With each and every passing day, Widow was gaining more and more confidence to leave the den alone and move about the pack lands exploring and getting to know the paths to and from the den and other common places around the pack. She did her best to avoid the other wolves though, especially her siblings. She didn't want anyone tagging along and seeing what she was up to. Though, the prying eyes of an adult were favorable either. They would just tell on her to her mother, as it was their duty. Her siblings she could at least bully into keeping her secrets, but if she had it her way then no one would follow her and she'd get to enjoy a peaceful outing.

She loved the little river that cut through the pack, a stark contrast from the towering volcano. She wasn't even sure what a volcano was exactly, but it's super dry looking surface was definitely the opposite of water. The river was pretty though and with the spring starting to take over, the world was coming back to life. She was excited for that, for it meant the plants would start growing! She couldn't wait to see what would come of the grasses near the river; certainly they'd be full of flowers!

Although winter was over, spring was far from being in it's prime. The last clutches of winter still clung to the air, though most other evidence was gone. She didn't know a world with light in it, so the looming darkness was normal for her. She didn't think there was anything strange about this day, actually. In fact, she felt pretty good and how often was that? Even her trotting pace felt light and airy, especially since the barrel of a girl was anything but. Perhaps it was her good mood, and the fact that she had been left alone was a big plus.

She hadn't spent much time looking at her reflection over the edge of the river, watching as the water rippled the growing gold markings on her face, when she heard a strange sound to her left. It caught her attention quickly and silver eyes spotted a strange, brown weasel looking animal. She tilted her head, peering at it between the tall grass the grew between them. She wondered if the fisher had noticed her yet, but assumed such a small animal would run at the sight of a wolf, even if it was a pup... a very big pup.

The fisher paused and looked around, looking just past her without seeing her somehow. She noticed that out of it's opposite eye, she could see crystals growing, just like mom. She sparked an idea then, wondering if she could borrow this little animal for some testing. She had thrown some crystals and mushrooms at the rocks before, but what about the crystals growing out of a real live animal? Certainly she could find something out by testing on it, too!

The fisher looked away and went back to whatever it was doing at the water's edge. Was it looking at itself in the reflection, too, seeing how strange it looked with crystals coming from it's face? Widow couldn't imagine what it would be like, but like she told Viscera, she wasn't worried about contracting anything. Not from the infected wolves, anyway. She really didn't think much about it, but deducted that a fisher couldn't get her sick if mom couldn't. Made enough sense to her, anyway.

Widow scooted herself over to hide behind the taller grass better and watched the fisher carefully. She'd never hunted before on her own, and anything that she had managed to catch were just rabbits or mice. A fisher was larger than a rabbit, and faster too. Not to mention that it also has teeth and claws at the ready. She was confident though, as she supposed the only remotely good thing about her size was her strength, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Quickly the large girl launched out from grasses and lunged towards the small fisher. Her teeth grabbed the animals rear leg as it tried to flee, her teeth scraping the tender flesh and causing the animal to wail. It managed to slip free, however but Widow wasn't going to let it get away. It scrambled to the water but Widow was faster, grabbing it firmly by it's tail and yanking it backwards. She put a massive paw on the back of it's neck to pin it down while she studied the crystals coming from its eye. She hadn't even noticed that the fisher went from struggling, to barely moving, to not at all. The cries of the animal got faint too, but she was too focused on trying to study the crystals that she didn't even see the life leaving the small body beneath her paw as she effectively suffocated it. It wasn't until moments later when she went to carefully move the animal that she found its body limp. Well, her test subject wouldn't be alive, but at least it had the same affliction as mom.

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"Speech!"

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If Ghoul would have it his way, he wouldn't leave mother's side. She was comfort, safety, and care all wrapped up into a sickened bundle. The plague that enveloped the land was still a large idea that left him confused. How was it that mama had crystals sprouting from her eye, but he nor his siblings had any? It was a mysterious thing happening that no one could or would even try to explain to him. At most, he just wanted her to be safe, but today was a day that she had her own duties to tend to so Ghoul was left to his own devices. The rest of his siblings were off causing mischief and he figured he might as well do the same. Unwilling to travel too far from their den, the pale-coated boy plopped his large paws down the rocky slopes of the volcano. He'd been in the flowering growth of Redbud Nook once before with his other brother Macabre so the area wasn't entirely new to him. Feeling thirsty, his red gaze sought out the creek that scored the soft ground beneath him. His large ears tuned in toward the babbling of water over smooth stones and decided to head that way first. What caused him to pause initially was seeing his quite larger sister leap up into the air to latch onto an animal. Ghoul's eyes widened as he watched the tall grass rustle and his sister's shoulders work to pin the thing to the ground. Curious to know if she would share her snack with him, he wandered over slowly so he wouldn't trip over his paws. As he drew near, he raised his chin to spy her staring at the crystal's growing her captive's eye. Tilting his head as his ears flopped over, he sat down to watch until the last breath left the creature. "Are you just going to stare at it or eat it?" He asks in his raspy puppy-like voice.

Widow was wondering what to do next when she heard one of her brothers voices asking her if she was going to eat it or just stare at it. Well, she certainly wasn't going to eat it. Eating one of these infected animals was really the only way she could imagine catching the eye crystals or mushrooms and she certainly wasn't about to figure out if her hunch was right or not. She also wasn't going to allow her siblings to eat anything infected, either. As the oldest, she could do that right? She didn't want to think about it too much however and quickly dismissed him.

"I'm going to study it! It has the same problem as mom, maybe I can figure something out." She shrugged, looking from her pale brother back to the limp fisher. She seemed to be the only one worried about helping mom get better, while everyone else seemed content dealing with it. Why were they fine, with no signs of crystals, mushrooms, or goo but mom was? These strange things had to start somewhere, and that was her mission.

"Speech!"

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Little did his sister know that he and Mac had already gotten into their own mischief regarding the mysterious mushrooms that grew around them. As she turned to look at him with a shrug of her shoulders, his fur bristled slightly. What made her think that he didn't want to find a cure for mama? A frown creased his lips as he looked at her with a disgruntled expression. "If mama doesn't know the cure, what makes you think you can?" Ghoul hisses, his lips curling slightly as his ears fall back. His own red eyes turn to the dead fisher with mild boredom. How did his sister think examining that poor thing was gonna help their mother? Sighing, he gave a slight shake of his head. Since he was here, he figured he might as well offer his help. "So what exactly are you going to do to it?" Ghoul asks in his raspy puppy voice as he turns his stare back to his sister. He wondered how Widow even knew it had the same problem as their mom. Just because it had crystals didn't mean it was the same thing she was inflicted with.

Widow could only imagine the kinds of things her brothers got into and she wouldn't be surprised if it did involve something with the mushrooms and crystals. They were boys, after all. If one of them hadn't tasted one by now, she'd honestly be shocked. His frown and words that follow made her scowl, her ears pinning against her head as her brows furrowed. She didn't immediately have an answer for him then, but she went back to what she was doing anyway in an attempt to give him the cold shoulder. While he had a point, she certainly wasn't going to admit it. Besides, what was wrong with helping out?

There was silence between them until Ghoul spoke again, curious now with his usual raspy voice. Just the fact that he stuck around was annoying to her, not to mention his sudden curiosity. "Why do you care? You just want to eat it!" She spat at him, shooting him a cold glare as her hackles raised.

"Speech!"

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Her reaction was amusing. So would up and allowing her emotions to control her words as she turned to hiss at him. Noticing how her hackles raised and ears fell back, his own body did the same. Light hair stood on end as his too-big ears fell behind his crown. Narrowing his eyes carefully at his sister, Ghoul let out a quiet chuckle. "I didn't say I wanted to eat it," he mused, eyes looking at her with a curious and almost threatening stare. "I asked if you were going to eat it," Ghoul adds, his shoulders shrugging as his body relaxed. He was no dummy and while Mac had dared him to eat a piece of mushroom, that was as exciting as he'd allowed himself to be. There had already been caution with the meat brought to them now that they didn't have to rely solely on their mother's milk. The sickness plaguing their home, what little of it they knew, obviously was dangerous and had serious effects. And how would she know the effects of the animal she'd killed if she didn't eat it anyway?