Journey to the West

""I don't know quite what's causing the cough though I'm wondering if it was inherited, from what I've heard, Phantom was bred by humans then released, so I was mainly wondering if you had any ideas of local herbs that might give him relief, if not actually heal him"

"I do not know what herbs are in this area. I reside normally in forests, and we have been in this grassland for a day now. The animals and plants in this grassland environment are completely different, Cinnamon. " Linnea replied. She completely ignored her notion of breeding, because it was very unlikely even if he was bred by humans. For the rest of the walk she remained deathly quiet. In a few moments they came upon Phantom, and Ice as well with him. Linnea closed the distance in a few three footed strides. Her left shoulder did not hold any weight, and her left leg swung in a small circle as she hopped awkwardly along.

"Ill warn the both of you now, im very stubborn. Just ask Ice. She knows."

"Oh, you are now?" Linnea allowed a playful smile to appear, but as fast as it did it vanished at the same speed. "Now, first question. What injury did you get to cause the coughing Phantom?" She immediately laid down after that, her hips relaxing to the right to allow her left shoulder to be completely independent of support.
(Lame, but I think I will live. )

Reuniting with Soran had brought renewed hope for Spirit, however small. Even though the pack had been traveling for three days now she didn't mind it much because she knew that her home was wherever the pack was. But the journey didn't come without its low points. The Lead Scout was tired and hungry; her stomach continually growled and gnawed away at itself. She didn't mind the walking, it was the lack of familiar prey that was bringing her down and to add onto all of that it was still raining. Pouring more like it. There seemed to be no cease to the cold torment of chills that ran through Spirit's small frame until Crimson guided the pack to the shelter of a large tree.

Drenched and shivering Spirit went straight for a hollow at the base of the tree. Circling a few times, Spirit dropped into the soft ground with a sigh. Stretching her long limbs in front of her Spirit rested her head down on her forelegs, letting her eye lids shut as she attempted to drift off into a well needed rest.

But rest wouldn't come easy. Not here with the pack gathering so close under the tree branches. Not here where a new wolf came walking up to the pack's shelter calling out to them. No, this wasn't idle for sleep. Though the new wolf did strike Spirit's attention. Her eyes cast to the side briefly as she watched Soran walk over to speak with the stranger. Guilt pricked at her stomach. Was she not Lead Scout? Shouldn't be her job to be watching out for the pack? Shouldn't she have known this wolf was following them? Frustrated, Spirit rose to her paws and walked out into the rain, pausing beneath the shelter of a smaller, nearby tree. There, she lowered her rump to the ground and stared out into the rain. She would pay attention now. She wouldn't let her own selfish concerns let things slip past her again.

Performing her duties was something Spirit thought of as important. But the longer she sat there watching the landscape drown she couldn't deny the lonely feeling tugging at her. Even worse, she accepted it. Accepted the idea that she was slowly tearing herself away from the pack. Isolating herself in her duties, not feeling motivated to speak to many of the other pack members. She hadn't really uttered a word to many besides Gale and Soran since the fire. Sure there had been small talk but nothing worthy of calling a conversation. Wrapping her tail instinctively over her paws Spirit tried to push troubling thoughts from her mind as her blue eyes kept locked on the rain.

"I'd have to say that they began to hurt after Ice and I raced one another. Just before we left the river. After we raced, i began to cough and the pain had begun. I thought it was just because i hadnt run for so long like i had. But i guess i was mistaken. It never felt this way before... If i wouldn't have challenged Ice the way i did. This wouldnt have happened. I still think im fine. Its jut a cold. Oh who am i kiddin', im lying to myself.."

He battles with himself.. Linnea mused to herself, before addressing him directly. "Well, I think you are perfectly correct. You have, most likely, a highly contagious sickness that humans call Kennel Cough. The main symptom is dry coughing. I know an herb that will help when it flares up. It is called Sundew. Sundew is a carnivorous plant. Those plants eat bugs by catching them, which is interesting but not what we are talking about.. It has curved, dish shaped leaves on long stalks, and has bristles that give off sap. We need the entire thing. If any of you sees any, make sure you spare the seeds. We can carry those and put them wherever the pack settles permanently. This condition will flare up more than once." She explained what he likely had, trying to keep it simple but it was hard to keep a small amount of sentences with so much to say. The khaki painted wolf paused then, thinking back to their travels. She recalled absolutely no presence of the plant they needed.

As well, the pack was in grassland. If anyone found this plant, it would be a very strange occurence. They would probably have to wait until they met the forest again. That could possibly be days away though, so Phantom would possibly have to cough the entire way.

Linnea yawned, she had not gotten any rest for some time now. Her eye lids were somewhat drooped, and she held a distant look that was a result of her yearning to finally curl up and nap. Her head rested on her right leg, but she refused to allow herself to close her eyes for more than a blink. It was a normal thing for the female to close her eyes for only a few moments, forget to open them and then wake up an hour later. As well, sometimes when she was told to wake she would do the same thing. However, as a twist she would have a dream of her getting up and moving to do her duties. As a youngling, this had angered her mother more than once and several others. It had yet to happen in this pack. The memories of her siblings and mother were dim, and yet held a striking clarity at the same time.

Then, she forgot to not close her eyes. On accident, she did, and began to doze with dim memories and dreams of her old life when she had been small and young and innocent. A few moments after that, she opened her eyes with a jerk. She had finally remembered not to fall asleep. Annoyed mildly, and finding herself even more upset by the lack of sleep, she stared unfocused at the damp grass in front of her muzzle.

"Dont worry about me, Ice. Your my concern. Not myself. I highly dout im leaving this life until death. I'll stay with you till death due us part. Thank you, Linnea. So i expect that I will not eat this herb until we travel onword once more into a dense forest?"

"You are very welcome Phantom. As for your question, yes. We will not find this plant in plains like the ones we are in now. Only in very wet grounds with much rain will we find the plant. " Linnea replied. After she finished speaking, he had a short coughing fit. Linnea winced in sympathy. "I understand your pain, though. I was cut badly by shards of a tree that fell on me. If I move the wrong way, I have severe pain in my left shoulder. The worst makes me crumple to the ground."

"Dang coughing fest!"

Linnea then recognised the looks Ice and Phantom had been giving each other. Her noticing was obvious. Her eyes brightened and her lips formed a subtle smile. It was obvious they were quite fond of each other, which was a thing that made Linnea very happy to see. Since her last pack, she had not really seen these sort of feelings nor felt them. To her, they had all but vanished. At first, she had been obsessively seclusive. But now she could see the closeness the entire pack had. Old friends, mates, crushes, friends in general. It was all here, and Linnea was only carefully dipping a toe into the pool of it. She then hid the look, likely they had seen it and she didn't need to grin at them like an idiot for minutes long. She regained the same neutral composure as before.

"Since this is contagious, I can travel a little far back and sleep away from the others."

"If you want to remain here, which you should because of this very condition you have aquired, you just have to breathe away from others and not cough on them. However, if some wolf comes up and pesters you feel free to purposefuly cough on them. Thats the only time you should though. Just be careful." She put emphasis on careful. Linnea did not want any separated, it was dangerous because any predators target the separated and the sick. Phantom would be both. It could be a deadly combination for the male, and Linnea intended to keep every member alive on the trip if she could help it. Besides, a coughing condition just meant coughing. If they found that herb, it would be easy to keep a hold of and any who might catch it could use it as well. It would disappear eventually. Any pack members life was worth the entire pack getting sick.

Three days. Three whole days of trekking through freezing rain that accompanied the cold autumn winds. As the wind and rain grew heavier and more fierce, the pack sought out shelter. Being in an almost barren landscape that lacked in much cover; it had been a huge relief to the Banishing Winds to finally find a decently sized patch of trees to retreat under. Gale quickly chose a spot further away from the others. The spot he had chosen was heavy with foliage; he was almost completely dry now compared to the others. His sprite bottle green eyes were misted over as many thoughts flickered in his mind. Lately, he had been debating upon leaving the pack, mostly because there was nothing to keep him here. However, still he remained. Granted, he spoke nothing more than a few scarce words to the others; he was not quite sure as to why he was still with the rest of the pack. Then again, there was still a purpose for him here, one that he had to complete no matter what. Shaking his head, the warrior watched the rain as it fell from the sky and spalshed upon the ground; filling the earth with its life sustaining energy. The brute was laying down, his paws folded neatly, one over the other. It was a pose he was accustomed to, one that had remained with him no matter the changes he had taken in his life. With a deep, thoughtful sigh, Gale lowered his head to his paws, listening to the pitter patter of the water as it landed on the leaves.

Within a few short moments of this, Linnëa had approached him. She said nothing, but sat near him in what could be described as a companionable silence. Gale found himself relieved at the silence she offered. Many wolves would break such a beautiful thing, but not Linnëa. He had been about to open his jaws and restart their conversation from before when Cinnamon suddenly appeared, needing help with Phantom. The two healers disappeared; effectively leaving the Wanderer to himself once more. His thoughts were quieted now and that meant he was able to rethink over the past few days. All together, the pack must have covered at least thirty miles if not more. No one had stayed behind, something that he was grateful for. They all seemed to see the sense of leaving their once homeland in search of a future that could give them the best results. Gale certainly hoped they'd find that future soon.

[I apologize for the lameness that possessed this post..]

(I find it very awesome that Gale is the only person in this pack that actually calls her Linnëa and not Linnea. I don't even hardly do that any more. Hooray for Gale, not being lazy like me!)

Linnëa gave a simple nod to Phantom. She would have given more of a response to his reply, but after that the conversation around her seemed to dim and blur. She was tired from walking, and moving, and having to bear with her random episodes of pain that darkened her vision. Her duties here were done with Phantom. She would now leave, perhaps strike up a conversation for socialization rather than her job, and then nap.

With that decided, she rose to her paws, a yawn exposing her ivory teeth. Linnëa turned around slowly, and began to trudge away from them, back to the spot she had been laying at before. A slight limp made her strides everything but graceful, not that she could care less about appearance. The entire pack was just thinking of getting out of these conditions and to a new home. Not much more mattered. Packs like this could not travel for long periods of time. Small groups of one to three wolves were preferable. But over ten wolves? It was just too much to ask of the hunters for longer than a few weeks.

After a short time, which felt much longer to Linnëa than short, she laid down in the spot she had been in before Cinnamon had asked for her help. Near Gale. She was silent as before, but now a bit more tiredness lined her eyes. But, another detail like before, if Gale spoke to her she would reply. But, if the silence lasted longer than a few minutes, she would go to sleep. Either way, she was somewhat determined to speak with him. He was intelligent, and spoke with sense, and that made her wish to at least become acquaintances with the male. Her head rested on her paws, and her eyes were directed lazily forward as the laid parallel to Gale.

(Look what I can do! ë! I copied the evil ë from Gale's post to use. XD)

Cinnamon sighed as Linnea dismissed her diagnosis and provided her own answer. Soon after she saw the other scholar walk back to where she hahd been sitting.

Her head drooped, she felt friendless and lonely. Glancing around slightly desperatly her eyes lit on a white male sitting slightly apart from the rest of the group. Somewhere in her memory she though she recognised him. Determined to prove herslef right or wrong she padded over

"Hello, you're Falco aren't you?" She spoke curiously, sitting down next to him "I don't know if you remember me but I remember seeing you with Silver just after I joined the pack... Think I made a pretty rotten impression on her though, on everyone for that matter." She shut up and sat silently, waiting to see if he reacted, or responded

After being lost to his thoughts for what could have passed as forever, Gale noticed that there were soft pawsteps heading in his direction once more. Even with the rain weighing down all scents, he still managed to make out exactly who it was. Turning his head, his green eyes caught Linnëa's blue-silver ones. Dipping his head in hello, he turned his attention back to the rain again. So far, it had not slowed, but it had not sped up either. He had always hated the rain; he gave a soft snort of disapproval before he looked back at Linnëa. She was a short distance away from him, a tiredness in her eyes. A flicker of confusion touched his mind before simply fading as quickly as it had come. The healer had sustained injuries in the fire, one that should have caused her to slow down a great deal. Remarkably, she had kept going. Never had he heard her utter a complaint nor had she asked for the pack to stop for her to rest. No, she continued onward without a single word. For that, Gale knew that she was worthy of respect and that the pack needed more wolves like her. His gaze followed her as she lay down near him and once again, the silence stayed around her. This time, however he was going to break it.

"Linnëa." He spoke her name quietly as he shifted slightly so he wouldn't have to crane his head so much to look at her. It would make the conversation between the two much easier as well. "How are your injuries?"

"Hello there, my name is Hestia, and I am in search of a pack."

Hearing a new voice, the Wanderer's attention faltered and shifted towards the new wolf who had claimed herself to be Hestia. She had a dusty, fiery coloured coat made of many different shades. However, the rain had plastered her fur down and caused the colours to darken; he could not discern any one hue. He stayed quiet as she looked towards the healer who accompanied him. Though, his bright green eyes
remained watchful in order to protect his pack mate.

[Lame..]

"Linnëa. How are your injuries?"

Linnëa heard Gale's reply, and just when she was about to reply herself. However, she was cut short."My injuries are-"

"Hello there, my name is Hestia, and I am in search of a pack."

Linnëa was interrupted abruptly by a stranger, whom she had never seen before. Her gaze redirected from Gale to the female, whom had named herself to be Hestia. Her expression was painfully neutral as the scrutinized the wolf. She seemed safe enough, but Linnëa did not even trust her own senses. Her perception of wolves was heavily fogged through her fatigued mind. She tensed somewhat, but forced herself to relax again because her shoulder let out an annoyed pang of pain that seemed to echo through her muscles. This showed somewhat, her eyebrow-dots pulled together, and her tensing neck was visible through her damp fur. She resisted a growl of pain, not wanting the wolf to know how vulnerable the master scholar actually was. She felt somewhat consolidated when she noticed Gale being careful as well, a flash of protectiveness appearing and disappearing in half the time a blink would take.

"Well, you have found a pack. " She said in a low voice. She felt her throat attempt to move to form a yawn. To counteract this, she swallowed hard. "Do you intend to join us, if our alphas approve?" Linnëa finished what she had wanted to say to her. Then, she redirected her attention again, back to Gale this time. She gave him a simple look, to acknowledge the fact that she did not want to name her injuries in front of a stranger.
(A little lame. I'm as tired as Linnëa.)

I suppose it's okay... I have forgotten most of my past now. Forgive me, for I have forgotten your name.

"It's Cinnamon" She met his questioning eyes and gave a small smile "I'm a scholar, under Linnea." She paused then turned the questions on him "Where did you go Falco, when you left here? What things did you see?"

She looked him straight in the eyes "I lived a sheltered life when I was young, my mother Albula, she watched me like a hawk because I was her only pup, the last reminder of her mate... Hence, I want to learn everything I can to help this pack, make myself worthy of being a member"

Phantom stirred from his short daze. This wasn't the best time to be goofing off with his mind. Force of habit. The white scout let a high pitched whine come from his throat. It was short ended by another hacking fest. The coughs came out rough and dry. They sounded deeply painful and the male attempted to clear his throat. Wanting to put something in his throat that was moist and would hopefully keep the coughs quieter then usual. It only worked for a short amount of time, they came right back only about twenty or so minutes later. Maybe some water will do me good. His pelt looked dimmer then its normal cleanness. It was filthy. Covered in gray and brown dust. Matted. He looked horrible for being only three years of age. Phantom arose from where he lay and went out in search of water, before he left he looked at Cinnamon and barked a little loud, "I will be back soon, I'm going to search for something to drink.." She knew he was sick and probably would be dying for a nice cool drink. Hopefully she would understand.


I hope i can find some, Oh here we are!


The white scout had trotted for about half a mile before coming across a medium sized water puddle. Phantom looked down at his reflection. A loud sigh came from his locked jaws. I do look... bad. Maybe if i try to get my pelt wet. Oh that wouldn't work because of the mats. Once i get better and get that herb into my system, I'll clean myself up better. His studied himself for quite from time. He noticed his pelt and eye shade's were not the same as their normal colors. I look like an elder more then a two year old! Elder Phantom. He chuckled lightly at himself.

[Don 't forget that it's raining, Phantom lol.]