Cannival It had been many days since Cannival had met the healer Rain, and the lioness could not wait any longer to go looking for him. Her thick dark pelt was coarse and dull, and as she walked her head hung lazily between her shoulders. Even if she could draw from her remaining energy to hunt, her stomach churned viciously at the very thought of food. She'd spent much of the past few days vomiting until her stomach could produce nothing and her maw tasted of only bile. Golden eyes were half-lidded, and she felt almost as if she might fall asleep where she stood. She could have stayed in Abaven for treatment, but she feared causing Shaye more to worry about. The pack struggled enough without adding her issues into the mix, and their stores of herbs were depleted still from the effort to heal their wounded. "They live in a castle." The lioness repeated quietly to herself, squinting up at the towering structure that stood before her. It was like the stones were moving, shifting, daring to fall upon her. Then again she'd thought the same of the trees that surrounded her, and when she'd passed a still pond on her way here she was so afraid that a massive beast lie inside within it's depths that she could not bring herself to drink. "Rain?" She lifted her head wearily to address the castle, blinking slowly. She wrenched her head forward, parting maw slightly and letting lose a sad, weak roar of summoning. It made Cannival dizzy, and she lay herself upon the dirt to await Rain. "You.""Think.""Speech"

Rain had been waiting patiently on the battlements, his stomach twisting into knots as he pondered all the possible ways his plans could have failed. She could have gone to Abaven for healing, surely any one of the pack members would know what foxglove was and would take his attempt as a threat. He expected a contingent of Abaven wolves at their borders before he suspected the lioness to rear her head. It came as a surprise then when the summoning roar came for him and he found himself giddy with pride at his accomplishment. He strode past the castle gats, his head raised high and a small smile on his features as he approached her. “Cannival. So good to see you again, what seems to be the matter?” He asked with the greatest tone of concern he could muster beneath his jubilation. Malleus would have no doubt heard the lion’s roar and was on his way to witness what he had done. speaking Thinking you

The roar, pitiful as it was, disturbed the titan and brought him at a run. Malleus arrived on the scene in a flash, his tail and hackles raised as he approached the big cat with a stiff legged and wary stance. His eyes roved briefly to Rain, noting that he seemed at ease, and then instinctively went back to the great cat.

Malleus nostrils flared as he snuffed cautiously at the air in Cannival's direction and slowed to a halt some 5 yards away from her. His tail, held like a sword over his back, swayed gently from side to side. He appeared like a flattened spring; ready to leap at any moment.

The cat appeared ill. Rain appeared at ease. Malleus wasn't sure what to make of it. Since it appeared the diminutive poisoner knew more about the situation than he, Malleus was quick to defer to his knowledge. "What's going on, Rain?"

Cannival Rain came first, and Cannival was more relieved then she could muster the energy to show. It was not very likely she could defend herself in this state, and - judging by the second male who had barreled onto the scene - this pack might not feel keen to have visitors. She tried to ignore the aggression pouring off the other and addressed Rain. "Please, I seem to have..." Golden eyes widened as the cat gagged and retched, but nothing came out. Cannival rolled partially onto her side to let the side of her head rest against the cold dirt, letting the chill chase some of the nausea away. She seemed to forget what it was she wanted to say and looked to Rain, willing herself to regain her train of thought. "Something I ate maybe." Her eyes squeezed shut for a moment, and when they reopened they were focused hazily on the second male. She took in his posture again, feeling a wave of frustration roll over her. If it was a wolf writing and incapacitated on his pack lands, would he still be so territorial and defensive? Cannival was absolutely done. Uncharacteristically - though she could likely blame it upon the poison - she snapped at the male. "Do I look threatening to you?" Cannival spat, her body curling inwards as a new wave of nausea and pain hit. "He -" One massive paw lifted and haphazardly waved in Rain's direction. "- invited me here." Remembering the healer, she shifted her head to look back at him expectantly. Her outburst of anger dissipated as quickly as it had come on, taking her energy with it. He was a good wolf, he'd speak for her. He'd tell his pack-mate that she was in the right to be here and it would all be okay. She tried to say "Sorry," but the sound was inaudible. "You.""Think.""Speech"

He looked at the lioness wide eyed at her barbed accusation, his eyes flashing to Malleus quickly fearing for his life. “She won’t hurt you.” He insisted quickly, although he had no way of knowing that was true. Cautiously he stepped between the lioness and his leader, bearing his throat for the blackened male to see as a sign of submission. “This is Cannival.” He introduced. “She is a friend I met while in Boreas.” He explained “And it seems she’s taken ill since the last time I saw her“ He said, subtlety emphasizing the word and hoping Malleus caught his meaning. “I’m sure she’ll be grateful to anyone that helps her and heals her, she would most certainly be indebted to any pack that can cure her of her affliction.” He added, his heart thudding all the while, unsure if he was making a case for his actions or digging himself into a deeper hole. speaking Thinking you

Malleus watched passively as the big cat retched and rolled around on the ground. Clearly it was ill. He likely would have remained a passive observer had not the cat found the strength to be insolent. His ears, which had been pricked forward in interest, swiveled back ever so slightly in indignation. He didn't particularly like the idea of doing battle with a lioness, even a sickly one, but he wouldn't let impertinence go unchallenged no matter what beast it came from. "Every predator," he said tartly, "is a threat until proven otherwise." Even a sick one could be a danger depending on the illness. A rabid lion sounded like a bitch of a thing to get rid of.

Malleus had more to say - would have dismissed the cat's assertion that she had been invited without a thought to its validity to say it - had not Rain interceded on the cat's behalf. His temper, which had begun to flare as he formed the rest of his pithy rebuke, was briefly held in check as he processed Rain's words.

Rain's point wasn't lost on him and Malleus forced himself to swallow the rebuke that so desperately wanted to be loosed. In the right paws a lioness could be a terrible thing to behold. Malleus dipped his head in a subtle show of accedence. It was a bit too early to call it, but Malleus was tempted to believe Rain had done well. "So I see," he commented as his stance shifted ever so slightly away from the battle readiness that he'd walked onto the scene with.

To Cannival, he said, "Any friend of Rain's is welcome to recover here." That wasn't quite true, but this situation demanded that he bend a few rules. To Rain, Malleus said, "Anything you need to see to your friend is yours." He paused a beat, then fixed the poisoner with a meaningful look, "Perhaps while you are tending to her you can school her on the finer points of wolf etiquette."

Cannival It had seemed that Cannival was digging herself a hole, and she shrank into the ground further as Rain hurriedly put himself between her and the large male. Even from her less-than-perfect viewpoint upon the dirt, she could see submission pouring off the healer and could assume this other wolf was of high rank. If he were to send her away, would Rain still help her? If not, Cannival wasn't sure she could even make it back home in her condition. Her ears pinned in fear and she tried desperately to utilize her foggy mind to come up with something polite and apologetic to say, but all she could do under his cold stare was shiver. "Any friend of Rain's is welcome to recover here." He'd said after a moment, and Cannival gave a heavy sigh of relief. What would she have done without Rain? "Thank you, sir." She managed, and with a strained grunt the lioness heaved herself onto four unsteady paws. The world around her began to spin, and she nearly pitched nose-first back onto the ground as her body swayed along with it. "Perhaps while you are tending to her you can school her on the finer points of wolf etiquette." She had a witty retort but decided against it, instead looking to Rain with heavy, pleading eyes. "Is there somewhere I can lay down?" The danger was gone and her adrenaline with it - Cannival was beginning to feel the exhaustion in full force. "You.""Think.""Speech"

“I will be happy to do so.” He said to Malleus, dipping his head respectfully. The danger had passed, and it didn’t seem that the god wolf would be smiting him any time soon. He turned his attention back on the cat, a sweet smile on his lips as she asked if there was anywhere she could lay down. “I live in the dungeons.” He told her  “I think the lack of light and cold air will be good for you, for now but we'll find you more suitable accomidations in the garden.” He told her, his tail flicking pensively. “Can you stand?” He asked. “I don’t mind waiting for you to recover here for a moment.” He said sympathetically. He wondered just how well his plan would work, a cat, especially one as large as Cannival would do as it pleased, and she certainly had seemed taken with the kind wolves of Abaven. Perhaps, he thought, it would be best if she didn’t recover too quickly. There were certainly milder poisons in his collection he could use, but first, he thought, he had best use charcoal to relieve her of the foxglove symptoms.   speaking Thinking you

The lioness thanked him and in response Malleus simply dipped his head in acknowledgement of the statement but said nothing as he felt there was no need for further comment. Had she had anything to say about his comment to Rain, the cat had the sense to keep it to herself. Good. Even in her weakened state she was learning.

He watched with a veiled expression as Rain doted on the lioness and was quiet as he listened to their exchange. When he decided Rain had the situation under control, he asked, "Can I be of assistance?" Rain was right. If they could get her on her feet Cannival would be indebted to them. For that reason Malleus decided he would do what he could.

Cannival Cannival stood before him on wobbly paws, focusing hard on remaining upright. "Yeah." She murmured. "I made it here, I can make it wherever." The lioness did her best to lift her head from staring at the dirt to return his smile, though the movement caused her to sway harder. "Dungeons.. gardens.. I'll go wherever you like, Rain. Lead the way." Cannival nodded her large head once more, splaying her legs slightly in the dirt so she didn't throw off her balance again with the movement. Suddenly she remembered the kindness of the stranger, quickly adding a "Thank you, large wolf!" Had he told her his name? Cannival couldn't remember. "I will be no trouble, I like wolves..." Her words trailed off as she tried to think of more reasonable and logical reasons why this pack would want to shelter her for the time being. Why did Abaven like her? She couldn't seem to recall much positivity there aside from her time with little Motif. Suddenly it dawned upon her, and a bout of enthusiasm bubbled upwards. "They like me for my rides." Her words slurred in spots, but she was one-hundred percent confident she got her point across with coherence. "You.""Think.""Speech"

Rain bit back a chortle of laughter at her outbust and cleared his throat. “Let’s just…Get you inside.” He managed to mutter, forcing himself to remain as composed as possible to help the lioness get into the castle. Malleus seemed more than pleased with him and he wondered if it was too early to discuss having him moved to a higher rank. So far he had grown well in the empire and he intended to have everyone know it, particularly the brutish male that had accosted him. He pressed his shoulder against the lioness, hoping to act as a sort of crutch for her should she need it although he knew he would barely reach her shoulder standing at full height. speaking Thinking you

Malleus blinked slowly as the lion began to babble. He very carefully schooled his expression into one of neutrality. She'd already gotten pissy with him once for behaving in a naturally cautious manner so he could only assume that amusement at her expense would illicit another tantrum. If possible he wanted this cat to like him; she would do him no good if she could not be controlled and in his experience, dislike hampered compliance. "The name is Malleus," he said as he watched Rain try to herd the big cat. Since neither had taken him up on his offer of assistance he was going to head back to the garden. "I wish you well, Cannival." He dipped his head to her and then to Rain before saying to the poisoner, "I'll let you get to it. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything." -exit?-