Rudy had always attempted to be positive, even at the worst of times.  He had always wanted to help others manage whatever emotional burdens they held so they could truly recover from any inner trauma faced.  Right this moment he didn’t give a damn about anyone except himself.  The young man was missing his tail, only a bandage where it had been to let the open wound heal.  A paw was likewise bandaged and a last set of bandages wrapped his neck.  As if this wasn’t bad enough the ooze had infected him as well.  From the boy's ears, nose, and mouth leaked the ooze.  Most of the time Rudy didn’t care.  For the first day, he had just been stuck on hating himself for failing, hating Oxx for what he had done and what he wanted to do, and desperately wishing the pain to go away or even diminish.

Lately, a voice had come to his mind to offer him a twisted version of help.  It offered him an idea no one else had, one that normally Rudy would reject as being against his character.  Right now it helped give him something to cling onto.  Instead of thinking of his own failures, he imagined up who else could be blamed.  If Art had only killed Oxx when he had run into him if only Bowen hadn’t stolen mom’s coat and just let the bastard keep it.  If only…the list went on.

Anger at others was fed as he tried to ignore his own pain.  It didn’t always work and sometimes Rudy realized what he was doing and rejected it, fighting off the alien way of thinking.  Rudy’s willpower wasn’t what it normally was at the moment though and anything that stopped some of his pain was worth listening to.  Rudy slid in and out of a dreamless sleep that did little for letting him feel rested and while there was no dream he always woke up with a jolt of fear.  For before he fully woke up there was a sense of darkness and something in the darkness scared him.

"Speech"

Laeta couldn’t say she was faring well herself. However, considering she hadn’t been in a fight her whole life — how ironic considering she had been a loner for so long a fight would be inevitable here and there — she was likely a bit better off than the stranger she was about to encounter. The monochromatic woman barely rose from her bed this day. The sky was dark all the time, which messed with her sleep cycle considerably. Not only that, but the obvious ooze leaking from her facial features at an alarming rate didn’t afford her much comfort, either. Moments of sleep were few and far in between, interrupted by the sensation of drowning as her throat and nose filled with stationary goop from lying on her side. Thus, having given up on any rest, the erratic woman stumbled her way down the staircase. By some miracle, she didn’t fall. Some subconscious agility, most likely. For some reason, the ooze-dripping she-wolf felt drawn to the infirmary. She frowned, though not afraid. Whatever this dripping slime plague was, it messed not only with her physical body, but her mind and soul as well, twisting it in such ways that her typical “survival mechanism” was, in a sense, inactivated. She felt no danger, but to a risky extent. If not inside the castle walls, confused and hazy, she very well could have walked off the edge of a cliff without thinking. Thinking? Advanced cognitive effort? Nope. Every thought beyond some broken, scattered sentences, faintly resembling her true self, floated away from her like those damn fireflies that ailed her to begin with. Approaching the infirmary, Lae’s presence was announced by a wet, choking gurgle followed by a sloppy wipe of her oozy, oil-slicked ruby gaze with one uncoordinated paw. Her senses were diminished due to the glowing, multicolored slime, but she could make out a wolf laying there. She approached him, appearing rather bold — the “normal” Laeta would usually remain at a safe distance. This one, however, felt her psyche was being wrung like a wet cloth. She was a sight herself to behold, charcoal fur unkempt and in wet, uneven tufts and clumps from the ooze dripping down and soaking her coat. Her eyes were squinted from the discharge clogging her gaze, her ears were muffled, and the stuff dribbled on occasion from her lips like fat beads of drool. She was able to get close enough to observe his injuries. Missing tail..just a bloody raw stump covered in bandages. His paw and neck were wounded, as well. The woman cocked her head to one side, frowning softly though her focual features were marred by the ooze. Seems this guy didn’t escape that fate either; his features were covered in the same glowing stuff as well. Perhaps it was contagious. "That must hurt," Lae managed to choke out. At least when she spoke she could conceal some of the strange and erratic thoughts running through her addled brain like mice. It took everything in her to maintain something of a “sane” appearance, although the ooze didn’t help. "The oozing stuff doesn’t help much, either, I bet." The boy before her was seeing s very, very different Laeta than most of her pack. It could be a good thing, or a very bad thing. Either way. "Speech"

Rudy finally had gotten a few moments alone without someone wanting to keep watch on him and already another presence was in the room?  Opening one eye he spotted a wolf he hadn’t seen before.  Damn, being in a coma meant wolves coming in that he hadn’t even known about.  Oh well, did it really matter?  It did once but right now he didn’t care nor did he like her.  She made some stupid comment about how this should hurt?  Wasn’t she bloody well brilliant.  Bloody, eh?

Put her in pain also.  It will feel wonderful.  Don’t be the only one in pain.  So she has some ooze, that’s nothing to what you’re feeling.

Rudy knew it wasn’t like him, knew that should be a problem but, right now it wasn’t a problem.  “You could say that,” the motley grey wolf answered dryly.  He’d give her a chance first as Rudy realized it would be bothersome if he got in trouble.  Everything hurt and he’d really rather just pass out again.  Life was better asleep but she wanted to keep him from sleep.  It felt like so many wanted him to be awake, even if they said he should sleep it felt like they hoped he’d be awake.  It was harder and harder to ignore that voice in his mind or perhaps he just wanted to ignore it less.  His own thoughts were too depressing.

Rudy wanted to lift his head to get a better look at her but resigned himself to keeping his head on the ground.  Every damn part of his body was connected to the spine and if he moved his head his paw seemed determined to twitch whether or not he wanted it too.  “You don’t seem injured,” it wasn’t a question technically but it did lead to the question of why she was here.  No, the ooze was not a good enough reason to him when plenty of wolves seemed to have problems with the goop.

Some back part of Rudy’s mind whispered this was pack, this was family and to be nice.  Closing his eyes Rudy tried for a semblance of self-control, “You’re new,” he let out with a sigh, attempting at least not to say anything hurtful or deceptive.  Did she have any idea how hard that was?

Rudyard Carpathius

You could say that, the other wolf replied in response to his wounds. Normally, Lae would’ve picked up on his bitter mood, the irritation only thinly concealed in the dryness of his tone. He didn’t like her, nor did he appreciate her presence right by him. If she hasn’t been afflicated, she likely would’ve apologized and left as quickly as she came. However, the ooze shifted uneasily about her body, and likely surrounding her brain in that same goop that trickled down her face - and it definitely had an effect on her mental status. She was terrified of the darkness, beyond a rational awareness. She lingered within the well-lit regions of the castle, including areas frequented by others. Still, the paranoia didn’t ease off because she was in a safe place - she was convinced eyes were watching her through the cracks in the walls, observing her every move. Speaking of which, she sharply turned her head towards a few crumbled spots on the wall behind them, as if thoroughly certain she had witnessed a pair of eyeballs sitting there. Narrowing her glazed, oil-slicked orbs slightly, she turned back to the grey wolf, slime dripping down her features with wet splats as they hit the stone floor. As the injured male shifted in an attempt to get a better look at her, the two of them being strangers and thus, needing to get a better look at their appearances, he had remarked, You don’t look injured. The woman shrugged softly. Did she need to be injured to come here? Perhaps he didn’t think so. They were all sick. The infirmary didn’t seem to help much in regards to their mystery illness, anyway. She frowned, though it was hard to tell as her lips were concealed by the dribble of flourescent, technicolor slime. "Couldn’t sleep. I felt drawn here for..some reason." She had to fight back words "find my mother" as she spoke, choking them back as a wet gurgle bubbled from her throat. The amount of ooze that came from her mouth was sickening, and it often made her choke and vomit. She swallowed it back as her stomach churned in protest, but she prevailed. She was on a mission to find her mother, and save her. Though..save her from what, exactly? She couldn’t remember. Whispers in the walls encouraged her mission, and to escape the eyes of the castle that kept watching her. The strange words she’d be enduring rattled her head like a fresh hoard of fireflies, making her brow furrow as if in pain. Have to find your mom. She needs to be saved. The eyeballs and fireflies will get to her first at this rate. What are you doing? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Save her. Save her, save her- Lifting a paw to rub her head with a groan, she just barely picked up that the male mention she was new. She blinked her ooze-encrusted eyes. It was by some miracle that she was picking up his words, anyways, but that could be helped by their close proximity. Her senses were so diminished, it was terrifying to feel she was walking almost blind, deaf, unable to smell, much less taste. She nodded at his remark. "Yes, I’m new," She said, trying her best to remain audible as the ooze muffled her speech. Fighting back the erratic mindset she was experiencing, she forced out, "I’m Laeta, who might you be?" The dialogue might be some welcome interaction, once bound to the real world. It was clear to see she was struggling against whatever this ailment was trying to do to her, ruining her body as well as the remenants of her sanity. "Speech"

Just watching her had Rudy more disgusted with the state of things.  She was in worse shape than him as far as the mysterious illness and Rudy sure hoped he didn’t become that bad.  The motley wolf had gotten injured in the wrong order.  That bear put him into a coma and he was just starting to get better when Oxx did all of this to him.  Rudy wished he was back in a coma to not have all this suffering.

A small smirk of amusement came to his feature as he thought that putting another in a coma might be a merciful act at the moment.  Sadly he was in no shape to put anyone in a coma.  A moment later he forced another bit of reality into his mind that Rudy didn’t normally think like that.  He shouldn’t want to hurt anyone.  Rudy should want to stop others' pains.  

At that point, he acknowledged she had been speaking and considered the ooze-incrusted wolf as he thought back on her gurgled words.  “Were I you I’d be drawn to water for a bath,” Rudy grumbled softly.  A bath sounded great to Rudy also but bitterness reminded him that walking right now would just be a new world of pain again.  Maybe he was being a wimp?  He could just not use one leg and the neck and spine should be able to deal with it.

She had said more and he’d ignored it.  Rudy was so distracted by his own confusing thoughts.  Ah, names. “I’m Rudyard Carpathius.  My mom was, and now my brother is the leader of the pack.  In time I will be a leader of the pack as well.” Right now he didn’t give a damn about leading so much as wanting to throw around the status.  Rudy was getting a headache which just showed by another exhale sigh.  Just one more bit of pain, he was starting to get used to that.

"Speech"

He seemed disgusted by her, but in her state, Lae didn’t pay much mind. It felt as if the fireflies were gnawing away at her brain, lowering her anxiety about socializing with others. In some ways you could consider it a blessing she wasn’t worried about stunbling over her words, or frantically searching for the right words to say. No, this was considerably worse - the ooze felt like it was eventually going to swallow her whole. The mere thought of that made her tense slightly. This guy didn’t like her, and if she had been in her normal, rational state of mind, she would’ve heeded his cues and left. But no, the whispers surrounded her like those goddamn fireflies. While they didn’t sour her mood, they certainly altered her perception of reality. Barely picking up his mention of how she should be drawn towards a bath, she’d frown softly. "I suppose you’re right," She murmured thickly, barely swallowing back the ooze as almost slide down her tongue. With a sniff, she added, "I think I was there..yesterday. I think I almost drowned." Her words were a tad slurred, and it was clear she wasn’t quite observant of fhe time these days. Yes, she had been down to the bath yesterday, that she remembered. The water was alright, and she managed to get clean, but the ooze just continued to trickle down her features with a vengeance. It was as if it didn’t want her to stay clean. She was close to giving up at this point, what with the eyes watching her through the cracks in the walls and all. Upon introducing himself as a Carpathius, Lae blinked, her eyes showing her eecognition of the name even if her gunked up face remained blank as a slate. "Nice to uh, meet you Rudyard.." Her sentence trailed off momentarily as she shot a glare at the wall behind them - of course, to the grey male, nothing was there, but she swore she saw a pair of eyes - but she then added, facing him once more, "I know your brother..he was the one that welcomed me into the pack." Noticing his sigh, the woman blinked again. She had some semblence of social cues at least, even in her altered state. "If you’re tired..I can go." Besides, the eyes were watching her a bit too closely here, anyways. Plus, she wanted to go to bed herself and try to sleep, at least. "Speech"