After the incident with the pungent potion, Audra was feeling less than well. Meeting Avantika's family and seeing the castle had been an amazing time, but as the days grew into night, her stomach never ceased being queasy. Unsure of how to feel, she thought maybe a walk through the nearby plains with Avantika would help her feel better. Over the last few days, a peculiar thing had begun to happen to her. Around the edges of her eyes, small pink crystals began to grow. They were tiny so far, but they felt itchy and she was tempted to remove them. At this point, she knew better than to do it. After what had happened with Avantika's scratch, she wasn't sure what would happen if she plucked one off. Moving slowly through the tall grass that tickled her belly, Audra resisted the urge to scratch at her ears. What she didn't know is that the same pink crystals were also growing from those as well. Every time she would turn an ear or try to fold it back, wincing pain shot through her skull. So, she kept them forward at all times. Confused and out of sorts, she glanced back to make sure Avantika was following. Maybe, if they laid down and stared at the permanent night sky long enough, they could find some answers. Finding a nice spot where the grass wasn't so tall, Audra plopped down on her back with her paws up in the air. A wistful sigh escaped her lips as she felt a trickle of something wet trail from her eyes. She wasn't crying, so what was it? Reaching a paw to one of her eyes, she pressed at the crystals growing there. When she pulled away, she could see a smudge of something oozey on her pads. Scrunching her face, Audra frowned. "What's happening to us?" She whispered, fearful for what was to come.

Avantika walked beside Audra, just as scared but trying her best to hide it. It wasn't going very well. She kept touching the crystals growing from her ears and eyes gingerly, like poking a bruise. She wasn't sure if she should talk to the healers or not. The plague had spread throughout the pack, so they were probably swamped with cases already. Avantika was willing to risk being sick for a little while longer and make sure everyone else was safe. That was her job, after all.

Still, she was scared to pieces. She was young and already tired, and now something she knew absolutely nothing about was afflicting her, and god, she was so damn scared. It felt selfish and weak to be afraid for herself, though, so she kept "fixing" her thoughts every time, switching her sentence from "scared because I'm sick" to "scared for Audra" or "scared for the pack". It was easier that way.

Audra flopped down on the grass, her paws in the air. Avantika lay on her side next to her, facing her. She looked so pretty in this light, even through the fear. She pressed a paw to her face, and then whispered, 'What's happening to us?' Avantika didn't say anything at first. She couldn't say that she didn't know. Somehow saying it would make it real: she knew nothing about what was to come here. She hated uncertainty. But eventually, she spoke, looking away from Audra as she did so. "Don't worry. We'll be okay."

She hoped it wasn't a lie.

"Speech"

Turning her own oozed and crystal-encrusted eyes to look over at Avantika, she frowned.  Among the gross horror dripping from her, her eyes sparkled with tears that she blinked back. "How can I not worry?" She whispered, a paw absentmindedly brushing at the crystals in her ears, a wince broke her frustrated expression. "I'm a healer! I should have a way to fix this," the anguish was obvious in her tone as she turned her chin away from Avantika. Looking up to the foreboding sky with the auroras stretching thin and green over the forever night, she fought back more tears. "No matter how many times I take these crystals from my skin, they come back. The pain is too much. I feel so lost," the admittance was more than she wanted to share. But she was growing closer to Avantika every day. Her heart pined for an answer to make both of them better. Her paw swiped at her nose when her breathing became harsh and she pulled away from another crystal. Grasping it softly in her paw, she stared at it angrily. This plague, whatever it was, was taking over their home, the others they loved, and everyone else. Plants and animals alike were being affected by it more and more each day. Especially after that horrid thing in the cloak had visited her, things were worse. It was like those fireflies had taken over Boreas and wanted to make it their home. "I wonder if anyone has found a way to get rid of it," Audra said thoughtfully, finally dropping the crystal on the ground as she looked back over at Avantika.

When Avantika looked back, she noticed that Audra's eyes were welling up with tears as she spoke about how she thought that she should be able to fix this. She moved a little closer, brushing her body up against hers gently in an attempt to comfort her. She didn't really know what to do, so she kept quiet, hoping that she could just y'know, telepathically help Audra without having to come up with the words herself. "No matter how many times I take these crystals from my skin, they come back. The pain is too much. I feel so lost." It scared her to say her true feelings, but she had to. Audra had opened up to her, and anyway, she didn't have anything else to say. "I hate this," she growled softly. "I hate not knowing what's going on." She wasn't the best at showing empathy, but she did feel it and she was trying her best.

She wanted that firefly guy to come back now. She wanted to beat him up, even if he was just a bunch of bugs in a cloak. She didn't know if he had caused this mess, but she didn't have anything else to blame.

"I wonder if anyone has found a way to get rid of it," Audra said. "I don't know." Why was that all she was saying nowadays? 'I don't know, I don't know'. It made her feel sick to be so powerless.

"Speech"

The brush of Avantika's soft fur against her own was almost calming. How she scooted closer to Audra was more than words. Her eyes closed deeply as she tried to inhale a breath. Yet, the crystals made it hard. How were they growing along the side of her tongue now? That surely was... not an improvement. Avantika's growling murmur made her look over as a tear rolled down her cheek. When was this torment going to end? No matter how much they opened up about their feelings, there was no way to end it all. If she could change her actions, she would. But she had to endure the consequences. Brushing the small crystals that had already reformed around her eyes, Audra winced. "I don't know either, but there has to be a solution," she whispered back, a sort of anger in her tone. Never had she felt this way before. The way she wanted to rip the fireflies from that creature's cloak and ask him what his deal was. Did he enjoy playing disgusting games with innocent wolves? What was his agenda? Through the pain, confusion, and grief, Audra continued to cry and pluck the crystals from her face.

Avantika was almost obligated to keep watching Audra, wincing every time she picked off another of the crystals but never looking away. Her girlfriend was hurt. She was crying. They were going to stay together, right here, and figure something out. Not that she had any ideas of any clues hidden in the back of her mind, but she couldn't do anything else. It was almost satisfying to hear Audra's anger, much as it hurt. You could do something with anger.

Watching Audra's face so closely, she noticed that the crystals she pulled off were only growing back and even bigger every time. "Stop plucking those," she warned softly. "They just get bigger." It would make it so much easier if they could just remove all of the disease themselves, but of course, that wasn't how it worked. Although she really, really wanted to pull the crystals off anyway, even it was worse than doing nothing.

"Speech"

Firefly Shoppe- Audra

The sickness deepens... You can't shake the feeling that the crystals are affecting your mind... you feel less skilled. You lose 10 Nav skill points.

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.
  
• Fun shroom- 1 /
  An ordinary everyday mushroom that just has a little handwritten tag on it that reads “eat me”. It seems pretty risky, but it might pay off in the end. Maybe...
  
• Tantalizing Treat- 3 /
  Some surprisingly appetizing snacks though it’s hard to tell exactly what’s in them.
  

Audra could have sworn Avantika was chastising her to stop pulling off the crystals. She wasn't wrong. Each crystal that was pulled off, another bigger one grew in its place. Keeping her eyes closed, she frowned and dropped her paw with an exhausted sigh. Was there truly no end to their torment? When her eyes did open, she was alone and surrounded by mist. Blinking rapidly, tears welling through the pain, Audra stood quickly. Bewildered, she looked around. Where had Avantika gone? Her mind swells with confusion as a headache beats at her temples. Were these things affecting her brain now too? Lost and unaware of where she was, her honey-brown eyes refocus to look through the mist. Her paws felt as if they were floating on air. Was she just dreaming? Lighting her way, the fireflies had reappeared and traveled toward a table not far ahead. Not this again. Audra groans in her mind as she hesitantly follows the fireflies. Of course, how could she be surprised, the cloaked figure hovered on the other side of the table. Frustration and fury build up inside of her as she scowls at him. His piercing... eyes, if she could call them that, stare so deeply into her, she almost cowers away. No, not this time. She was going to get the good end of the bargain. Her crystals were still in her pouch and as she looked at the table before her, she surely had enough to buy it all. Looking from the items to the figure, he really didn't seem to be in a good mood, but she wasn't going to be fooled this time. "I-I h-have f-faced e-enough da-anger to k-know better t-this time," her stuttering voice fills the dreamy void. "I-I w-want to o-offer two d-deals," Audra's voice fights to steady. "L-let me b-buy a-all the i-items a-and I w-will eat t-two of t-them ri-right in f-front of y-you for y-your pleasure," she pauses, but she has to continue, "o-or I w-will off-offer a b-body p-part for e-exchange of s-something bet-better," she finishes as she looks up to the towering figure. Surely, even if he wasn't in the mood, he would accept one of her choices.

You shouldn't have done that.

You sho̵u̵ldn't have done tha̵t̴.̴ You s̵̤̄h̶͒͜o̶̞̅u̵̳̿ldn't hav̴̗̎ẽ̶̺ ̴̩̄d̴̞̓o̴̓ͅn̵͈̆ḙ̷̉ ̸̀͜t̶̥̿h̷̦̑ā̴͜t̷̺̍ Y̷̩̍o̷̼͝ủ̵̼ ̴̝̍s̵̤̄h̶͒͜o̶̞̅u̵̳̿l̴̹̋d̷̪̀ņ̶̑'̸̻̄t̷͈͠ ̶͎̒ḧ̷̙́à̸͎v̴̗̎ẽ̶̺ ̴̩̄d̴̞̓o̴̓ͅn̵͈̆ḙ̷̉ ̸̀͜t̶̥̿h̷̦̑ā̴͜t̷̺̍.̴̰͆ Y̴̡͑ó̴͔u̴̻̱͛ ̴̙͆s̸̪̿h̵̗̐̑o̸͛͜͠ù̷̖͘l̶̺̭̒̈d̴̓͜n̴̺͕̓͝'̵̮̾̑t̶̞͊ ̷̖̅h̷̠̜̕á̴̘̞v̷͇̼̕͝e̷͜͝ ̷̖̈͜d̸̬̀o̴̦̪͆n̷̯̗̈́̒ḛ̵͉̓̈ ̵̲͛t̴̻̏͛h̴̨̆a̸̰̺̎̍ṫ̸̮̈.̴̭̈́̀

Dozens- or is it hundreds?- of fireflies sudden disperse from the hooded figure's coat and zoom straight toward your face. They surround your eye, pulling at the nearby fur and eyelashes to keep it pried open. You find yourself frozen in place as a small swarm of fireflies flies onto the surface of your eye itself. The legs scratch and kick as they worked their way under the eyelid and behind the orbital, slowly gnawing through and severing the optical nerve that once connected it to its socket. The pain is almost unbearable. Eventually they move away, bringing one of your eyes with them and slowly rotating it so it faces your other eye. The detached eye slowly turns black before the fireflies return it to its socket, leaving it unseeing... forever.

Finally he speaks. "You wolves have been so greedy lately always asking for more - this is what your 'bargain' gets you today, be sure to spread the word.." With that he disappears, leaving you no richer- though hopefully a bit wiser..

Audra is now blind in one eye.

Just as the last syllable left her lips, a literal swarm of fireflies flew right toward her face. Out from around the hooded figure and latching on her face, Audra found herself unable to move. No matter how much she willed her legs to make them move, they wouldn't. She was frozen in place, eyes watching in horror as the small bugs began to peel her right eyelid open. Her breath caught in her throat as it went dry, tongue swelling to the point where she almost couldn't breathe. The heart in her chest drummed so fast she thought it might burst from her ribcage. This wasn't supposed to be how it went. Feeling each individual leg pick and scratch at her eye was excruciating. How was this not what he wanted? Didn't he enjoy playing games? Playing tricks? Getting what he wanted? Didn't he want her to suffer in exchange for a prize? Isn't that how it worked? Tears began to well in her left eye as she felt the horrible pain of her ocular nerve being severed. How could this have happened to her? She'd never hurt anyone in her life before. All she'd ever done was sacrifice herself to help others. How was this fair? Her one eye rolled back in her head as her knees buckled under the pain. Audra's stomach threatened to empty itself once more as they finished severing. Sweat drenched her coat and her whole body felt weak. She couldn't scream, couldn't make any noise. It was too much. Her whole body felt like it might explode. Why were they doing this? A small whisper of air fills the now-empty socket as her lone eye rolled back to consciousness. Had she passed out? Blinking a few times, the fireflies still held on as they creepily turned her taken eye to face her. Horror turns her crystal-encrusted face a pale shade of green. The one pretty honey-brown eye fades to black. Bile slides up her throat as she forces herself to keep it down. Uncontrollably shaking, Audra tries to shake her head as they move back toward her. No, no, no. They can't do that. But they did. Sliding the dead, blackened eye back into the socket as easily as they had taken it out, tears begin to slide down her cheek. Finally, she is released from their grasp and she crumples to the ground. Sobs wracked her body as she allows the stomach bile to come up now. It covers her paws as the wretched figure in the cloak rasps at her. Except, his words were wrong. She hadn't been greedy before. She'd followed the rules and gotten a terrible deal. She didn't want more, she had wanted to play a game. Because isn't that what he wanted? Had she had it wrong this whole time? Just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone. Curled up on the ground, the dreamlike mist dissipating with the figure, Audra finally finds her voice. "I THOUGHT THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED!" Her sore voice screeches into the air as she rolls onto her right side, hiding the dead eye. The sobbing, the pain, it won't stop. Her body hiccups as she fights it all. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Minutes pass as she lays in the grass, hoping Avantika hadn't disappeared either. When everything does finally subside into something bearable, Audra looks up through the tears. A shuddering sigh heaves through her body as she frowns, turning her chin toward the one wolf she cared about most. "Tika, I-I d-did something r-really bad," she whispers, one paw reaching up to touch the socket where the blackened eye now called home. While her crystals were still safe inside her pouch, she doubted she could ever use them again. After this, the firefly man would undoubtedly never come calling to her again. That she would be glad for. Realization began to sink in as the right side of her view was now dark and not just because the sun refused to rise. Swallowing back her feelings and everything else, she is afraid Avantika won't like her anymore. She would be even more useless now. Not only is she small, weak, and more defenseless than ever, she was now half blind and unsure of the world. How was this worth living anymore?

Though Avantika couldn't see the mist, she could see Audra still, as well as the table and fireflies that soon appeared. She followed Audra as she followed the fireflies and was a little unnerved by her focus. It was like she wasn't seeing anything else but them. "Audra?" she said softly, and got no response. A shiver ran up her spine, and a tight knot formed in her stomach, growing as the firefly guy appeared, waiting behind the table with its three items. She started growling quietly, before she even thought to. Audra seemed not a bit happier to see him.

Audra offered a choice of two deals, and Avantika's dread only increased. Firefly guy didn't seem happy.

There was no time to breathe as a swarm of fireflies attacked Audra's eye. The beautiful, beautiful eye turned black and dead in the bug's grip. The first sob hit Avantika like a shot fired to start a race, and she charged towards the cloak, all concern and caution trampled by her overwhelming rage. She'd try to launch up and grab the head of the cloak and pull it with all her might. She wanted to hurt this damn thing. She wanted to destroy it.

But it disappeared too quickly, and her jaws snapped at empty air. She snarled in terrifying anger, and Audra screamed. She couldn't help but feel herself tearing up as well as Audra sobbed. Long moments hung in the air as they both wrestled with their pain. Audra eventually turned to her and whispered that she'd done something bad.

Avantika moved close to her. "No, you didn't," she said solemnly. "It was him. All his fault. And if I ever see him again, I'll make him pay. I'll destroy him." she promised. "I don't want him hurting anyone more than he already has."

"Speech"

Audra had no idea that Avantika had been able to see everything that had happened. She had believed that the mist had shrouded the horrific scene that had unfolded. If she had had any idea that her love had been able to watch her eye be extracted and then placed back into the socket, she may have gone about her bargaining in a different way. But she wasn't thinking correctly. The pain inside her skull, the crystals forming around her eyes and mouth consumed her. She didn't have any idea that the consequences of her actions would be so dire. She laid there, in that frosty grass, beneath pale auroras, with tears running down her left cheek. The only cheek that would feel the wetness of tears again. Sobs continued to wrack her body as she fought to get her breathing under control. Closing her good eye so that all she saw was darkness and no longer the fireflies that swarmed around her, she fought to find a reason to keep going. Even though the closeness of Avantika approaching her and whispering kind words to her that it wasn't actually her fault, Audra hardly believed her. "I-I a-asked, I ASKED F-FOR IT," she cries, scratchy voice fighting through a dry throat. Her stomach heaves, threatening to vomit again. No, she couldn't let it happen. Curling up further in on herself, she couldn't find the energy to move closer to Avantika. Audra wanted nothing but to be held, to be comforted for her stupidity. How could she ever forgive herself? "He-he told me to w-warn others n-not to be g-greedy," her voice is a hoarse whisper now as she chokes out the words. But she hadn't been greedy. Isn't that what he had wanted? Why wouldn't he have shown up if he didn't want to bargain with them? Grief soars through her body as she shivers violently. How did she have anyone to blame but herself?