Emberwood my future looks bright to me

i'm making some pretty hefty assumptions here so let me know if anything needs to be corrected. also, this is forwarded for 12/03 (i think) :)

the meeting with andraste had been more fruitful than bhediya had hoped, seeing as she'd never intended for it to happen. it sent the scout's mind ablaze with potential ideas for the future. from what she'd gathered, uaine gorsedd had managed to form one proven alliance with lost creek hollow. this was okay, but there was always room for improvement.

someone would have to take a trip to easthollow eventually. one could only pray that they wouldn't ask bhediya.

while @Ibis recovered, she seemed to be filling her time with (needed) rest. bhediya sniffed around the territory in search of the girl's slumbering body, her efforts culminating after only a few moments. the girl lay silent beneath the shade of a towering aspen, still just as ill as before. the scout chuffed and circled around to where she could be seen. it would be difficult to wake her without physical contact, but bhe certainly planned to try.

The only good thing to come out of her recent illness was the nearly perpetual sleep, which she had needed even before the cold had overwhelmed her. All the wandering, gathering, conversation with strangers, racing around in the forest—it all caught up to her with this flourishing sickness. The sleep would do her good, though.

In her dream she was—singing, an audience of shapes around her in the grass. It was spring, with flowers wreathing a plateau of stone that served as a stage. She was aware of how warm it was; too warm for spring at least. The song—her mouth was moving and she could feel the emphasis of the music, but there was only silence. Silence and then a high-note screeching, climbing, becoming so sharp, like a dog whistle.

There was pressure in her throat and nose, and suddenly Ibis was awake. Not exactly coherent, but she was gasping for breath, her nose whistling a bit as she struggled to inhale through a plugged up nose. When she resorted to mouth breathing things went a bit smoother—and as she groggily opened her eyes, she felt the sting of winter air and winced.

good morning, sunshine, bhediya mused. the joyful lilt of her voice contrasted the heavy concern writ on her expression. ibis still seemed to be in the thick of it, and while the scout felt for her, there was nothing that she knew to do.

have you seen reiko? i'm sure she can help. she spoke slowly, her voice soft as she lowered herself onto her belly. it didn't feel appropriate to jump right into business, so bhe waited patiently for ibi to finish waking.

Bhediya's voice rang out, Good morning, sunshine.

The girl coughed a little bit, swallowed some phlegm, and tried to turn and get her within line of sight. The dark woman still didn't want to come to close but that didn't bother Ibis so much, she understood. She didn't want to spread this through the pack - and especially didn't want the older wolf to get hit with this illness. When she mentions Reiko the girl shakes her head a little, and then feels a tickle in her nose.

I dond remembuh, sniffle Everyding ish all jumbled t-togedder— SNRRRK! A giant sneeze volleyed from her snout, sending her head back and forth with a little whiplash. Guh... this really was the pits; but still, Ibis figured that even with her drippy nose and light fever she could do something useful. Bhediya came to her for a reason, right?

Did you need somedingk?

poor ibis, ohmygo-

the girl was really not feeling it, huh? well, that was okay. bhediya figured that she could use the time it would take for this cold to go away to get her jumbled thoughts together. it was hard to fight back a sympathetic grin as she watched the ibis struggle. 

the scout sighed as she stood. i'm just checking in on you. instincts told bhediya to keep her distance (as did her disgust), but she resisted the urge to keep her distance. moving slowly, she squeezed behind ibis's heavy body and laid down, resting her head on her shoulder. i'm worried about you, but you know that already. they all were, of course. you're really not feeling good, huh?

Her open-mouth panting was not the most attractive thing, the sound alone grated on her ears, but she had to do it. Her nose was stuffed and dripping and her sinuses—ugh. Everything ached, mostly her head. And then there was a presence beside her, the warmth of Bhediya coming up close.

You're really not feeling good, huh?

Noh, Ibis blurted as she adjusted herself, trying to give Bhediya a little bit more space (but also she was feeling too warm from the start, so having a second body that close was half comforting and half claustrophobic). I dink ids just a code. Bad diming to get one dough.

it hadn't occured to her that the added warmth might have furthered ibis's discomfort. even if she had known, bhediya likely would have kept her position if only for bonding's sake. poor thing, she laughed, it's very bad timing. bhe hoped that she would pick up on her intended humor.

you deserve the rest, though. there wouldn't be much time for that after things were finalized. even though it had to come with this cold, bhe was sure that it didn't go unappreciated. bhediya lifted her head but kept her body steady. if you want, i'll get sick with you. let the boys handle the stress for a while.

If she wasn't already slightly feverish she might've felt the blush creeping across her cheeks. The mention of boys did not usually have that affect on her, but, it had been a while since Ibis had seen Kukulkan, Marten, Awol — well, the bard was constantly hiking around the valley so she couldn't fault him for that — and in thinking of them now, Ibis felt a little bit embarrassed. She had sort-of built a pack full of attractive people... oops?

She smiles and chuckles, or tries to laugh a little, with Bhediya's commentary. The woman was cheeky and Ibis liked it very much. Ugghhh... I neeb a vacation. But she accepted the offer. At least then Ibis wouldn't be left to skulk among the trees on her own. Is everyone ok? Nobody else haa... haa... aaaCHOO! There goes her nose again, crap. Hng... Nobody else is sig?

thank the savior for bhediya's having moved. had she stayed where she originally sat, there would have been no hiding the hideous grimace across her face. having been a mother twice over, bhe understood the girl's struggle but that didn't make it any less disgusting. 

trying to maintain her carefree facade, she said, no, not yet. it was only a matter of time, of course. things have been moving smoothly, so far as i know.

Well, that was something.

They had to handle the decreasing temperature, a fresh onslaught of snow, and the dwindling food supply, so adding to that any possible illness might've hurt someone in a serious manner. Ibis would never forgive herself if her little cold swept through the pack and claimed any lives.

An' the foot? Her cold-affected-accent wasn't helping much either. Food, the prey. Hab dere been any.. uh.. sightingks? While there wasn't anything physical she could do to help them right now, Ibis still liked to stay in the loop. Maybe it would be worthwhile to send people off in hunting parties to try and track game through the valley...? Sniff.

not in the valley, bhediya sighed, but it seems to me that the hare population in the mountains is steadily growing. there were two packs there from what she'd gathered. courtfall was a potential ally but diaspora remained a wildcard. it was unclear how either would react to a hunting party trying to infiltrate their reach.

survival of the fittest, bhe supposed. one won't do much. all of us together, if we make scheduled trips, could probably cull enough to hold us over. the herds were slowly moving in, based on what she'd gathered. it wouldn't be long before they reached the tip of the valley and gave relief to the pack.

The hunger she thought she would feel as they discussed the rabbits didn't come, possibly because of how ill she felt but more likely as a byproduct of being hungry for so long that the sensation was entirely muted. She watches Bhediya with sleepy eyes, eventually adding her two cents: Is it far? We could... send groups, whoever feels up to it. She certainly was no great hunter - not that Ibis was in any condition to join in.

But if prey is coming back, maybe our luck will change. There was always hope for that, even though winter was practically upon them now. Ibis did not want to let her doubts and fears coalesce any further than they already had; the pack, her friends, their allies - they would make it. They had to. No sightings nearby then? A small frown, heavy with concern, and laboured breathing.

distance wasn't the problem, but to explain the details would take a mental clarity that neither women had at that time. it's really not, bhediya assured her with a shake of her head, we could take a group at sundown and be back before rise. she made a mental note to meet with awol and see if he would be willing to help her find the fastest route.

i'm hopeful. the herds have to come back sometime. memories of the boy and his father drifted back. i've heard rumors of deer in the south. they were only rumors from what she'd gathered, but there was nothing wrong with going to look. 

bhediya stood and shook the sick from her fur. don't worry about that stuff right now. focus on getting some sleep. she nosed ibis's cheek and grazed her ear, turning to leave. call me if you see the light, okay? with that, she made way for the border.

It had been nice to have company. Hopefully the visit was short enough not to infect Bhediya, as the last thing Ibis wanted was to flood their new home with illness; she was a sprightly woman for her age and didn't seem to be effected. Her commentary gave Ibis something more to think about but it was hard to grasp on to any train of thought for long, sleepy and sluggish as she was.

As Bhe made her final comments and began to make her exit, Ibis watched her with a thin smile, thankful beyond all reason that she had someone so sweet to call a friend. Sleeb sounds goob. The girl murmurs as she tucks in again, curling as tightly as she's able. Call me if you see the light, okay? Bhediya called as she left, but there was no response from Ibis — she was already drifting back to sleep.