Redhawk Caldera the still earth

@Shenanigans had literally died.
bridget was literally riddled with illness.
chickadee was literally beside herself.
each moment felt like an eternity. she hardly left the sides of either one, leaving only to hunt and then to crouch miserably beside one sleeping-den or another.
everything hurt. dark circles spiraled under her eyes. she blamed herself. 
and stratos! what would he think? she had been so excited for his return, and now she couldn't muster a bit of that delight.

Sorry I’m the worst, LOL.

Those first few days of recovery were difficult. Every breath hurt and she could barely stay awake. But under Bridget’s care, Ani slowly began to find her way out of the proverbial woods.

She felt a bit more lucid today. Her chest still ached if she took a deep breath and Ani felt extremely weak. But she was properly awake and she even sat up a little bit, though her head wobbled. She hardly noticed, attention drawn to a familiar silhouette in the doorway of this vaguely familiar den.

Chicky-D, Ani murmured.

<3!

"ani," she breathed, and crept closer to curl next to her sister, pulling the invalid into her arms. "thought you were gonna die, honest."
her heartbeat slowed, and some of the stress that had been eating at chickadee felt released. "how do you feel? are you hungry?"

Even if she’d had the strength, Ani would not have resisted Chickadee’s clutching embrace. She snuggled her face into her sister’s neck, withdrawing a moment later to angle her head so she could look into the other girl’s face.

I would never leave you, Ani said, pressing a smile to her sister’s cheek.

She considered Chickadee’s question before replying. She had never known such physical malaise. But her sunny spirit persisted, warming her. The companionship certainly helped too.

I’ll be okay, she decided to reassure, and I could eat a little. I really want to see if I can sit up and maybe walk a bit. It sounds weird but lying here is exhausting.

Bracing herself against Chickadee, Ani tried to push herself upright. Her chest ached. She grimaced but persisted. A tremor passed through her, though she paid it no attention. Her muscles must be weak after so many days of disuse.

chickadee wasn't sure what to say, so she just didn't. "let's start by sitting up. then i can go for food," she decided in a tone that was quite elder sister. it was how she felt these days.
settling her sister as best she could, chickadee crouched close. "okay. we have a full menu." she tried to smile, to get one from ani too. "whatcha want?"

Leaning heavily on her sister’s support, Ani shakily managed to sit upright. She felt winded from the effort and took a moment to breathe in and out, ignoring the twinge in her chest. She also tried to ignore the way her whole body trembled.

But it distracted her so greatly that she nearly missed Chickadee’s words. When she registered that her sister had spoken, she tried to turn to face her. She could feel her head wobbling on her neck, a movement she could not control. It was a peculiar feeling.

Chickadee was saying something about a menu but Ani couldn’t stomach the thought of food now, not with aforementioned stomach clenching and filling with dread. Saying nothing, she clutched at the other girl and heaved onto her feet.

She grasped at Chickadee for a moment, breathing a little more rapidly now, and then let go of her to move toward the doorway. Her foreleg came up much higher than she intended and she went a little to the left rather than straight like she intended, but she managed to take a step.

Ani blinked and tried again. Her body moved, though not like before. She found herself dancing and weaving across the den and outside of it, feeling like some show pony. It was disconcerting, to say the least, but it didn’t outright frighten her until she tried to turn her head to find Chickadee and couldn’t quite get it to cooperate.

For visual reference, she’s meant to be moving a bit like a dog with CH.

gotcha!

something was terribly wrong with ani. she — trembled, wobbled, staggered? she was not right and chickadee felt her eyes blur with tears as she watched. the girl sprang to her sister's shoulder when the other girl looked for her, dragging back all her agony with a determined sniff.
"i'm here." she tucked her should against ani's own. 
she would hold her here or support her sibling forward; whatever happened, she would not be so far again.

Chickadee quickly appeared at her shoulder with words of reassurance. “I’m here.” It took several seconds for Ani to coax her wobbling head to turn toward her sister’s comfortingly familiar presence. She tried to raise her opposite foreleg to grasp at her. It stabbed at the air, wavering as if it had a mind of its own, before finally batting gently at Chickadee’s nearer leg, which she clutched at tightly.

What’s happening to me? she whispered, catching her sister’s eye, both of them teary. It’s like, Ani tried to explain, head still gently and involuntarily bobbing, I can’t control my own body.

It didn’t hurt. Nothing hurt, except for the dull ache in her lungs. She was exhausted, though. Perhaps she was simply too weak to control her own muscles? Ani latched on to that hope and decided she ought to eat and sleep, in that order, to regain her strength.

Maybe if I eat, it’ll go away? she said with quiet hope. I’ll take anything you want to bring, Chicky-D.

she didn't want to get anything. she didn't want to leave ani, not without some sort of reassurance. chickadee kissed ani's cheek and steeled her shoulders. "i'll be right back."
it was a relatively fresh squirrel that he brought back, flopping and writhing. she dropped it at her sister's paws, then glanced into the pretty, strained face.
without asking, chickadee ducked her head to cut the meat into smaller pieces.

Ani had no choice but to sit and wait. She tried to coax her muscles into cooperation, though any time she moved her arms or tried to use her legs, nothing quite worked right. It was frightening, frustrating. She had never felt these things so sharply before and didn’t know how to make sense of any of it.

Chickadee returned and had the presence of mind to slice the carcass into small pieces for Ani. The younger girl could only watch, grateful and guilty, her stomach heavy. She reminded herself that she must eat. Maybe it would help.

When she tried to lean down to take a bite, Ani missed the mark entirely, wobbling so badly she lost her balance and tipped forward, face-planting in a mix of snow and squirrel innards. She let out a yip of surprise.

For a second, she was upset. Her face crumpled. But then the absurdity of it hit her, hard, in the funny bone. Ani suddenly began laughing. She was used to losing control of herself to laughter. It was comforting in its familiarity. She laughed harder, laughed until she cried.

when ani pitched forward, chickadee flinched. when her sister began to laugh, harder and harder, the green-eyed girl found herself at a loss too.
she didn't know what was funny. ani started to cry and she didn't know if it was from laughing or from pain, but that did set her off, and she started to softly sob out of pure frustration and fear.

She laughed until her lungs burned from it, then let out a great whooshing sigh. A few giggles still rocked through her as she only now noticed Chickadee looking utterly beside herself. Ani reached out to touch her sister’s tear-streaked face. This time, her leg obeyed her and she cupped Chickadee’s face.

It’s okay, Chicky-D. I’m going to be okay, she said as she caught her breath and finally stilled… at least until the tremors resumed.

Her leg twitched away from the other girl’s face. Ani gave it a hard stare as it flopped about in the air. She willed it to drift down to rest on the slope of her side where she sprawled awkwardly in the snow. It had the good grace to do what she told it, more or less.

I think… I’m going to be different, from now on. But I’m still me and I’m still here and I’m still okay, she sighed into the air.

Doing her level best to ignore all the trembling, wobbling and complete lack of proper locomotion, Ani somehow managed to roll over onto her belly. Like a chicken, she pecked at the morsels of meat in the snow, missing them half the time. Nevertheless, she persisted.

chickadee tried not to cry too hard as she watched ani struggle. she helped as best as she could.
she was going to be okay.
when her sister finished, chickadee swept forward to clean the place the meat had been. she put her arms around the other girl and drew a shaking breath. "what else can i do for you, ani?"

It took very little to fill her stomach, which was good, as rather than restoring her, the effort of eating sapped her of all her energy. The wobbling persisted, though strangely Ani already found herself growing accustomed to it.

Chickadee cleaned up after her and then settled down beside her, slinging an arm over Ani’s shoulders. She shook and twitched in her sister’s grasp. Ani wondered if it bothered her. Maybe Chickadee would grow used to it too.

All she wanted to do was fall asleep in Chickadee’s arms. But she didn’t simply say that. She gave the question some consideration before she opened her mouth, glad that her tongue at least obeyed her will.

Just be with me, like you always have, she replied. I’m still me, Ani repeated, just a little shakier now. I want the exact same things as before, she finished with a tight smile.

She thought of Stratos. She still wanted to be with him, alongside her sister. The thought of his face still made her heart skip. But a thought occurred to Ani: maybe he wouldn’t want her anymore, now that she was no longer the same graceful creature as before.

Putting that thought aside, Ani curled into Chickadee as much as she could manage and whispered, Will you hold me until I fall asleep?

that was comforting. she shut her eyes, burrowed her muzzle into ani's dark fur, sighed finally and loudly and warmly, somehow. "what do you want me to tell stratos when he comes back?"
chickadee did not think there was an if.
"i won't marry him without you," she said, a sudden ferocity rising to choke her harshly. she soothed herself, contented herself, by holding her sister closer.
belated; "i'm sorry, ani. go to sleep. i'll stay."

Tell him I still want to be with him, Ani wanted to tell her, because it was the truth. Her body may have changed, though all her desires and whims remained, including that one.

Tell him the truth, she decided. Then bring him to me, if he wants to see me for himself.

If he didn’t want her anymore after he saw what had become of her, then she supposed there was nothing to be done. The thought hurt her deeply, though Ani wouldn’t exactly blame him.

She loved that Chickadee insisted she wouldn’t marry Stratos without her. It was selfish, she knew, but Ani took great comfort in knowing Chickadee wouldn’t simply run off with Stratos and leave her behind. He would get both of them or neither of them.

Ani’s smile curled against her sister’s fur as she shut her eyes and slept.