Grizzly Hollow bye bye black sheep, have you any soul?

Make it stop.

Make what stop, Veho wanted to yell – stop her mother’s tears?  Stop the pain?  Stop the time?  The alpha wanted it all to stop as well.  What he wouldn’t give to throw back the seasons to when all three of his children still lived in Grizzly Hollow, when things weren’t perfect, but they were okay.  Even if the cubs weren’t happy, at least they were healthy and whole.  For all the experience Veho had, even he hadn’t seen a wolf in such bad shape and sur—

He caught off his own thought with a violent shake, not willing yet to entertain the idea that his might be his only remaining child’s fate.  What had he done, for her to deserve this?  But he could contemplate later, because Oisin was back with the requested herbs.  “Thank you,” he rumbled harshly, grabbing the ergot first.  He pushed the stalks towards his daughter – they had to stop the bleeding.  Nothing else would matter if she kept bleeding.  “Eat these,” he told Ophelia.  “It will help.  The hurt will stop.”

It was better than nothing, anyways.

Grey eyes turned back towards Oisin.  “Take the yarrow and a large leaf down to the river.  Mash it up.  I don’t care how you do it.  Get it wet.  Bring the paste back on the leaf as quick as you can.”

Medic Demonstration 2/3

Even through the pain, she could hear her Mama's voice, comforting and loving. Mama was proud? Truly? And not just because she wasn't gonna make it through the day? Ophelia' tail swished weakly behind her and she tried to smile, but the pull of muscles left her face screaming and her expression crumpled. Everything hurt. Smiling, laughing, talking, sniffing, breathing. It all brought with it some manner of agony and the pale princess had begun living by what hurt the least or what was worth the pain.

Letting her family know how much she loved them, how sorry she was for being so awful... That was important. She didn't want to go with them thinking her a good riddance of a selfish, spoiled brat. She wanted it to matter. To make a difference. Even if it didn't make a difference at all. Nothing good was coming of her death. It was unfair, really. She wanted to live. She wanted to live and she was afraid of what came after! What if it was only darkness? What if she was alone? What if it was worse than this?

Hearing her father's voice near her ear, she wanted to sob. She was a disappointment for him. She was supposed to follow in his pawsteps. Rise to be a good leader. She'd let him down. Not on purpose, but there was no chance of that now. Ophelia longed to urge him to stay strong. Strong enough until another could rise to take his place and carry on his legacy. Maybe Felix would return and maybe he would lead instead. She wanted to laugh as she thought of him, grown, still upending rocks to find the best bugs. Ophelia longed to spend the day hunting for big buggies for him to come home to.

At Veho's bidding, Ophelia gingerly took the stalks of ergot in her mouth. They caught between her teeth and she couldn't re-position them well enough in her mouth without causing even minimal pressure on the roof of her mouth. Her palate felt mushier than it should, degrading with the presence of furious infection. The yearling whined, unable to get the herbs down. That protest was costly enough that she felt silent with the ergot still held between her teeth. Tenderly, Ophelia turned her head and let the ergot fall free.

"Killed him," she managed. It was too much to say that whoever he was, he wanted to hurt Pip. Too much to say that the look in his eyes said he wanted to hurt more than just Pip. "Not for nothing," she decided. Her life would not be forfeit in vain. It was for a cause. For Pip. For pack. For any others who would have been at that monster's mercy.

And she was cold, Ophelia realized. Despite the warmth of the day, she was freezing. Her limbs trembled violently from both exertion as well as whatever the source of the chill was, though her face still felt as on fire now as it had the very moment it had been torn into. "Just lay," she whimpered, begging, pleading to those around her. Mama. Daddy. Even the female hovering on the edge. If they would all just lay with her, maybe it wouldn't be so cold. Maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.

Ophelia couldn't help but wonder. Just how long did it take to die?

She stayed out of the way and paced on the sidelines. Perhaps if her paws kept busy her mind would stop trying to make sense of the girl on the forest floor. If she just did what Veho told her then surely the girl would be okay. They could do this. Oisin had never been one to think of a greater force that controlled things but she hoped there was one and that they would help them now. Help the girl on the forest floor better than they could. Help things turn for the best.

Veho's voice was like a magnet to the girl as she was released from her own devices. Oisin without hesitation grabbed the yarrow before running off down towards the river. She knew there were leaves down at the riverside that she could find and use. She would make sure to go as fast as she could even if her legs, paws, and or lungs began to hurt. Those things could be taken care of but there were more pressing matters right now.

Her head looked back over her shoulder once to spare the small group a glance. When her head turned back around she gripped the yarrow a little tighter in her jaws before pushing herself a little faster. The large trees made her quick-footed work a bit more difficult but she would manage.

Oisin

Cross my heart and hope for better days

medic demonstration 2/3 || oisin is now out of the scene, heading towards the river

Oula distantly noticed someone approach Veho, handing him something that he passed to their daughter before he sent them off for something else. Later she would realize it must have been Oisin, but her attention at the moment was solely focused on her daughter. Oula watched with a sinking feeling of hopelessness as Ophelia struggled to chew up what she had been given, limp stalks of grass falling from her mangled jaw to join the growing pool of blood below. There was nothing short of a miracle that would help now...

Oula leaned closer to hear Ophelia speak. 'Killed him, not for nothing.' Who, why, what had happened, all questions she wanted answers to and would never be able to ask. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She should have been there, protecting her baby. It should be her dying here instead. What Oula wouldn't give to trade places at that moment.

Seeing her shivering, Oula wanted to do nothing more but wrap around the girl and lend her every last shred of warmth she could spare. Carefully the woman lay down beside her child, trying not to jostle her injured, broken body. Her soft creamy fur mingled with Ophelia's blood matted pelt. "Right by your side, sweetheart," Oula said, her trembling voice barely above a whisper.

(This post was last modified: Jul 18, 2017, 05:07 AM by Oula.)

Ancestors, nothing was going fast enough – not his mouth, not his thoughts – not Oisin either, bless her little heart. The girl was trying. But Ophelia was dying right in front of him, and the world seemed to be spinning out of control as he moved in slow motion. Why him? Why her?

The only good one. The only one who stayed. Not Joan, not Tomen, not Felix – none of his other children waited at Grizzly Hollow, no matter what he tried to leave for him – and certainly not Rook. Whatever his mate had promised, it was Ophelia who’d been the most constant figure (outside of Pip). And even now, she preferred her mama. What had he done? Ancestors, what had he done? Was it Neha? Was this his punishment? Was it the hubris of leading a pack never meant for him?

Veho choked off a startled noise, barely aware of Oisin darting away as he shuffled to Ophelia’s side, opposite to her mother. His joints felt wooden as he lay, but he managed to settle best he could without jostling the injured wolf further. “We’re very proud, darling,” he rasped, throat and heart burning. But Ophelia needed to know before the Ancestors welcomed her with open paws. His perfect girl. “So very proud. Such a good girl. The best.”

No one would ever compare.

Medic 3/3

(This post was last modified: Jul 30, 2017, 04:30 PM by Veho.)

They were there. Both of them together. No matter their differences, Mama and Daddy were there together for her. If she were in a better state, she would have gotten such a thrill from it. Now, she found instead that the knowledge brought peace. Mama's warmth first on one side and then Daddy's on the other.

Having already been given her Mama's blessing and pride, Ophelia could have passed away in content. But in her heart, she knew it would be incomplete without also having confirmation from her father. And, steadfast and reliable as always, he granted her that which she desired most in that moment. While her Daddy lay next to her and professed his pride and love for her, she shuddered out a soft sigh of relief. The words from her parents brought more comfort than any herb or remedy could have.

She was selfish, Ophelia knew, because despite all that was said, she didn't feel completely satisfied. She longed to rub her muzzle against theirs, inhale their scents deeply once more. The state of her mangled face made the desire unable to be fulfilled. Tenderly, she shifted onto her side until the side of her head draped over one of her father's paws while her own forepaws sprawled across her mother's. It was the closest she could manage to offering a last kiss.

Perhaps it was the last of her adrenaline leaking from her body or the infection finally settling in deep enough for mortality, but Ophelia felt too weak to even lift her head. Ophelia's peridot eyes looked up a her parents, glistening like gems, as her breaths became deeper and farther between. Behind her, her tail gave one last feeble attempt at wagging.

"Love..." she managed. It was all the yearling had left and the word had stolen her last breath. Though her eyes did not close, death became apparent as they lost the life that once danced vibrantly within their depths.

She made the paste just as instructed. Oisin had never worked under this kind of pressure but she did her best to make do. Quickly she picked up the leaf with the mashed Yarrow on it before bounding off. Oisin knew she would get tired soon but that could wait, everything could wait until this was taken care of.

---Oisin back on scene---

The small girl made her way back into the area with her bundle. Oh so carefully she set it down near Veho before backing up a few steps when it hit her. She was late. She hadn't been fast enough. The crumpled wolf that had come to them for help hadn't received everything in time. A long soft whine left her as she began to creep backward, away from it all. This was her fault, wasn't it? As a frown tugged on her face she turned to move behind a few trees. The small Hollow wolf wished to disappear completely. Dirty yellow eyes only occasionally glanced back to make sure no one was following after.

Only a few more twists and turns would allow her solitude in a more silent part of the woods where the air felt more clear and light. Perhaps it would help her feel the same way.

-Oisin Exit-

Oisin

all of the songs that hang in the night
even after you're gone

medic demonstration 3/3

Oula watched Ophelia, focused on the labored rise and fall of her rib cage, each breath seemingly taking more effort than the last. A memory flickered in Oula's thoughts, stretching back to a time when the sky roared as the forest was torn apart, where she took shelter beneath the roots of an overturned tree. A time when Ophelia had been born, a time like now where life seemed to be a struggle for her smallest child. An idle thought crossed her mind; perhaps she had been marked since birth? Cursed? Was it only borrowed time that Ophelia had been living on? 

Oula glanced up only long enough to see Veho lay down along the other side of Ophelia. How could it be that their dying daughter was the only thing to bring them together now?  Oula swallowed around the hard, dry lump in her throat, blinking stinging eyes as she felt Ophelia shift. She couldn't help the small, tiny flicker of hope that perhaps Ophelia would pull through this. Her little girl was so strong, this couldn't be the end. But instead she turned onto her side, a heavy sigh leaving her broken body as dainty, pale paws settled on top of Oula's. Oula lowered her head to the ground, covering Ophelia's paws with her neck, face turned towards her pale princess and watching and listening for whatever would come.

"Love..." Barely a whisper, it was the last thing she would ever hear her daughter say. Tears finally broke free, overflowing the dark rim of her eyes and spilling onto the earth below.

No one deserved a death like this, least of all his precious his daughter. Of all four children, this was the only one that had stayed behind. Oh yes, there were others now, but they were inconsequential, and not his (not cursed) – he didn’t even know if the others lived, or if they’d ever return. Veho’s ears trembled as he leaned forward, pushing gentle kisses against Ophelia’s snout. His poor, poor girl. There was so much life left to live. How strange was the world, to rob a girl with so much left of her life, and leave a failure like himself to live on.

“Love you too,” he choked, voice barely audible as Ophelia breathed her last. His poor princess.

Closing his eyes, the alpha dropped his head. He wanted to scream, to howl – to offer Oula some measure of comfort in this awful time, but could not think of a single thing to say. Even when he opened his mouth, his throat refused to work, closed in on the horrible lump. So instead, hot tears trickled down his face, leaving a damp spot on the ground beneath his dusty chin. He left Ophelia’s paw on his own for hours, and hours more. His darling girl was gone.

Fade.