This morning felt especially nauseating. He was used to being sick, but this felt almost awful. His breathing was slurred, it felt like he had ingested some water. Which he wouldn't know how that would have happened unless he submerged himself. Last night he could have sworn his mother walked into his den to see him. It felt and sounded real, but he knew it wasn't because she was dead. Razor debated getting up and seeking out Amalia, but he was too tired. He had found a spot in the grove to relax even though he looked worse than he usually did anyway.

Giving a shiver, he coughed wincing as he did the young male pulled back his ears. He wanted to complain how much it hurt, but that wouldn't solve anything would it. Lowering his head to his front paws. He tried to relax himself, jagged breathing bringing it painful to even take in air. It was a vital function though it wasn't as if he could just stop breathing.

ooc: Anyone is free to come upon the infected Razor.

Arivae had luckily been out and about that morning. She was roaming around in search of a quick snack, maybe a bird or a rodent that crossed her path. But something had stopped her... something foreign. Of course, foreign to her nose. It smelt sickening, and at first the small girl had wanted to avoid it. But curiosity overwhelmed her and she made her way toward the strange aroma, her steps slow and cautious. When she arrived, she stopped immediately and stared down at this male. She could hear his jagged breathes and his cough was a weak, yet nasty one. Not to mention he looked absolutely awful. She needed to call someone... someone who knew medicine. Hi, I'm Arivae... She crept closer and lowered her head, her eyes clouding with concern. I'm going to call Amalia for you, okay? She told him softly, like a mother to her pup, before tilting her head back and summoning her red-headed friend to the scene. She made her call urgent-sounding, so that the woman could arrive with her herbs and in quick time.

She had been fretting over the lingering threat of sickness, stocking up on everything while she still had. There were wolves dropping left right and center, but so far there had been no calls for her here. Not until Arivae's howl sounded. Amalia's heart dropped in her chest as she grabbed her pre-packed bundle of herbs that she had prepared for this. Racing towards the sound of her howl, she panted as she looked between the black female and Razor. She could tell just by looking at him that he was sick, his breathing ragged. Drawing in a deep breath, her dark blue eyes stayed concerned as she put on her healer's face. She knew that Arivae was an inspiring healer, and she would use this chance to teach her. Plus, she could use the help. Dropping her bundle on the ground, she opened it up and set to work. "Arivae, go and grab some water into this bowl. Come back and soak these dried elderberries in it, it will make it easier to swallow with his sore throat," she said, handing a crudely made bowl composed of a skull of a beaver. She had placed a large stick through the eye sockets so that it could be carried with ease. Turning back to the pale boy, she nuzzled his cheek softly. He was warm, she could feel his fever rising. "Open you mouth love, let me see your throat." She said softly. If it had been rubbed raw by coughing, she had some honey to soothe his pain. Amalia turned to her bundle, grabbing watercress and some bonset. She also grabbed a smaller bundle within the large leaf, containing the precious honeycombs. "Does it hurt to swallow too much, Razor? If so I can mash these herbs and mix it with water, that way it won't stick to your throat." That is when she allowed a whine to slip from her mouth, her forehead resting on his own. She knew it was viral, but she had been eating elderberries herself to give her immune system a boost. She couldn't get sick, she needed to help her pack. Speech

Sure the boy was used to getting sick, but nothing like this. Razor cursed his weak immune system. Naturally worried about others catching it from him as well. When the woman arrived his ear pinned to the back of his head, he didn't want to speak but felt the need to. That was when Amalia showed up, Razor only hoped he was showing early signs of some sort of illness. He hadn't felt too bad - well no worse than usual- until last night. He had gone through the effort of climbing to this spot this morning and it seemed like he had caused them some trouble. Looking rather apologetic he looked to Arivae then back to Amalia as she already had been starting to somehow treat him. He was confused, seeing as he didn't know about the virus going around. His aunt seemed so worried that it tugged at the young boy's heart strings. She asked to see his throat, which Razor complied. Opening his jaws, the insides were not too bad. The damage was not permanent since the coughing fits had only started maybe a couple of hours ago. However, the painful breathing was more of a problem. As Amalia asked if it was too hard to swallow he shook his head no. He would be able to manage just fine he thought. Though when she pressed her forehead against his, Razor's soft blue eyes widened to the sound of her whine. Distress clearly shown in him as he whined in response. Wheezing but still he nuzzled the side of her cheek softly. Wanting to inch away at least a little, to show at least he was worried that she too would be getting sick from this. He winced again as he went in to take a bigger breath. Now was probably the time to tell her how he was feeling, it was simply hard. "It feels like I breathed in a bunch of water." he rasped quietly looking at the ground. He pressed his paws into the soft undergrowth. His head felt funny and he felt dizzy too. Yet it took him every part of him to stay awake. So that his aunt could treat him properly. He would have to thank the black woman at a later date when he got the chance. "Talk"

In little time, the older woman arrived with a large bundle of herbs and an obvious look of concern on her face. Arivae backed up a bit to give her some room, but it was easy to tell that she had been looking straight at Amalia, her face twisted up in confusion. What was going on? The dark girl knew little about the virus that was spreading throughout Alacritia, so seeing Amalia arrive in such a hurry was quite surprising. Razor was just sick.. nothing more, right? Arivae's gaze switched between the two of them, her tail tucked in between her legs. Suddenly Amalia turned to her and she straightened up. So her mentor needed help.. why not? She nodded without a word and grasped the bowl by the handle, sprinting to the nearest body of water which happened to be a clear stream running through the trees. Arivae crouched over it and filled the bowl carefully. She ensured that no rocks, mud, or moss built up inside it. Once it was full and free of debris, she made her way back to the pair, careful not to spill it.

She arrived within minutes of leaving and carefully placed the bowl on the ground. For a minute she looked up at the two, trying to decipher their connection. They seemed close... and she didn't quite know how. Siblings? No... the boy was too young. And he couldn't be her son, because Arivae knew her mentor's kids and this male was not one of them. So Razor must be Amalia's nephew. The young girl stared at them for a moment, studying their markings, before shaking her head and getting back to work. She could figure these things out later.. right now she had to help Amalia treat her young patient. Arivae looked around and scooped up the dried elderberries she had been instructed to soak. She dumped them into the water and shifted the bowl a bit to spread them around, get them to absorb the water a bit before she removed them. Of course, when Amalia told her to. She didn't want to take them out too early. Poor Razor might choke on them! So she waited, glancing up at her teacher. Amalia, She said softly, her gaze landing on Razor. The selfless instinct inside her told her to be concerned, so she was, her eyes becoming full of worry as he was checked over.

Thank goodness for Arivae. She was going to make this a lot easier on the lot of them, and she was going to teach her all about this sickness. She came back quickly with the water, placing the berries in as she was told to do. As she pressed herself close to Razor, he let out a whine of his own. Amalia fought back tears, swallowing hard as she cleared her throat. There was no time for this, she needed to get to work fast before he got any worse. He told her it felt like he had swallowed water, and she slowly nodded her head up and down. "I know my love, I know. There has been a mutated strain of pneumonia has been going around, and you seem to have caught it. It's not like anything I have seen before, but I know how to treat it. I will make you feel better, I promise," she told him softly, and yet loud enough for the darker woman to hear her. Yes, she had every reason to be worried, and so should Arivae. When the young woman said her name her head whipped around to her, giving her a determined nod. "I am going to need you to stay close by, we have no idea how far this has spread. You need to start eating elderberries as well to keep your immune system strong so you don't catch this. We will also need to travel to Mount Volkan and collect as many as we can," They should go soon too, before winter hit. Turning back to her herb bundle, she pulled out everything she had and laid it out in front of Razor for Arivae to see. She tipped her head so that she would come closer. She would toss a quick lesson in here, just encase she was out collecting herbs and someone else got sick. "Can you tell me what these herbs are and what they do?" she asked, looking up to meet her pale blue eyes for a moment. As she waited she grabbed the honey, unwrapping the sticky leaf and pushing it in front of Razor's nose. "Lap this up hon, and eat the comb as well. It will help soothe your throat," She said softly, wanting to give him something to ease his pain. Oh, pain! Her poppy seeds. Grabbing the dried out poppy head, she placed that in the line with her herbs. Now she had it all, poppy seeds, the elderberries that were re hydrating, her watercress and bonset. Speech

Something about this now was scaring him. An emotion he hadn't felt in probably a long time. He had dissociated himself from it since he was in the den. When his aunt had said it was something serious, his heart jumped to his throat. The blue eyes on the gray boy widened as his ears went to sit at the back of his skull. Amalia promised that she would make him feel better. He fought the tears threatening the corners of his eyes. His shoulders tightened as he watched her and looked at Arivae. "But what if.... you two get sick?" he asked weakly with it laced with a whine. He knew it was a healers job, but he didn't know how he would deal if it was his fault the two of them got sick. The frightened boy listened carefully to Amalia. Staring at the honey comb, he started to do as he was instructed. Same as before he only had mild knowledge of herbs. The sweetness was a bit peaceful, but he was scared. "Aunty Ama - what if I die?" He wasn't strong. Razor had told himself he'd never be strong and he was okay with that. He didn't want to leave though, he wasn't ready. The boy grabbed the comb and carefully chewed on it. Shutting his eyes he let himself cry a little. It was a little embarrassing in front of Arivae - but he knew holding it in would make it worse for himself. "Talk"

The seriousness in Amalia's tone made Arivae sick to her stomach. The virus going around was obviously fatal and extremely dangerous, not to mention contagious. If anyone she held close to her heart fell under the curse of this illness.. she wouldn't know what to do. She'd be in such shock that she wouldn't be able to help them. But it didn't matter. Either way, Arivae had to stay close by her mentor and assist her in healing the unfortunate wolves that became plagued with the pneumonia. Tiburtius suddenly crossed her mind and her heart dropped into her stomach like a stone. Would he be okay?! If he didn't eat elder berries too he might become sick. He could die... he could leave her forever. Her own selfish thoughts swirled in her head and she felt her knees shake. She wobbled a bit and her eyes became clouded with worry. She wanted to run to him.. sprint at the speed of light and stuff the berries in his big mouth. Stuff him so fat he'd be stuck in his den for days. But the sound of Razor's cries slapped her back into reality.

This wasn't the time to worry. This wasn't the time to cry. She needed to help her mentor with Razor... he was part of her pack, therefore he was family. Arivae shook her head and swallowed a sob before moving up beside Amalia and resting her worried gaze onto the herbs she displayed before her. The dark girl stared at them and felt the speed of her heart elevate significantly. Watercress, elderberries.. She stared at them a bit longer and remembered Amalia mentioning the purpose of the berries. But first.. Watercress helps coughs, and elderberries are eaten to strengthen the immune system. She explained, her voice cracking as she moved her eyes to the other poppy seeds and the boneset. Poppy seeds were easy... but the boneset? She forgot the use of those. Poppy seeds soothe pain... and boneset...

She stared at the herb. She studied it for a while and tried to decipher what it was used for... but nothing came to mind. Nothing but a low, pathetic whine. Amalia would have to tell her. Arivae turned to the elder berries to see their progress, and then turned back to Razor. Oh gosh... he was crying. No... don't cry.. Arivae whined and walked up to the young male, gently pressing her nose to his cheek. She didn't want him to cry. He'd be okay.. they'd take care of him. And as for her and Amalia? They could take care of themselves. Amalia was a top notch healer and Arivae was a... um. Beginner healer... yeah. She'd be around her mentor a lot anyways. If she fell sick, Amalia would have her fixed up in no time. You won't die... She said in a firm tone. She needed him to know that they wouldn't let him die. No way in wolf doggy hell would they let anyone in Fiori die. The thought of anyone in Fiori dying made her so sick and weak. But she'd fight through it... they'd all manage, she knew it.

Razor asked about them getting sick, and she shook her head back and forth. "Don't worry about us, dear. I have been eating elderberries since I first caught wind of this sickness, and Arivae will start to do the same. Our immune systems have to be strong as healers, it's the risk of our job. But I usually work myself sick before an actual sickness can take me down," she said softly, trying to jest with him. It was obvious that he was worried, and she felt bad that she had said anything now. But no, it would have been unfair to hide the severity of this all from him. He needed to know what his body was going through, and he couldn't really teach Arivae about it unless she spoke her truth. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the darker coated woman as she came over to inspect the herbs before her. She slowly nodded as she told them their use, head tilting to the side when she hesitated at bonset. That was a very important herb. Giving her an encouraging smile, she stepped closer to fill in for her. "It is one of the top herbs to use to help cure the cold and the flu, and it also helps ease muscle pains. With the amount of coughing, his body will be sore and tired from the effort. This will help soften his stiff muscles, as well as help combat the fever, and more cold like symptoms," she said quickly, all business during this time. She was going to turn to Razor to start passing him herbs when his words caught her off guard. Her whole body froze, her heart hammering in her chest. If it wasn't for Arivae's words to snap her back to attention, she would probably have stood there frozen all day. Quickly she rushed to his side, digging her face into the fur of his neck. "No my love, oh no. You're not going to die, I promise you that," she said, pulling back her head to rest her forehead against his. "I love you far too much for that to happen. Even if I have to stay up for a week to help you, I will do it. Me and Arivae are going to do everything in our power to make you better, okay? Don't fret my dear, just thinking healing thoughts, okay?" She whispered, her own eyes clouding with tears. Sniffling, she turned to the other woman and nodded her head, gesturing to the elderberries. They had enough time to soak, and he needed to eat everything else. Pushing the bunch of herbs towards him, he gave him space to eat them, trying to hide her tears. "Speech"

The overwhelming sense of danger made his heart race, even though it already was. As his blue eyes continued to produce tears, it was the stranger first that would answer his morbid question. Her nose against his cheek, made him take in a sharp breath. Eyes wide, he never experienced a stranger touching him in this matter. It wasn't a bad feeling, in fact the gesture was appreciated. He pressed the side of his face into her for a second. Stopping his crying, as Amalia pushed into him as well. Razor tried to take in deep breaths. Met with a guttural cough as he lowered his head to avoid coughing on the two of them. Hacking up what tasted like blood. As he lowered his head he winced. "Just make sure the two of you don't get sick." he whispered raspily. He carefully took the rest of the herbs, it would make him feel better. Razor told that to himself in his head. As long as he took these things like he was told like he always had he would be just fine. He shut his eyes as he tried to let out a calmed sigh, painfully so as he finished ingesting the soaked herbs. His throat felt a little better, but in a dizzy spell he forced himself to remain awake. "Talk"

The tiny woman rubbed her face on her shoulder, trying to hide the evidence that she had started to cry. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself before she faced her nephew again. She hated to see him like this, it really broke her heart. All Razor wanted was to keep the two of them safe, and she faced her student with a smile. "We will be fine my love, I will make sure that no one gets sick. You just need to work on getting better, okay? I will come check on you often, but you should make sure that you don't come into contact with anyone but me or Arivae until I give you the all clear. Until then, I will bring you herbs and hunt for you too. I won't let anything bad happen, I promise you that," she said softly, pressing a soft kiss on his left cheek. "But! Since you gobbled up all those herbs, we should get you back into your den. If you find it hard to sleep I will bring you some poppy seeds. Now, up you go!" She said in her cheery way, nudging one of his shoulders to urge him to stand. He needed rest now, and lots of it. "Speech"