Redhawk Caldera Work hard, play hard, we don't have to grow up

tag for reference but open to anyone <3 otherwise I can RO this one too. Not sure if wolves get the flu but that’s what she’s got!

It only took a few days for the reality to set in that Bridget wasn’t just tired. She wound up sick in the miserable way that meant she couldn’t keep much down, and as soon as she caught wise to it, she tucked herself away in a hollow on the edge, right near the borders. Maia and @Eljay could handle taking care of Shenanigans well enough.

Her head felt like it was full of sand and her entire body ached. She’d finally managed to catch a little sleep but it was restless; there were things she could probably take but no way she was getting up to get them right now. Her main priorities were sleeping and staying the hell away from everyone else in Brecheliant.

Aiden knew all about being sick; it wasn't that long ago that he had caught what Bronco referred to as "the man-flu". Thankfully he had gotten over it fairly well. It was only a few days of wailing; especially his siblings were happy when he finally got over it. The seriousness of Shenanigans' encounter didn't fully set in with Aiden just yet, really. He didn't grasp entirely that it was a much more severe thing than what had grabbed him a month and a half ago.

He'd heard about Bridget getting ill and he remembered she had visited him when he was ill. It wasn't that Aiden cared, or whatever, but someone ought to take care of Bridget while she was sick, so he decided to drop by with a fresh kill that he made; a somewhat sickly thin rabbit. Aiden was ever so proud of his catch, and his father had praised him into the heavens, which further inflated Aiden's ego. He chuffed as he approached Bridget, a muffled sound due to his rabbit-filled mouth.

She was dozing enough not to notice Aiden was approaching until he was there and letting her know. She shifted to look but didn’t get up just yet.

Aiden, this is super sweet. Just stay out there, okay? She was able to summon a bit of a smile, but then her stomach rolled hard at the prospect of rabbit and she had to close her eyes to fight that off momentarily. She’d absolutely try to keep it down later.

I don’t want anyone catching this one. Especially not when he’d just gotten over something else.

When he arrived, she surmised him to stay back. Aiden felt a little miffed about that, because he had worked hard to get her this catch and this was how he was received? He didn't actually know very much about the transmittability of certain disease, or maybe he would've understood better. Aiden stayed a wolf's length away from Bridget and put down the rabbit.

Why? asked Aiden, and Bridget explained, somewhat. He was not so sure what the 'this one' was that she didn't want anyone to catch, but the phrase was too perfect not to latch onto, so he said, indicating at the rabbit: Well, I caught this one. Aiden grinned, clearly aware that he was being absolutely hilarious.

Her expression did shift into a slight smile at his joke, and she appreciated it. Not quite a laugh but that was probably okay considering the circumstances.

You can catch sickness off another wolf sometimes. And if you catch this, it might spread even more. I don’t want you or your family having that. She tried to explain, though she was too tired to bother trying to explain her hypocrisy. She was a medic - it was different. Generally she knew how to minimize her risk, but the risk was always there. It was simply one she accepted.

Oh, right, Aiden said when Bridget explained about sickness. That seemed pretty unfair. But wait, Bronco didn't get sick after spending time with me. Aiden hadn't really wanted this to turn into some sort of educational session, but the question had exited his mouth before he rightly realised it himself, and now he could hardly un-ask his question, unfortunately.

Her stomach rolled uncomfortably when a whiff of the rabbit came her way, and Bridget had to take a moment so that she wouldn’t immediately start heaving when she talked. She didn’t have much in her stomach to get rid of at this point but that wouldn’t stop it from doing its best to try.

She closed her eyes for a minute, fighting it back, then answered. It depends. You might not get sick. Someone else might still catch it off you. Just to be safe, okay?

She really appreciated the food though. Her body might not want it, but that didn’t mean she didn’t need it, and later she’d force herself to try and keep some amount of it down.

How many badasses did you have to fight off to get that? She asked, both to shift the subject and lighten the mood. She could definitely listen to his hunting stories - and maybe it would distract her enough not to lose her non-breakfast in front of him.