Naaghai Lowlands Rattus rattus

tossing this up as a new thread since i was too slow to get to the other one <3

he retched into the sands.

the sun burned bright down the coarse dusty hairs of the wolf's spine; along stiffened shoulders; across greasy crown and tattered ears. Carlos was sick again. so very sick. the green would put him right, he knew, but where had his brother gone off to? why did he go when he knew what Carlos needed, knew that he needed him, he knew so why did he leave why

do you like seeing me like this? words a punch-drunk slur, too sluggish to be as demanding as he wanted. the question fell less like an accusation than a plea. abruptly agitated, he swung for @Thiago.

Thiago had found it! At last, a place bathed in the vibrant green that had eluded him so long. The land was alive with possibilities, a sprawling canvas where he could finally unlock the secrets of the green. He hadn't yet mastered the concoction that would cure his brother, but here, amidst the lush offerings of the desert, he was certain he could find the answer.

Wheezing and unsteady, Thiago stumbled upon the scene, his own inebriation making his steps uncoordinated. He could hear the hauntingly beautiful singing of a woman, though he knew well enough there was no such presence—only the illusions spun by the drug. His vision swayed, the sound of the imagined voice mingling with the harsh reality of the desert’s unforgiving glare.

Thiago’s gaze wandered, lost in the haze of the green, as he began to sing softly. His voice, though ragged, carried a melancholic, almost eerie melody. The words were a tender, haunting call to the woman he hallucinated, weaving a fragile thread of connection in his mind.

Ven, mujer de los sueños, ven a mí, baila bajo el sol ardiente, que el viento te susurra en el desierto sin fin, y mi alma te busca, desesperada y ausente. The song floated through the air, a plea to the mirage of his mind, while the harsh sun beat down on the brothers and the empty desert stretched out around them.

ah, useless fool! his blow fell upon unfeeling flesh. Thiago sang to dancing desert visions, and took no notice of his dying brother. Carlos cursed. he picked himself up again, gagging between his bitter mutterings.

should have followed Juarez, he spat into the sand, each step a struggle as he took in the scents upon the ground. do you hear me, idiot? Juarez! find him! he should not have spoken so harshly to his brother, he knew. but he was not himself, he was not well, else such hateful words might never have passed his lips.

the green would put him right again. Thiago understood. nothing would stop the sickness consuming his body like some slow-gnawing parasite lodged deep in his guts — but the green would ease his suffering a little, if only they could find the panther whose supply never seemed to run dry.

Thiago, high on the last remnants of their green supply, stumbles through the desert, his senses dulled yet heightened by the drug. The sun's relentless glare blurs into a haze of heat, and the once-familiar desert now twists and warps around him.

He shrinks away, his true nature revealed in his reaction. A low, unsettling laugh bubbles up from his chest, growing slightly manic before fading as he moves in a wide arc away from Carlos. His erratic movements are accompanied by chattering to himself; he mutters a blend of prayer and wishful thinking, as though casting a spell. He clings to his superstitious beliefs, which have intensified under the influence of the drug. He knows he needs more of the green to truly connect with the spirits.

"¡El jefe! Voy a encontrar al jefe. Carlos, espérame. ¡Baila, mantén la paz con los espíritus!" Thiago's voice is a mix of desperation and disjointed resolve, a plea to the hallucinations and a promise to his brother. The words tumble out in a jumbled, almost frantic tone as he stumbles away, seeking out the elusive figure who might hold the key to their salvation.

His voice, quivering and uneven, rises above the whispering winds—but it is nonsense, and beyond that it dwindles with the distance as he cuts across the wasteland.