more annoying than the sore throat. That he knew how to deal with , he'd had worse after all. But this damn cold would be the end of him, or at least it would continue to make him it's bitch until he felt better. As to when that would happen he had no idea. Sooner rather than later he hoped.

"Sorta. Feel like crap." He groaned, as to extenuate his point.

He wouldn't admit it, but he liked the touch and the warmth that Cotton provided. He was like a wilting flower, so desperate for some sunlight to feed his shrivel ling leaves. But uhh, this probably wasn't such a good idea. Cotton was good kid, he didn't deserve to catch this unbearable sickness he had. If he were a strong man he would have crawled away and told the Rye's resident fluffball to abandon him to his fate, but in this moment he wasn't. He was tired and kinda hungry, but couldn't muster the will power to get food for himself.

"Don't wan' you getting it though. So like...don't kiss me or anything." He sniffed again, well aware that he wasn't exactly desirable at this point."Ugh, could you get me....something to eat? A rabbit sounds good."

He arched his neck up and gave Cottongrass a rather pathetic look, puppy eyes and all.

"Please, I'll owe you."

Sometimes Cottongrass felt like Askan was a great big bag that was full of endless surprises. Because he still couldn't tell whether or not the man was joking about dying but he guessed it just gave him all the more reason to play along with his friend's suggestions. For all he knew Askan had planned a very elaborate joke that involved him being bossed around all day. He found that he didn't mind. Not when there was a voice in the back of his mind telling him to listen and be quick about it because you never kept a friend waiting. Especially not best friends because those were rare and cherished.

"Okay." He finally chirped with a few quiet thumps of his tail. Askan probably could have barked at him like a spoiled puppy and Cottongrass would have listened without hesitation. But he supposed the manners and begging were pretty okay. And his friend told him no kissing but he didn't say anything about forms of contact so... He reached out to brush the blunt end of his muzzle along Askan's forehead before shuffling to his feet. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere!" He added for good measure. Like Askan had any choice in the matter of comfortably moving.

And without another moment of hesitation—Cottongrass toddled off with his head down and nose twitching as he sought out a cache for his friend. He was pretty sure there was one nearby.

COTTONGRASS

Cottongrass was all sorts of goofy, but he was pretty dependable when it came down to it. Which by that Askan was pretty sure he could trust him to get him something to eat. He wouldn't send him off to do something overly important, because Cotton-bless him-was a little silly at times. He was just an overgrown kid and he did what kids do best, make a mess of things. If he had been anyone else, it would have irritated the Selwyn to no end, but luckily for Cottongrass Askan had a special sort of fondness for him.

He'd told him no kisses-or anything equally as touchy feely- but the fluff ball clearly had no intentions of listening to him.Which...well if he got sick to then it'd be his funeral. Ugh, Reyes was going to kill him. At the very least he'd give his ear a tug. Making Cotton sick, you idiot. Or something along those lines. In his defence though, he'd told him not to. But at least his touch was nice and soothing, made him not feel so alone and icky

"Yeah...I'll be here...Dying.Slowly.He groaned, throwing his head back with a dramatic sigh.

In a sense, Cotton reminded Askan of Lenae. Of how eager she had been to please, how-out of all of his sisters- she had always been the nicest. She never bothered or pestered him, if anything their time together was well spent. Whenever he was feeling down-which happened pretty damn often back home-she'd done every thing she could to make him feel better.

Askan missed her terribly, he wasn't even afraid to admit that. But he supposed Cotton was just as good, that he was lucky to have such a good friend.

Laying his head down, Askan sighed, only to wince as it scratched at his throat. He felt awful, but at least Cotton had his back.

What followed could only be best described as awkward toddling. He shuffled about with his nose twitching mere inches above the ground and he probably looped around a few times more than he really needed to. But in his defence it was pretty easy to get sidetracked when there was a ton of different scents drifting about in such a small area. From the scent of pack mates to the dry and dusty odour of wild rye.

Eventually he found what he was supposed to be looking for. A pile of flattened dirt that didn't match the rest of the ground and the scent of meat. His rear end gave a pleased wiggle and he set to digging. Big paws and blunt nails dug deep into the soil below and pulled back. Easy work that was all the more rewarding when he unearthed the half-eaten remains of a rabbit. Actually picking it up wasn't as fun but Askan was waiting so he tried not to fool around.

He toddled back. The carcass was snug between his jaws and when he got closer to Askan he gave the remains a shake. Like he was trying to show off what he dug up. And he might have got a little too caught up in his mini parade and almost tripped but maybe Askan didn't see that part. He dropped the rabbit before the man's paws and his rump followed suite as he dropped onto the ground with a dull thud. His tail dragged along the ground in lazy swipes.

"There you go, boss." He may or may not have been expecting repayment in the form of some kind of praise. It was only fair.

COTTONGRASS

Askan wasn't left waiting too long.

Soon enough Cotton reemerged on the scene, carrying a half eaten rabbit between his jaws. The Selwyn would have much preferred something a little fresher, but he should have expected as much when he'd asked the fluff ball to get something from one of the caches. Maybe he should have asked for him to catch something fresh. He had to be able to hunt, right? Otherwise all those months he'd spent alone would have resulted in him being one skinny bugger. Either that or he was real lucky when it came to scavenging.

Either way, Askan was glad to see him and the snack he'd asked for.

With a tired huff, Askan pushed himself up into a sitting position. His ears twitched at Cotton's words and he couldn't help but roll his eyes, even if there was a slight smile on his lips. It was pretty damn hard to keep up the miserable act with him around.

"Boss? You've been hanging around Reyes too much. Thanks though, you did good Cotton."And he meant it, that much was clear.

It didn't look or smell that appetising, with all of its bits hanging out, but food was food and hopefully it would help keep up his strength, so he could fight off this damn cold.

And so he munched and crunched till there wasn't a whole lot left, except a couple of scraps and the fur. Licking his lips, Askan returned his attention back to Cotton, who'd been sitting by all the while.

"Mm, feel a little better. Want to get a drink at the pond?"