Gossamer huddled close to the fire she'd made right outside her den, soaking in the warmth and especially its light. The sun never seemed to rise anymore and on top of that she was sick. Sick with some strange, mysterious illness that seemed to have no cure and that no one could do anything about. Bright cyan liquid oozed from her nostrils and from the corners of her eyes, like some strange phosphorescent mucous. Every so often a coughing fit would seize her and she'd hack up more of the strange bright liquid. On top of that her nerves were shot. She was more anxious than she could ever remember being. Panic would seize her at a moments notice. It was miserable, absolutely miserable.

Still, Gossamer wasn't about to take this lying down. She peered carefully into a small cauldron where she was boiling a mixture of valerian root and marshmallow root. She hoped the valerian would ease her nerves and help her sleep and she prayed the marshmallow would help to stem the strange liquid oozing from her body.

Whether she liked it or not, Ophie was infected with whatever this was. She should have seen it coming since she'd literally exhaled spores after falling in the river, but the fungal creep still scared the hell out of her when she noticed little mushroom caps growing out of the marks left behind after the tiger attack. Foolishly she'd tried to scratch them off, only to wince and cry out as a stabbing pain ripped deep into her skin. Like the growths were too infused to remove, a part of her whether she liked it or not. And it wasn't just her, the Armada was in shambles, full of dazed wolves stumbling about trying to come to terms with what was happening to them. It was the end of the world, as they knew it. But now she glowed, the teal of her markings thrumming softly in the daytime twilight. That was something, made her feel special, but at the cost of a dear-if not silly- friend. Ophie puffed out a sigh, winching at the sight of spores that once again wafted from her lips. She knew enough about healing by now to know this was an infection, that they ought to separate the healthy from the sick and as such had been doing her best to avoid everyone. But what would that result in? She didn't feel too weak right now, just a bit sluggish out more out of breath than usual, but she knew how diseases tended to go. A slippery slope going from bad to worse. Would she die? Was this how it would all end, not just the Armada but the whole world? In a spore filled cough. Breathing laboured and slugging along, Ophie was drawn to a distant fire like a moth to an open flame. She paused at a distance as she caught sight of Gossamer, more than anything she wanted to go to her side and seek comfort, even if only a little. But should she? She simply couldn't stop herself, but made a point of staying several feet away as she settled near the other side of the fire. Tired beyond belief she slumped down onto the floor, not at all surprised her sister was putting together a brew in the hopes of making it a little better. "Gos. Are we dying?" She asked, her glow dwarfed by the fire.

Gossamer carefully poured some of her mixture into a bowl and set it aside to cool, leaning over it for a moment to absorb the warmth of the steam. She carefully poured in a little cool water from her water skin to even out the temperature. Just as she was about to take a drink she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Gossamer swirled around, hackles raised as a snare ripped from her throat. A second later she realized it was Ophelia and all defenses dropped. "Oh, Ophelia, I'm sorry I thought…" Her voice trailed off. What did she think? "I'm so on edge, I wish the sun would rise. I wish all this would go back to normal."

Gossamer considered her sister's question for a moment. The thought that she might be dying made her stomach flip. She couldn't even comprehend the possibility. "I sure hope not… I've made some tea. Would you like some? The marshmallow root might help your cough."

Ophie flinched, scrambling to get back to her feet only to deflate when Gos was whip quick to apologise. To see her usually so kind and laid-back sister snapping and snarling like that...it said a lot, far more than words ever could. Folding herself back down into a laying position, Ophie eyed the splats of blueish ooze stains on her limbs. She had always been a messy girl, her coat smeared with all sorts of icky fluids, but for once she felt an itching need to groom the mess away. To get rid of the evidence, as if that would make her any less ill. "It's okay...I feel that way too." She couldn't think of anyone who seemed happy these days, everyone was on edge. Flinching at shadows. Maybe it was unfair to ask such a question, Gos knew a lot but she didn't have all the answers. No one did. Though maybe some tea might help, maybe she was onto something. "Yes please. Does it taste good?" Anything to wash away the lingering taste upon her tongue. Sweet but also sour. "I met...a strange thing. He made my markings glow in exchange for Jerry." She began, a lump forming in her throat.  "I thought he might like a friend, that no one should be alone but...I feel like I shouldn't have done that. I'll never see him again, just threw away Mum's gift like it meant nothing to me."

Gossamer was glad her sister understood how she was feeling and she was quick to fetch her sister some tea. She felt terrible for snapping at Ophie earlier. She just couldn't help it. She felt so on edge. The constant anxiety had settled in the pit of her stomach and in truth it had been a few days since she'd eaten a full meal. She just couldn't shake the constant fear and worry that held onto her. It was part of the reason she'd become so focused on crafting. She needed the distraction before she completely lost it.

Gossy poured some tea into a bowl and scooted it over toward Ophelia. "It doesn't taste great but it doesn't taste terrible either. Kind of a slightly sweet earthiness." Gossamer drank from her own bowl and listened as Ophelia told her a story of meeting a strange creature and making a trade. "Wait, what? What sort of strange thing? Why did you want your markings to glow?" Gossamer couldn't imagine wanting to glow. How would you stalk prey and sneak up on your enemies if you glowed like a beacon? Though as she stared at her sister's markings it wasn't a harsh glow. She could see it on the side of her sister that was in shadow but not on the side lit by firelight.

Ophie had drank worse tea before, the sort that made her break out into sobbing hysterics. Anything was better than that, even if it did taste a little earthy Ophie was pretty sure she could manage. Nudging the bowl over she bowed down and took a hesitant lick, worried she'd burn her tongue. In typical Gos fashion it was just the right temperature and did well to chase away the gooey, mushroom taste upon her tongue. For now at least. Understandably her big sister seemed shocked by this change and took a moment to look beyond the ooze and fungus to see Ophie's newfound flow. The tubby Fatalis couldn't help but worry what she'd think, turns out she'd been right to worry as Gos didn't seem impressed at all. Raising a paw to wipe the slick from her eyes, lest it drip into her tea, Ophie scrambled an explanation together. Hasty and a little breathless, the spored air catching in her lungs. At least her breathlessness could be blamed on something else other than her fatness. "I didn't ask to glow specifically I just- You know how it is." Better than anyone else. "When compared to our other siblings we're practically nobodies. Briar is gonna lead the Hallows one day. Azure and Mortis are already co-alphas with Dad. Asla was a Reaper. Indigo leads his own band. Heck even Kotori got away with wandering off wherever he pleased for seasons on end, there was no intervention. No one gave him a slave to keep an eye on him." Her feelings on that were pretty dang obvious. "I wanted to be special. I wanna count and be important, not just...fat Ophie." She took a long sip of her tea, hoping to chase away the growing rasp in her voice.

Gossamer

The sickness deepens... You can feel something under your skin. You have to get it out. Whether by stick or teeth or surgery, you WILL get rid of whatever's there... you realize too late that there's nothing there at all. Either way, it's remnants leave a roundish scar 1 inch in diameter.


You gain:

• A small scar- A roundish scar of 1 inch in diameter to a location of your choice.
  

Ophelia

The sickness deepens... Your health isn't the only thing diminishing. You feel poorer... 100 Gemstones poorer, to be exact.

You lose:

• Gems- 100 gems have been deducted from Ophelia