Kingsfall oh boy

It was in that moment Cottongrass couldn't help but think that everything was going perfectly. That the stars above were finally aligning and it was in his favour for once! Because it seemed like the stranger knew Aytigin. It was sort of like they were opening a door to a world of magical adventure and Cottongrass was pumped. Beyond stoked to follow this pale-furred stranger wherever it lead if it meant his friend would be at the end. And maybe all three of them could hang out. He could introduce the wolf to Aytigin and Cottongrass would have to go soon after, but they could make plans to meet again. Unable to help it his big paws stamped in the dirt and his body wriggled in excitement. He even gave the stranger one of his happiest smile, the kind that had his jaws parting and pink tongue lolling out while his eyes turned into little sideways half-moons.

The world had never been better and Cottongrass did everything the wolf said without a thought. He turned on the spot and even took one step forward, squirming because he couldn't wait. Except it was then the world started to fall apart all around him. When everything inside of him froze and his mind started flashing warning signs and error signals because something was wrong. Somewhere below him one of his paws dangled in the air as the delusion came crashing down mid-step. Because wait.

It all happened so fast and it was sort of like when his friend Otter said if there were actually any bees when Cottongrass thought there were bees but now he was all mixed up. What the heck was going on? Shouldn't this be the other way around? He thought that the other wolf knew where Aytigin was, but why weren't they leading the way?

A frown made its way across Cottongrass' features while his brow furrowed in confused thought. He twisted at the neck and peered over his shoulder at the pale features of the stranger, something of a pitiful look overcoming him. "But I don't know where he is." Cottongrass blurted out, as mixed up as could be in that moment. Like someone told him there was a surprise waiting for him but there was no surprise. That it was all one great big trick.

What was going on?

Ahaha okay I think this is a decent stopping point for this thread, if you want to post one more time. Excited for our next! Thanks for spreeing. :)

Ah, it looked like the ghost was choosing to lead him to danger rather than out itself right here. That was to be expected, honestly, from all that Teshi had heard of ghosts. The other wolf appeared to shimmer in excitement. Teshi blinked hard to keep him in semi-focus. He took stock of his physical status and realized that he was feeling even worse than he had five minutes earlier. Even the simple act of blinking made a tide of nausea rise up.

But he had to keep it together if he was going to avoid being killed by this supernatural creature. If he showed any sign of weakness, he was going to be taken advantage of. With this in mind, he took a step after the spirit when it turned and took a step. But no next step followed, and he halted cautiously, his insides a turbulent mess. What was the ghost doing? What did it mean it didn't know where its friend was. All of Teshi's suspicions washed over him, and he pulled his ears back in a show of fear. Maybe the ghost was reneging on its original plan and was deciding to instead reveal its true self. Teshi wasn't ready for that, as much as he had wanted to believe he was. He didn't think he could evade a demon very well right now.

He felt his heart racing, and suddenly he couldn't keep down the rush of unease in his belly. Except it wasn't a rush of unease exactly...

He barely opened his mouth in time to accommodate the burst of partially-digested berries that came spewing out. It burned his tongue, this toxic onslaught, and his eyes started water immensely. He hunched over, trembling with great force.

"ARGHHHH," he groaned, stumbling to the side. He raised his head, eyes swiveling madly in their sockets. He hated throwing up. He'd only done it once before, and it had been the most unpleasant experience of his life.

Seeing the flash of white fur still in his view, he commanded, "Leave me!" He didn't care how all-powerful this demon-ghost was; he wasn't going to perform for another being in this state. Another torrent of stomach juice spurted from his open muzzle. "BLARGH."

What a first impression he was making on Relic Lore.

Thank you for the wild thread! I'll be archiving this now, don't forget to claim your LP <3

There was nothing—absolutely nothing!—that could prepare Cottongrass for what was about to happen next. Because he was slow, alright? The gears of his mind could only churn so fast before he became a confused mess and this was something he actually wanted to understand. He was only starting to clue onto the fact that this wolf was weird. That maybe they weren't what they seemed and it was time for Cottongrass to make a speedy retreat before the situation escalated. And if this was the kind of wolf Aytigin hung out with they were going to have a serious conversation before he left for Wild Rye Fields. But before he could act on the growing suspicion inside of him, before he could even think of acting on it—

The other wolf was vomiting.

Just really going to town as they spewed up gooey red chunk after gooey red chunk of who knows what. And Cottongrass was given no choice but to bear witness to the stranger's horrifying performance. The noises they made could only be described as inhumane and sickening. So much so that Cottongrass himself couldn't help but feel ill as his stomach rolled somewhere deep inside of him. But maybe it was just the stench that was now filling the air. It had the entire clearing reeking of bile and something sickly sweet. Yet that wasn't even the worst part of it all. No, the worst part of it all was that they wouldn't stop. Why wouldn't they just stop!? As it was only seconds later was the creature spewing up another storm of what Cottongrass could only assume was gore.

He was frozen in place. Unable to move as the confusion that once made his mind slow and hazy turned into horror and disgust. And really, Cottongrass didn't need to be told twice to leave the wolf alone. There was something clearly wrong with them and all those times Reyes asked if someone was sick were really starting to make sense. Who wanted to be around someone that was sick? Not Cottongrass, that's for sure!

Without another moment of hesitation Cottongrass turned on the spot and ran, lumbering away from the stranger as fast as his stocky legs could carry him. Because now he really needed to see Ayti.