The Soulless Forest was where this had all begun - where the ethereal wolf had phased through her and Eligos and likely infected their minds in the process. Aryn felt for sure she was dying, large blisters had begun to grow along her pelt and the lumps on her head became more painful and itchy as the day passed. Where the horns began to protrude oozed thick blue goop, the same liquid that dripped from her nose and eyes and pooled in her mouth. If she was to die today, the most reasonable place to make her grave would be here, from where the infection originated.

Aryn lay down on the forest ground, her blistered and oozy form curled tightly in a ball below the low hanging fog. The forest was dark, too dark. She couldn't stand to even open her eyes lest she remember how dark it was and be compelled to run away. Aryn was not the bravest wolf in life, but at least she could try and be brave in death.

Eyrún's life had been cut far too short. At least she'd seen through to the birth of her son, though her time with him had been far too short. She wondered if he even remembered her now - not that it mattered much in the afterlife. It was an entirely different existence there, free of worry and hope... though suddenly she found herself phasing in and out of the sort of existence she remembered before her death. She'd been here before, this exact place; though things looked much different now. The sky was dark and the stars blindingly bright, and the strange growths that littered the world seemed like something from the afterlife. And was she... walking? She saw her paws hit the ground, practically felt the wind on her coat. There were so many things she didn't feel but somehow she'd come back, and though Eyrún was certain this state was temporary she intended to take full advantage of it. Her son was the first thought in her mind, Aryn second - she'd made her promise she'd take care of her son and she could only assume she'd stayed true to her word. And it seemed... she was nearby. Though she could not smell her she somehow knew she was close, and so Eyrún didn't hesitate to find her, moving silently through the thick fog until a silhouette appeared ahead of her, curled tightly into itself. "Aryn?" She called out, deeply surprised to hear the sound of her own voice- it seemed so real to her that for a moment she forgot that she'd left this world at all. "You're unwell," she stated after a few strides closer, an observation rather than a question.

The sound of another's approach brought Aryn's head to lift, exposing a puddle of blue ooze that had leaked from her and onto the forest floor. The shape was familiar and she lifted a paw to swipe at her leaking eyes. "Eyrun?" First they had heard her voice on the volcano, now she was here before her - what was going on? "Unwell is an understatement." The realization hit Aryn quickly, her eyes widening as she looked over at her friend. "Am I dead, Eyrun?"

She frowned, feeling no different but.. well, what other explanation was there? "Poor Veigar, losing us both would be so hard on him." The sick wolf mumbled, sighed, and replaced her head into the puddle of ooze. What happened now? Did Eyrun fly her up to some otherworld for dead wolves? Would she get to say goodbye to Veigar?

Whatever sickness she was afflicted with was nothing like Eyrún had ever seen. The blue ooze leaking from her face was strange, almost nightmarish; she only hoped this didn't signify the end of the world. It'd be a shame if her son wasn't able to live a full life, one much fuller than she had. "You're not dead, but if you keep lying there you may as well be," she spoke with the same tone she had in life, not entirely cold but with a razor-sharp edge. "You need to get up, and keep fighting. Don't lay down and die like I did." She wondered if it would have changed things, but it didn't matter much. Once a wolf was in the afterlife there was no way to bring them back, at least from her understanding. The mention of Veigar made her chest clench painfully.. how long had it been since she'd felt emotional pain? Physical pain was something too far from her mind to recall, but emotional pain had always been worse, all-consuming and not easily ignored. "Veigar. Is he well, then? You owe it to me to watch over him and keep him safe," she reminded her, a touch more warmly now. She didn't mind shaming her though if it meant she'd fight whatever sickness was threatening to consume her, threatening to consume nearly everyone - she'd say whatever it took to keep her fighting. It wasn't like she could do anything herself. Even if she found him now she worried she wouldn't be able to speak to him; already she felt herself phasing in and out of this world, her vision intermittently fading in and out as she stood there and stared down Aryn.

Eyrun explained that she was not dead, and Aryn nodded and accepted the information as she accepted anything else Eyrun had told her in their brief time together. It was then that the ghost mentioned her son and how Aryn was supposed to protect him, to keep him safe. She frowned and sighed, burying her leaking muzzle in her paws. "I ran away from him, he must hate me now." She lamented. "I just didn't want to get sick, you have to forgive me. Everyone is so sick, I had to leave there." Habari had already sent wolves after her, how long would it be before Recluse dragged her home and locked her in a cage somewhere as a slave? What would Veigar think then? "I don't want to go back." She finished, meek and soft.

Though she was no longer capable of the more extreme emotions that had plagued her in life - in death there was no mania, no rage, no anguish - still she was disturbed by the prospect of Aryn leaving Veigar to fend for himself. He was nearly a yearling now though, not a helpless pup who needed supervision, especially with the strange state of the world currently. "He will not hate you, not unless you don't return to him, eventually. I understand if you're afraid - you've always been afraid," Eyrun mused softly. She'd grown stronger in her company but it was no surprise at all that she was still a fearful one, just like the scared wolf Eyrun remembered running into the first time they'd met. "But you can't be afraid forever, especially not when you're all he has left of me." If she was the pleading type she would be down at her paws begging for her to return to Veigar, but especially now everything felt like it was slipping away from her. "I'm sorry I left you, too," she nearly whispered after a moment of quiet. She'd grown to care for the meek woman in a way she hadn't anticipated and it was only in the afterlife that she realized just how much she'd cared for her, but it was too late to lament over that thought now. Already she felt herself fading; she was sure her time here was already beginning to run out. She just hoped her words had helped Aryn even in the slightest of ways.

Eyrun

You have the sudden urge to pee. When was the last time you peed???

Aryn

Your poop glows for the next few days.



You gain:

• Crystals (5x)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...