Broken Timber Pines some things are better off forgotten

For @Eek only.
Backdated to June 9th. Clear weather, noon.

we bury them in places that we really only visit by ourselves

The pain was immense. It felt as though there were a fire within his chest, and the hot smoke and embers were being pushed through his veins and sucked into his lungs with every heartbeat and each breath.  It had been gradually building, beginning with the voiding of his stomach that morning. Was this a heart attack? Were these blatant signs that Phineas had ignored, would he really see the same demise as his insufferable brother? His jaws stretched apart, forced into a false yawn by the same urge to vomit that had been plaguing him for hours now. There was nothing to bring up anymore, however, and only a tortured whine escaped.

Step by step he was making his way back through the territory to its heart. On an instinctual level, he wanted help. As if anyone could actually do something about it. The higher, less self-preserving plane of his mind however was actively hoping that they all just stay away from him and let him be miserable alone. He certainly did not want his hodgepodge of a family to witness any of it, specifically @Delia or @Zeta. And after all, he couldn't really be dying, right? Right?

The fear was very much real, but still it was such a difficult thing to wrap his mind around. He'd just accidentally eaten something terrible, and he would be fine once it passed. This wasn't a heart attack, it was just acid reflux from all of the vomiting. That had to be it. He was alright. He was just fine.

Another slow whine leaked from his jaws as his shaking muscles seized up, and his joints threatened to buckle. Please let it pass. Anything but a heart attack.

(This post was last modified: Jun 21, 2016, 12:31 AM by Erebos.)

The rabbits she had scattered through the caches were slowly disappearing with nobody any the wiser, while others were vomiting and shitting, and otherwise just plain miserable she managed to walk with a spring in her step, tailless rump waving from side to side, and happy hum in her ears as she gathered plants to make them better. The seemingly random nature of those afflicted could easily point to some sort of stomach bug, for surely if their source of food was turned or poisoned then they would all be struck down, but with @“Eirian” seemingly spared, along with a good portion of the younger members of the pack, meant it would be difficult for any suspicious paw to swing her way. Of course not all the caches had been tainted, she had been catching rabbits of the unseasoned variety too, and placing those in the caches she knew the young ones frequented. It was hard work being bad and not getting caught, but she had grown oh so much more cautious in recent years.

It was a slow whine that caught her attention first, and then she clued in on the unsteady steps that suddenly ceased. Of course she was aware the older members of the pack might not handle it as well as those more robust but wasn't that part of the beauty of nature and the natural course? Survival of the fittest and all that drivel? Wondering if perhaps it was Koda that was suddenly so ill she closed in, finding instead the snowy rump of one of the latest batch doubled over. Oh dear. Smirk washed from her face as she rounded on the man, face clearly showing nothing but concern, placing the latest batch of sweetgrass under his nose. "Are you okay dear? There's a terrible bug going around, perhaps this will help?" Oh butter wouldn't melt.

Someone had found him, and of course they approached him. Stiffening under the onslaught of another wave of pain deep within his abdomen, his tail both bristled and raised in a warning that he was sure would be ignored. Because that was his luck. He was dying and it couldn't just be in peace. Watching her from the corner of his orange eyes, he wasn't sure whether to be pleased or not that it was at least one of the strangers in the pack and not his family, who were likely to smother the life out of him quicker than whatever affliction this was. Who exactly was this, though? He tried to remember, those silver eyes striking. This wasn't Arion's mom, was it? No, she had died or something. Oh, this was the freak with no tail.

Erebos opened his jaws wider to try and tell her to go away, but all that came out was a mournful harrruun. She set something in front of his paws, and he realized he might be wrong about a stranger being less likely to suffocate him with undesired care. His nose twitch as the sweet grass choked him with its nauseating smell, and he was quick to turn his snout up at the offer.

"Th' fuck is it?" he managed, as unpleasant and uncouth as he'd been his whole life. A bug, she said; so it wasn't a heart attack taking him slowly? That was some kind of relief, at least.

The more agitated the silver wolf grew, the more genuine her smile became. Perhaps this could be serious, maybe not. However, the simple fact he was miserable was enough to lighten her day. His bad-tempered words were equally satisfying. "It's sweetgrass dear, it'll make your vomit burn less on the way back up. Plenty of water, some rest and I'm sure you'll be fine." Her tone was chipper enough, perhaps even too much so but it could just as easily be written off by her seemingly simple nature.

It was as she watched him closer that she noticed his laboured breath, far surpassing what would be expected after a bout of vomiting, the tense way he stood despite his exhaustion. She had seen this before... Fuck.

Perhaps he hadn't been questioning the grass at all but rather his condition? "Everyone has been vomiting and shitting all over the place, it seems to pass after a day or so for most. How long have you been unwell?" Would this be a prolonged case or perhaps more severe? "Have you been running around this morning? Shortness of breath should not be a symptom..." Unless he was just too old. Unless he was meant to die.

Another undeniable yawn of his jaws sent a shiver up his spine as his body once more attemoted to turn over and shake out his stomach. With nothing left to crawl up his throat he was left with the pain and heaving tries that took far too long. For a moment he could not catch his breath, and while his erratic heart fluttered with panic, he felt an unhealthy dose of disappointment when at last his lungs filled with air. If he was dying, why couldnt it just be over with?

Maybe this was penance for all the wrong he'd done to others through his life.

"Too late for that shit then," he huffed, pushing the grass away with a stiff paw. "Got nuthin left cept my organs."

And those clearly weren't worth a damn anyways. That everyone else was catching whatever it was made for a bittersweet feeling; that he wasn't suffering alone was enjoyable, but he did not want @Delia or the kids to suffer this affliction. But then the tailless wonder was pestering him with questions and went ahead to make it clear his condition was not the norm for what she knew of the illness. Why did she know it, had it really been going around that long? Wouldn't surprise him, he'd been purposefully neglectful of anything that wasn't a cache, a relative or @Maeve. Or maybe she had seen this before, maybe what was going to take him out even had a proper name. That would be better.

"Las'night," he wheezed, "n'no, I don't fuckin run around when'm projectile vomitting everywhere."

God, she needed to go away.

(This post was last modified: Aug 02, 2016, 08:55 PM by Erebos.)

She kept her thoughts from her face as he spoke but it all pointed to a rather grizzly outcome for the greyscale man. She could smell the lingering scent of death in the air already. Best she didn't let him know. <b>"Perhaps something stronger then? To stop the nausea... I'm sure I saw some yarrow nearby..."</b> She was almost certain it was cowbane, growing by the falls, at least it would be a less painful way to go, shutting down the nerves like that. <b>"At least if you feel a bit more comfortable you can ride it out sleeping, I promise I won't say a word."</b> As if the man were worried about what others might think of him accepting the help of the 'pack healer'.

Without waiting for a response she set out, only stopping to turn and look to see if he was following. Her stance brokered little argument, if he wished her to come and bite at his ass to get him moving she would. The skipping of his heart and the burning in his lungs only left one outcome, and he could die here slowly and painfully, or he could let her make it better

It seemed that it would not matter how unpleasant he proved to be with the little lady. She was nothing but sugar, and that deeply bother him. He didn't trust a wolf that calm, always avoided such indomitable happiness if it wasn't his daughter. Yet this was his only, final offer of anything that might alleviate him if she actually knew what she was doing. What was suggested, being able to slip off to sleep, sounded heavenly and despite his begrudging nature he finally was swayed into relatively docile listening.

Not that she gave him much choice to have his own say. With a scowl he watched her flounce off, her queer little nub twitching. After only a moment's pause, he dragged himself up after her. As they walked, his stomach continued to flip and churn, occasionally spreading his jaws apart as though to vomit. At this point, the reflex was like hiccups; annoying, enraging even and painful, but expected.

"Please tell me nearby is near..." he grumbled, more so to keep up the complaints than anything. But really, he didn't want to be tramping all over the woods searching for a weed.

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Oh he was a prickly one, it was a shame this would be their only real encounter. "Near enough," {i}that you might not drop dead before we get there... She offered chirpily, "It's just past the border. Not far now!" She was trying to wrack her brain, to figure out what relationship this man held to the other wolves he had joined with. Delia was the mother so she could only assume the old man was @Zeta and Zane's father -  the chipper lass spotted on more than one occassion chirping at the old man.

She made a show of turning her head this way and that, a cue that they must be getting closer. Finally silver eyes fell on the pale flowers and she heaved a sigh of relief. "Just there," she pointed with her nose, "With the white flowers, eat a few stems and you'll be good as new. It'll taste horrible and stink awfully - but you know what they say! Bitter gets you better!" She wasn't really sure if anyone said that, but at least if she sounded like she knew what she was talking about he might be more inclined to follow her advice.

She began to wonder how far they might get away before he finally fell for good.

His teeth gritted together at the sound of her voice, cheerfully encouraging him on. He was desperately thankful that they'd had no other genuine encounters, as she was absolutely insufferable. All of her dramatics only agitated him morning, and his stomach did not just ache but boiled with the added emotion. Not only mentally, but physically taxing was this little trip on the ill man. It took no time at all for him to be winded once more, and his muscles burned with lack of oxygen as he struggled to keep up.

When she seemed to stop and spy something, relief finally began to course through him. The description led him to it, but then she kept talking past that and by the end of it with her little cliche that no one had ever even heard before he finally lost his temper.

Wheeling around, he boomed out as vicious a snarl as his raw, acid-burned throat would allow him and snapped his fangs at her.

"Shut the fuck up, you stupid woman! I'll eat yer goddamn flowers, but if y'dont stop with the gratin' fuckin' 'I-shit-rainbows' word-vomit, I'm gunna gouge my own fuckin' ear drums out!"