Blacktail Deer Plateau Well you only need the light when it's burning low

It had been a very rough month for Osprey - first Pied's death, then the birth of the children, which had had a very unsettling effect on her and then the disappearance of Crete caught her totally off guard. She had waited for him to return and then gone looking for him, going far beyond the borders of the pack, but to no avail. The fact that he had left her, just like that without an explanation or a warning, was very hard to accept. The young wolf didn't want to make the same mistake she had done with Atticus, by falsely assuming the other's indifference. Therefore she wished him well, regardless of where he had gone and why.

But this was not an end to her troubles. She hadn't felt very well for a while having random onsets of fever and sudden weakness. It was hard for her to run without feeling ache in the chest and a prolonged activity made her lose her breath and was followed by heart pounding heavily against her ribcage. Osprey was no medic, therefore rather than suspecting that she was ill and seeking out help, she felt frustrated, because her body, who had once worked perfectly, was failing her now. She hated not being able to provide herself and rather than feasting in caches often, she ate little to nothing at all, because hunger was another thing that disappeared, when she felt really, really bad.

This morning she had returned to the Plateu for good. One reason was that she had stopped looking for Crete, but the real one - if she was weak, she preferred to be like this in a safe place and not in the wilds. The first thought was to pay a visit to Perry, who she had neglected for quite some time, but the exhaustion was too great, therefore she returned to the den she had once shared with her brother, crawled inside and curled up in a tight ball, wishing that all of what had happened was just a bad dream and once she woke up, everything would be fine again.

Peregrine eyed the moody sky. "April showers bring May flowers," he idly remarked to the young children romping around inside the den, "or something like that." He turned back toward the interior and nuzzled the closest youngster; it happened to be Pura. "I'll see you all in a little bit," he told them, making eye contact with today's babysitter (Kisu) before setting out into the woods.

His remaining brother and sister were still around, he knew, but they both kept pretty busy, so he didn't see as much of them as he would have liked. He'd seen even less of Osprey than Atticus lately and that bothered him. Especially right now, Peregrine wanted his sister to be a major feature in his life—and his kids' lives. He wanted them to know their aunt, particularly Osprey Jr. They were already well on their way to growing up and she'd scarcely come by to see them. Peregrine understood her reasons—he knew Pied's death, so quickly followed by Crete's departure, had badly shaken her—but he hoped to coax her back into the thick of things today.

"Knock, knock," he said quietly when he tracked her down to her den. Peregrine dipped his head inside, saw her curled up in there and frowned, slowly inching toward her and touching his muzzle against her shoulder. "Hey," he said softly, "you okay?" She looked worse than he'd expected and it jarred him. Peregrine felt a lump in his throat.

Osprey's sleep was restless - at times she could tune out the noise and sounds around her and succumb to numbness, but more often there were moments, when she simply lied with her eyes closed and the rest of the world forced itself in her mind. As if being very keen on keeping her awake. She was too tired to feel frustrated by that, therefore she finally gave up and stared at the bare wall of her den.

It was then that she heard movement outside the den entrance and for a friction of second she believed that Crete had returned home. But once she heard Perry's voice, the realization that her mute brother that had become a very good friend lately had abandoned her, hit her very hard. Osprey sighed and lifted her head to meet Peregrine's eyes briefly. "I feel like shit, but that you see already," she replied attempting to joke and mustering up a weak smile.

He frowned at her weak attempt to make a joke. Motioning for her to move over slightly, he slung himself down beside her, pressing his warm body against hers. He slipped his dark muzzle beneath hers, then withdrew just far enough to look her in the face. Their eyes met and he saw pain in the lackluster depths. He wondered what was hurting her more, Pied's death or Crete's abandonment? Was she physically ill on top of it all?

"I'm sorry you feel like shit, Oss. Physically, mentally or both?" he questioned softly. "If it's physical, I can call Blue Willow and she can have a look at you," the Alpha male offered. "If it's otherwise... do you want to talk about it?" If she did, he would happily bend an ear. If she didn't, he would leave it alone. "Just tell me whatever you need and I'll do my best."

It was good to have somebody by her side - Osprey had forgotten, how comforting it was to press against a warm flank and hear the even breathing of the other person. It soothed her and she rested her head atop Peregrine's forepaws, silently telling him to stay for a while and not go anywhere. She wouldn't be much fun today - no games, no stories, no bubbling conversations - she was too tired to even engage in the things that she loved.

"I am getting old," Osprey said quietly. "My body is failing me and that totally sucks... At least I know, how mom felt..." her voice trailed away and she closed her eyes to lie in silence for few minutes. Then she opened one eye, peeked up at her brother and chuckled: "I am not dead."

Peregrine hesitated, then couldn't keep the word from tumbling incredulously from his lips. "...old? Oss, we just turned three," he said softly but almost with a touch of alarm as he looked at her weary face sinking down toward his forepaws. That lump in his throat grew more prominent. "My body is failing me," she'd said. She wasn't old but was she sick?

"Oss—" he began to say when she cocked her head and smiled up at him. "Are you pulling my leg right now? Don't do that to me," he rebuked her with fond, brotherly sternness. "Seriously, are you okay? What's up? And remember," he reminded her, keeping a straight face, "Oss is short for Osprey, not Opossum. No more playing dead."

"I cannot run anymore, Perry. Not without feeling like I will collapse and die any moment," Osprey was exaggerating a bit, but not joking, she was in no mood for that. Neither did the situation seemed funny from her perspective. It was absurd to say the least. Running had been her second nature, now she was afraid to move too fast without feeling pain.

"I can't think of food without wanting to throw up," she sighed and rolled to lie on her belly. "And do you want to know, what the punchline is?" her tone had a tinge of sarcasm and she smiled bitterly. "I am effing yellow. Like around the eyes, the gums, my skin - I am effing yellow."

He'd hoped she was only joking around, yet it quickly became clear that something truly ailed Osprey. He felt another jolt of alarm thread through his bloodstream as he looked closely at her face. He supposed he could make out the faintest yellow tinge to the whites of her eyes. He managed to swallow the lump but now his mouth was dry.

"I'll call Blue Willow," he offered again, standing. With any other wolf, he would've just issued the call. Because it was Osprey, he hesitated and asked, "Is it all right to summon her right now or would you prefer another time? If you're feeling this sick, you need to be seen as soon as possible." There was worry tinging his tone, written into the dark planes of his face, glimmering in his blue-green eyes.

It was odd that, while Osprey had felt sick, it hadn't occurred to her to look for the healer. Well, she hadn't been much around the packlands lately either and it was only now that she had given up on looking for Crete, that she had realized the full extent of how bad the situation really was. The worry evident in Peregrine's voice was another convincing factor. He wasn't joking either.

"Do, what you think is right," she sighed and let her head rest between her outstretched forepaws. After all he was in charge of her not only as an alpha, but as a brother and a trusted friend.

ooc: we can invite Danni, if you wish.

Paging @Blue Willow to Room #05PR3Y. :P

With her consent given, Peregrine raised his head toward the gray sky and howled for the pack's medic. He trusted Blue Willow to make sense of Osprey's symptoms and help his sister get well. After issuing the call, he rejoined Osprey in the den, sitting up beside her and brushing the top of her head with his nose.

"I trust Willow," he told her. Briefly, he wondered if Osprey was contagious. If she was, he'd been exposed and he might not want to go back home to the pups until the Healer gave him the all-clear. "She'll know how to help." Hopefully, she could diagnose the sickness and treat it as well.

OOC: what exactly does she have is it jaundice, liver, tumors? all of those are causes of the yellow tinge at least in dogs or something else?

Blue Willow heard the alpha call for her and she dropped what she was doing and hurried towards the call. It was not near his den but towards Osprey's she wondered what was going on. She hoped the girl was okay, she had grown to care for her as a friend.

She made it to the den with a slight pant she spoke "What did you need Peregrine? Osprey are you okay? What can I do to help? She tilted her head, but waited outside not sure how big the den was inside and if she would fit with the other two.

ooc: she has got hemolytic anemia from babesiosis, which is a tick-borne disease. A canine can be an asymptomatic carrier for a very long time and the clinical signs can appear, if the immune system function is reduced - stress can be one of the reasons. Hard to diagnose though.

"And I trust both of you," Osprey told him, before he called for Blue willow. Having never been a healer herself they were something like magicians in her eyes. They could find the right plants that would make you feel better. If that was not a tiniest bit of magic, then she didn't know what was.

The healer arrived few minutes later and, since she didn't come in, Osprey suggested that she should drag herself out, pushing past Peregrine. She squinted her eyes against the bright sunlight and sat down almost imediately, feeling too weak to keep standing. Her fur was ruffled and untidy, she was thin, having lost some weight, and she began shivering, even though it wasn't that cold outside.

I'll let you two go back and forth a few rounds. Just tag me when you're ready and he'll return. :)

"Thanks for coming," the Alpha male said to the Healer, offering her a small smile. "Osprey's not feeling well. She—" Before he could begin to describe her symptoms, the silver she-wolf slid out to stand beside him. In the unforgiving light of the gray day, she looked very ill indeed. She looked like she could use about a week of rest and several hearty meals.

Giving his sister a few warm licks and a nudge to encourage her to sit down and make herself as comfortable as possible, Peregrine turned back to Blue Willow. "She says she feels like shit, that it's like her body's failing her. When she runs, she feels like she'll collapse. She has a hard time keeping food down. And look at her eyes; they're yellow..."

Stepping aside to let Blue Willow inspect Osprey, the Alpha male tried to be patient and unobtrusive. He felt fidgety, however, and he wished there was something he could do for Osprey. Despite her insistence that she couldn't eat much, he decided he would try to find some fresh game to entice her. If nothing else, she could lick up the blood. Hell, he would be happy to regurgitate something for her if that would help; he did it often enough for the pups...

"I'm going to go fetch some food. I'll be back soon," Peregrine announced to both she-wolves, giving the Healer a trusting smile and Osprey a quick kiss to the corner of her eye before he strode away with a quick, purposeful step.

Blue Willow looked at her friend and she wanted to cry, she looked bad and Blue Willow was unsure what this could be there were many things that caused such symptoms but most of all it was something to do with her insides. This much Blue Willow knew as long as her friend wasn't having any bloody anything she should be fine if she got her on some herbs right away.

Blue Willow sat down and spoke quietly "Okay Peregrine has told me what ails you now I want you to tell me and I want you to describe it so that I can better help you? With that Blue Willow just waited for her friend to speak she needed to know everything.

Osprey looked after her brother's disappearing form with longing. She didn't want him to go, even though she knew Blue Willow and she was a trusted friend. It occurred to her that, if she had said a single word, Perry would have stayed, but maybe it was not easy for him to see his sister in a state like this and it was one of the reasons he left her now.

Her ears drew back and she averted her gaze in shame, when she saw the horrified look (she was taking things acutely now) in Willow's eyes. Did she really look as bad as she felt? Already she regretted telling anything, as if keeping her mouth shut and hiding would have helped her to get any better. "He told everything I told him. There is nothing more to add," she murmured, focusing on her forepaws.

Blue Willow looked at her friend and she felt bad for the reaction her friend was having. She leaned forward and nuzzled her gently knowing that she could not catch this, it was something to do with her friends insides she was certain. "Yerpso please do not look so sad, we will get this fixed though i wish you would have come to me when it first started. I will need to give you leadplant and rose hips and a few other things, but Rose hips will be first to boost your immune system. I believe this is something to do with your insides and they are tricky to heal, but do not worry I can do it.

Though in a sense she may be giving her friend false hope she refused to tell her that she may not make it. She was a firm believer in the fact that it was mind over matter yes the herbs and the treatments helped, but if you were think you would not get well you wouldn't so it was important to stay positive all the time when sick especially when gravely ill.

Osprey didn't know anything about medicine and didn't have any of the so called intuitive feeling of, when things wouldn't end well. She was a creature, who lived in the present time for the most part and thought little about distant future. She didn't look up, when Willow offered her consolation, but accepted it wordlessly by wagging her tail a little. It did feel good not to be in a totally hopeless situation, because she was not alone and was surrounded by friends.

"Ok," she nodded. "Should I go with you?" not that she could get anywhere fast and far, but she didn't want to appear as a complete wreck.

Blue Willow smiled at her as she noticed she was getting a little bit of her happiness back at least a sliver. That was all that mattered to her. She would help her friend become healthy again and stay healthy and she would keep her happy at all costs she had to keep her happy.

"It's entirely up to you. Do you feel up to coming with me? If you are too tired when we get there you can rest in my den if you wish I made it a little larger than most in case I would need someone in it to be healed. So it fits 3 easily. She had done her best to make a large den so that she was able to care for at least 2 wolves at a time, something she really hoped she never had to do.

"I..." Osprey muttered and cast an uncertain glance back at her small den she had shared with Crete and which had felt so empty and lonely during the past few weeks. She valued her independence and now - giving up her own little home - seemed like admitting that whatever remnants were left of that were gone. She was sick, she couldn't provide for herself, she would probably die, if she stayed here alone. And she feared that, the idea that the Death was looming there just around a corner. For a second she thought she caught a glimpse of it's fiery red eyes glistening in the dark mouth of the den and she shuddered.

"I... I think I will stay with you," she finally said, avoiding to look her friend in the eyes. There wasn't any other chance, was there? Despite her openess and friendliness to people, when matters got serious, she preferred to stick to her closest members of the family. Peregrine would be her first choice and Atticus would be the second. But since neither were available and since she didn't want to burden them with her presence, she decided to take the neutral path.

OOC: Blue has bits and baubles (shells, herbs, pebbles) all over the place as well as a ton of pelts in the corner for someone to lay on. Just so you know and her herbs are in little niches that she dug into the walls.

Blue Willow led her friend to her den, making sure to set a pace that Osprey could handle without making it obvious. After all she did not want to ostracize her friend she wanted to help her. She made sure to keep an eye on her less she should faint.

once they got to her den she gave a smile and stepped into the den. Come on inside Osprey. She slid into her den adn started looking through her nooks and crannies for just that right herb. Rose hips. She mutter to her herself and finally she did it she found what she was looking for she grabbed a few and lay them near her paws to hand to Osprey when she came in the sooner she got them in her the sooner she would feel at least a little better.

Osprey didn't look around much, while she followed Blue willow to her den, hoping that Peregrine would come by as soon as she would have settled in. It occurred to her - as irrational the thought was - now that she was sick, her brother wouldn't want to have anything to do with her. The kids were the priority of the pack and, what if her illness was contagious? She would miss him that was for sure, but wouldn't blame him for that.

"Oh, ok," she replied and stepped inside. She was met by a variety of different smells - from plant material, to pelts, from the sweet scent of moist earth to the unique smell of the she-wolf herself. "It's nice," she complimented, smiled weakly and lied down, observing the healer, who was looking for some sort of herbs.

Blue Willow looked over at her friend and felt badly. She was certain the poor girl was nervous and scared and all the above while being sick. After all though she counted her a friend they really didn't know each other all that well which could make for some awkwardness at least at first. "You are welcome to stay here as long as you like Yerpso and would you like me to howl for Peregrine. I'm sure you want your brother with you when you don't feel well I always wanted my mother. She pushed the rose hips towards her and motioned for her to eat them. She would only be giving her the rose hips for today but she would explain what else she was going to give her if Osprey would like her too. I am just going to give you Rose hips today to boost your immune system, but if it would help I can tell you what other herbs I plan to utilize?

Blue Willow smiled "Thank you it gets lonely all by myself so I collect things and some of the things I use as well for healing.

"I will think about it," Osprey chose a diplomatic answer to Blue Willow's offer to stay as long as she wanted. To be true - she liked to sleep with someone by her side than alone. It made her feel safe. Up until now it had always been a person she had been related to - could she ask of the same favor from the healer? She was a busy woman after all.

She leaned down to sniff the rose hips and hesitated before picking them up and gulping them down, without chewing. Her stomach churned and protested, but she fought it to keep the medicine down. "Maybe later?" Osprey suggested and gave an apologetic look at the healer. At any other time she would have loved to hear something new, but now she was in no mood for that.

"Please do," out of all people out there she wanted to see Peregrine the most now.

Blue Willow did not mind sharing a den having done so for years and always with strangers as they traveled and told stories and healed. She busied herself with sorting what she woujld need all the while watching Yerpso out of the corner of her eye to make sure she swallowed the rose hips and kept them down. She saw her struggling to not throw up so Willow decided she would need to add another herb to combat the nausea.

Blue Willow nodded her head and stepped out of the den lifting her muzzle she called for Peregrine to come see his sister it was what she wished. With that in mind she sat down outside allowing Yerpso to get comfortable without her breathing down her neck.

@Peregrine

Blue Willow's call came from an unexpected direction, yet the Alpha male quickly deduced the reason for that. With a plump hare jammed in his jaws, he heeded the summons. When he arrived at the Healer's den, he nodded to her, then walked up to Osprey. He dropped the rabbit at her feet, then ran his black muzzle along her cheek.

"Eat, Silver Bullet," he instructed her gently. To Blue Willow, he added, "Thanks for letting her stay with you. I think it's a good idea."