Fairspell Meadow Lepus and the Grand Evasion

Southbound, Minshi had continued onward with his journey, leaving behind the ragged woman he'd seen. Though he'd not actually interacted with her, the memory was burned into his mind. It was primarily due to her having been the first living, breathing wolf he'd spotted since his departure from home. Prior to his leaving, he'd always assumed he'd be able to go right up to the first stranger he'd come across and strike up a conversation, but his nerves had gotten the better of him at the last second. He'd instead opted to abandoning his own path, letting her get past him and then watching as her form had steadily disappeared beyond his line of sight. Looking back, he recognized the fact that he'd missed out on an ample opportunity to learn a bit about whatever land he'd crossed into. Luckily, such a notice was something he'd been able to get past, allowing his paws to touch base with a new terrain without any negative thoughts buzzing around between his ears.

Dried mud coated his legs and underside from his trek through the waterways, which, when combined with the tall grasses of the meadow, had him wanting to scratch his skin off. Thankfully, Minshi didn't go quite that far, but he had stopped on several occasions to sit and scratch away, attempting to scrape as much of the gunk off as he could. Some stops were more eventful than others but, for the most part, the itch just didn't want to subside. No matter, the star child had forced his focus upon literally anything and everything, doing his best to forget the tingling of his skin so that it might stop bothering him. Mind over body, right? Right?

The further Minshi progressed, the greater his ability to forget the temptation that was scratching at himself became. It had, perhaps, diminished entirely when he'd spotted the first little cluster of wildflowers. They weren't much of a sight just yet, many still being nothing more than buds, but he was amazed all the same. That single spotting had lured him into a search for more, dragging him closer to the heart of the territory as he sought to check out every inch of the land. His steps were partially aimless, however, and his attention not slipping from the task he'd assigned himself to.

Cicero licked his lips as he dropped the rabbit corpse to the ground after stuffing it with some dried daphne berries he'd found. He sniffed the rabbit, finding nothing at fault with it, and then he considered his next steps. How would he get anyone to eat it. Cicero stood at the frays of the meadow and watched over it until eventually he spotted some wolf. Cicero put down his rabbit, licked his lips clean and started to travel so that he was downwind from the stranger and could smell that he wasn't a part of any important pack. Cicero's wounds were smarting (his right front paw still hurt to put pressure on and his neck and shoulder were torn on the left side) and truthfully, he just wanted to go home. The reasons he was here were uncertain even to himself. Perhaps he was waiting for the wounds to pass so that he could return home with head lifted rather than tail tucked.

The meek male reminded Cicero a bit of Inari, when he thought of it. He felt guilty for willing to use him as experiment, but such was life. It wasn't fair, he knew, and only the smart survived... If they were lucky.

Cicero skirted back to where he'd left the rabbit while he watched the male smell the flowers. The berries that he'd used weren't of something he knew about; Cicero was usually the one to try out his own poisons, but today he decided to try them on someone else. Deciding to go for a friendly tactic — because finding a random in tact carcass would likely rouse suspicion — Cicero decided to sit in plain sight of the male while he started to tear apart the rabbit — well, the good side without plants in it, anyway, and wait for the other to come near, pretending he didn't see him yet.

i picked the daphne berries from the herb list in drafts: Will experience itchy skin, eye irritation, inflammation and temporary blindness.

For the sake of realism, how long would you say it'd take for the effects to set in? :o

Minshi had been making a great deal of progress in exploring the land, loping around and investigating anything and everything that had managed to snag his attention. He was excitable, clearly, forever a child at heart (and partially in body). Aside from the various flowers and the overall scenery, however, he found there wasn't much else to peek around at within the territory. But the land itself was somewhat flat, stretching on for miles in either direction, so there had to be more out there. And, just as he'd suspected, there was.

Ahead of him there sat another wolf, whose appearance was quite the sight to behold. That observation, however, had yet to ease it's way into his mind. No, instead of the patchwork male, Min's eyes were pulled right down to that which he seemed to be munching on. Rabbit! Food! The sight had his tail wagging and stomach guiding him right towards the unknown wolf, the dangers of doing so entirely lost on him. In that moment, he could see only the plump bunny and nothing else, tunnel vision having set in. Of course, he did end up slowing down as the distance was shortened between the two boys, but never did his eyes part ways with the other's meal. After realizing he wasn't a thief, though, the younger's eyes darted up to meet the mismatched ones of Cicero, briefly, stumbling over his words as he said, "H-hi!" Nice save, Minshi. The stranger totally won't think you're weird and after his meal (even though you are) now!

tbh i'm not sure :') tried googling but couldn't find much about time. for the sake of the thread, let's say fairly fast..?

Ears turned forward at the approach of the other wolf, who did not even seem to see him at first. Cicero waited, mismatched eyes staring at him while he chewed and swallowed the last bit of food down his throat. The wolf looked at first as though he would just dig right in, but then he seemed to finally notice Cicero and he looked up, almost dumbfounded to find a wolf with the corpse. Well, maybe the tactic of just leaving it here for him to find would have worked.

"Hello," said Cicero, looking at the guy with neutral eyes. "Care for a bit? There is too much to eat, anyway." And he tore another safe piece off the rabbit before nudging it towards the awkward-looking wolf in friendly gesture.

Google, y u fail us...? Aha, alright. ^^

The greeting was returned, and Minshi did his very best to focus on what was being said, rather than on the rabbit. For as silent as the corpse was, it still managed to cause an uproar within the boy's mind, for he wanted nothing more than to dive right in and eat. However, it was not his kill and he was no thief—but, there then came the most magical words he'd ever heard. An offer to have some, and all he'd needed to do was greet the stranger... it was amazing! Initially, he'd planned to nod only a few times before digging right in, but that all changed when his grandmother's voice had decided to echo throughout his mind. The warning she'd given to him, the words he could not let himself go against. It frustrated him a bit, electing a pout as the ruler of his features. Strangers can be dangerous, Minshi. Ask before you shoot.

"Why are you offering me some?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "Is there something wrong with it? Has it gone bad?!" The latter question had ended up being exclaimed, the mere thought striking fear into his very soul. To learn that a meal so appetizing in appearance had gone bad was his worst nightmare, a true crime against nature.

The wolf did not instantly dig in, though he looked rather hungry. Cicero remained nonchalant, deciding to simply play things cool for if he would be too pushy, then the wolf would certainly not eat it. Cicero grinned as the wolf asked if it had gone bad and offered, "If it were bad, a wolf would be unwise to eat it." Then he took another bite off the good end of the rabbit and licked his lips to emphasise his point. He was eating it, and he definitely would not if it were bad.

The other wolf's demeanour was a bit youthful and wimpy, traits that would endear Cicero in the past but after his encounter with the white wolf he felt a mixture of feelings in his gut. Somehow Cicero had grown eager to be the judge of those naïve enough to fall for his trickery, an ugly trait that he did not at all find charming in himself but somehow could not elect to ignore.

"Hi, I'm Minshi and I'll accept food from anybody! Woah, look at that nice guy in the white van and his box of chickens!" He's not adult-enough to adult properly, omg.

The other male spoke, telling of how it would be unwise to eat it had the body gone bad. From there, he'd proceeded to take a bite, revealing to the younger fellow that the rabbit's expiration date had yet to pass. Surely that meant it was okay to eat, right? After all, the stranger had taken a bite from it, proving it hadn't spoiled. That also meant it couldn't have been poisoned, but Min's mind hadn't even considered the possibility of that having been the case. "I guess it's safe then..." he'd murmured to himself, his previous pout being replaced by a wide grin. Behind him, his tail had started to wag, overjoyed by the fact that not only was he being given a meal, but a free meal at that!

"Thank you!" Minshi's words had just barely made it out of his mouth before he'd closed the distance entirely, digging right in to the leporine's body. In his haste, he'd not even taken notice to the plants that'd been stuffed into it, gulping them down right along with the meat. Halfway through, however, he had stopped himself and looked up at his guardian angel sheepishly. "Can I, um... can I have the rest of this?" It was still the patchwork male's kill, after all, so the star child didn't want to scarf it all down unless he knew he was allowed to.

lmao, he's adorable <3

Finally the male decided that it was safe enough and he was quick to close the distance between them to eat the meat. Cicero felt a tinge of itch along the frays of his mismatched eyes and he wondered if it were a side-effect from the plants he had stuffed down the meat; he had not eaten the plants, perhaps, but the meat had gone bad in some way or the other from them. But only the male's possible poisoning — or lack thereof — would really prove anything definitely.

A smile on his face as he watched the boy eagerly dig in, Cicero nodded and offered, "Go ahead." He licked his lips, feigning contentedness with what he had eaten of it. "Do you have a home?" he asked the boy, feigning normalcy; it would be good to know if he was part of a pack or not should this go horribly awry.

The second he was given the O.K. to do so, Minshi finished off what remained of the rabbit, taking the rest of the berries down with the meat. Once done, he sat back, tongue drawing out over his muzzle and incisors as he began cleaning himself off, barely catching the question. "Nope," the boy had answered absentmindedly. "I did, but I wanted to travel..." He didn't elaborate any further, his attention being pulled elsewhere. His skin started to itch again, but of course, he blamed it on his previous trek through the muddy waters. It'd come back much worse than it'd previously been, however, making it impossible to ignore. One of his hind legs drew up to scratch as his stomach, which was when he realized that it wasn't just the parts that had been coated in mud that itched. It had spread to other regions of his body, filling him with dread. Skin growing irritated wasn't too out of the norm, but when his mouth had started to ache, the skin beneath his fur reddening, he'd started to suspect something was off.

"What did-" pause, scratch, continue. "-you do to that rabbit?" He tried to look towards the patchwork male, but was forced to blink several times as his eyes began to water. They stung, making him lay down and draw his paws up close to them as he tried to wipe away whatever it was that was irritating them. By the time he'd moved his paws away, however, his vision had dimmed. In his peripheral he saw only darkness, and it was closing in on the rest of his sight. The star child's body jolted upwards, bringing him to his feet and having his legs spread apart in an attempt to balance himself. "What is this? What's happening?" the words came out as a confused whimper. It was then he'd realized that the stranger was not his guardian angel, but some imp that had been sent to trick him.

It was good news to know that the boy did not have a home; no one would miss him, then, if things went horribly awry. Though Cicero pitied him in a way, for he seemed so open-minded, he forced these thoughts away. The boy, besides naïve and innocent, was also a glutton and he would pay dearly for it. The other thing that easily kept his empathy at bay was the fact that Cicero was too intrigued and researcher-moded when the boy started to scratch his stomach. He could not see anything underneath the fur, but the scratching indicated either pain or itching.

Then the boy's eyes began to water, and Cicero arched his neck towards the boy with tilted head. All that was missing was a lab coat, glasses and a notebook for researcher Cicero. "What do you mean? What is wrong?" he asked, feigning normalcy. There were two roads to take: One where he would force him to tell him what he was experiencing and would threaten him if he were ever to tell anyone; and one where he would play innocent and try to help the boy so that he would not be suspected later. Cicero had not yet made a definite decision yet.

actual footage of Cicero wowza

The itching sensation seemed to worsen, forcing him to scratch at himself more often. He had trusted the other male, trusted the notion of a free and consequence-less meal, and now suspected that it was coming back to bite him in the butt. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if it was only the itching and the watery eyes, but the inflammation of his muzzle and his diminishing eyesight pushed it over the top. Was he going to die? The thought had crossed his mind, but he'd quickly shaken it away—a movement that had nearly sent him toppling over—not wanting to even consider the possibility of that happening. He was still young, after all, and had many years ahead of him to look forward to. Would he really be done in by some poisoned rabbit? Certainly not! ... well, he hoped not, anyways.

Minshi's questions went unanswered, the stranger acting as if he had no idea what was going on. Actually, was he really only acting? The boy couldn't tell. "It's so itchy!" he'd exclaimed after a moment of thought, trying to gaze at the patchwork male but failing miserably. It was in that moment that he'd discovered his sight was no more, that he could see nothing but darkness. "I can't... my eyes..." Getting the words out became difficult, the shock of the situation having set in. Without thinking, he tried to push forward, moving blindly but with reason. He had to get out of there, he couldn't stay near the mischievous imp for any longer.

#researcherforlife #sorrynotsorry #noregrets

Itchy, then. "Where?" he asked, keeping the sympathetic frown on his face, unaware that the boy was unable to even see it now. He mentally noted the effects — itch — and looked at the boy as he screamed something about his eyes and then started to try and barrel forward.

"No, wait! You might get hurt!" he called out in feigned worry for the boy. "What if this happens to me? I ate it too!" Cicero decided to go for the innocent method, playing as though he was normal and as though he has genuinely afraid for his own well-being. A selfish normal wolf, perhaps, but hopefully it would be enough to convince this guy that he was not the bad guy. Even if the guy ended up running off, maybe he would then not look back onto Cicero as a terrible wolf, but rather as a plain guy.

Minshi could not see yet, his eyes remained clouded by the never-ending darkness. Even still, he'd wanted to at least try and get away, ignoring the risks that might come from literally wandering blindly. That is, he'd tried to, anyways. When the other had called after him, he'd found himself coming to a wobbly stop, swinging his head around in the direction he thought Cicero was (when, in actuality, he was a little ways off from his mark). His ears fell back in uncertainty, wondering if he could trust the other again, but also wondering if he even had a choice. If he were to live the rest of his life without his sight—at this point, he was certain the effects would last forever—then did he really even have much longer to live? With that type of mentality, he couldn't think of anything that the other could do that would worsen his predicament. It helped, too, that he didn't want to die a selfish boy, ignoring the pleads of another when he could have done something to help.

The star child tried to settle back on his haunches, but couldn't keep still. If it wasn't his legs moving, then it was his head or an appendage. Little twitches here and there, futile attempts at remaining aware of his surroundings despite his inability to see. It took awhile, but he was eventually able to calm his nerves, normalizing his breathing so that no longer was he left panting from anxieties. "Did... did you eat a lot of it?" he questioned, speaking to the space beside Cicero. "Maybe it won't do anything to you." Maybe. If it did, though, shouldn't he know what to expect? Min wanted to help, to prevent someone else from being so suddenly slapped across the face, just as he had been. "The itch..." he began. "It's everywhere." And it wouldn't let up. "My mouth hurts, and my eyes... my eyes..." It was that loss that troubled him the most. "I can't see!"

The boy halted and seemed to decide to give trusting Cicero another shot. It gave Cicero some sick sort of satisfaction to know that the boy trusted him despite the fact he had just been poisoned. Part of him pitied the boy, part of him felt as though he was doing exactly what was done onto him in ways. Wrecking a good soul, a pure person with pure intentions, beside being hungry. Yet somehow the guilt was overshadowed by the pleasure the situation gave him, and with the excitement of mixed pleasure in his gut Cicero approached the blinded wolf again to find out more about the symptoms of the herb.

The itch was everywhere, but what was more interesting than that was that the boy had lost his sense of sight. It could be a useful thing, for the panic in the boy was evident and if this caused him so much panic, then what else could? "I dunno, I wasn't that hungry. I found it, but I didn't think it looked or smelled bad!" Cicero faked on, finding it easy to slip into the role of another; particularly after meeting Inari, whose behaviour he often simply mimicked when trying to portray innocence. "Oh no, what do we do now?!" he asked in feigned panic, though he mostly just wanted to walk away; but to do so now would only rouse suspicion once more, just when he had gained his guinea pig's trust. The more cruel part of him thought that maybe he could poison the boy again, test the boundaries, see how far he could get before he would get suspicious; but Cicero quickly tried to drive those thoughts away, for they reminded him too much of the beast he had worked so hard to suppress.

It was as if his sense of self was lost, solely because he could not see. To go through life without one's vision seemed like an awful thing, and not at all something he wished to do. But, perhaps, the stranger would be able to help him. He'd shared with him a meal—granted, it had been poisoned—so surely he wouldn't be against helping him again! Maybe they could work together to find a way to get his sight back, or maybe the other wouldn't mind looking after him until he died. Okay, so the latter thought would probably be asking a bit too much, leaving him to try and get for himself a temporary assistant instead. He was encouraged further, too, by the other male's question of what they were to do next. Minshi was certain he would be given some help.

"Can you help me?" he'd asked, his voice betraying the fear he felt. "Maybe you could find out who killed the rabbit! You could track them down and... and ask them what was in it!" Surely the culprit would have left behind some sort of a scent trail. "Please! I want to know if I'll ever... if I'll ever see again..." Min could live with the itch, he could live with the sore mouth—hell, he'd even live through the constant watering of his eyes just as long as it meant he'd be able to actually use them!

The boy encouraged him to find the wolf who had slain the rabbit so that he could ask them what might've been wrong with it. "I don't know if I can find them!" he said, feigning panic, ears pinning back. "But I'll try. Uhm... You stay here and I'll go look, alright?" Cicero waited for a reply for but a moment before he started to dash off to, presumably, find something — though in reality, he would just leave. Maybe he'd check back in half a day or so to see if Minshi was still there, to see if the effects stuck around that long. But he did not think he would see the boy again soon.

fade here? xD

Sounds good to me! Thanks for the thread :D

Just as he'd expected, the other male was willing to help! Minshi was glad he'd met such a helpful fellow, for he couldn't even begin to imagine what would have happened had it been anyone else. "Alright!" the younger had returned, easing himself into a sitting position to show that he had no plans of going anywhere. His ears perked as he heard the footfalls of Cicero, listening closely as they got farther and farther away. He thought little of it at first, believing the patchwork wolf to be heading off to find out who had poisoned the rabbit. Even when he could no longer hear the other boy, he remained there, partially because there was nowhere else he could go.

Some time had passed since Cicero's departure when the boy's sight had finally returned, exciting him quite a bit. Initially, he'd wished to share with the other the good news, and so even still, Min had stayed there in the field. He'd waited for the male to return for quite some time, before it had finally dawned on him that he might never see him again. That made him suspicious, of course, but he was quick to shake from his head such accusative thoughts. With a soft sigh, the boy had left the field, carrying on with his journey. In the future, he would be sure to be far more careful when offered a free meal.