He had to do something, there was a den full of pup dying within their own lands and he was not about to let them go, not without a fight. It had occurred to him that it might be a sign from the gods, punishment of some sort? but he would deny that, the gods had always blessed his family. They were doing their work down here why would they send a sickness to damn them then? It was troubling to say the least. Helios would find a relatively flat part of the valley, settle uneasily upon his haunches and for the first time would tip his head back and call for his pack.
He hoped at least a few would come, it had been all too quite as of late and he had his own thoughts about that but that would be for a later date. He would worry about his niece and her children, and he would worry about those that chose not to show up later.







talk, think

Phoebe's ears perked up with surprise as her brother's howl rang out across the Olympus lands, her head turning toward the sound. Of course, she had heard the whispers, caught the news. She wouldn't be the great gossiper that she was if she hadn't. It was terrifying and worrying and Phoebe didn't know why this had happened to them, but of course she would do what she could to help her relatives. Her sense of duty to family wouldn't let her do otherwise.

She rose to her paws and quickly trotted toward Helios's call, eager to see what she could do to help. She only worried that she wouldn't be of help at all. She only had the very basic of healing knowledge and she wasn't sure if anything could be done with her meager understanding of the craft. She approached her brother with a subdued expression, knowing now of all times was not a time for her usual teasing and jokes. "Brother," she greeted with a dip of her head, hoping more than herself would appear for this meeting.



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Hani heard the call and set right to it. Not much had happened since the spar, and Hani had never been to a pack meeting. Something was off. She could smell it, but she couldn't put a name to it. It both worried her and excited her, though she wouldn't admit the latter. Hani wasted no time getting to the meeting place, however, once she was there, she hesitated. The brute before her, Helios, had called the meeting, and there was one other present. Hani arrived in time to hear the greeting the femmie gave, "brother" and immediately wondered if this was her actual brother or some sort of pack title. Hani decided not to risk it and gave each a quick nod before sitting. She was becoming more confident when meeting members one at a time, but she felt fairly nervous about two or more. A small part of her hoped no one else would show up, unless that someone was Natalya, she could come. Hani hoped she would come.

Her mind was spinning, trying desperately to wrap itself around the news. It was unbelievable almost - that any member of Olympus would become afflicted, but more so that Virgil's babes were the victims. The Centurion had tried desperately to convince herself that this was some random occurrence, but under the circumstances it was hard to do. It had to be the work of the gods. Those who had always blessed the Olympus wolves with strength and health and wisdom were now cursing them in a fit of rage.



But why? Was it punishment for struggling to recreate their pack quickly? For losing track of so many of their brothers and sisters? Was it meant for Virgil alone? Had Olympus failed? There were so many questions and no answers to accompany them. Natalya was grateful for the call of her Consul, her husband, to distract her from these thoughts. They had a much more important question to answer - how would they stop the epidemic?



The sable woman arrived just after Hani and made her way immediately to Helios. She nodded to both women but spared any greetings, focusing on the task at hand. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were there for, after all. "We have to figure this out quickly. Do you know if anyone else is coming?" Her attention was directed entirely on Helios as she awaited his reply.

The first to arrive would be his own younger sister, a small uneasy smile caressing his features, it seemed that she was aware that now was hardly the time to give her usual playful greeting, something he was very grateful for. ?Phoebe? He would say in return, his voice solemn. Helios scanned the flat for a moment, hoping to see any approaching figures. Particularly his own son, or Natalya, of all the wolves in Olympus it seemed she was most likely to have some knowledge that could help them right now.
The next to arrive was not his wife however but the young woman he had met a while ago and for all his hesitation about her he was at least glad to see that she had decided to show up. He tipped his head in return of her own nod, finding no words for the girl.
Then the wolf he had been hoping to see approached, her midnight form unmistakable even from a distance. She gave the others only a glancing greeting, her attention clearly on him as she approached. He wanted very much to reach out and drawn her to his side, he wanted to draw comfort from her presence but made himself remain as he was. ?I am not sure, but you are right we must do this quickly.? He sighed, the small gathering would have to do.

?As time is of the essence I will be blunt, there are some members within our boarders who are ill, badly. I have never seen anything quite so?? He trailed off, he wanted to say horrific but simply couldn?t bring himself to. ?We have no idea what long term exposure to the sickness might cause so it is essential we try to find a cure quickly.? He looked at both his sister and Hani for a moment. ? The hodge podge of symptom suggests a multi-herb cure, unfortunately the only way we will be able to even test out a potential cure will be to give it to those afflicted, without knowing the side effects?. That thought certainly didn?t bode well, finally he turned his gaze upon his mate, expression softening ever so slightly. ?I am no healer but I do know that one of the symptoms is vomiting, and I believe I remember being told at one point that Agrimony might be able to help with that?? At the moment that seemed to be all he could contribute, and he hoped that he had at least gotten that right.

talk, think

A pale girl she didn't recognize approached them first and Phoebe would dip her head in response, briefly wondering the girl's name but not speaking up to ask it. That was a conversation for another time. Then her sister in law would arrive, giving Phoebe a small sense of hope. She always felt a bit more at ease with Natalya around. She wasn't sure why, but she wasn't going to question it.

She listened as her brother explained their situation. It was bleak indeed and Athena wasn't entirely confident in their chances. Healing was not her forte. In fact, she didn't trust herself to do more than patch up small cuts. But, none of the less, time was short and they all had to do their part. "I would try horsetail," she added once Helios stopped speaking. "I heard once that it can help with some kind of intestinal stuff so maybe it will help?"



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ooc: Ok, so Hermes is dying after all xD Do what you want just let me know. We've talked of death matches and sacrificing him in some way that might kill his body but "save his soul" Enjoy zee dramas!

Oh and I didn't make this an official fight with like the rounds and such if you want to though let me know.

Fire burned in his brain, it seared down his limbs and raked at the very fabric of his sanity. Hermes had been out on a recruiting run when he'd fallen ill. Blood dripped from his eyes, blood spittle hung in shimmering ropes from ivory fangs that were held bare to air in his panting jaws. Voice swirled around him like fog as he moved toward the call he both recognized and did not. Father? father?. help. Help. It screamed through his brain in a psychic plea for what his lips refused to ask for. Pain stirred his entrails as shocks of fire slipped through him, jerking and contracting his muscles in painful contortions. Somewhere between fever dreams and waking agony his mind had split. He was both the burning monster and yet separate from it, watching himself decay as he wondered what he'd done to make the gods curse him so.


Hermes moved into the meeting, fur and hackles raised, a bleeding, salivating monstrosity. He stood, staring unblinking at the gathering of wolves before jaws parted in a rabid snarl. Ears pinned, shoulders rolled jerkily forward as his neck scrunched back. Tail aligned with spine and his limbs coiled, weight evenly distributed. Toes splayed as claws dug into ground and the brute launched himself forward. NOOOOO!!! NO! He was screaming at himself, begging himself to stop but open jaws aimed right for his beloved mother. Tears of blood streamed down his face, mimicking the etheral tears of his anguished soul. SOMEONE STOP HIM! He didn't even care about his life he just wanted someone to stop him!


Hermes was approaching Natalya head on, attempting to close the distance between them, head tilting to the right, as he aimed to latch his open jaws over her throat, right below the corners of her jaw. Hermes attempted to wrap both his forelegs around the base of her neck, just in front of her shoulders to pull her down into his jaws.

ooc;; Iko, I sent you a couple of PMS, hope you don't mind me messing up the posting order!

Permission to PP Hermes given my Luns over Skype.

The sable woman listened carefully to the words of her family, her anxiety building with every passing second. She had adequate knowledge of the herbs of these lands, having taken the time to sniff them out during her travels when she first arrived. She had made a point of collecting them whenever she could and building the stash she kept near to her den. As Phoebe offered a potential second ingredient Natalya gave a nod, then gave a short howl to call for her raven. Poe was never far and perched himself on her shoulder as she completed the puzzle.



"Yes, both sound like they will work well. Perhaps we should combine the agrimony and horsetail with alfalfa. Poe, could you please fly back to the den and retrieve those for me?" The raven cried out and parted immediately only moments before chaos ensued.



When he was still at a distance, Natalya felt relief to smell her son approaching. It had been some time since she had spoken with him and she had no idea what he had been up to or if he was even well. She began to step his way, but stopped as his scent became stronger. Something wasn't right. There was something mixed in with the smell of him, something that smelled of decay. Panic sent her heart into a rapid beat as she smelled him getting rapidly closer and instinct told her to lower and tense her body. Was Hermes running to her for help, or was it something else? Where was Apollo? Was he okay?



She barely had time to entertain her motherly worries as the impact occurred and a pair of vicious teeth sunk into the left side of her neck. She cried out in pain, more emotional than physical, before twisting her body in retaliation. Natalya barely registered her own movements as she reared up and threw her weight into her son, somehow knocking him on his side and immediately covering him with her weight, a paw pressing down on his face to hold his teeth at bay as best she could. At some point in her reaction she had wrenched her skin free of his grasp and felt a hot river of blood flowing from the wound, but adrenaline had taken over. The only thing she cared about now was saving her child from himself.



The barely audible cry of the raven as he returned was the only thing that steadied her heart. "Test the cure on Hermes, quickly!" Gods, please let this work.

Edit - this is where everyone smacks Raii for constantly derping Olympus names.

Got permission to PP the Raven and Hermes.

The girl felt her heart calm a bit as Natalya stepped into view, her only friend, and only by responsibility, but a friend no less. No one seemed to have answers, only guesses at this sickness that had spread across the land. As Helios mentioned the symptoms, the other wolfess began to think of herbs. Was healing always this uncertain? Natalya sent her raven after the herbs and Hani didn't even think to question it at the moment, for the scent of another wolf filled the air, one that smelled of the pack and of the dead. The wolf was soon in view, running rapidly. Hani swallowed hard, this didn't seem right. Her skin crawled, but why? The wolf ran towards Natalya. The wolf attacked Natalya Hearing the cry from her friend shot fire into Hani's veins, her sea green orbs widening with horror. The cry stirred something in Hani, and that something broke almost everything else in her. She was on her feet in an instant, her ears flying back and her fur standing on end as she started to head towards Natalya and the attacker. Everything seemed so slow. Natalya had the wolf on his back and ordered herbs to be given to him. Hani remembered the raven suddenly and vividly, as if it's memory was the only thing keeping her alive. Her direction changed. The figure of the raven was in the sky. Hani's feet hit the ground with the numbness of Adrenalin. Her eyes locked on the herbs. The bird stooped to drop them. Hani leaped to catch them. Hani's jaws shut over the medicines, and the girl took in their scent, verifying their type and chewing them slightly for better consumption. As she landed, Hani took a hard turn and once again headed for her friend, her thoughts of self preservation lost somewhere in her mind. She was upon the other wolf, his jaws open for Natalya. Hani plunged her maw into his, pushing the herbs as deep as she could. The male's jaw snapped down over her own and Hani felt her blood heat once more as she jerked away, the male's teeth scraping down her maw and over the herbs. Hani drew back quickly, her chest heaving under the sudden actions. Her stomach revolted at the stench of the sickness and vulgar breath of the male. It took most of her effort not to retch as she staggered backwards, the girl's eyes widening as blood dripped down her maw. Her first encounter with both sickness and true violence taking its toll on her mind and body, Hani struggled to keep herself composed, standing in a locked position, eyes glued on the scene, unsure of what to do or what would happen next. Speech

Slight PP permission given by Lunar. (Not even sure if it counts as PP :p)

Helios was glad for his wife?s approval, watching with mild interest as she called for her avian companion to fetch their chosen herbs. Then the wind shifted and the scent of his son caused the russet man to lift his gaze. It had been some time since he had laid eyes upon either of his sons and he should have been overjoyed? He sensed something wrong before Natalya did, he could see his son after all. The dappled boy looked like hell. ?Hermes?? It was a barely audible whisper. Then all hell was breaking loose, the boy running full pelt towards his mother, fangs gripping her.
It all became a blur then. He was rising to his paws but all too slowly. Hermes was being held down, Hani was running first towards Natalya then away, and back again. Then he seemed to catch up. He was running towards the mess. ?Move!? He commanded just as Hani was stumbling back. The man was adding his weight to Natalya?s pinning their son down while he watched with horror.







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ooc: sorry this is so quick, luns can't do sads
ic:

VIsion blurred and froth foamed from the brutes mouth as he collided with his mother. Some part of him, growing ever smaller and weaker, cried out in mental anguish as fangs ripped into his mothers neck, the blood pooling into his mouth. He wanted to wretch but could do nothing. Further and further he was slipping. BAM! Hermes hit the ground as his parents pinned him. He started screaming and writhing and twisting and then colors flashed above him his head as he started to seize. It was a short one and as it passed his mind reeled. Plants were forced into his mouth and as much as he tried to resist he couldn't and swallowed them.

For a moment his haggard breathing slowed and smoothed. Blood was pouring out his eyes and also out his ears. Hermes wasn't sure how he knew but he knew that this would be his last moments on earth, and the last conversation he'd ever have with his parents. "M?m?.mom?..d?dad?. I love you? I'm s-s-sorry. I c-can't stay with you." Agony ripped through him so strong that for a moment it felt like bliss. His eyes rolled back in his head as he seized? and seized? and seized before finally laying still.