Blackfeather Woods We're driving in a black car

Due to its neurological effects, the cubs were prohibited from approaching the pestilential willow to the west of their home. That didn't stop Anansi from studying it from afar, however. Its forbidden nature only made it more appealing to a curious mind such as his; he spent hours lurking on the edges of the clearing, waiting for some grand event. Surely the willow would give an indication of why it was so dangerous if only he was patient and kept watching.

But day after day, Anansi whiled away the hours watching the tree, and day after day, nothing happened. Its disease was an invisible one. To the cub, who was inexperienced in these matters, the only explanation was that there wasn't truly anything dangerous about the willow. Ena wouldn't have deemed it unsafe for no reason, would she? Surely not. The boy kept this conclusion to himself and continued to watch the willow, trusting that she was telling the truth... and when nothing happened for another week, he decided to find out for himself.

His first steps into the clearing were taken without incident, and this gave him the courage to get closer. Anansi pricked his massive ears and padded slowly up to the willow, which seemed strange and wrong up close, but by the time the unease set in, he had already breathed in hundreds of spores. His symptoms began mildly and, to him, were unrecognizable.

A small black-furred wolf lurked in the shadows near the willow. Anansi lifted his head, peering at the hallucination, and said in his most grown-up sounding voice, what are you doing?

It was always a curious thing when events came full circle. It seemed like not so long ago (and yet, a million years had passed) that Cicero had warned Maegi away from the willow, and her introduction to poisons had begun. Now, as she drew near to the tree she hadn't visited in some time, she caught the small, pale figure much too close—and hobbled forward at an ungainly trot, chuffing at her son to catch his attention.

Anansi, she called out, concern but no anger in her voice. She drew alongside him, attempting to herd the boy away from the most potent areas around the willow. Come on, follow me—you can't get this close to the tree without knowing what it is, and what it does.

Hopefully, he would be obedient enough to follow her without issue. She, after all, had been a dutiful child, and had heeded Cicero with no argument given. She wasn't sure if Anansi was cut from the same cloth; Maegi supposed she was about to find out.

The shadow did not answer. Anansi opened his mouth to ask again, but he was cut off by Maegi's voice calling his name across the clearing. Instantly his ears snatched back to his scalp and he dipped his hindquarters low, prepared for a stern talking to about disobeying her. There were now two dark little pups in the tree's shadow, both watching him with impassive expressions, but he didn't have time to ask them any more questions. The Nona was already beside him.

He allowed himself to be shepherded away, curling his tail between his legs in hopes she would go a little easier on him if he appeared truly repentant. He could hear the little shadow wolves following him and he glanced back over his shoulder, pausing conspicuously as he did so. Now there were five. He didn't dare say anything about the willow itself, but surely it was harmless to softly ask Maegi, who are they?

To her satisfaction, he followed her more than willingly, and she let her face soften at his show of submission. Before she could explain further—he wasn't in trouble, not in the least—he floated the cryptic query, and she peered over his shoulder, toward the space where he had glanced. She didn't see anyone or anything. . .but then, she was sober, uninhibited by the tree's effects.

Who do you see? Maegi asked curiously, returning her eyes to her son's face. Would Anansi become fond of poisons, too? She supposed the legacy had to continue with one of the trio, though she didn't relish the idea of them suffering through the worst of what she had experienced (by her own doing, mind).

A pause, and then she continued, whether or not he responded. The tree makes you see things that aren't there. It's a poisonous tree—poisons are things that alter your body or your mind. . .or both. If you stay far enough away, it won't have as much of an effect, she explained. But you can't get too close, Anansi—you'll get very dizzy and very sick, and it's not a pleasant experience.

Others, he said, frowning as he searched his mastered vocabulary for the right words. Small and black. Pups? There were other cubs in Blackfeather Woods, Anansi knew that, but he didn't think they looked like these little shadowy apparitions. There was definitely something kind of weird about these wolves. They seemed to shift at the edges a little, like smudges. He frowned, crinkling the dark dots over his eyes into little black lines, and added, they follow us.

Ena had an explanation, of course. The tree was poison, she told him, and poison made you see things that weren't there. Pups are not there? he asked, squinting at them as if daring them to disappear. They didn't. Why's it poe... poison? There were even more of them now. Anansi wasn't sure where they came from; he'd been watching them the whole time, and he didn't remember seeing any more arrive, yet now there were seven or eight shadow pups, all watching them. As he continued to watch them, one of the pups began to melt down onto the ground.

Hey! he exclaimed, starting forward and then stumbling back with a faltering tail as two more shadow pups began to melt into black puddles. He cast a frantic look at Maegi; what should they do?

I don't see them, riña, she murmured gently, following the direction of his squint. She shifted on her paws, squinting herself—as if the action could somehow will them into existence for her, too. Yet. . .nothing. I've not taken the poi-son, she repeated, slower this time, so that he could really grasp onto the word. Not slow enough to make him feel stupid, though.

Maegi was about to explain the properties of the tree (so far as she was aware) when Anansi cried out, startling her. Fur bristling, she returned his look with a sharp glance of her own. What do you see, now? she asked, voice growing less gentle. It's in your imagination, Anansi. The poison enters your mind, makes you see things that others do not.

Sucking in a deep, steadying breath, she let her muzzle drift gently over the crown of his head, if he allowed the touch. It's all right, the Melonii whispered to her son. Nothing here can hurt you. Just promise me that you'll keep your distance from the tree.

Ha. Fat chance of that. It seemed the boy had inherited her own curiosity, gods help him.

All the shadow cubs were melting now, leaving Anansi to marvel in horror. Maegi's sharp tone didn't help much; his shoulders buckled downward as he prepared to be reprimanded, but instead ena brushed the top of his head and murmured reassurances. The puddles were coalescing into one giant shadow wolf, causing Anansi to swallow thickly. What would it do once it was fully formed?

Keep your distance from the tree. Right now, Anansi agreed completely. He wanted to get far away from it. His curiosity would come crawling back quickly enough, no doubt, but for today he wanted nothing more to do with the shadowy apparitions. The boy pressed close to Maegi's flank, eyes never leaving that shadow wolf, whose eyes now were wide and bright. Little suns, he thought. The last of the puddles crawled up into its legs and then it stood there, braced as if for impact.

Then it leaped, and Anansi cried and stumbled backward, landing on his rump and ducking his head down and squeezing his eyes shut.

Poor kid. The hallucinations would pass. She knew that for sure, but he didn't. All she could do was keep close and keep calm, offering murmured reassurances as he twitched and jumped and fretted. Maegi winced as he landed on his bottom—that would hurt later, she thought.

It's okay, 'Nansi, she whispered, sitting down with him. The woods were quiet as usual, the usual call of raven cutting through but not much else. Whatever he saw was non-existent. Thankfully so, for it must be quite frightening.

I'm here, riña, Maegi crooned. She smiled, trying to beam the expression through his tightly-closed eyelids. I've dealt with these little pups before. They're scary but ultimately harmless. Though he might vomit, if he was close enough for long enough to get the nausea. Not pleasant, but not scary shadow monsters, either.

The sound of the shadow wolf whooshing past his ears was only in his head, but was so loud and so close that he trembled and flattened them back and issued a soft whimper. He thought he could hear the sound of its terrible jaws closing on him like a trap, but there was no impact and no pain to follow. After several long seconds, during which Maegi comforted him with her mumbling, Anansi opened his eyes. He instantly regretted it.

The world seemed to be swimming before him in whorls, summoning nausea up from the depths of his belly too rapidly for him to fight it. The cub bent double and projectile vomited across the grass, slim little figure heaving and likely splashing ena's paws with sick in the process.

Well, that answered that question. She cringed even more as he vomited, shifting her now-splattered paws uneasily. Oh, poor thing, she murmured, trying to ignore the acrid reek of bile and licking the top of his head. It's okay. It's okay. The tree had made her vomit a couple of times before; it wasn't pleasant, particularly when there wasn't really anything to get up but the heaving wouldn't stop.

Maegi waited until the retching had at least somewhat ceased before straightening, looking down on Anansi with soft eyes. Why don't we go get something to soothe your nausea? she suggested gently. There are plants that will help. I've got some stashed away pretty close to here.

Sleep would help, too. Anything at this point, as long as she got him away from the tree. Ready when you are, she added, eager to leave the scene with her son but not wanting to rush him through this trauma.

wanna wrap this up? you can PP them walking away together if/when he decides to!

Rushing out of this situation was probably for the best, a fact little Anansi recognized. He was already moving away on wobbly legs when Maegi suggested they leave and find something to help. He nodded weakly, wanting nothing more than to escape the influence of the toxic willow. Would it stop him returning in the future? Probably not, but for a few days he would definitely give the area a wide berth.

Along the way, Anansi would dry heave two more times and hallucinate several more shadow pups, but by the time they reached Maegi's stash, he would be drowsy enough to fall asleep pretty much unaided.