Phoenix Maplewood Come say goodbye

@Nanook, you can imply she maybe met with Desna? I'm cool with that! And of course @Reek is welcome too if you have the time!

Scarlett wasn't really getting better, in fact she didn't feel any improvement. She slept a lot because she was being tired all the time. Scarlett figured that it was her body trying to heal herself along with the herbs and medication Reek supplied to her. Being in winter wasn't the best time to be ill she realized. What she most worried about was that she hadn't seen Sesi or Nanook at all ever since she had gotten sick. Desna had been around but not the last few weeks.

Maybe she couldn't handle the fact that her mother was sick, she seemed pretty upset. The only thing that calmed her a bit was that Ukko was searching for them. Scarlett hoped she would at least see a glimpse of them. Each time she woke up the female was quite relieved that she hadn't passed away in her sleep. Her appetite was still not back fully and lifting her head was difficult with the wounds. Scarlett was quite clueless what was happening outside the den.

Apart from his regular work at the border, Reek tried to stay as close to his den/infirmary as possible when time would allow.  He popped in periodically, tended to both Scarlett's and his mate's wounds, and dropped off half-eaten food from the caches whenever he could before starting the cycle all over again. Reek fell into this routine with little to no problems— hell, he even enjoyed it. It was nice to feel needed. After all, he was the best healer residing in the maplewood now that Citali was gone. It felt good to be top-dog.

Once again he made his morning rounds, but instead of picking up leftovers for his two favorite girls, he had snagged a fresh kill.  A bright red fox hung by the tail from Reek's mouth. With it's lack of camouflage against the snowy landscape, it had been easy enough to spot... Catching and killing it, on the other hand proved to be a much more difficult task. But in the end, the wily fox did not win out.

After making his way back home with kill in tow, Reek popped his head into the small opening of his den. Immediately, he felt the body heat of the den's injured inhabitants on his face. Eyes adjusting to the darkness inside, Reek looked around and saw only Scarlett inside. Saena was obviously elsewhere. It came as little surprise, of course. A woman like her would surely go stir-crazy underground for so long; it was good for her to get out for a while. As long as she kept things light, Reek had no reason to worry.

"Morning Scarlett," he said after dropping the limp fox before her forepaws. Turning his body, he settled in beside her and laid down. "I brought breakfast!"

Nanook had not been so deep in the Maplewood for weeks, but that hardly counted for the surreality that overwhelmed her now. The forest felt neither hostile nor familiar; it simply existed in a dreamlike pulse, and stretched before her for much too long. Her storm of emotion channelled to a single point until all that remained was a clammy grip that made the snow at her paws feel warm.

The brook Desna had told her about finally surfaced through the trees. Even over the babble of the river, Nanook could pick out the distinct scent of her mother, mingled with those of the alpha pair, and her eyes widened with the flare of her nostrils when she discerned among the scent both sickness and life. The polar child had never been to this densite before, but she did not need help to find the entrance. The concentration of mama's scent spurred her on. Nanook gave no hesitation to her steps and found the hole deftly. The darkness stretched before her, sickly sweet with herbs and dried blood, and a voice came from within - deep and masculine, not belonging to her mother. Yet with a mind running too fast to think of manners, Nanook slithered in without a pause for invitation.

Scarlett was resting her eyes. The female had noticed only a few hours after Saena joined that the alpha female had been next to her. Her warmth was something that helped Scarlett feel a bit better. She was still sleeping a lot, and most of the food she let Saena eat since her appetite wasn't back yet. Sometimes she nibbled lightly on one of the carcasses brought by ever loyal Reek. Scarlett hadn't moved from where he left her before. Her wounds not closed up, still open since they were so deep. Luckily since Reek cared for her Scarlett's wounds at least didn't look infected.

Scarlett had little interest in the meal. She tiredly opened her eyes when Reek came in with the meal. She felt her stomach protest at the smell. Frankly because she hadn't eaten for so long and her stomach kept creating bile that was made her loose her appetite. Yet soon there was something else that caught her attention. Her nose caught a whiff of Nanook. She looked at the den entrance past Reek's legs. "Nook," she croaked. Her red eyes filling with tears a bit since she hadn't seen her daughter in so long.

It seemed Scarlett had little interest in the fresh kill Reek had brought, but he could hardly blame her. She hadn't been particularly keen on eating food as of late and Reek wondered if her appetite would ever return. If not, she would waste away and succumb to her condition, which was something Reek would not allow. She needed to eat now more than ever. Reek pushed the limp fox even closer with his muzzle until it pressed against her face.  He couldn't force feed her, of course, but he could make his intent as clear as possible.  Eat dammit.

Scarlett noticed the child enter the den before Reek did. After Scarlett's weak vocalization, Reek looked upon the youth and tried to smile, but that proved difficult. He motioned down to the fox in offering to both of them... with that he pulled away to his dwindling herb cache that lined the far wall of the infirmary. He chewed his last remaining herbs in silence, allowing mother and daughter to have an uninterrupted time to talk.

Foul taste filling his mouth, he began to treat her wounds again. While he had been successful so far in staving off infection, he was running out of herbs and the wounds had yet to close. He had done everything he could, but still he wondered if it would be enough.

Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness, but her ears worked as well as they had in the light. The sound of her name tightened her chest, but it was the pained distortion of her mother's voice that struck her of the reality they faced. She couldn't return the feigned smile offered by the man at mama's side. There was sympathy there, but as for hope, she found none.

She slipped forward when the man retired to the wall of the den, where the scent of herbs flowed stronger from. The fox at mama's paws received only a passing glance and a rumble from Nanook's stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten well. Anxiety had knotted her hunger away, and with her mama torn before her now, food was last on the child's mind.

There'd been a time she'd seen mama sad, after the sky had taken Leo back. Despite her protests, Mama had scooped her up and held her tight, and her sadness had stopped. Nanook was too big for that now, and she froze before she touched her mother, wanting to reach out, but afraid she would hurt her. Her frustration came as a soft whine and she hunched down to kiss her mother's face.

"You have to eat," was all she managed to whisper. The scent of herbs grew stronger, and the man's presence returned, but Nanook kept her eyes averted to her paws and the solid ground beneath her.

Nanook didn't know what good she did with that little lick as a greeting. Scarlett was basically swooning with the attention from her distanced daughter. It made all the pain go away for a moment. She closed her eyed briefly, savoring the moment when heat rushed through her body. Scarlett opened her eyes to look at Nanook. She wanted to tell her that she shouldn't whine, but the mother could imagine that it was quite a difficult thing to see your mama like this.

Scarlett looked to the side at the fox without moving her head too much. She let out a soft sigh. "I don't feel like eating," her rough voice returned to her daughter. "Hopefully my appetite will return soon." But her wish was empty. She was tired and didn't want to go through the pain of recovery. She had been broken so many times before and each time she was back to a standing level she was pushed down again. It was all mental what kept Scarlett from getting better. It was her mind that was making her sicker.

"I missed you. Did you at least have fun exploring?," she asked, assuming that Nanook was out conquering the world. Scarlett knew that at one moment in a pups life a mother came second place to other fun things. She didn't blame Nanook for that. Scarlett was very relieved to at least see her daughter. She looked thinner than Scarlett liked her to be, but then again she was growing so the mother was convinced she would flesh out eventually. With her question she also tried to distract Nanook from her mother's horrible condition.

Scarlett was so grateful for Reek and his help. She wanted to keep saying thank you. He should not be forgotten with the great work he was doing. If only Scarlett wasn't mentally stuck Reek would probably have gotten her back on her feet. "Thank you, Reek."

With Nanook falling inactive, I'm going to go ahead and edit an ending on this one so I can get my medic specialization!

An inevitibility lied in his empty herb cache.  This would be Scarlett's final treatment and Reek knew as soon as he finished applying his final poultice, Scarlett would run the risk of her wounds becoming infected in the open air.  The window of opportunity had worn out long before her wounds had the opportunity to close. By the time he finished the final treatement, Reek was overcome with hopelessness. Maybe she'd last another week or two, but even that amount of time was pushing the limits.  There was nothing more he could do.

He tried to smile after her expression of thanks, but Reek's expression was overly wrought with sadness. Crawling forward in a crouching hunch, Reek turned to lick Scarlett once on the forehead before settling into her side without a word. Reek shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep to the sound of whispers between mother and daughter.