and it feels like the weight is too much to carry It had started three days ago. She'd told her father and Corvus she wasn't feeling well and had retreated to her den, hoping to hide her condition as best as she could. At least until she could figure out how to fix it. Theo hadn't figured out how to tell Thalia yet, and the more she tried to figure out how to tell her, the more frantic she became. Instead, completely uncharacteristic, she holed up and refused to take visitors from the pack. With each passing hour, her ears grew more congested. Fluid began to seep from her eyes and nose. Eventually, she felt it dripping from her ears as well. Desperate for some kind of cure, she swigged the expensive potion she'd purchased from the strange merchant. As she waited to feel anything except the steady dribble of fluid, Theory's thoughts began to spiral. They want you out of the way. You've always been a burden to the pack - better now for you to leave. Run away. The darkness of her den suddenly seemed sinister in a way she had never known. After panting hard for a few hours, working up a lather of sweat on her flanks, she peeled out of the hole and dunked her face in the rapids to clean off the ooze. Bracing cold water filled her eyes, nose, and mouth. A few spots remained on her ears, but everything seemed to be glowing now - it was easily explainable. Gruffly mumbling that she'd set off on a patrol now that she was feeling better, Theory sprinted to the Bay as soon as she crossed the border. Shockingly bright spittle flecked her lips, glowing bright in the dim light that now passed for daylight. By the time she made it the shore she'd pushed herself so hard after remaining so still for several days that her stomach seized and pain stitched her sides. Theo fought to get a full breath in but her lungs were burning up. Blinking back new liquid that seeped from her eyes, she squinted at the horizon line. Why is it always dark? Am I being punished? What for? There was a thin, bleary line of light that hovered over the distant ocean. Theory stared at it long and hard until her eyes watered. "theory speaks!"

Perception Potion

Ooo Glowy!

Your eyes water as you focus into the darkness. Slowly... it seems to get clearer. Glowing eyes are good for lighting the way, and now yours can too! You eyes now glow faintly, increasing brightness with your heart rate. Seems to allow you to see better, even though it seems counter intuitive. Oh well! That's how magic works!

You gain:

• Perception Boost- 10% Permanent Perception Boost
  

Theory hadn't been feeling well and Corvus realized he hadn't seen her in days. It was easy to lose track of time given how strange things were lately; Corvus had been keeping to himself, content to hide away with Twig and keep an eye on things while everyone rode out the season. Abaven had seemed quiet for awhile now and he was personally glad that things had been tranquil - well, tranquil enough given the circumstances. He was cautious to venture too close to the odd mushrooms and crystals that seemed to be taking over the world, which was proving more difficult as they grew more plentifully around the lands with each passing week. The last thing he wanted was to get sick, and thus get Twig sick in return. Imagining her getting ill because of him was nightmarish at best. He shivered at the thought.

Catching wind of Theory's scent as he set toward the bay, Corvus was eager to follow it. It wasn't uncommon for him to not see his cousin for a few days at time but given that she hadn't been feeling well he was inclined to check on her. He picked up his pace until he saw her silhouette at the edge of the shore, giving a little bark of greeting as his tail waved behind him. Quickly he loped toward her, slowing when he got the whiff of... something that wasn't quite right. "Theory? Are you alright?" A sense of urgency outweighed his better judgment and he hurried to her side to get a better look at her.

This was a goddamn nightmare. Harrowing thoughts whispered at the edges of her ears, as if there was someone conspiring just behind her. She'd gotten used to her current predicament, if it was something you could even "get used" to. At the sound of Corvus coming up astride, Theory reflexively shrunk away from him. The horrid, fluorescent ooze forced her to avert her gaze. He couldn't see her like this. He would tell Rhyme, Rhyme would rightfully take over control of the pack and banish her, Thalia would turn away from her - she'd be forced from the pack lands, the only place she'd ever felt at home. And then she'd crawl back to this beach, right here, where she would curl up and die. Theo's thoughts continued in this numb death spiral, no common sense to be found. "Hello Corvus," she said, her voice thick. It felt like the ooze was dripping down her throat, making her voice clumsy and terrible. Even her tone betrayed her. Nothing was safe. She couldn't even talk right. "I'm f-fine." Completely, totally fine. Theory chanced a look at him from out of the corner of her eye. His worry was a physical wound, worse than the dull throbbing of the putrid ooze. It cut straight through her chest and pierced her heart completely. She couldn't worry him. "I'm just admiring the sunset-rise," she said lamely, a dribble of bright liquid splatting from the corner of her lips on to the sand. The dim, watery brightness on the horizon - so far away, as if light had decided to take a permanent leave of Boreas - could have been either early morning or the close of a day. Time had been rendered inert. Nothing matters, nothing matters, nothing matters.

Instead of turning toward him, Theory shrunk away, and Corvus felt his heart sink in his chest. A bit of worry had already begun to flood his chest but it was suddenly exacerbated, both by her smell - which was notably off - and the way she shied away from him. She greeted him but still twisted away from him, as if not wanting him to see what was really wrong with her. "Are.. you sure? You don't look fine," Corvus said gently. Their relationship had always been the sort that didn't harbor secrets; at least that was what he thought. If she was unwell he wanted to know. He'd rally the pack's healers and find a cure for whatever ailed her. Upon further inspection it became obvious that she wasn't find at all; bright colored liquid oozed from her mouth and onto the sand, vibrant enough that it was visible even through the dim light. "Theory? Look at me - please?" His brows furrowed tightly together, and the worry was obvious in her voice now. He couldn't lose her - and he wouldn't let her wither right before his eyes, not if there was anything he could do about it.

Even though her thoughts swirled in a paranoid storm, dark and thick and dangerous, she couldn't ignore the worry in his voice. It was real. So genuine that it broke her heart. Theory blinked rapidly. She couldn't tell if the moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes was ooze or tears. They felt nearly the same, but the bright liquid was thicker. Once she couldn't bear it any longer, even though everything in her rebelled against this, warned her that showing weakness would be the death of her, she finally turned to face him. The faint light on the far horizon caught her gleaming blue eyes and reflected on the bright liquid that was now seeping from every orifice. Her fur was matted and still sweaty at her shoulders and and flanks, hanging in limp clumps. Theory thought she knew the half of it, but there wasn't any comparison for how bad she truly looked from an outsider's perspective. She was worn down at the edges, rough and raw. "I don't know what's wrong," she said, but it sounded like a question. "Please... don't tell anyone. Not yet."

Firefly Shoppe - Theory

The sickness deepens... Your legs lock up for about half an hour, then it passes... Odd.

Your attention blurs and refocuses. IT feels as if you are in a dream as you find yourself alone in the mist. Fireflies gather and light the way to a table with a figure waiting behind it. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose w̶̢̧͉̥̻̟͈͙̽̉̆̿̈͒͋̓̇̍͌̇̎͠͝ì̵̢̝̄͐́͆̓̚ṣ̶̛͙̟͎̤̞̤͎̹̙̭̪͔̓̐̾̂͆̄͆͌̈̈́̏̚͜͝͠ȩ̴͔̱̗̜̾̉̀̓̀͆͛̊̂̍̕̚̚̚ͅl̵̢̦̲̼̠̖̜̺̮̜̺͋̈́y̴̧̨̧̪̗̥̘͇̾͑͗͜͠, and only choose o̷͕̭̊̃̌̊̏̀ņ̸̼͚͉͔̒͐̊e̵̮̯͛̔̀̑͜," the figure says, looming over the table as his eyes seem to peer into your soul. Are they... moving? "If you can afford it, that is. Beware, however, for there are many d̷̡̯͉̎̊̈́͐͠á̴̬̪̣̝̞̅̀̈́̄ṉ̸̢̠̤̹̥̙̜͋͆̚g̷̛͍̹̣̬̙͖̝̘̃̈e̷͓͕̖͓̝̤̿͐͐͜͠ŗ̵̤͚͔̟̹̳̽̒͝ş̸̛͓͔̩̥̦͛̊̈̾̐̒̓ ̴̺͔̃̇̆ahead." He does not seem like he's in the negotiating mood...


I̵̜̖͎͓͒̑̕n̸͓̗̘̫͉̗̻͐̔̿̊͆̋͝v̵̦̹̠͉̖̼̮̎̌͆ȩ̸͕̦͔̳̩̈́͜n̶͍̝̙̯̣̹̫̩͋t̶̟͈̟̲̜̙̣̋̿̓̆̅͊͝͝ŏ̶̼͊r̶̖͎̙͔̥͎͙͈̊̍͝͠y̴̧͔̭͒͆̉̕͝:

• Mushroom Bath Bomb- 2 /
  It looks like a bunch of mushrooms, grass, and plants rolled into some mud. The seller assures you it’s good for styling your coat pattern exactly how you’ve always wanted it.
  
• Cursed Litter Pass- 2 /
  This looks like it might cause something really weird to happen. The label says, “do not use if you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to become pregnant,” but you can’t read… it’s probably dangerous, or really cool.
  
• Serious Steroids- 1 /
  The cloaked figure assures you it’s not really steroids but he does say it’ll make your body more resilient, he won’t tell you what’s in them though.
  

She turned and looked at the strange apparition with a bleary gaze. Hadn't she suffered enough? What fresh hell was this? A shudder ran down her spine as she peered at the items the cloaked figure offered. There was a deep, quaking feeling in her stomach. She couldn't bear to look at him - it? - for long. The dim light of the fireflies seared her eyes as if they were the brightest sunrise. Had it truly been this dark for so long that even the dimmest flicker of brightness was painful? Maybe it was just another sick part of her affliction. Weakly, Theory gestured to the Cursed Litter Pass. It was impossible to tell what purpose any of the items might serve. Perhaps it was just better to pick something and not ask too many questions.

Firefly Shoppe- Theory

The strange artifact is tossed to Theory's paws by the cloaked figure. "Your wish is my command," he adds, sounding almost amused at the prospect of granting such a dangerous gift- but her choice has been made, and who is he to correct her?


You gain:

• Cursed Litter Pass- This looks like it might cause something really weird to happen. The label says, “do not use if you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to become pregnant,” but you can’t read… it’s probably dangerous, or really cool.
  

You lose:

• Currency (x2)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...
  
  

Corvus was finding it difficult to properly reason. If she was sick perhaps it was unwise to get too close to her, to risk spreading the infection to himself or anyone else, but at the same time he was far too worried to think beyond this exact moment. Theory had always been one of his closest companions, and seeing her in such a state was beyond worrying - it was downright frightening. The uneasy pit in his stomach only grew with each second that passed, though he leaned against her and briefly brought his nose to her fur in a show of comfort. "I won't tell anyone," he promised quietly, perhaps against his better judgment. Not long after he spoke he noticed her drifting off, like she was fading out of this world and into one of her own. Her eyes focused on something that wasn't there and her paw gestured at nothing ahead of her in the water. His brow furrowed tightly as he pressed firmly into her, trying to be reassuring. "I'll find a way to help you. I promise." Corvus was no healer - he only knew how to defend, how to teach - but he was determined to do what he could to help Theory. He had no other choice; she was too young to die. The thought gripped him suddenly and sent waves of sharp nausea through him, though he tried desperately to push those feelings aside.