Redhawk Caldera rubbish

and then, just like that, their peace had been marred.
for now ani seemed stable. and so the fisher headed off to @Bridget, bringing basic grass for the stomach and a little fish, blander now that it had dried a bit.
she wanted to tempt the cardinal's hunger and get a sense of her condition. and worry gripped her, worry for all of them, worry that the girl wouldn't truly rally. or that this sickness would put her friend under.

A fever had settled into her and was making its way through, setting her head to aching even worse and leaving Bridget without the energy to go much of anywhere even if she wanted to. Luckily this sickness still wasn’t as bad as the one that took her leg, but it was still one of the worst she could remember catching.

Water was her biggest worry. She could barely keep it down, and dehydration wasn’t going to help her body fight this. She was glad they’d gotten some snow; eating it went a bit better and didn’t require her to go very far.

Don’t. Please. She was awake and could see Teya approaching from the entrance of her hollow, especially since she had settled herself partially in the snow. Another benefit - it could help with some of the temperature problem.

She didn’t want to get Teya sick. And she wanted to keep it as far away from her, and Sorana, and the rest of the pack as she could.

"have to eat. have to drink water from snow." her voice was firm but not commanding.
she approached against medical advice to set down the fish and the grass. and then she stepped back, crunching in the snow loudly enough to convey she was going to keep her distance now.
"better? same? worse?" her coolwater eyes were worried.

I thought I was the expert.  Her look had a touch of humor, but the small laugh that came with it dissolved almost immediately into a coughing fit.  She turned it into her side so she would spare Teya the worst of it but fuck, the last few reached so deep they hurt.

Teya had brought something with her.  Bridget recognized both pretty quickly, and she eyed the grass with resigned gratitude.  She wasn’t sure how she was going to choke it down but she knew if she managed it, there was a good chance it could help some.  The medic pushed herself up and, somehow, forced herself to swallow a good portion of it.

I’ll let that settle.  She said, glancing at the fish, then back at her friend.  It would be a shame to waste it and the grass too, which was currently uncertain if it wanted to behave.  She slid back down and pressed her stomach to the snow despite the chill.

This was miserable.  She was disappointed with herself for catching this in the first place, for not being better prepared, and now for endangering the pack with it.  She wished Teya had kept her distance but knew, if the situation had been reversed, she wouldn’t have.  She just didn’t have a family to spread it to.

A few days and this will pass.  It wasn’t the answer to her question but Bridget hoped it was enough to satisfy her.  She didn’t have the pep to really look enthusiastic about it but she could at least deliver it with the usual confidence.

her brow furrowed when bridget's mirth ended in pain; teya hated the sound of it. but the cardinal's loyalty to this pack had always been eternal. she watched as the healer struggled through her offering, then nodded.
that was good enough.
bridget didn't answer, not really. teya thumped her tail against the ground and opted not to press. "great start to year," she remarked sarcastically, hoping for another shine of humour from her sick companion.

Normally it would have earned her a laugh. Today she couldn’t even muster a smile at it. It was a shit year so far, between Ani’s scare and this, and they were less than a week in. The fact that the rest of it had to be better was a little comforting, but this shit sucked.

There wasn’t really a good response, so she let it go by. She closed her eyes and took a couple of slow breaths.

There’s flowers in my stores. Purple ones, that look a bit like lavender but aren’t. You should eat some, and maybe give some to Bronco and Sorana too. It’ll help. She was fairly certain those were the only ones having that description she had. Her year at least needed to have a better start than this.

bridget went on. teya flicked an ear and nodded. her brow knitted again but she didn't come closer.
instead she slid to her belly in the snow and crooked a paw under her chest. her coolwater eyes remained upon the cardinal. "can see the stars easier. spring coming." conversation, words that her companion didn't need to engage. "soon flowers everywhere. soon the moon hangs warm."

Bridget took the out that she was given and closed her eyes, trying to relax as Teya spoke and didn’t seem to be waiting on a response. She appreciated it; talking just made the nausea worse.

Unless Teya had more to ask, she would likely drift off like that, her breathing shifting into the slower patterns of sleep without really realizing it. Normally she would have hated not holding her end of the conversation, let alone rudely falling asleep in the middle of it, but at the moment she was too tired to consider it.

feel free to fade if you like <3 though I’m fine to continue too

let's fade & have a new one when they get back! <3

she spoke and bridget slept. teya smiled a little and then lay her own chin against the snow.
the raven meant to keep a vigil, at least for now.
when her friend woke, once more she would go for food. for now, the violet enjoyed the brief respite and the company.