She hadn't seen it coming. It was a drop on her paw that really got her attention, she had thought it was the severe wind in the gorge that was causing her eyes to water. When the crimson tear splattered against her paw, she knew something was wrong. Desperately wrong. She had been feeling weaker, but had attributed that to the lack of sleep- the inability to rest in the aftermath of nearly falling from a cliff, she hadn't even realized the epidemic that was upon her. She had pushed herself, trying to get back into the confines of the red forest, the place where she had dug out her den. She just needed to sleep.... didn't she? But she could smell it, the illness in the air- she couldn't be the only one affected. Had they been poisoned? Was this some sort of attack? Collapsing on the ground, she whined- then silenced herself. It didn't matter if she were to die here- she would not show weakness. Dragging herself towards a tree, she could nearly feel the sickness leeching strength from her body. The way anyone seemed to feel sicker, when they realized something was indeed wrong. Her violet eyes, she knew would be wide with the strain and fear, and the tear tracts would be stained red. Was it the fact that her tears were the color of blood that caused so much fear in her heart? What illness caused this? It had to be a poison. What would Tortuga do? They needed strong leadership. Lifting her head wearily from the ground, a bellowing call left her. A summons for Qanik. The call was open, others from the pack probably would respond to it. Could they hear the urgency? Her head dropped back on the ground, and she gave a shuddering sigh. She wasn't going to make it through this... OOC: This is for the whole pack, however, I would like Qanik to reply first, then the rest of wolves should come. Please reply, ASAP. So we can get on the roll and find this cure! *fistpumps* @Tealah: If Qanik wants to send out a louder summons, she can feel free. She's free to do whatever she needs. :o Speech,

A weak call filtered through the trees to reach Qanik where she rested in the snow. Immediately her head whipped around to pinpoint the location, the note of urgency in Roman's wavering voice instantly setting cold hooks of fear into her heart. She was on her feet and running in a heartbeat, racing to the call. She skidded to a halt in the snow at the sight of Roman, however, collapsed on the ground with blood leaking from her eyes. Her heart stuttered with fear before she pushed it aside and strode forward once more. Her own voice rang out, stronger and more carrying than Roman's sickly one, issuing an emergency summons to the members of the pack - particularly to the healers and healer trainees. She didn't know if this was disease or injury, but either way they would be needed. "Roman," she spoke in a soft, soothing voice as she crouched at her alpha's side, blue-gray eyes studying Roman's own blood-stained ones carefully despite the fear that still coursed through her at the sight of her alpha brought low. "Can you tell me what happened? Were you injured?" From her close call she'd spoken of? No, surely that had been much to long ago for this sort of catastrophic symptom to be appearing. Illness then? She breathed in Roman's scent cautiously, and thought that yes, she did think she could smell the strange over-sweet scent of disease beneath the fear-scent. If it was illness... was Roman the only one effected? Concerned, she stared off into the forest, urging the healers to hurry. Speech,

The first faint call went unnoticed by the half-deaf male as he ghosted through the trees with his strange, loose gait. Since he'd joined this pack, he'd been working on improving his hunting again, building on the progress he'd made with the strange brightly colored woman he'd met in the south. He'd also made the acquaintance of a boldly marked black and white male, apparently a trained healer, who occasionally dropped around the pack lands, and had been teaching him to identify herbs and some of their basic uses. The male seemed willing to teach anyone willing to learn, and Shay had made good use of his time with him to start getting a grasp on apprentice-level healing. His fascination with it, his previous experience with experimentation and study, and his sharp memory had aided him there.

The second call did not go unnoticed, the low voice of a female wolf he'd not met rolling through the forest calling out to the pack in what was obviously an emergency. He changed his direction immediately to lope toward her. His level of knowledge was insufficient, but it would be better than nothing at all.

Arriving at the scene his eyes took in two white females - one Roman, the alpha, and the other presumably the unknown who had called the pack. Roman was collapsed upon the ground, blood staining her eyes. Fascinated, he drifted closer to examine her. The smell of sickness tainted the air around her and provided a possible explanation, though that did not preclude the possibility of a traumatic injury causing the blood.

"Back away," he spoke absently to the other female. When she bristled in anger he blinked at her, realizing that perhaps she required more of an explanation. "This illness, if that is what has caused this, could very well be contagious. That means you could spread it to the rest of the pack if you become infected," he added, unsure if she would understand contagion. She seemed to, however, as she moved away with a stiffness Shay believed would be classified as reluctance. He took her place at Roman's head, studying her eyes with intense interest brightening his own single eye. "Have there been other symptoms?"





talk, think

Walk ? "Talk" ? 'Think' His alphess had summons ringing in his ears. For what reason? Dried blood was caked beneath his eyes, as he would stagger toward the pearly woman who also seemed to show the same symptoms as he. The mocha boy's body was twitching, as deliria raced through his mind, begging for him to give in. "Are there any other symptoms?" The voice washed over his ears, unfamiliar to himself, but defiantly Tortugan, heard of in crowds of wolves at meetings. His head was a mess, tattered fur, caked blood, bloodshot irises, saliva dripping. Within his diseased mind, he was slowly growing to be devilish. "There are other symptoms, du?" He forced himself to cut off his words, as an offensive threat would ricochet in his head. He was in no condition to fight or be alone. "It seems I have been affected by this disease as well, but I've been around plenty of furry things like you, and it doesn't seem they've caught the sniffles." He would finish staggering, almost mechanically to collapse, his fever pounding at his skull. Bloodshot eyes weakly gazed into nowhere. "There's no way to survive this. It's already over for me." He tried to close his eyes, but they refused to allow him the final breath. Delirium rushed through his veins as voices began to chant in his head, as wolves began to materialize before him, laughing wickedly at him. He suddenly would stand, body twitching, and charged a tree. "GET AWAY ASSHOLE." His face would collide with the tree, as he slumped, body going limp as his headache would get worse and worse, lying there, as if the world would disappear any moment, and he would not care.

Dayton was padding calmly through the forest when a cry echoed across the land. The call itself was quiet and broken, causing his veins to pulse with fear. That voice belonged to Roman. Was she injured again? The howl was then followed by another, this one strong but very urgent. The small brute only felt a deeper sense of panic as he broke into a run. As he approached the scene, a heavy scent of blood and illness assaulted his nose. He reeled for a moment, nearly bashing into a nearby tree. August, it seemed, had just done the same, and Dayton watched as the man slid to the ground and struggled with the blood that covered his eyes. Roman, too, had crimson streaks across her face, and an unfamiliar member of Tortuga was tending to her, warning Qanik about contagion. "Spreading the disease won't matter if we have no leader to rule our pack. Help her, whatever it takes." His voice was desperate as he began to step closer. Just then, the crazed shouting met his ears. August seemed to have lost it. What was happening here? Walk."Talk."Think.

A sound, very weak, would reach his ears. So weak that at first the partially deaf male wasn?t even sure he had heard it and merely imagined it. Dammit... His one ear had never recovered full hearing after the Earthquake, being nearly flattened by falling rocks in the gorge. He was very, very lucky that some hearing loss is the only this he had to worry about due to the ordeal. It could have been much, much worse. But the second call, the howl that belonged to Qanik, would bring Ritsuka?s head up, body moving automatically now. He broke into a full run, the urgency in the call, speaking of an emergency, enough to bring the cohort as fast as paws would carry him to where several already gathered.

A gray male, but Roman?s head. Qanik. Dayton. August. He arrived just in time to see August charge directly into a tree, snarling. He would wince, almost feeling the collision himself by the loud smack the other brute?s face made against the tree. Ouch. What the hell was going on with the pack? Eyes would flicker from August to Dayton as he spoke. Disease!? Emerald eyes would widen, grasping what was going on. His gaze would flick to Roman, seeing her weakened state. He could give a damn about catching whatever illness it was. He would move closer to the alphess, examining her. He would speak then, not knowing who all knew the most about healing, since he wasn?t familiar with gray male at all.

?Bleeding from the eyes. Delirium. Agitated state. Apparent weakness.? Ritsuka would speak the symptoms just from what he had seen thus far, mind working. ?For every illness there is a cure... Perhaps if we give them herbs to treat the symptoms we can see it might help them... And perhaps we?ll even find the right ones to reverse this.? He would frown deeply. His natural leader-esc attitude was taking over. He would focus on the gray wolf now. ?Do you, or anyone for that matter, have any knowledge of any herbs at all?? He would glance around at the others gathered. He had very minimal knowledge of herbs himself. He could run and get them but... He was no healer that was for sure.

""

It had been a matter of one day since he had started bleeding from his eyes. An enormous chill had swept over him and he knew it to be more severe than the crimson tears. A shudder as he tried to keep his distance from the rest of the Tortuga wolves in the hope that no one was sickened by him, especially not Roman. But to his displeasure a howl was raised and he knew he would need to answer to it. He raced towards the scene only to find August and Roman both sick as well. Had he done this? Had he spread it around? "We need healers." He stated the obvious as he coughed, his eyes closed as more blood seeped from them, drop by drop and drip by drip.


He prayed to the old gods and the new that there were healers who knew how to rid them all of the terrible epidemic that was ripping through Tortuga and all of Alacritia.

The woman had been distant and inactive when it came to communicating with other wolves but her scent had strong marked the borders and despite her hate of healing she had stocked up on herbs. She knew the scent of sickness and it made her feel queasy but she caught the scent nonetheless. When Roman sent out a call the woman was quick to put away the herbs she had collected and report to the scene. They were there, the sick ones she had scented and she arrived in time to hear a bit of the conversation. Was there a healer about? She knew what her duty was at that time, it was to help them. "I have two years of training in healing." She offered up as she analyzed the now patients, including Queen Roman herself. There were three sick wolves about and so she figured she would start with the queen.


"I will need some hands for assistance however; this disease is unlike any disease I have seen before." She said with a matter of urgency in her voice. Blood from their eyes? She had never seen it before and she gulped; she did not know of any herb that could help with that. It might have been caused from some other symptom. Bleeding from the eyes. Delirium. Agitated state. Apparent weakness. Fever. There was a fever that she could treat and the weakness with another herb but if she couldn't find the source of this mysterious epidemic than she would not succeed in healing them fully.


"I'm going to give them Boneset to help with the fever until we can figure this out. Also Eldarberry to try and strengthen their immune systems to fight it off. It'll give them more time and I don't know how much time they have left. As I said before, I have no idea what this disease is." With that she ran from the scene and to the stores she had just been in. She grabbed enough of each for the three sick wolves present at the meeting and she rushed back. She had little to no time to try and figure it out and she prayed that the others had some knowledge in healing.

Blood oozes from his eyes, and Faust is fucking pissed off. He's used to pain, used to tearing into a adrenaline-pumped giants and coming out on top. However, illness is never a thing the Germanic warrior does will with. Blood drips down his face, oozing from the infected tear ducts in his eyes, staining his orange fur. The male huffs, annoyed, and his attention is drawn by the summons of his woman.
Well, maybe she's not his, but he thinks of her as such. He'd rip any guy who looked at her wrong to shreds before more could come of it, and that makes him the main competition. That's all that really matters, isn't it?
When he arrives he is alarmed at what he sees. Teeth bare as he notes several wolves tearing into the Queen with jaws and fierceness, her eyes wide with panic. He charges forwards, blood oozing down his cheeks as he seeks to tackle the wolf closest to the queen, teeth aiming for the throat. He hopes to pull back swiftly, massive frame seeking to position itself over the ivory-coated beauty, defending her. A deafening snarl departs his chest, daring them to try him.

Walk ? "Talk" ? 'Think' The collapsed mound of fur would rise, ochre irises fluttering toward the arriving wolves. "Whatever this disease is, I can't control myself. My mind is making me do things I do not want. I almost killed my sister because of the damn sickness." A low snarl would build within the man's throat, as he would snap at thin air, without realizing that he had snapped right at the golden boy he knew as Dayton. "If you're going to try and cure me, at least find a way to make me calm down first. The voices in my head I can't have but to obey." He would find it a struggle to lie down, blood beginning to clot his vision once more, and curl his plush tail around his mangy body. He would slowly turn, then shut his eyes, in attempt to hide every wolf from his vision, so that his hallucinations would not make them into evil demons, and so he would not try to harm them.

Gossamir had been out gathering herbs and getting herself back in shape since she'd been infected with a stomach bug. This most recent trip had been her longest yet and her jaws ached with the cache of herbs she held between her jaws. Fronds of agrimony, meadowsweet, lady's slipper, wolfsbane and valerian root were her latest bundle, dried and stores away in the outskirts of the gorge. These were her winter stores but it would do no good to keep them tucked so far away from the densite. Gossamir sighed. She needed to start looking into better ways to carry things. Trudging through the drifting snow the young female was alerted to smell of blood and the snarls of her packmates. Her heart raced as her legs pushed against the earth, propelling her toward the gathering. It was choas, sheer chaos. Roamer and August appeared to be very sick as well as another male she didn't recognize. Her heard drooped. She had no idea what they had or how to help them. Her eyes went to another femme she didn't know who seemed to be messing with some herbs. She bolted toward the femme and quickly dropped her gathering. "What the hell is going on? Any way I can help?" August spoke and her hackles laced down her spine. Voices? oh no?. Quickly she sized up the male and carefully snipped off what she guessed was the appropriate amount of wolfsbane to sedate him. As a mistress of poisons she only knew that it was not enough to kill him. How effective the dose would be was difficult to tell. "August, quick, devour these." She turned towards the other male in time to see him attack. "NO!" ooc: not sure who Faust is going for so left it open xD Sharpening my words...

ooc: All members that were Ancillary, that have attended this meeting have been promoted to "cohort", for their show of loyalty to Tortuga. I would like to personally thank you guys for keeping your wolves active. Thank you! Roman's looking for her other promotions, so keep up the good works!

There was a slight ringing in her ears, as he pathetic call drained into her air. Frustratingly, she shook her head to clear it- her violet eyes looking up dejectedly from the ground, towards the approaching figure. Qanik, she felt some relief. Violet eyes stared pathetically at the legionary, and she cursed herself for her weakness. Qanik came close to her, and the ivory queen didn't have it in her to move away. At Qanik's greeting and question, she shook her had slightly. Wincing at the throbbing headache, that was antagonizing her brain, she groaned slightly, "N-not sure." Another appeared, Shay, and he ordered Qanik away. Whining slightly, she tried to focus on the gray male as he asked her a question. Other symptoms? Couldn't he see how bad her head was throbbing?! "h-head. It's exploding." she muttered, lowering it to the ground and rubbing at it, with her paws. August appeared, and her stomach knotted as she realized- he too was infected. Who the hell had poisoned her pack? Growling, she pushed herself to her feet- unsteady, and wavering. Dayton appeared next, and she blinked gratefully at his words. Next Ritsuka, Barristan, and a female she didn't recognize. She couldn't focus on them, the pounding in her head was extreme, driving her back to the ground. Then Faust was there, snapping and snarling at the others, though he halted over her. Was he protecting her? She could only wonder half-way. His scent comforted her, but the scent of sickness was thick on him too, and a whine of dismay slipped through her jaws, as she turned her head wearily towards him- seeking to see if his eyes too, bled. Her ears flicked as August spoke- not really taking anything in, the buzzing noise was intense, loud, and painful. Shaking her head, as Gossamir arrived, she pushed herself to her feet-ignoring the chaos surrounding them. She had to appear a leader, no matter the cost. They needed her to be strong for them. Her voice was raspy, as she spoke. "Do whatever you can, but help them first. " She said, and though she was ill, her tone was stubborn. Her haunches sank to the ground, her legs trembling with effort. "Do what you can." She muttered, resting on the ground slowly, her coat gently brushing against Faust's legs. She had tried to ignore the commotion of Faust's attack, his snarls only agitated the pounding in her head. Her head rested on her paws, her lids closing over her eyes, trying to blink the crimson tears away, trying to blink the pain away, even. "Qanik's in'charge" She muttered, her paws moving to itch and rub at her head before muttering "not gonna take a bath." Her last words, just on the edge of delirium, just on this side of insanity. She was trying to save them- even if she didn't make it through this. Speech,

More wolves quickly arrived, most offering to help the fallen. Dayton stood by and watched for a fair amount of time, just gathering information so he could learn how to help. This was a disease, after all, and Dayton had no experience in medicine or healing. But he would try, as any loyal pack member would. The russet boy stepped forward eagerly when Elli appeared and began listing possible herbs that could be of use."Let me know what I can do to help." Gossamir appeared also, and she had just begun administering a sedative to the delirious August when an unfamiliar male stormed into the area. He also had tears of blood in his eyes. That made three victims so far. How many could there be? Then the scene took a turn for the worst. The strange male turned on Gossamir, causing her to cry out in fear. His jaws sought to latch onto her throat, and the small brute leapt forward to stop him. Dayton knew that he was too small to fight this beast away, but it was an act of adrenaline. His claws found purchase, tearing briefly into flesh before the man retreated from Gossamir and crouched protectively over the queen. Dayton squared his shoulders and bared his teeth in a furious snarl. What the hell was this? Roman began speaking again, ordering that the healers tend to the others before her words became a bit slurred and delirious. Dayton kept his glare locked on the male, though. His tail brushed Gossamir lightly. "Are you alright, my lady?" he asked over his shoulder, hoping that the woman had not been harmed. Walk."Talk."Think.

Another wold arrive. Another male... Infected. Ritsuka would shift uncertainly, looking at the new arrival. He smelled of Tortuga... But he hadn?t met him yet. Had one of the new members brought this sickness? No... Surely Qanik or Roman would have scented it on their coats first. The cream male would glance back to their leader until the arrival of another stranger, a she-wolf, would catch his attention. She... Had training in healing. Thank goodness. Two years was also a lot better than nothing... And he could feel a bit of hope coming back to him.

...and then all hell broke loose. Another wolf, another male, coming in snarling and attacking. Gaze would shift to see who he was attacking... And emerald eyes would widen in horror, his heart leaping to his throat. ?Gossamir!? He would leap away from Roman, probably for the better, to try and aid her. Thank god Dayton had gotten there when he did. He would move to Gossamir?s side, even more worry running through him. He was shaking... Not out of fear for himself but his packmates.

He?d give a small nod to Dayton, trying to keep himself calm. ?Dayton... Thank you...? He shifted, casting an uneasy look at the brute that loomed protectively over the queen. He was delirious... Maybe hallucinating...? He was certainly not right... And sick as well. Four members. Four of those gathered were already infected. ?Are you both okay?? He would ask. His own guard was up now, fur and hackles raised, ears pinned, eyes narrowed slightly, and some other defenses such as his chin being tipped forward and bent knees making him ready in case any of the infected wolves, particularly August or this other male, took another turn for the worst.

""

Head aches, delirium, hallucinations, sudden/unpredictable violence, and seizures. It all felt so familiar but all with different diseases that she knew. She got an idea formulated in her head. "Everyone who is not sick, except for a few to look after the four sick wolves, I need you to come with me. I have a few herb combinations I want to try to see if it makes them better, or even better than that cures them." She suggested, knowing of course she'd need the paws to carry the different herbs back. First she wanted to try a mixture of Boneset, Earth Smoke, and Eldarberry. She rushed off, expecting one or two wolves to actually listen and follow her.


When she arrived at her den she dug around for the Earth Smoke, which she had not used in some time in her old pack and never in Tortuga. Then she took the other two herbs as well once she had found the Earth Smoke. She rushed back for there was no time to wait, her eyes focusing in on the meeting as she arrived. "I need one of the sick wolves to be a test patient." She said as she looked at the four and then to the now-in-charge lady who had accepted her. It was Qanik's call.

There appeared to be a healer in the bunch and that made him grateful that Tortuga was his home. She ran off to get herbs when his fever really sat in. He had just gotten the sickness less than a day prior, a bit later than the others had. It made him wonder which wolf gave the sickness to Roman as he gazed around, suddenly no wolf from the pack was there but instead there were zombie wolves attacking him. He lashed all about but he could not control his muscles, they were doing what they wanted to do, without his knowledge of how to stop it. Suddenly his leg kicked out and his head started to twitch.


Ser Barristan Selmy knew his odds of making it were not very high. When the healer returned with the herbs, he volunteered as a test subject, everything calming down once more. "I'll be a test subject."

Madness, utter madness! Gossamir snarled as she realized the brute was targeting her. "Whoa, back off fucker!" she hissed. The small and lithe femme, unencumbered by the disease quickly skittered to the right avoiding the massive jaws that had threatened to tear out her throat. The strange male was now hovering protectively over the queen. Who the hell was this? Did Roman have a boyfriend they didn't know about? Well, as long as he didn't attack again she was fine with maneuvering around him but he needed to be sedated as well and she couldn't imagine forcing plants down this brutes throat by force. Not without help at least. Dayton had charged forward as well, making contact with the brute before circling back toward her, his tail brushing hers lightly. She blushed slightly at the gesture and the fact that he was calling her lady. "Y-yea, I'm fine, Dayton. Thanks." Ritsuka appeared soon after and set his defenses. Gossamir's own hackles were still raised but she felt better with the other two males around to keep an eye on things while the healers tried to work. Roman spoke and managed to keep herself together enough to hand the reigns of rule over to Qanik. Gossamir quickly divided out the last of her wolfsbane and eyed the male before cautiously moving the herbs forward. "Roman? and Mr. Tall, Dark and Angry, eat these, they'll help with the pain and keep you calm until we can figure this out." She imagined the queen would trust her but she really didn't know about this weird male. Elli soon appeared and concocted a mixture to try and text on one of the sick wolves. Gossamir took note and studied the other wolves technique carefully as Barristan came forward to offer himself as the test subject. Sharpening my words...

Short post :(

The healer nodded to Barristan when he volunteered as she approached and gave him the herbs. It was time to test her theory. If it did not work than she would try three new herbs. She gave the herbs to Barristan before backing up. After several minutes of waiting with anticipation it was determined that he did not get better. Slightly defeated, she ran back to her stores to try another set as she sniffed around. Alder Buckthorn, Alfalfa, Horsetail. It was her second guess as she ran back and laid the herbs out. "My first try did not work. Try these three, Barristan." She ordered the man.

ooc: I have permission from Tea to PP Qanik

Gossamir watched Ellisandra work as a feeling of jealousy bubbled up in her gut. Her paws gently poked at the herbs she'd gathered that were being completely ignored but she supposed if they were useless they were useless and that was the end of it. But she wished she could help somehow. Gossy watched carefully as the second cure seemed to have a bit more of an effect. She mentally jotted down the herbs and was about to suggest something else they could try when Qanik gave her an interesting order. Take the combination of herbs to Valhalla and to their allies Arcanum and Glaciem so that multiple packs could work at finding a cure and increase their efficiency. "Right!" Gossamir nodded and quickly took off. She was a small femme and a fast one but this would be a long journey. First stop would be Valhalla, then Arcanum, then Glaciem and then home. Hopefully Elli will have found a cure by then but if not their knowledge would be used by the other packs to hopefully end this madness. Sharpening my words...

Exit Gossamir-

Nerves frayed nearly to the breaking point, Qanik froze for a frustratingly long time, the seconds seeming to tick over into hours as chaos erupted around the clearing. A gray male was the first to answer her summons, his demand for her to move away from Roman drawing a fearful fury from the white female before he explained, and she stepped away reluctantly, still barely tracking in her daze. He was saying words, but she couldn't quite register them, and she realized that a dull ringing seemed to fill her ears. More wolves appeared, first August acting very unlike himself, and the dread only deepened as she saw the telltale sign of blood tears. Dayton, too, appeared, more words leaving his maw in a buzz that she could not understand as she stared blankly at Roman, fear beating a painful tattoo of blood through her body. What could she do? Was this it? Was this pack as doomed as her last? Was she a curse on the very families she sought to lead and protect? She sank still further into her panic, before suddenly a deep breath flooded into her lungs and the panic forcefully snapped and she straightened. Her pack needed her and here she was quivering in a cowardly ball of fear instead of doing the job Roman had given her as her second. How much time had passed since she'd blanked? Too long, as it seemed more chaos had overwhelmed the clearing since then in the form of more sick wolves. As she came back to herself it was to watch the would-be guardian Elli arbitrarily testing herbs on Barristan. "Wait," her voice rang out, deep and calm despite the fear that still clawed at her insides. "I am no healer, Elli, but if you do not know what the disease is it seems your attempts may do more harm than good. Consult with our other healers before you make another attempt - they may know what you do not. Gossamir," she turned her square muzzle in the young healer's direction. "Take what information we have to our allies, the packs Arcanum and Glaciem. It may be they know something of this disease that we do not. Share with them all we know and bring back whatever information they can give us." She hesitated a moment, knowing that what she was about to ask might go against Roman's own wishes, not knowing the alpha's feelings about the pack, but... "Go to Valhalla as well. Tell Erani that I sent you to ask their help. Give them whatever information you think they need to assist." Her eyes swept over the group, barely firming herself against the despair that threatened to overwhelm at the magnitude of this task. "Restrain the ill, if you can. The last thing we need is for them to wander away and do themselves harm before we can treat the disease." To this end she paced forward to face the wolf standing over Roman, her eyes staring impassively into his rage-filled face. "Stand down, Faust," she spoke slowly, guessing that this might be the wolf Roman had spoken of in their meeting who seemed to evoke such mixed feelings in her. Speech,