Against his better judgement Tyrian had been picking at his crystals. He knew it would hurt and he knew he would gain nothing from it, and he did it anyway. It was like promising not to scratch an itch - it only made it itchier! Because of his scratching Tyrian now had winding trails of glowing goo leaking from the crystals under each ear and eye. He was frustrated and miserable, and yes, still picking if he accidentally let his mind wander. Right now he was headed towards the barn where he hoped to hide away for a bit. He didn't know how he could be of much use to anyone at the moment and he just needed a recharge. Tyrian wouldn't allow himself to become lax in his duties just yet. He didn't know if what he had was fatal, but even if he was staring down the barrel of a gun, he was going to go down swinging. Just not today. Today...he needed...fuck he had no idea what he needed. A break, maybe. Just a small one. ""

Álarr was resting in the barn near the wood-burning stove where Brynhildr had started a fire. Spring was arriving but he couldn't see any difference. If anything the world was getting darker and colder. The lack of sunlight to warm the earth seemed to drop everything even deeper into the chill of winter. On top of that he was starting to wonder how this would affect plant life. Without the light of the sun, how many would die? Sure most plants were dormant in Boreas but what about Auster? There was so much uncertainty.

Álarr lifted a back leg and scratched at the little mushrooms growing out of his left ear. He'd applied more of his garlic concoction to the fungi, hoping it would make a difference. So far there wasn't much of an effect but he continued to hope that one of his variations would have an effect. Álarr looked up as he saw his brother ender. He stared. "Oh no, Tyrian, you have it to?" From where he was he didn't see that it was crystals, simply assumed it was more of the strange fungi.

Tyrian's itchy-but-not-itchy crystals might have been mistaken for devil horns had the circumstances been different. They grew tall almost smack dab between each ear and eye; wonky, crooked pillar crystals. That could have been neat, right? Having horns somewhat like his brother's. But no. His were tender to the touch and every time he accidentally knocked on on something it just about brought him to his knees. Worst still, the bark-like base started inside each ear and trailed serpentine down to the corresponding eye so every time he smacked a 'horn' the whole side of his head hurt. Add on the trail of crystal 'tears' under each eye and he was quite the sight. He glanced up as Alarr approached and chuckled sardonically before replying, "Yeah, they got me too." Curiously he eyed his brother up and down in search of crystals. His brow furrowed when instead of crystals he found...mushrooms. Like an actual poo-and-dirt-eating mushrooms. Somehow that was worse than crystals. "What the-" he circled his brother while eying him up and down, "holy shit, Alarr. Mushrooms?" ""

Álarr eyed the crystals curiously and he padded closer. Seeing crystals grow out of his brother was truly bizarre. Mushrooms, while also very strange, he could at least somewhat wrap his head around. Fungal infections weren't unheard of. He had to help Afi treat ringworm before after all. But he'd never heard of a mineral growing out of a wolf in such a manner and he hadn't the faintest idea of how to begin treating his brother. He paused as Tyrian began to circle him so his brother could take in the illness before he sighed heavily. "Yep, I tried plucking one out but had three more grow in its place. I've been soaking them in garlic and and a mix of other anti-fungal herbs but no luck yet. What about you? What's it like having crystals growing out of you? I can see what I can do about them but alas, I can't work miracles."

Tyrian shook his head and frowned as Alarr explained all he had done in the hopes of ridding himself of the growths. If there was anyone who could figure this out it was his brother. Tyrian knew that much. Alarr was the most capable healer he knew. "They..." he began slowly, torn between being honest with a healer and not wanting to concern a brother. "They ache. There's a sort of throbbing under them that never goes away. And when I bang one of these fuckers on something I can feel it all the way to my toes." He frowned before sharing a disturbing thought, "I think they're growing out of the bone." ""

Álarr listened intently as his brother described his symptoms. They were concerning to say the least. He frowned. "I was afraid of that. In all honesty I feel the same with these mushrooms. It's like they are growing right out of my skull." At least the mushrooms were organic. How did he fight a mineral? How was it even possible? He wondered if it was caused by some other kind of fungi or creature that encased itself in crystal.

Álarr turned and dug around in his bag before pulling out a tin of salve. "This might help but I'm just not for sure. If the crystals are growing all the way down we need to treat them internally but I haven't the faintest idea with what… Tyrian, do you believe in magic?"

To hear his brother was in a similar boat settled over Tyrian grimly. It was as he expected but to have it confirmed was different. More final, somehow. Undeniable. It saddened him too. While his brother had a far better claim to medicine and caring for others, Tyrian was protective by nature and this illness made him feel powerless. What could he do to help those he loved? What enemy could he fight? If only he could sink his teeth into sickness. Tyrian gladly accepted the offered salve. He'd just begun to thoughtfully roll it around in his paw when Alarr posed his question and put a stop to his fiddling. In truth Tyrian hadn't given much thought to magic throughout his life even though he'd grown up with some amount of it. Their father had never made it any secret that he believed their mother to be his long dead lover. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "Valentine always said we came from Somnium, eh? I guess if I believe that then...maybe I have no grounds to reject other proposed magic." He sighed and shook his head before fixing his brother with a wry look. "So if you're proposing this is magic then I guess I have no choice but to consider it." ""