Winters Soothing Kiss

Walk | Talk | Think

Her panic and fury only grew as Tahlia took in the state of the wolf beside her son. She had barely been able to stand, her hasty steps away from Kailos had been unsteady and wobbly, and, close enough now to notice, her eyes ran red with blood. The sickness! She remembered the smell inside the den, the trail of blood that she had followed here, and felt her stomach grow cold with fear. Had this woman been able to pick her son right out of their den without her knowing, without disturbing any of them? The thought sickened her and made her all the more desperate to get Kailos away from her and back to safety.

She only stopped when she was between the diseased white female and her son, still bristling and growling and determined to keep her away. It made no difference that she showed the appearance of one contrite with her posture and tail down, or that the first words she managed to stammer out were ones of apology. Tahlia had already made up her mind about the offending creature; she only half heard what the sick wolf was saying. What she did manage to hear caused her to uncertainly peer back at her son even as her husband showed up, and, not quite listening to his concern, to finally see what she had failed to take note of before.

"Oh, Kailos," she breathed, the fight suddenly leaving her. His fur was stained where the other wolf had wrapped herself around him, but as she turned and lowered her muzzle to touch his cheek she could see the dark streaks that ran from his eyes. Was he shaking too? Beginning to shiver herself, a horrible sense of helplessness threatened to overwhelm her. He was sick, just as this woman claimed. But blood from the eyes... What sort of disease was this? She began to reach, ready to place a comforting kiss against his cheek, when she saw something fall from her own muzzle and neatly splatter into his coat. The same dark stains that the white woman had left.

Horror stricken, Tahlia drew hastily back and felt her heart race, realizing that someone new had arrived while she had been distracted. It was a wonder she had not seen him; even at half their size the red coat of the fox was unmistakable. And he obviously had an interest in Kailos. The overprotective mother did not hesitate in baring her teeth and growling at this new potential adversary, even more ready to protect her son now knowing that he was ill, but even this character appeared only to be trying to help. He offered his assistance and while Tahlia herself was terribly reluctant even to consider it - on what grounds did she have to trust a rogue and now a fox? - Bane was already consenting.

Her expression was as disapproving as it was shocked but he was already on the move, stepping close to touch his nose to hers and then over to their son to carry him for the trek back to the den as he had instructed her. She cast a nervous, distrustful look at both the white she-wolf and the fox before she followed hurriedly after Bane, sidling close as she asked in an anxious whisper, "You do not honestly intend to let that creature treat Kailos, do you? Our own healers have struggled with this disease, how could he possibly know more than they do?"