The fear was quickly becoming overwhelming, to the point where Azure rarely could be found anywhere that wasn't bonfire-adjacent. The world had grown unbelievably dark and with it his frustrating terror grew. He could hardly stand to visit his own children within their den, not unless he somehow found a way to carry fire so the depths of his home weren't quite so black and engulfing. Was it the loss of his sabers that made him so unsure of himself? Azure could not determine, which only fed his fear. Sparrow had made fire somehow right here in the Weeping Woods so it was here his paranoia took him, though he quickly forgot why he'd arrived there as soon as he felt the familiarity of his woods. This was where he'd met Hana, had multiple talks with family, hid from the world when it was too overwhelming. It once made him feel safe and comfortable, but the way the trees only made the world darker as it blocked out the moon. Azure began to pace back and forth frantically, his fisher Bean following desperately at his forepaws to dab with a mouse pelt at his master's nose and eyes as the blue fluid continued to leak. "Speech"

Holy shit was Kaija scared. She wasn't used to being afraid of anything, especially not of her own body. But she'd gotten sick - and really fast, too. All because of that stupid crystal she'd tried to break, she was sure of it. She noticed first when she got a little cut on the side of her paw - at first she thought she might've gotten something stuck in her wound but as she kept digging at it she realized it was growing from her. Not only that but she was coughing up this slimy green liquid that made her feel like her body had become someone else's entirely. Maybe she should go back home? But she didn't want to get her mom and Fidelias sick, or even her dad... or, god forbid, Ophie. The thought made her feel just as nauseous as the shit growing out of her body. She was pretty sure there was an even a crystal growing out of the corner of her eye but she couldn't bring herself to really check it out, but the growing pressure there made it obvious enough.

Kaija sniffed back some of the green ooze from dripping out of her nose as she trudged along. She felt terrible... every hour that passed made her feel even more miserable than the last. Surely it would pass though, it had to.. right? Clearing her throat, she grew silent when someone came into view, her ears flicking as she followed the noise and headed their direction. Maybe they knew something about all this? Maybe she could get a better idea of their smell if her nose wasn't all stuffed up, but she couldn't, so instead she let out a short little bark in greeting. And wait... even though the darkness she swore she could see a similar fluid dripping down his face, only blue. "Hey! You! Are you sick, too?" Maybe he'd know a cure or something; she just wanted to start feeling better rather than worse, and soon.

A voice called out to him and Azure bristled, immediately expecting the stranger to show themselves as fucking Sparrow or something - that was just what he needed. It however was not anyone he knew, though she smelled very faintly like the Armada. Az's brows narrowed suspiciously as he looked her over, realizing suddenly why he recognized her scent. "Oh, you're that kid that's been hanging around." His paw lifted and made circles in the air as he contemplated. "Fat Ophie's girlfriend, right?" What happened between the two yearlings was not known to Azure, but he did know he'd seen his little sister sneaking out often enough and returning with the same wolf's scent on her pelt each time. It was relieving to know that the stranger Ophie had befriended was just a little runt and not something more dangerous, like a pirate. She insisted that Azure was sick and his lip pulled back in a snarl. "I'm not sick, I was cursed by that stupid firefly hoard." No, Azure would never believe he had caught the infection. The oozing had happened the very moment he'd attacked the mystical figure, much before the rest of the world began sprouting crystals and fungi. No, it could not be related. "Now get out of here before I catch whatever the fuck you have."   "Speech"

Kaija readied herself, noting that the stranger's posture changed abruptly. He looked standoffish, and immediately recognized her as.. Ophie's girlfriend? But her brain didn't fixate on that, but instead on how he spoke about Ophie. Instantly she bristled in return, her lips twitching to reveal teeth that were dripping with neon-green spit. "Don't ever talk about Ophie like that again," she threatened, her tone changing all at once. The sudden rage she felt boiling in her chest seemed to overshadow the pain she was feeling all over, from her paw to her eye and anywhere else - temporarily, at least. There were few wolves worthy of her protection, but Ophie was one of them and she wouldn't let this asshole say that sort of thing about her, not if she could help it at least.

"You are sick. Look at that shit dripping from your nose, it's the same as what I have," At least she thought it was. Kaija didn't know for sure. But it didn't really matter anymore. Somehow he'd struck a nerve and she felt her agitation growing as rapidly as the onset of this illness had. She felt her stomach churn as she felt the thick mucus pooling in her mouth; she fought the urge to spit it up, directly at his face. Kaija had never faced this side of herself, but her closest friend being talked about like that and Azure's shitty attitude was impossible for her to ignore. Her own sickness likely didn't help her mood. She felt her eye throbbing now, felt the overwhelming urge to dig at it, but she resisted - distracted still by Azure's presence. "You're a prick, you know that? Maybe I'll come spit on you, make you even more sick," she suggested coldly as she took a few steps closer to him, egging him on as a long tendril of green mucus trailed from her parted jaws.

The large yearling quite obviously took offense to his words and Azure let out a burst of laughter. Ooze-tinged teeth did not lend to her threatening air any more then his oozing eyes did, no matter how she may threaten to weaponize it. Az eyed her up and down, realizing that she was a little on the thick side herself. "Oh no, fat girls stick together I see. What do you two do for fun all day, eat? No wonder she's useless as a warrior." With his own faults so clearly to see, it was much easier for Azure to focus on how to inflict pain elsewhere. His sabers were taken, his eyes and nose leaking day and night, his fear of the dark, the lingering paranoia that somehow he had caused all this with his attack on the fireflies.. It was simply easier to collect that energy and redirect it towards this poor yearling and his easy-to-shame sister. He stepped toward her, lips still parted in a show of teeth. "Go ahead, spit on me." Azure dared her. "Then we can see exactly how much it hurts for those crystals to be torn out of your eye." From at least what he knew from Hana, the crystals did not remove easily nor painfully. Ophie likely would never forgive him for doing her fat girlfriend harm but, that was an issue for another day. "Speech"

The laughter that her words earned didn't settle well with her. She felt a low growl bubbling from deep in her chest, bringing up with it more and more of that viscous mucus. She fought back a cough, showing more of her teeth now. Being insulted didn't bother her, not really, but man was this guy hard on Ophie and she wasn't going to stand for it - no matter how terrible she felt. Her rising temper only seemed to exacerbate her symptoms, the spit pooling on her tongue until she had nowhere else to put it but on him.

He noticed her eye too... so it wasn't all in her head. Her paw twitched, wanting so badly to start digging at her eye where all she could feel was pressure and pain, but there were more pressing matters she needed to take care of before she thought about that. "Fuck you," she retorted with a snarl as she charged for him, suddenly spitting the thick green mucus straight for his face. She hoped it made it even more sick; she hoped he suffered and suffered terribly until he apologized for what he'd said about Ophie and realized he was wrong to be mean about her. The punishment seemed more than fitting to her for his crime.

Kaija vs Azure for Dominance (Spitting her ooze all over his face!)
Round 1 / ?
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Mutation 1: Tusks - Offensive
Skills: Advanced Navigator & Intermediate Fighter

Kaija was not bluffing, and as Az stepped to her and egged her on she should have expected the retaliation. She charged at him and spat out green mucus and thankfully Azure was fast enough to turn his head so it did not land flat upon the middle of his face. The neon green ooze fell upon his left cheek and down the side of his muzzle, and Azure took a moment to wipe it off his maw heavily with a paw before moving forward to retaliate. He'd given his threat, Kaija had decided to act regardless and now he was forced to follow through. All of the self-doubt, paranoia, and fear had bundled itself up into an overwhelming feeling of self-hatred, and now he used that frame of mind to strike out at Kaija with all the fury he was capable of.

He strode forward toward her and lifted his front paws, aiming to come down upon Kaija hard enough to knock her to the ground and hold her there, so he might begin extracting the crystal from her face with his teeth.


Azure vs Kaija for Dominance (to tear a crystal out of her eye)
Round 1/1
Age: over 1 year
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Not Equipped
Defensive Battle Accessory: Not Equipped
Companion 1: Not Present
Companion 2: Not Present
*Companion 3: Not Present
Mutation 1: Saber fangs - Offensive
Mutation 2: Bear paws - Offensive
Mutation 3: Bone spurs - Offensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter


"Speech"

Kaija

The sickness deepens... You feel something gritty in your eye. As you blink, several crystal shards fall out. You find yourself unable to see for the rest of the day.

Firefly Shoppe- Azure

The sickness deepens... Your eyes begin to water, but then a glowing blue substance starts to fill your eyes instead. The blue tears streak down your face and blur your vision for several minutes before stopping.

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:

• Glittering Concoction- 2 /
  Smells like mushrooms, glitters like crystals.
  
• Glittering Concoction- 2 /
  Smells like mushrooms, glitters like crystals.
  
• 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.
  

And the winner is...

Azure

Kaija must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Kaija : Attack Roll: 58 Defense Roll: 75 Agility Roll: 79 Perception Roll: 39 Total: 251 Attack[58] + 10% Bonus[5.80]: 63.80 Defense[75] + 10% Bonus[7.50]: 82.50 Agility[79] + 15% Bonus[11.85]: 90.85 Perception[39] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 39.00 Total[276.15] + 10% Bonus[27.61]: 303.76 Azure : Attack Roll: 53 Defense Roll: 97 Agility Roll: 40 Perception Roll: 53 Total: 243 Attack[53] + 55% Bonus[29.15]: 82.15 Defense[97] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 97.00 Agility[40] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 40.00 Perception[53] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 53.00 Total[272.15] + 25% Bonus[68.04]: 340.19

Everything happened so quickly. One second she was spitting at Azure - and it seemed some of it landed, mixing with the blue ooze that trained from his own eyes. He wiped some of it off before lunging at her, his size suddenly made wildly apparent. He wasn't that much taller than her, but suddenly she felt so small as he shoved her straight onto the ground and snapped his jaws at her face. She flailed wildly on the ground, shaking her head left and right and pawing frantically up at him trying to push him back. Her eyes suddenly felt hazy and gritty, like little shards of crystals were breaking off and spreading across the surface of her eyes, and she blinked hard and tried to swipe at her own face, but when she opened her eyes everything was black.

Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, was all she could think as she flailed where she lay on the ground of the forest, desperately trying to push Azure away from her - but deep down she knew she had lost and her attempt were likely futile. Kaija was unaware of anything else going on around her; her world was dark and she was alone, and she had a feeling the real pain was about to begin.

It was over rather quickly and before he knew it, Kaija was on the ground beneath him. With one paw he held her muzzle in place, lowering his head to bring his teeth just inches from her crystal-infected eye. His nose and eyes continued to drip liquid, though the color had shifted into something closer to teal as it mixed with the neon green spit she'd launched. His saber-less jaws parted slightly, closing slowly upon the tip of a crystal that protruded from the corner of her eye. The movement caused more ooze to fall from his muzzle, dripping the globby teal liquid onto her pinned face. "Hold still." Az taunted.

His eyes began to water and he squeezed one eye shut to try and drive the feeling away. Slowly but surely the effect intensified, beginning to enclose his vision in a blur of blue. Was this the effect of the infected wolf's spit attack? Azure clenched his jaws around the crystal and pulled it with all his might, tearing it from the yearling's eye socket.

He did not remain atop her once the crystal was torn out, stepping away to see - that fucking firefly dude again? Azure's vision was blurring further by the moment and he lifted a paw to swipe at his eyes angrily. "Hey buddy, long time no see. Enjoy the show?" With a toss of his head he launched the eye-crystal toward the wares table. "Get out of here, I want none of your shit. You can keep the crystal as, I don't know, a fucking peace offering or something. Just leave me alone." He'd learned his lesson the first time on attempting harm upon the firefly figure, but that didn't mean he trusted a single thing that left it's floating table.


"Speech"

Azure

The figure stood, nearly glittering as Azure addressed him. Could a mouth less being smile? The tossed crystal froze in air as the wolf explained it as an offering. The being bowed steeply, "Yes, thank you, Azure," it said as it vanished into the mists.


You lose:

• Kaija's Eye Crystal- Man, that had to hurt..