Thank you for starting and sorry about this.
Every fiber of Haunt's broken body clung to life out of pure instinct. At first, she went through the limited motions because of the care being shown to her. Erzulie saw to it that she did not want for food or fresh water; that she did not have to live in her own mess; that the bedding beneath her softened the few movements she could make whenever Haunt found the strength to crawl.
But as the days blurred together, she began wishing for death. She barely moved. She refused to eat and turned away from water. Haunt no longer wanted to live, not like this. She would never recover use of her body. She would never hunt, never provide, never do
anything meaningful again. She would only be a burden and a drain on Sapphique's resources. Haunt couldn't cope with the possibility of that miserable existence, though death did not come quickly as she hoped. Refusing care only compounded her suffering horribly.
"Erzzz...yie," Haunt rasped, speaking for the first time in days, her words slurred because the muscles on one side of her face were not only useless but atrophying now. She sounded like she felt: like a useless whelp.
"Ki... me. Pea...z." She drew in a breath, tears hot in her eyes as she tried to get her tongue to enunciate better as she begged for mercy.
"Ki...y me. P...y...eazzz."
"Pea..." she sobbed against Erzulie's own cheek, her warm breath ruffling the fur there. She hated to beg, nearly as much as she hated asking this of the most maternal she-wolf she'd ever met. But Haunt didn't want to linger here any longer, trapped inside a failing body and unable to derive any meaning from her own existence.
Her condition did not hurt her physically, though between it and her recent refusal of sustenance, Haunt felt weaker than ever. Nonetheless, she pushed her muzzle weakly toward Erzulie's, touching her nose to the corner of the Obsidian's eye. Her own yellow gaze bored into hers, noting the oxblood streaking the buttery yellow.
Please, Haunt whispered in her own head, where she remained fully articulate. It was maddening, maintaining all her mental and emotional faculties while unable to make her flesh cooperate. Please put me out of my misery. Please, Erzulie, please.
Erzulie drew away from her and Haunt felt cold. She remained still and watchful as the Obsidian busied herself with rummaging through her stores. She produced some herbs, only to grow still herself and stare at them. They looked utterly innocuous to Haunt's unlearned eyes. Her nose twitched faintly when Erzulie went into motion again, sorting the plants into five distinct piles.
At first, she wanted to resist Erzulie's command. Was she denying Haunt's plea? Then, quite abruptly, it clicked. Of course the Obsidian wouldn't smother her or tear out her throat or any of violent ends Haunt had vaguely pictured. She would use her herbs to end Haunt's suffering.
Eyes finding Erzulie's again, the yearling stared into them as she did as she was told. Will this hurt? she wondered dimly, her own eyes glassy as she watched the tears coursing down her angel of mercy's cheekbones.
There were a lot of things Haunt wanted to say, things she wanted to do, lives she wanted to live. But once the herbs were administered and Erzulie gathered her in her arms, there was nothing left for the yearling to do but let her eyes slip shut and listen to the Obsidian's comforting croon.
As she felt herself being dragged under, Haunt's body and brain disagreed with how to respond. Her intact half began to jerk and twitch, as if fighting to stay awake, stay
alive. Though she mentally begged for peace, her body struggled instinctively and there was little she could do to stop it.
This went on for a small eternity before the synapses began to subside. Haunt's body went totally slack and soon after, consciousness began to fade.
Thank you... she thought dimly, her head lolling to rest against Erzulie's chest, cheek tucked up against her heartbeat and nose filled with her scent.
It would take some time yet—possibly even hours—before the ill-fated yearling drew her final breaths and grew still in Erzulie's arms. Long after her awareness faded to black, she would slip as noiselessly from this world as she had
come into it.