Medical Malpractice

OOC: Set during phase 4 of the event

Chimera had ordered all of the Fenmyre wolves to remain on the island until the strange horrors of the night had let up. The island was on lockdown, and were this any other circumstance, Aliana would have obeyed any order her king gave. However, with the children of the island falling sicker and sicker by the day with the unknown infection they had contracted and none of their medicines on the island seeming to work, Ali had decided to break quarantine in favor of trying to find some herbs not in their stores or native to the island that might help. She had thought at first about trying to locate some marshmallow to hopefully relieve the chest congestion the pups were suffering from and knew it grew locally around the dam-choked rivers Fenmyre had claimed on the mainland.

And so, with her mission in mind, Aliana set out from the island. Chimera had disabled the ferry system they had constructed, but fortunately he was more of a man of brutish means and less scholarly approaches. Ali had built the system, after all, so she was able to re-engineer it and enable it fairly easily. She snuck out once Chimera had gone to bed, making sure she hadn't disturbed him when sneaking out of their shared bedroom before making her way down to the docks with her herb satchel and Bolero to keep her company. The little wren chirped softly as they made their way across the sound to the mainland, and once the hit the shore, Ali took off for the aspen forests.

Finding the marshmallow plants in near total darkness proved to be harder than she initially thought. Though the plants themselves had white flowers, the aspens blocked out much of the available moonlight, leaving the area dark and unforgiving. Aliana frowned, but refused to be discouraged. She traipsed along the creek that cut through the forest, carefully crossing over the dams she came across while sniffing about for the plants. The world was eerily silent, save for a lone owl that seemed to be enjoying the eternal night just fine. It was creepy and unsettling, and if it weren't for the benefit of the pups back on the island, Ali likely would've just turned tail and headed back home to bed. No, she had to keep going! The pack had already lost one member to this sickness; they would not lose any of the children.

After some time of searching, Aliana came across a marshmallow plant, breathing a relieved sigh and smiling while she started to stuff as many of the flowers in her satchel as she could. As she harvested the marshmallow plant, Ali was interrupted by a nervous chitter from Bolero, who was bouncing anxiously on her shoulders. "Hmm? What is it?" she asked her companion, following the little bird's gaze. When she turned, Aliana found herself facing another wolf. He was larger than her, a stranger and a loner from his scent, and very clearly suffering from an advanced stage of the infection. Large mushrooms had sprouted from his ears, nose, and eyes, as well as from open sores across his body. Aliana gasped in fright and recoiled, but did not flee. The wolf didn't advance on her; instead it looked at her through pleading eyes, wheezing with each breath. "Please..." the wolf coughed out. "Help me..."

Two things struck Aliana immediately: he had not attacked her and this wolf had knowingly trespassed into pack lands seeking aid. It would've been easy for Ali to dismiss the wolf, to turn and flee back for the safety of the island and leave him to fend for himself. But the poor soul had come looking for help, and he had just so happened to stumble across a healer. She had a duty to try and help those in need, despite what her mate might think. Swallowing back her fear and anxiousness, Ali gestured to the ground as she unslung her satchel. "Have a seat. I'll try my best." The wolf obeyed, lying down on his belly while stifling another coughing fit while Ali came to inspect him. He was a grotesque sight, with many of the mushroom growths looking as if they'd been feeding off of him for some time. He was emaciated to the point of his skeleton showing through his thin and patchy fur. The wolf was basically a walking cadaver with fungi already eating him alive. Aliana didn't know if there was much she could do.

"Here, try taking this," she said while offering him a couple of the marshmallow flowers. In truth, she was curious to see if this would actually help his condition before she gave any to the Fenmyre pups. The wolf greedily scarfed them down, clearly looking for any sort of relief. For a long while, nothing changed. Then, all of a sudden, the wolf began coughing worse than before. He clutched at his chest with a paw, choking and wheezing for breath while his body lurched with coughs, his lungs fighting to expel all the mushroom spores trapped inside. Ali backed away in terror, watching with wide eyes as the wolf's own body rebelled against him, struggling just to breathe. The marshmallow had kicked in his body's response to cough up all the spores inside, but the mushrooms were refusing to give up their host. It was gruesome and unpleasant to watch while the wolf suffocated on his own lungs, clawing at his chest and throat.

Aliana's jaw hung open in abject horror, desperately trying to think of how to undo her mistake. Snowy paws scrambled through her satchel, looking for anything she had leftover that might help. The wolf before her thrashed about on the ground, a bluish tint coming over his cheeks as he struggled and failed to get enough air in. Feeling cold dread grip her heart, Ali searched and searched and searched—until her paw tapped a small glass vial at the bottom of her bag. It was the poison she'd crafted to take her own life after she'd lost her litter. She'd never gotten rid of it. Wide, frightened eyes gazed at the clear liquid, then back to the suffering wolf. She knew what she had to do... but did she have the strength to do it?

"Please...!" the wolf on the ground wheezed out to her, reaching a paw for her in desperation. Fighting back tears, Aliana pulled the stopper off the top and brought the vial over to the suffering wolf. "Shhh, just lie still. I'll make it stop," she spoke in gentle lyrics, hoping to soothe him while she poured the contents of the bottle beneath his tongue, knowing it would be most quickly absorbed that way. The wolf sputtered for a moment, continuing to struggle to breathe for about a minute more before his body began to slow and relax. Aliana sat beside the wolf, gently stroking his back where there weren't any mushrooms while she watched his pupils dilate as the poison took effect. She'd crafted it to be an easy and gentle death for herself—a blend of lavender oil, wolfsbane, kava, and chamomile. The wolf's body ceased its struggling as the lavender and chamomile soothed him and the kava brought him into a state of relaxation. All the while, Aliana continued to pet his fur, trying her best not to cry while she hummed a soft tune for him.

Aliana listened to the wolf's ragged breathing, each hoarse and shallow breath getting further and further apart as the poison ran through his bloodstream. "Shhhh, it's almost over." The wolf gave a rasping breath in response. Aliana pursed her lips, focusing on steadying her own erratic breathing. "What's your name?" she asked, realizing she'd never gotten the name of her patient. If he was going to die, she at least wanted him to know somebody knew him. "Beryn..." the wolf mumbled, heavy eyelids beginning to droop. Aliana drew in a deep breath, then released a heavy sigh. "Get some sleep, Beryn. You'll feel better when you wake up." Aliana waited, listening as the wolf's wheezing got softer and slower... slower... then stopped. She heard the final exhale Beryn made, then she closed her eyes, letting the hot tears cut down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Beryn..." she whispered to no one.

Alone in the dark woods, Aliana let herself break down and cry for as long as she needed. All the pain and suffering of the endless night that had overwhelmed her poured from her soul. She wept for her lost children. She wept for Viper. She wept for Beryn and every other wolf that had lost their life to this senseless madness. What sort of cruel gods would ever allow this to happen? Aliana spent the next couple of hours digging a grave and burying her deceased patient. Then she dumped all the marshmallow she'd gathered and headed back home, wishing she'd never left the island in the first place.

WC: 1501

"Aliana"