With her new friend in tow Rhys skipped back over the border. Hopefully her sneaking off would be overlooked; after all, she was making up for it by bringing a cool girl home. If Angel and Cascade got to bring home friends than so could she, right? She'd claimed Dagmaer as her new little sister. That was something she really wanted to be. She'd be a much better one than Evangeline! Rhys wouldn't screech at her and she'd play games with her instead of being mean. She'd be a good big sister.
"This way, Dagmaer!" Rhys trotted along with a merry spring in her step. She was rather pleased with herself. Sure, her new friend was sickly and coughed a whole lot, but Rhys was certain her mom could fix her up no problem!
With a frown Rhys slowed to a halt in front of her family's den. She'd left her mom right here, she was sure of it. So where had she gone? "She was right here, you know. Hm." Her voice just shy of a shout, she called, "Mom!"
Panting and wheezing and coughing Dagmær did her best to keep up with Rhys. Her chest really hurt and her head felt light but like hell she was going to let the poisons of the Man Who Smells Funny ruin her adventure!
She had done it, she'd found the mysterious warrior princess! Dagger would train with this woman until she was strong enough to rescue her dad.
Dagmær tried to escape into her fantasies, it had always helped her simple struggles feel grand, it had always given her courage. But she was having a bit of trouble letting the daydream play out, instead she focused her energy on where she was going. She trotted behind Rhys. "Are we almost th-" She froze as she caught site of the knolls. "Ooooo cool! Is this your kingdom?" Her voice was dry and scratchy and prompted her to a coughing fit right after. Dag couldn't wait for the Queen to use her magic to cure her of this dreadful poison! She skittered after Rhys until they arrived at a den site and Rhys called for her mother. She was going to meet the Queen! Dag began to lick at a small patch of dried snot on her chest. She had to look at least some what presentable so the King and Queen wouldn't throw her out but she was pretty sure Princess Rhys would help vouch for her.
At first Rhythm heard the coughing. She was down with Rhyme in one of the knoll's valleys, they'd found some interesting algae in the sitting water and had come down to investigate. Rhythm was previously convinced that Rhys had gone to patrol with her dad, but at the sound of distress she'd become not so sure. Telling Rhyme to stay where he was the woman would hear the call for her name and she'd realize it was not Rhys who had been coughing.
Pulling herself over the knoll her bright eyes would catch sight of her tall daughter as well as another pup. Confusion and concern both written quite plainly on her face as she drew more near to the pair. "Welcome back Rhys." The scent of rogue lands would linger on her fur,Rhythm didn't like that they went out on their own but could help their actions little. They were becoming ever more independent and she could no longer hope to watch over them 24 hours a day. "Who is this?" She smelled of no once except her daughter, there had been no call at the border or anything. Already though Rhythm was sure she was fighting something internally. Already her mind thought about the potential for contagion, she'd probably need to be quarantined from most of the pack until she was well. If Valentine let her stay, but one look at that.. almost familiar pelt made her wonder.
Is this your kingdom? Rhys nodded proudly. "Sure is!" Weeeeeeell... That was kinda sorta a lie. She amended. "Well, I mean, not my kingdom exactly. It's my daddy's kingdom." Rhys paused and then added for good measure to make sure there was no chance of misunderstanding. "I'm just the princess."
The bark was barely passed her lips when Rhythm appeared. Wow, that was fast! It was almost magic the way she appeared whenever Rhys called. Her mom appeared even faster if she yelled. "Welcome back, Rhys." Darn it! How did she just know? It was so unfair and if not for the presence of her friend who clearly was from beyond the borders Rhys would have whole-heartedly denied what her mother was implying for no other reason than to protest.
Choosing to ignore her mother's comment in the hopes of taking the heat off her, she said, "This is Dagmaer, my new friend!" Continuing her efforts to shove the spotlight off of herself, she went on to say, "She's not feeling good and she could really use your help."
Rhys clarified that the kingdom was her fathers and Dagmær nodded. Of course, Rhys was Princess, not Queen, not yet anyway. "Won't it be yours when you're older though?" She wasn't aware that Rhys had other siblings and just assumed the girl was heir to the kingdom. In the stories her mother told the Princess always inherited the kingdom when she was older or something bad happened to the parents. She hoped nothing bad would happen to Rhys parents.
They didn't have to wait long for the Queen to appear. The woman was cloaked in a coat of rich earthen brown with bright blue eyes. The resemblance between her and Rhys was strong and left no doubt in Dagmær's mind that this was her new friends mother. Dagmær bowed clumsily. "It's an honor to meet you your majest-" Before she could finish the word she was overcome by another coughing spell. As soon as it finished she sniffed and nodded. "My chest hurts and my nose won't stop running and everything is gooey. I think the Man Who Smells Funny cursed me! Can you lift the curse?"
Rhythm wouldn't push Rhys adventure out into the rogue lands, as long as she was within howling distance.. she had to repeat the rule over and over to herself. It seemed so far away, but her children were not slaves. Their independent nature would not be quelled. When name was put to face Rhythm couldn't help but squint at the young girl. Dagmaer... like.. Daegmar! The beta here when she had first joined. Rhythm's attention would become much more fully focused on the young one. She obviously needed help as another coughing fit took hold of her. "Rhys you should call for your father whenever you have anyone who isn't part of the pack with you at the border." That was said in a rather harsh tone, but it was imperative. That was all that would be said as she moved closer to the ailing pup. She'd lick between the girl's ears comfortingly as she told her what was wrong. Some kind of respiratory infection maybe? With the way she coughed... Maybe not. "How could someone curse such a cute pup like you?" She'd ask as she leaned down to put her ear against's her chest. She felt a little feverish too. "Do you have a sore throat? Maybe a headache or upset tummy?" She'd ask as she pulled back a little, looking back to Rhys. "Will you call for your Father, please?" With that her eyes would return to Dagmaer. "I bet you're really thirsty aren't you. Lets go get you a drink, and then we'll get some medicine in you." Rhythm would again try to place a kiss on the girl's forehead before leading her down to one of the streams that had formed during the wet season. "You'll be feeling as good as new soon enough."
Dagmaer's final question before Rhythm arrived gave Rhys pause. She hadn't really thought much about what life would be like when she was older. Surely she'd still be playing games and making friends, right? Being a grown up didn't look like much fun. The only plus seemed to be that you got to boss puppies around. But one day she might be like her daddy. And she did like the idea of being a Queen. "Yes," she said decisively. "Some day."
Her mom just wasn't going to let it go, was she! Yeesh, it wasn't like she'd brought a bad guy home! Rhys shuffled her weight from paw to paw and avoided making eye contact with her mom. Soon or later she was going to forget the whole thing. All Rhys had to do was be patient.
"Will you call for your Father, please?" Rhys perked. Here was a chance for her get away scott free. Her mom paid attention to things and so did her daddy...the difference was that he was malleable. With a little effort she could play him. "I'll just go get him! I think I know where he is." She turned to eye the territory. "I'll be right back!" And with that she took off in search of her dad.
OOC: Carry on without her. When they're needed I'll bring her and Valen in.
The Queen sent Princess Rhys to go get the King. Wow! Dag was going to meet the whole royal family, that was so cool and she couldn't help but feel special. The girl would flinch just slightly as the queen started to lick her head, taken by surprise at the sudden familiarity while at the same time feeling a sudden ache in her heart for her own mother.
Do you have a sore throat? Maybe a headache or upset tummy
Dag nodded. "Mhm, my throat really hurts and my chest hurts and my head hurts and my tummy….." she paused for a moment as if consulting her stomach before shaking her head. "My tummy is fine...m' hungry though." She'd nod again. "I am thirsty but I don't know if I want to drink, it makes my throat hurt more." Dagmær fidgeted as she tried to decide if the relief of a cool drink would be worth the pain of trying to swallow. "Thank you your majesty."
Rhys eagerly took up her task, instead of just calling she'd seek him out in person. Better to butter him up that way she supposed. Rhythm wouldn't argue with her daughter, likely getting her out of the way would do more good. She'd wave her off with a flick of the tail as her focus went back to little Dag. With little coaxing she'd tell her what felt bad and what didn't. She seemed bright eyed enough, maybe she wasn't too dehydrated. Having an appetite was a good sign as well, they could try food first and drink later. "Sounds like we should get some food first, a full belly can cure a whole lot." She'd stand, giving the orphan one more affectionate kiss before offering to lead the way. There was almost always something to eat when you wanted, while the slaves made Rhythm a little uncomfortable she wouldn't deny the luxury of not having to hunt every day. She'd find herself smiling as her patient called her 'your majesty,' Rhythm wouldn't say anything this time. "Just follow me."
With little effort she'd lead the little pup towards the carcass of a bison, she'd been an older cow and though she'd made it through the winter the springs mud had been her downfall. She'd been easily picked off. "Alright, this is a Buffalo carcass. Eat up." It had already been picked off by quite a few other wolves, but there was plenty left for a hungry pup.
Dagmær nodded numbly as she yawned again, suddenly feeling incredibly tired. Still, she was pretty hungry and so she'd slowly follow after the queen. Dag's steps were slow and wobbly and several times she had to pause to catch her breath or expel a blob of phlegm in another coughing fit. Determined, though, she put one foot in front of the other until finally she was brought to a carcass. "Wow! That's a big thing!" She sniffed at it lightly before digging in, albeit weakly. After a few moments she picked off a few mouthfuls before flopping down on her stomach, eyes hooded and quickly falling. "M…tired."
