Redhawk Caldera sick day

Most days, Aiden woke up slow, and then once he was properly awake, he was AWAKE and had a case of the zoomies before settling down and finding something to eat. Then he would go about his day, having a full program of wrestling, playing, protecting the pack and the likes.

Today was nothing like 'most days'. Aiden woke up with a massive headache. Eljay confirmed that he was 'sick', which Aiden did not like at all. After asking a couple of questions to figure out why he was sick and who had made it that way, and finding out that basically there was no one he could blame for this, Aiden accepted his predicament, albeit grumpily. Eljay fixed him a warm spot to lay — a shallow den with some furs — where Eljay kept Aiden warm for a little bit before the Almost Grown Boy told his father he didn't need his father. Only moments later did he realise how much he missed the warmth, but by then it was too late. Aiden sneezed a few times and sniffed his nose. Beebing sick subcks, he concluded to himself, annoyed, as he curled up and tried to catch some more sleep.

tag for reference <3

Word spread, and Bronco was soon informed in passing that one of the young Blackthorns was down for the count. Even fully grown wolves went from adult to child when they got sick sometimes, especially when they got the Mancold. There were really no concerns to be had, so he'd been informed, but Bronco took pride in being the 'fun uncle' and decided he'd pay the boy a visit and see if there was anything he needed while he was down for the count. He let @Teya know where he was going. He'd intended to spend the afternoon with her, but figured Aiden might like a visit, so he post-poned their plans. 

He brought half of his breakfast with him- not much was left of the spruce grouse, but at least it had been de-feathered. He sniffed his way to where Eljay's trail led, and sure enough found the den where Aiden was sequestered. He dropped the grouse, and tilted his head back. "Bring out ya dead!" He cawed, before he lowered his head, and peered into the darkness. "Hey Aido. Your Dad said you caught the mancold." He inhaled through his teeth. "Want some company?" He asked.

only a couple posts to take advantage of the trade thread <3 then I will drop her out!

Maia had asked Bridget to stop by with something for Aiden and she'd mixed a couple of plants that might help. Back home when she'd seen her mentor help the younger members of the pack (herself included), Leticia had always combined them with berries to help the medicine go down more smoothly and to help hide the taste. It was a practice she kept, so the bark she carried held a healthy blob of honey. Mixed in was a combination of astragalus and elderberry.

Ah, ey!! Bridget greeted them before setting it down. Sorry. Hey! I came by to give you this. It should help some, if you can try to swallow it all down. How are you feeling?

If it was just the cold, and Bronco was here, she could leave them to it. But she wanted to make sure his symptoms weren't a sign of anything worse, and especially anything that might catch hold and start spreading through the rest of the kids.

Aiden was just about to fall asleep when he heard Bronco's voice. If he had fully heard what Bronco had said he might've been mildly offended, but Aiden missed the first bit and he was glad for some company. The Mambcold? he questioned, but soon after nodded at the offer of company.

Just at that moment, Bridget showed up with some bark with stuff on it and asked how he was doing. Suddenly Aiden felt awkward and he changed visibly in demeanour. The youth didn't often look unsure of himself, but he seemed almost shy now. Oh, I'b fine, he said, weirdly casual. Aiden eyed the stuff Bridget brought suspiciously, because it didn't look like food.

He settled in alongside the youngster, figuring at least he could help keep him warm or be a pillow for Aiden to rest against. Bridget was soon to join them, carrying something which inspired a similar look from Bronco. Medicine. It would help, likely, but he knew how medicines tasted and like the man-child he was, he didn't particularly like having to take medicines. "Doesn't look too bad, kiddo. Smells like...Honey," Bronco said. Obviously, there was other medicines hidden in it, but at least Bridget had sugar-coated it. 

"I figured I'd give him some company, maybe teach him how to play bobstones. If he needs food, I can run and get something. Anything to keep him from getting a case of Bronco-itis," Lame joke but that was what was going to make his company all the more fun. Dad jokes.

Bridget wasn’t oblivious to the effect she had on Aiden, though she was extremely careful not to reference it. It was adorable in a lot of ways - though if it stuck around, he was in for a hell of a disappointment. Someone would probably steal him away long before then though.

It had its advantages though. I made this up special. It should help you feel better in no time. She smiled and pushed the bark his way encouragingly. I know you hardly need the help, but we have to have our best fit and ready to go sooner, right?

She wouldn’t cramp their style, and had a few things to take care of once she’d delivered this. Bronco’s presence meant she didn’t even have to question it, which was nice of him. Another silent mark in his favor. You better bet she was keeping a tally.

Bronco said that it smelled like honey (which was helpful, because Aiden couldn't smell much himself). Aiden felt his face grow hot as Bridget pushed it towards him and said that she made it specially for him. Oh, haha, thanks, he said, and immediately berated himself for laughing (why did he laugh?). Aiden didn't really understand why Bridget had this effect on him. He did not like it very much at all. Upon the prompting, Aiden licked up the mixture that Bridget had prepared for him. Hopefully she would leave again soon. Being sick was bad enough, he didn't need Bridget's making-him-weird-cooties on top of that.

It wasn't until he heard Aiden's little laugh that he realized why Aiden had become so stiff. It wasn't the medicines. He'd tried to console the boy, after assuming that Aiden was disgusted by the taste of anything medicinal. But when he heard the laugh he knew that it wasn't disgust. This was typical, teenage boy anxiety. And Bridget hadn't only layered the medicine in honey, but the way she coaxed him to take it as well. 

Aiden willingly ate up the herbs that had been brought for him, and Bronco sat up just enough to catch Bridget's eye. She was good with kids. And she was good at using whatever advantage she had over their affections to make them take care of themselves. He blinked at her, corners of his mouth drawn back in an I'm impressed! kind of look before he nestled himself back down alongside Aiden. 

"Ah sure, only the toughest men get the Man-cold. He'll bounce back in no time won'tya champ," He said. "I was gonna teach him bobstones. You know how to play, Bridge?" He asked, mindfully assessing Aiden's reaction out of the corner of his eye.

Unfortunately, I’ve got a few things to do. But I’ll take you up on a lesson later? She didn’t want to overstay her welcome, and somehow, two hovering adults seemed like a bit much. Besides, she doubted Aiden would get much relaxing done with her around.

Let me know if you start feeling worse instead of better, though, right? She gave them both a look, then smiled and dipped her head. After a pause to make sure they didn’t need anything further, she’d leave them to it.

Bronco settled down and invited Bridget to stay, which was basically the worst thing that could have happened. Aiden was relieved when Bridget turned down the offer. At her question to let her know if he'd feel worse, he agreed with a nod and a Yeb.

It somehow felt easier to breathe now that Bridget was gone. As though everything that Bronco had said registered in hindsight, Aiden asked Bronco, So what's bobstones? When Aiden said it, it sounded as though it was really called something else but he just pronounced it 'bob' because of his cold.

If pressed, he'd have to admit he'd invited Bridget mostly because he'd wanted to see if Aiden reacted at all. His silence said enough- but Bronco wouldn't tease the boy. If he did have a crush on Bridget, he'd give Aiden space to come out with it himself. 

"Bobstones is the art of deceit," He said, with a chuckle. He grasped for a few small stones, until he had six. "I'll give you three, and I have three myself. Basically, it's kind of a betting game. I'll turn around, and you can hide some stones under your left paw, some under your right- just split them between your paws however you want, an' cover 'em up good. When you do, I'll turn around, and I'll guess how many stones you have under each foot." He said. The first to ten correct guesses wins. But, we make a bet before we start, too. Kind of...A wager. Like....If I win, you have to...."

He thought for a moment. He'd need to give Aiden enough time to recover, so it wasn't something he could ask of the kid right away. Of course, the 'you owe me a rabbit' wager was always a pretty typical one, but he wanted to be more creative. "OK. If I win, I wanna see you do a dance in front of your Ma. Full on singing and dancing, twirls an' all. No explanation, just...Get her attention, and boogie your heart out." He said, swinging his hips a bit to get the idea across. "Now, if you win, what do I have to do?" He asked.

feel free to roll for win if you want! :)

Bronco explained the game, and it sounded easy enough. Aiden wasn't really sure how he would guess, exactly, how many bobstones there were, but he supposed he'd figure it out along the way. Bronco asked of him to dance in front of his mother if Bronco won, which honestly wasn't that bad. I'b a greab bancer, so joke's ob you either way. Aiden grinned, seeming to liven up a little under the distraction of Bronco's presence and the game already. Though as he said it, Aiden could not help but wonder if Bronco specifically chose this win condition based on Aiden's current inability to say certain words without sounding funny.

Now, as for what Bronco should do if Aiden won... If I win, you gotta bake anobber obstacle course. Aiden really enjoyed the last one (maybe because he won?) and he enjoyed being challenged in that way. That was probably why he enjoyed spending time with Bronco so much.

slight time-warp to the last round. I'll let you decide if Aiden gets it right!

"I'm gonna hold you to that, when I win." He said. He puffed out his chest a bit. "I'm no slouch at bobstones," He warned. He liked to try and bluff his way into intimidating his opponent, though as soon as Aiden voiced his terms, his features drooped into a pouty smile. He'd put so much work into that obstacle course- to hear that Aiden wanted another one nearly made his heart burst. He nodded and swallowed. 

He cleared his throat, then- now time to get down to business. "Alright, I'll let you guess first." He said. 

The game was explained, and several rounds were played. Bronco did his best- pulling a stern face, making it look as though he had more rocks under his foot than he actually had by slightly lifting one toe- all of his best tricks he pulled on Aiden, not only to try to win, but also to teach the boy how to...Well, not really cheat, but play a game with strategy. At last, they came down to the wire. Each had nine points. When Aiden lifted his foot to reveal four pebbles, rather than the three that Bronco had guessed, he groaned. 

"Ahhhhhhh dangit, I knew it," He said, when it was revealed that he'd not clenched the winning point with his guess. "You're getting good at this. But I'm not out yet- you still need one more point," He said. He waited for the boy to close his eyes, and he stuffed two pebbles under his foot, and stuck the rest behind him. After a moment of thought, he lifted his foot, and got rid of one of them. One would be harder to guess, he thought. 

"Alright. Open yer eyes and guess away, but you're not gonna get it."