Blackfoot Forest Watch this madness, colorful charade

Minna was rather upset at losing a tooth. It was also a little embarrasing. She had no battle story or entrapping tale to go with the fact. Instead of killing a bear, or climbing Little Goat Mountain, it was simply "I bit a antler. But it was, like, a hard antler." Minna groaned under her breath. She just wouldn't tell anyone, unless they were to notice, which would be unlikely except for if she yawned. Consumed by thoughts about her poor, lost tooth, Minna wandered into the outer territories, where, to he delight, she came across a small pool. It was like a pond, but the water was clear, and a small steam snaked it's way through it. 

To her delight, by it's edge sat a disheveled looking rabbit. Minna slipped into a stalk instinctivley, hackles raised ever so slightly in excitment. She crept closer and closer to the tiny thing, and when she was but a meter away she sprang. Her fangs caught their mark, and Minna could taste blood. She killed the animal quickly, she thought it barbaric to let your meal suffer. She raised her muzzle and called for @Leto, this would be perfect to share with him. She lay the cooling body a small distance away from the pool, waiting for him to arrive.

The marbled femme lapped carefully at the water, sating her thrist, before slipping into it completely. She submerged herslef completely for a moment, before popping back above the water happily. She might look rather odd, a single happy head floating in the middle of a pool in the midst of a shadowed forest.

That was when the coyote appeared. It was a petit little thing, coloured brown and white. It's blue eyes peered out at the wolf and it's prey from the undergrowth, and Minna for a moment did not notice it. When it's scent reached her within a gentle breeze, she lurched into movement, propelling herself toward the bank. But too late, for the coyote had her well-earned prey and was fleeing. Minna, soaked, reached the bank and gave another urgent howl for Leto before pursueing the coyote. There was no way in hell that thing would escape her.

The first howl found Leto loping across the territory in Minna's direction, not in a particular hurry since her howl hadn't been urgent. The second howl, the actually urgent one, had him moving so quickly his large frame seemed to blur. 

The scene might have been comical were he not worried. Minna drenched, having just come from a nearby pool, chasing after a gangly little coyote that was trying to make off with a dead rabbit that was presumably Minna's.

The creature turned its head to glance back at Minna, its fatal mistake, completely missing Leto as he barreled into it. The coyote went down and Leto snatched it up by the scruff. Slinging his head back and forth almost hard enough to break his own neck, Leto soon held the dead creature with a now twisted spine limply in his maw. 

Dropping thecanid next to its stolen property, Leto sent Minna his typical bad boy smirk. "And the crowd goes wild! Leto! Leto!" Leto mocked cheered.

gonna assume you rolled favorably for this thread

As Leto sprang, so did Minna. She grasped the coyote's hind end in her jaws, trying to pull it toward her as Leto quickly dispatched it. She let go of the creature as Leto finished it off, dropping it in a heap hext to her earlier catch. She was impressed, and excited. Though both creatures were small, and gangly, they would make a fine meal. She cheered and wagged her tail. "Hooray Leto! Encore, encore!" she laughed, in high spirits. She approached the rabbit first, slightly trepidant about eatin the coyote still. She ripped open the carcass with a single motion, exposiong the flesh insaide for all to see. "Would you care to join me, Leto, mighty slayer of coyotes?"

"It would be an honor to, mi'lady of the pools." Leto affected his medieval accent, gesturing between his drenched crush and the pool nearby. Moving over, Leto joined her at the rabbit carcass where he helped himself to a few bites. 

Glancing at the coyote as Minna ate, Leto spoke up. "We should take the coyote back to the pack. It's big enough for everyone to get a small portion. Since we have the rabbit we could forgo our portions." 

Minna smiled at his accent, tail wagging. As he spoke, she lifted her muzzle from the carcass.
Minna glanced at the coyote. Leto was right, though it was abnormally small, the size of the foxes that had once 'graced' these forests. She nodded, but took another look at the creature. Something felt...off about it. She approached the rapidly cooling carcass, concerned. She put her nose near it's fur and drew in a breath, wrinkling it's muzzle. "Leto...something isn't right about it. I don't know, exactly, but something..."
She wondered what had made the coyote so brave as to approach a wolf, what had made it cross into the territory in the first place. In essence, something simply felt wrong. She sniffed the coyote again, noting the slight, but distinct unpleasent odour that hung over it. It's nose and maw seemed watery, moist, and it had an emicated appearence that was probably caused by the famine.

Leto followed her in confusion, lowering his head to look at the creature. Minna sniffed it and Leto followed suit, smelling its fur and wrinkling his muzzle in distaste at the sickly sweet smell. Scanning the creature over, something began to click..

Overly skinny corpses, even for a famine..

The fluid running from its orifices..

The smell on its fur..

Eyes widening, Leto jerked away from the corpse as if it had burned him. "Minna, get back now." Leto ordered, pushing her gently but hastily behind and several feet from the infected coyote. "It's diseased."

Before Leto even began to speak, sudden understanding dawned. She twisted, cold fear in her eyes. "Leto. Your muzzle- wash it. Quickly." He had been the one to deliver the killing blow, the killing bite. The coyote's blood stained his fangs. Minna felt horrible guilt. Had she not called him, he would never had attacked the coyote. She needed to DO something, and do it now. Her mind worked frantically, until her swirlling thoughts and fear settled on a possible solution. "Yarrow" she said aloud, eyes scanning the clearing. Stupid, stupid famine. She motioned him towards the pool, watching him with worried eyes. She lifted hr muzzle and called for @Liri, another urgent howl, this one much more frantic. She did not know if this disease even transmitted to wolves, if it's blood was contaminated, she had no clue. And this, in turn, induced panic in her.

Fear gripped him then, understanding her implications. "You grabbed his leg, didn't you? You know what, wash anyways just to be safe." Feeling panicky, Leto was careful not to touch her in case she wasn't already contaminated, dunking his whole face into the pool. 

Scrubbing his paws against his face frantically underwater, Leto came up with scratches from rubbing so hard. Echoing Minna's panicked call, he threw his head back and howled for @Liri as well.

Everyone howl for Liri! :D

Minna followed him quickly to the pool, slipping into the whole pool rather ungracefully. She gagged, trying to empty her throat of any trace of the coyote. She opened her maw and dove down, water rushing past her teeth. She lifted her maw, shaking it, and echoed Leto in rubbing her paw pads against the bottom of the pool. She glanced at Leto worriedly, coming to stand closer to him. She glanced at the coyote then back at him, fear written painly on her face. "This is all my fault, I never should have-I swear Leto, if you get sick, I'll-" her sentences came out in a jumble, shaky and afraid. They had little hope of surviving in a famine should they become ill. "verdammt Scheiße!" she swore, which was uncharacteristic of her, but this situation was one that required adamant swearing.

while she had not been called, the Queen rushed to the aid of her packmates, hearing the desperation and urgencey riddled deep into the call that echoed throught the barren forest. her tender feet did not do her well, her frame, exposing the ribs that lay beneath-- the effect of no food. but what little they did have was considered a feast, a mere rat sending her mouth watering. never would she have resorted to picking the tendrils off of months old carcasses, but now the time called for it and she could have not make do with what she had.

arriving to the scene, she snapped into action, rushing to the side of their newest family members. a whiff of mold and the sour stench of disease told her all she knew. her legs moved double time to her nearest herbs stash, knowing exactly what he man needed. in her mouth she carried a bundle of what herbs she had left, ginger, basil, garlic; it would all cure food poisioning and rid the body of bacteria but she did not know how they would react together. returning to the scene, the couple had moved to rinse the male in the stream, a clever choice. she crushed the garlic into edible form, mixing it with the basil leaves and broken ginger root. "here, this may help. it will fight off germs from your system," she signalled for the male to consume it all, and with haste. "you must come to me later to receive more," and if it did not work, she would have to think of other remedies, and with what little she had, it was not encouraging.

"calm yourself, minna. your worry will not help," her calming tones would hopefully bring down the girl's heart rate to a breathable state. this was not the first time amara had to approach a similar situation, and it would not be her last, hence her neutral tones. minna however was partiularily fond of the male, she seen, and the Queen did not blame her. if aaron was in such a state, the petite woman could not bear it.

I'm gone for like 4 hours and I miss everything! Gonna assume that Minna said she needed yarrow in her howl, correct me if I'm wrong

The howls sent Liri into a frantic scramble, hurrying into the den she shared with Samuel and over to the meager herb cache she had left. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." Fumbling through the few dried herbs she had, Liri grabbed the yarrow in her jaws before running across the territory to the small gathering.

Dropping the plants, she portioned them out evenly. A shiver skittered up her spine as she caught sight of the deceased coyote that carried the heavy scent of disease. "Eat this. It will make you sick but hopefully that will purge any illness from your systems." 

Turning to Amara with a respectful nod, Liri addressed the other problem. "What are we going to do about the body?" 

Leto could have kissed Liri when she appeared holding yarrow in her jaws, if that wasn't weird and incestous. Instead Leto only gave her and the Alpha a nod of thanks and gulped down his portion of yarrow along with what Amara had given him while barely stopping to chew it. 

The taste was disgusting, bitter and definetly not palatable whatsoever. Leto wasn't sure if it was supposed to work immediately or take effect later but he could feel bile rising in his throat already simply from the taste of the medicine.

"So, when does it start work-" Leto suddenly stopped mid-sentence, running over to the bushes to vomit.

Minna loathed to throw up whatever meal she had kjust eaten, luckily she had only been able to take a few bites of the rabbit, a good half of it still lying in the dirt a distance away. The took that alpha's words to heart, it would be poor to succemb to panic. She took a deep breath to 'calm herself', then a few minutes after Leto did brushed by him as she too bent for the herbs. She had had a firm hold on the sick coyote, and she could only imagine what would happen if she rufused any such treatment. The bitter taste made her cringe a moment, but she stomached them quickly.

Her own thoughts mirrored Leto's own, and she succembed to the herbs mere moments after he did. She did not have quite the control Leto did, and halfway to the bushes she let out a quick whine before vomitting the contents of her stomach, along with the bitter green herbs, onto the barren ground. She dry heaved for a few minute longer, before gasping for air, the horrid taste all up her gullet and coating her maw. She stood for a moment on shaking legs, before nudging Leto to see if he was alright. She worried for him, that had been simply awful, especially for the girl who had never gagged in such a way before. 
@Amara

she turned away as the male regurgiated the sickly meat from his system, her herbs with it. she would have to find more, for they could not take any chances with health. while he did so, the queen looked to her trusted gamma, pondering the inquiry for just a moment. "we will bury it, far enough so it will not be re-dug up," it was the safest way, to avoid contamination. but before she commanced, she walked to leto's side, taking in a small scent of the remains of his stomach. it did not smell like disease, no matter how distasteful it did smell. "i believe you will be fine. liri, you are welcome your brother to my herbs stach, there should be something there for both of you to settle your stomaches," she looked at the pair with a concerned eye. she could not have two of her wolves sick to the stomach, let alone one of her most trusted. 

and with that, she began to dig, a spot right beside the carcass she she neednt carry it too far and risk her own infection. yet, her muscles were weary and thin, the result of months of starvation. within hardly much time the fatigue began to climb but she refused to show it to her subjects. a ruler was strong, and if she was to prove she was actually worth following, she had to be. or atleast convince them she was.

Liri nodded, a grateful glance sent Amara's way at the words. "I think they should be okay now that they've thrown up. There shouldn't be anything left to make them sick." Liri pointed out, glancing at the pair in sympathy. 

Nodding at the plan, Liri moved to her Alpha's side and began to dig. She could tell that Amara was weakened from the famine though the woman refused to show it. Liri too could feel a painful burn in her muscles and dark spots danced in her vision. 

Liri glanced up at her brother, checking to see if he had recovered yet alongside Minna. "If you two are feeling better now you could lend a hand as well, it will be done quicker with four wolves rather than two."

Leto finished retching, hearing Minna whine from next to him. He longed to reassure her from where lay but didn't want to give their relationship away to Amara. Liri knew, would never give them up considering her close relationship with the both of them, but he somehow doubted that it would fly with Amara so easily. 

Heeding his sister's words, Leto weakly drug himself over to them and got to his feet. He was a bit shaky but he managed to begin digging, helping them to make a hole large enough for the dead beast.

Leto completely ignored her touch, rising instead to help his sister and Amara. For a moment, she stood there, hurt. Could h not have said something, done anything, even sent her a glance to show that he was okay, he was listening? The hurt turned to a sharp little thorn of anger, small, but causing her to hesitate a moment before moving beside Amara and digging with them, feeling hollow and like she might just fall over any moment. She worked without complaint, however, as they sought to deepen the hole.

awesome thread! wanna wrap up soon?

and with that, the hole dug and finished, she worked at pushing the carcass towards the ditch, using the flat of her forenose to do so. this was not easy work, for she had no wish for it to touch her lips, in which she would be exposed to the disease she had aimed to treat. in no time does the thud of the body falling into the hole ring triumphantly in her ears. "there. well done," she lifts her gaze to her pack mates, a smile on her lips before she looks down for a moment, turning around to kick the dirt back into the hole.

what she doesn't take note of is the tension in the air, a relationship on the rocks. while aaron was strictly against the independent courtship without being married, amara believed otherwise. love was a free thing, and should be allowed to grow freely and carefully. their idealization of marriage was simply that pairs selected by the alpha's discretion would make a stronger couple, for their qualities and attributes would balance out and create a stronger pack. however, amara would never have punished a couple for simply exchanging affections; or something deeper than she had seen between minna and leto. alas, it was not her place to inquire, and certainly not to butt in. they would figure out where they stood, and would soon realise that such a relationship could not go unapproved. 

amara kicked away happily, blissfully ignorant of the controversy waiting to happen.

yeah we should end it soon, probably the last from me

Liri nudged the body with her forehead, aiming to keep it away from any orifices and pinning down her ears just to be safe. Once it was in, Liri kicked dirt onto the pile easily, relieved that the diseased coyote was buried safely.

Glancing between her brother and friend, Liri sensed the tension between the two. She herself had been in a similar situation with Sam though she had never acted on her feelings for him before their marriage. Nudging Minna discretely, Liri tried to let her know not to take it personally. 

Stepping back from the hole, Liri grinned slightly in humour. "Now that the crisis of the day had been averted, I think I'm gonna head home. All the digging wore me out." Once she was given the okay to leave, Liri made her departure.

Leto cursed himself for upsetting Minna, he could see the hurt expression on her face and tried to reassure her with a glance. He checked over her, wondering if she was feeling the same diziness he seemed to be experiencing. 

Finishing the burying of the coyote, Leto nodded wearily. "Me too. I'm gonna head back if we're done here." Leto glanced at all of them, lingering on Amara for permission.

She noticed his glance, the meaning in his gaze, and the thorn dulled a little. But she still felt angry, though she knew it was irrational. All this secrecy was getting to her, and she was close to displaying her fondness for him outright. Though she knew their relationship might be ended by Aaron, a thought occurred to her then. Irrational, it went against her budding loyalty to the kind ruler, but it entered her head anyway. Why not just go? If their relationship truly deepened, and Aaron disapproved, what was to stop her from simply going? These thoughts and more swirled through her mind as she finished the task at hand and took her leave with another thanks to the queen. She needed to be alone, at least for a while.