Blackberry Fields Tragedy Lurks

AW Nia is desperate to save her daughter as her health declines.

There had been a difference this time. Her body wasn't bouncing back as quickly as in prior births. Nia was no fool to know something wasn't exactly right with her. She would do all in her power to hide this reality from her child. The days felt longer, her breaths shorter. It was getting increasingly hard to provide for her daughter. Green eyes glanced over what should have been a plump child. Chubby and full of life. There was so much innocence in her tiny...tiny body. She was so frail. Nia was failing her daughter and growing desperate. The move was an attempt to find any small shred of hope. How far could either of them walk?

It seemed as if her legs felt her doubt as they buckled beneath her. She gasped a raggedy breath with widened eyes. No her daughter couldn't see this weakness. So she lied, tried to cover up her pain, "I found a good spot for a story, Rosie." She was young and impressionable. Hopefully still gullible enough to believe her mother had simply chosen to rest.

Rosemary had no concept of how things should be. That there were many other pups born around here this year, and that none were ever hungry or tired or struggling to survive. She didn't even know she was the latter. The other two were commonplace - following her mother around often made her very, very tired, but she got carried sometimes too. The hunger was constant - so much so that Rosie didn't even know anything else existed. Hadn't her tummy always felt so empty? Wasn't this what everyone felt like?

There was no point in crying for food. No point in making a big fuss. It never made more milk or meat magically appear, so Rosie was just... quiet.

Of course, she didn't really know anything was off with her mother. She was too young to be fully aware of someone else's health. But she certainly noticed when Nia very suddenly was no longer walking.

This was all well and good for Rosie, whose legs felt kind of like jelly. She instantly curled up beside her mother, nuzzling into her fur and relaxing.

A story?

Rosemary liked those.

Her tail wagged and she looked up at her mother, eyes bright with sudden excitement though she wasn't quite able to wiggle around like a normal puppy should. "Story, please!" she chirped, staring intently at her mother and waiting on her to share.

Dacian certainly hadn't meant to come upon such a scene, and he nearly turned away from it entirely, for something about the pieces of information he picked up was so off. It was in his best interest to avoid anything complicated, especially if it could offer him nothing, and yet... the sound of a mother and her child, talking of stories. That part gripped him by the heart, a painful vice that hardly occurred anymore. For a moment he squeezed his pumpkin-orange eyes shut, and he could see Sharlee's face as Mira babbled beside him. The world fuzzy and muffled but warm and peaceful and whole.

He moved carefully through the grasses and brush, not masking his presence but rather attempting to temper it into something that would not startle or frighten. His tail was low and his posture relaxed, unassuming. Against his better judgment, Dace was here to help.

"Hey..."

Even from here, he could see that neither of them were healthy. Momentarily, his well of words dried up, unsure of how to approach offering his help. The manipulative, bargaining ways were what he was versed in, even if not expertly so. What was the suitable, sincere way?

"Uh. I like stories. Maybe, we could trade?"

Not that, surely, but it could still work, right?

(This post was last modified: Jul 02, 2024, 10:57 PM by Ryder.)

Nia was relieved as her child tucked in beside her. She gently licked her crown. The joy radiating from the girl gave the woman a pained smile. Oh, how she wished her girl a full belly and the comfort of others who doted on her. Her daughter deserved a pack. Her muscles tensed at the sound of a stranger. She looked at him, and seeing that he was just a boy, relaxed. While he could harm either one of them he seemed to come with good intentions. "A trade?" She asked, her brow arched, unsure of what he offered or why he felt a story needed a reward.

"I'm not sure a pup's tale would interest you." Even so she gestured for him to lay down. "There once was a girl who loved the moon and stars more than the world." She peered at her daughter with love in her eyes, " For the world was dark and cruel, it turned its back on her. But at night the stars twinkled so very bright." Her smile faded, it was a short and bittersweet tale. "One night the little girl was so very hungry. No one would share with her and no one cared about her loneliness. So she climbed the highest peak and sang to the moon until she fell asleep." A brief dramatic pause to catch her breath, "When she awoke a pair of wings were on her back! So she flew up and up and up. The moon guided her path to the sky. At last, the girl was happy, dancing among the stars. No  more hunger, pain, or sadness." She nuzzled her daughter's cheek then turned to the boy with the story's conclusion. "They say, sometimes, you'll see a cluster of stars in the shape of a pup."  

Before her mother could share her story, another wolf showed up. This was a big deal for Rosemary, who had only ever seen her mother before. Most pups would have met packmates by now, but Rose had only Nia - it had hardly ever occurred to her that other wolves even existed.

Puppy blue eyes rounded when she spotted the stranger. A mix of uncertainty and excitement had her heart thudding in her chest - she wanted to approach him, but she was far too nervous to do so, and instead peeked at him from behind her mother's foreleg, her tail wagging.

Her attention was caught by Nia's story, then, and she looked up at her mother. Rosemary was hardly old enough to understand exactly what it was about - in her mind, though, she could picture a pup like herself, wings sprouting from their back and playing in the stars, and the bittersweet tale became a happy one.

"Birdie girl," she breathed, getting to her paws and hopping around with a happy squeal. It was a short-lived burst of energy, and soon she was flopped on the ground again, panting softly. But she had a smile on her face as she looked between the two bigger wolves, wondering if they would try to fly, too.

(This post was last modified: Jul 23, 2024, 12:50 AM by Rosemary.)

She didn't immediately tell him to get lost, at least. In fact, she went right ahead with the tale, not even asking for his part up front. It was her only bargaining chip, wasn't it? One he'd given to her quite graciously. He raised a brow, but settled down onto his haunches. The child was given a small, and incredibly brief smile. Looking at her emaciated frame saddened him, so he simply didn't, focusing on her mother instead.

'One night the little girl was so very hungry.'

Oh? Dace focused up a touch, taking it as a hint. He didn't expect just how clear, and stark, the message would become. There were so many ways she could have taken the story, whether to guilt him or to encourage her child, and instead she chose death for the daughter which was clearly her own. By the time she'd finished, his features had twisted openly into a mixture of disgust and disbelief.

'Birdie girl,' the oblivious whelp spoke with awe, and Dacian's own voice chased quickly after with a sharp "okay."

This was exactly what he deserved for getting the asinine idea of helping someone else. He shot to his paws and turned on his heels, glaring over his shoulder at the witch and her popper disguise.

"Message received. Please, stay right on your ass while I get dinner."

Dace would, though. He took off to track down something as swiftly as was possible. Granted, that wasn't quick, but it would certainly be before birdie girl got her wings.

(This post was last modified: Jul 23, 2024, 01:01 AM by Dacian.)