The main source of the pack's fresh water came from the meandering stream that wrapped about the Northern entrance of the pack. Beyond that, they had a few sources of ponds, most man made to supplement gardens.

Sirius was out with Zee in the dim morning, heading towards the stream when he noticed the strange patch of mushrooms sprouting to life along the river bank. He paused to examine the first patch, cautious and weary after the other strange events he had already witnessed. Where they... glowing? suddenly, the pulsing glow speed up. “Careful Zee” he said, looking up to ensure his wife wasn’t about to stand on any of the strange things - who knew if they were poisonous


"Sirius Fatalis"

It probably shouldn't have been surprising to see a cluster of newly sprouted fungi across their land, nor that the mushrooms glowed curiously as the fireflies had, but Zee was surprised regardless. Sirius' cautionary words were not necessary, for Zee was watching each paw she moved with excessive caution. "They.... look almost alive." She commented, worry thick in her voice as she watched the mushroom's glow pulse not unlike the beating of her rapid heart. Coming up alongside her husband carefully, she stared out over the fungus cluster and tried to consider how they were ever going to rid their territory of it's unnatural influence. "If we lanced them open, do you think they would die?" Zee wasn't confident anything could kill the otherworldly thing, but they had to try something, right? "Speech"

“They do” he agreed wearily, pressing his muzzle into a thin line. After his initial surprise, the pulsing of the mushrooms began to slow again. Almost as if… the pulsing increased in tempo again, flashing rapidly at his paws. Sirius growled angrily, suddenly overcome with a need to destroy them. To burn this unknown before it could hurt himself or his family.

‘Lanced them…’ Zee suggested, and the Warlord seized upon the idea. He reached forward, extending his claws, and slicing the first few mushrooms within his reach. Never mind that there were at least six clusters laid out around them and the stream. If it killed them, he would cut them all.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Zee's muzzle pulled back with worry as she watched her husband reach forward and shred one with his claws, sending spores and bits of pieces of mushroom scattered along the grass. "Careful." She cautioned. "Slowly, so it doesn't get on you." They still had no idea whether they were poisonous, whether they might burn off parts of a wolf's fur on contact. As Sirius worked on his own mushrooms, Zee leaned her head down toward another cluster and gingerly poked another with her horn until it split open beneath the keratin. Finding it successful, she moved to break another and another. An odd feeling came upon her as they broke, and she paused to glance over at Sirius. "I don't think we need to get them all." Would even breathing in the broken fumes be dangerous? Suddenly she found she desperately wanted to run away - hell, relocate the whole pack away from these creepy things. "Speech"

Sirius hissed in alarm as spores released from the mushrooms. At his wife's advice, he stepped back gingerly. Trying to avoid disturbing any of the spores in the air. Likely, he had already gotten some on him. But if he could minimise the amount, then all the better.

As he cleared some distance between himself and the mushrooms, Zee started to work on another, using her horns to poke at a cluster. “Careful, careful” he said, unhappy that she had taken the initiative to start in on her own. The antlers did give her a little bit of a stretch however. But that didn’t mean he was happy about it. “Agreed, let’s step back” he cautioned, his unhappy eyes still on his Wife.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Sirius thankfully was not being his usual combative I-can-take-on-the-world version of himself today, agreeing with her assessment and stepping back from the clusters. Zee continued to retreat slowly backwards from the steadily glowing mushrooms, both entranced and unnerved by the way their glow synchronized all together and kept such a rapid pace. She spent so long watching them as she stepped backwards that she hardly noticed when her rear paw squished against something soft and spongy, and it wasn't until the mushroom cap had fully burst beneath her paw that she spooked, jumped out of her coat and flew to the side away from it. "Fuck." She cursed beneath her breath, holding out her rear paw off the ground and shaking it feebly. "They're everywhere along the water here. We'll never be able to get rid of them all." "Speech"

Sirius

You slice the top of mushrooms open with your claws and immediately a headache is inflicted upon you. The more mushroom tops you split the stronger the migraine becomes. You can't distinguish whether the pain was caused by the spores you inhaled or some more unnatural mirroring of the mushroom's pain, but whichever it was you have this nagging feeling that ...

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

Zeitgeist

Feels... Cold as your back paw crushes the mushroom. The unpleasant sensation crawls under your skin, traveling up your leg and into your spine, like a damp morning chill you're never quite able to shake off.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

To his horror, a mushroom squished beneath Zee’s paw. He watched in trepidation for a moment, waiting to see if his beloved wife had a bad reaction. As he stood there, watching her, the headache that had begun with the first slice of the mushroom grew worse. He could feel it, creeping up the back of his neck. He winced, shaking out his head as through he could dismiss it. Of course, that did nothing to fix it.

He closed his eyes, pressing a paw to the base of his muzzle. “Ughhh….” he groaned, opening his eyes just caused a blinding pain in his skull. He sat down heavily, scrunching up his nose and breathing slowly. Trying to breathe the pain away.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Zee knew it was a mistake the second her paw touched mushroom cap but it had been too late to react to. The cold chill seemed to start between her paw pads, traveling up along her limb and nestling into her spine. For a brief moment, she wondered if she'd just died. Sirius' reaction caught her panicked attention and she half-hopped over to him (squishy pawpad still held in the air) to investigate, ducking her small head so she could meet his gaze where his head was lowered. "What is it, love?" Her voice was soft, cautious, but still full of worry. "Do I need to call someone? Fuck, uh, here follow my voice we're gonna move away from them now, okay?" Whatever had inflicted Sirius she couldn't be certain it wasn't airborn, caused by the spores he'd inhaled while slicing the mushrooms open. She hobbled backwards away from the shore - a few stray shivers crossing her thin frame as the chill lingered and deepened - and encouraged him along with her. "Speech"

The next thing he knew, Zee was there in front of him. Even her soft voice seemed harsh and grating on his head. He gritted his teeth together to hold in a growl. He would not be so foolhardy as to let the pain express aggression to her. Not while she was still recovering from her ordeal.

Another wave of pain overtook him, and let out another slow breath, before her voice called to him. He let himself follow it, he was changing between squinting and closing his eyes as the headache like nothing he had ever experienced before lanced through him. “Need…. To quarantine… this area” he growled. He could barely think straight, but he knew this point was important as together the pair hobbled away from the mushrooms.


"Sirius Fatalis"

It Continues for Sirius...

Huh? It doesn't seem like anything happened... Well, maybe that's for the best...

Firefly Shoppe- Zeitgeist

A firefly draws your attention nearby to reveal a cloaked figure with a small wooden table in front of him. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose wisely, and only choose one," the figure says. "If you can afford it, that is." Perhaps he accepts cŕ̷̕y̵̍͊stals and mushrö̸́̀ō̴̉ms... or perhaps its worth bargaining for something greater...


Inventory:

• Mushroom Based Acid- 2 /
  A small vial with a convenient handle that almost makes it seem throwable. Upon the label is a skull and crossbones symbol beside a shattered shield.
  
• Xtra Shrink Potion- 2 /
  It comes in an extra tiny bottle. There’s barely even one drop!
  
• Grow Potion- 1 /
  This bottle is shaped like an upside down pear and within it swirls a sparkly gold liquid. The label shows a crudely drawn image of two wolves of vastly different sizes, with a green checkmark over the largest one.
  

Sirius followed her voice as he was beckoned, managing enough speech not to tell her what was ailing him, but instead to insist they quarantine the area. "Sirius they're everywhere, we'd have to move the whole pack." Though she did not get far into her gentle rebuttal when a firefly booped off her nose and off to her side. Zee tracked it with her eyes, to where a familiar figure stood before a table. That bastard. Zee spared a glance back to her husband but he seemed somehow frozen in time. Whatever this Firefly man was capable of, Zee knew better then to insult him. "Thank you, but no thank you." She murmured, trying to keep her tone pleasant and friendly. "Could you tell me instead, why you've done this to our world? Can you offer me something I can use to protect the ones I love from your magic?" Zee gave a faint nervous smile. "I feel like perhaps you owe me, for the practical joke played upon me last year." Her paw lifted to tap her horns, to try and remind him that he'd temporarily taken them from her. OOC: Oh god, Zee is Bargaining. Also, she'd like to offer all 6 of her mushrooms in bargain but I can't find a way to ICly because ICly she didn't find/keep them c: "Speech"

Bargain- Zeitgeist

If a faceless figure could seem amused, the cryptid would have that expression as Zee thanked him and asked him instead for his wisdom, and something to protect her family. She seemed to insinuate that all of this was his doing, and he was possibly flattered by the idea. She said he owed her for the prank last time and the fireflies shifted almost as if laughing, though whether it was lighthearted or menacing was hard to tell.

He seemed to consider her words for some time after that, finally speaking after the lightning bugs settled within his coat.

"There are better, worse, and more powerful things in these worlds than I," he began slowly, his words reverberating as if talking directly into her heart. "Perhaps there was no joke, but a lesson instead- take it to heart: In times like these, your horns may not aide you as well as your being... Although, perhaps this will help, if you or one of your family members find yourselves in dire need..."

One hand of sorts crosses into the small opening of the cloak, pulling out an item. Before you can see what it is, you blink and are left standing alone, the item now resting between your horns.


You gain:

• Instant Cure- This small bandage looks like it could heal just about anything!
  

You lose:

• Currency (x6)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...