He was ready to go home, though the lead hunter of the pack wasn't ready to go home empty handed. He wanted to go with some meat, he wanted the pack to have food, he wanted Deuce to have food. The white female had childern that need the food and deepened upon that said food to live, and to function. The black male wanted to bring home at least something small. No matter the coast, he wasn't willing to have his name as a hunter be put on the line, and his honor and trust be gone. Lucifer picked up the sent of a ground hog, it wasn't the best meal, it would not be the best meat but with the luck he was having for that day, it would work. The male put his nose to the ground, there was the soft sound of a rattle snake, the male stopped as he looked around, He wasn't sure where it was coming from. Logically he stopped, and the male whined softly, not seeing the snake but only hearing it, made him worry. Then as quickly as he made the sound, there was the sharp pain, it felt like when he jumped onto the knife Deuce had. Though, it was clear that the objects was two and smaller. Looking down to his leg he saw it...brown, and oh did his leg hurt. He howled, it was his only scream for help.
The male limped as he moved though the lands, his leg killing him, Finally no longer able to take it the male fell tucking his leg under him, laying down on the border the male whimpered. He failed...his family, his lovers, every one. Maybe Conri had made a wrong choice in making him the lead hunter.
A howl cut through her focus on the book she'd found as she and Naniko had explored the herbal shop. She jumped, suddenly feeling cold. She set the book down, making sure the boys were secure in their playpen. She then moved quickly to where the howl had rung out from, her heart pattering rapidly. There, on the border...Lucifer. She didn't hear the frightened whimper that exited her thraot as she moved forward quicly.
Lucifer! He was whimpering. good that meant he could breathe. She loooked at him, frightened. Lucifer...what happened? Dear goddess....please, help me..... She knelt at his side, laying a hand on his face. She had to get him out of the rain. She hooked her hands under him and hoisted him up. She staggered under his weight, but carried him to their den. She'd been spending time making it deeper and wider, and had accidentally burrowed into an old cave. The den was now perfect for her to stand in fully shifted.
She'd brought in pine boughs until she made it back to the city to find pillows and blanketrs like the den in Jaded Shadows. Sh laid her mate ion the designated sleeping platform.
His leg was killing him, it stung like ten thousand bees where sting his leg. The male wanted to tear up and cry, or just tear the leg off, and hope and pray that he was still able to function with out the leg. Knowing if he didn't try to fight it, and didn't try to craw into the lands that the poison wouldn't be able to travel though as quickly. He wanted to live, but if his death came, it came. How would his pack know him as? What would Deuce know of him as? So many questions...though one laying on his mind....how foolish he was for letting this happen.
Hearing the voice, he knew it, the poison wasn't going to his mind...yet. Image blurred, the male opened his eyes as she looked to him, she was shifted. The male sighed softly, he was a klutz, not at all a graceful Lead hunter. "Snake..bite...It was a rattler...." He groaned his breathing was getting harder for him and him to do. He laid his head back down. "Summer? Mommy?!"and the poison was making it's effect on his brain.
(So much conflicting info! Dammit! And I can find it for humans and horses. evrything else says GO TO THE VET! LOL)
A rattler. Deuce felt panic seep into her mind, even as her beloved called her by his mother's name. She whined softly, touching his leg. It was warm to the touch. She ran her hand down his leg, searching for the bite marks. She hoped she could remember everything she'd read or heard about snake bite. unfortuantely, it wasn't much. He shouldn't have been moving it. It had been about an hour since he'd been bitten.
And there were no hebs to magikally cure it.
She elevated his body so his heart was above the bite. Then she tied a cloth around the leg. It wasn't a tourniquit, though it would be once the swelling got going. No ice or heat...that would make it worse. She made sure the pups were in their playpen and started a fire. She'd boil some willow bark and chamomile for tea for Lucifer. It might help with the pain and fever.
But the venom would have to run it's course. All she could do was treat the symptoms, not the problem. So that was what she would do.
This hurt, his leg was killing him, throbbing, and the fact she was touching it made him want to snap his teeth around her and shake her, though he wasn't the healer, he was a hunter, and a rather bad one at that. The basic rule was the watch your step and he watched it a little to late. The black male looked to her, this white female the dark colored male wolf looked to her. Fear was in her eyes, she tried to hide it but though all of his mental games that was going on, her knew fear. Grunting, he looked to her, his stomach twisted in fear of the answer she was going to have. In a way he didn't want to ask, but he had to. "How bad is it Mom?"
Shifting around the male lifted his head up, basic movement where a huge task for him, he had failed his pack. He was a leader and now because of the snake bite could not lead. How unfair to the pack was he being. " Mommy...I'm part of the pack leaders now. I'm following in your steps. I must have made your prod, You've stopped throwing things at me in your shadow forum."
It made her feel somewhat insecure that he ontinued to think she was Summer. The two white feys couldn't stand eachother, afterall. But she didn't try to correct him just yet. Her movements were automatic as she ontinued to work on something to help. Garlic. lots of it. She had some...somewhere. She was grateful she and Naniko had been to the city, else she wouldn't be able to help at all now.
Its not bad at all, dear. lay still. I'll make it better. His mention of being a leader made her look to him. He wanted her to be Summer? If it ould make him listen to her, she'd grit her teeth and pretend. I know, darling. I am very proud of you. You're doing very well for yourself and your family.
She hoped he'd survive, so she could tell that to her mate herself. She'd never told him that before. She needed to. She turned, spotting the garlic by the back wall. She picked it up, peeling off one clove. She looked at him. This is going to taste bad, Lucifer. but i need you to eat it. She slipped it into his mouth, stroking his cheek. Eat dear. it will help.
Taking what ever she handed him, he would take. The male opened and gingerly put a tooth though the clove that was in his mouth. Lucifer whimpered as his eyes grew heavy as he laid his head back, resting. Yes..just resting, chewing on the nasty stuff that was in his mouth. The male coughed, it had a powerful taste to it. He rolled it around in his mouth, as he held it there, hopefully his mother was foolish enough to believe that he would taken it all. Lucifer
The male shifted his weight around, trying to find that one spot where the pain wouldn't be there, the male weight was now on his side as he yawned the garlic coming out of his mouth as he nuzzled his head against the ground as he stretched out smacking his lips, yes the wonderful joys of the body shutting it-self down to slumber, and try to fight the infection, Lucifer knew that if his body was not able to fight it off, he would never wake. "Mom...tell Deuce I'm sorry and tell Colibri she's been fun." Really was it sad he was ready to pay his own dues and join his mother's family and father's family in the world that he's only pecked at though a shadow Vale. With that the male went into his slumber.
he didn't take all the garlic, but some. Maybe it was enough. They would find out. As his mind slipped into sleep, she knew there was nothing she could do. Keep him warm or cool, depending on his tempature. That was all. His words of lov her her didn't upset her. Colibri did.
Tell Coloubri she's been fun. Who the hell was Colibri? Under her concern for her mate, fear and doubts began to gnaw at her, Now she noted, under the acrid stench of the oncoming sickness, the subtle taint of female. And not her. And not Naniko. Not Nocht. Not Anka. Not a vale member. A stranger. Someone who smelled of the city pack. A stranger, who's sex was diffused amongst Lucifer's own scent, subtly intwined. She felt agfhast, and wanted to walk away.
She would stay, give him the chance to wake up. Give him the chance to heal before asking. She woul give him a chance to prove her growing fears wrong.
The male sleep was restless, he saw snakes, as he guided his sons though the field of snakes. Lucifer snarled as he lunged at one of the snake, he gotten it. he pushed the two boys a little further till the next one came in the path, lunging at Taliesin, Lucifer wasn't going to have that, He jumped into the path as the snake latched it-self onto the male's noes. Screaming with a deep snarl the male shook his face feeling the burn of the bite, rather him then his pups. He would kill any one that hurt his kids, they where all that he had in this life.
His sleeping body laid there, as his legs twitched like he was in one of the happy running type dreams, oh how it was far from that. Then came the bite in his dream, the male snarled as his eyes shifted into the back of his head, as he moved his head side to side. Then....as suddenly it came about it stopped, for it his dreams he rested, waiting on the snake to let go as he laid over top of the pups, shielding there body's from any more snakes. Lucifer was willing to die for them.
Time slowly slipped as seconds lead into minutes, minutes lead into hours, and hours lead into days. The male slept for three days though really in his dream felt like only hours, his eyes opened pain...he didn't talk he knew he was in pain, and was still trying to figure out what was going on.
She waited, giving water when needed, cleaning the pine boughs when needed. She stayed awake, waiting. Praying. She waited, not sleeping, not eating. Just waiting. He was her mate, her love. What deity could possibly want to take him from her? It was unfair. Utterly unfair. She hated life.
She waitied restlessly, never daring to be far from his side. And then, three days later, his eyes fluttered open. She breathed a prayer of thanks to Rhiannon. The great mother goddess had come through again for her. Deuce laid a hand on his cheek, searching his eyes. The fever is gone. Her lilt was thick. She was stressed and tired. But he would make it.
The male didn't move, didn't say a word, the pain was numbing, though he didn't feel like his head was in clouds. The male nuzzled his maw into her paw as he sighed softly with a yawn. Yes he had slept what felt like only a few hours. The male looked down to his leg, it was red and tender but it was as nearly swelled up as it was before. The male knew not to move, she would fight with him, and make him be the good boy that would do as the doctor told. Lucifer sighed softly shaking his head, how foolish this was, him getting bitten, and trying to fight the pain that the bite had caused. Lucifer wasn't sure where to go from this point.
His blue eyes looked back to her, was he out of the shadow of danger? Just because the fever was gone, would he still be able to hunt, run and play with the pups and the pack. That was his world, that was his every thing. Lucifer searched her face for the answers to his questions...would she have them? Would be be clueless? Oh god..this whole thing was bad.
She searched his eyes as he searched his face. Were they okay? he was still hers, right? She stroked his face lovingly, studying him. I don't know if you remember, love, but you were bit by a rattler. I've done the best i can. You've been asleep for three days....you had a bad fever, and were delerious.
She paused, then managed a laugh from somewhere. it wasn't funny, but she would treat it lightly. You thought I was Summer.... She shrugged, the pain flickering in her eyes briefly. She kissed his forehead gently. You'll be okay now, but i want you to stay still. You'll be getting broths and teas fora day or two. I couldn't get you to eat anything solid while you were out...so we need to work you back up to it.
Naniko had the boys now. It was okay.
He groaned hearing what she wanted him to do, lay still? No solid food. The male knew better to fight her, some how she always won. The male looked at her then to her side where was the kids? The male didn't have the effort to push into talking. All he did was look at her and nod or hang his head. The male was nothing more then a big baby. He hated it when he was sick he hated it when he wasn't able to do something. The male rolled him-self to his side, as he looked at her. He opened his mouth to fight it, but his voice only squed from being rested for four days. He grunted and flopped down his head. Disgusted by his-self for his lack there of voice.
She cared for him, giving him a deer broth she'd boiled. More garlic, more willow. Goldenroot to reduce chance of infection. It might not be a good tasting broth, but it was good for him. She checked how tender the mea was that she'd used to make the broth, then slid some of the boiled marrow into his mouth. She wasn't heartless, she just knew how much he could take and how quickly.
It wasn't until after he'd fallen back alseep she allowed herself to lay down and begin crying. She'd come so close to losing him...and she had the feeling she had already lost him. Was she okay? No, not at all. She cried until she didn't have the strength to cry anymore, then she fell asleep. Lucifer's stirring woke her up several hours later. She sat up, scrubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Good morning, love. You should be feeling stronger now. Her voice was cheery, breezy. her voice hid how close to the grave he'd been.
His eyes opened again, this time was morning. Still not sure what had all happened, other then the snake bit. Lucifer wasn't thrilled that he had to show he was weak to her...to his mate. The black male opened his his voice cracked, and was flat but it was there."How long was I out?" The male voice noted that he wasn't happy. He was mad that he had been out for more then a few hours, he was mad that with how he was a lead hunter he should have known to watch out for snakes.
He stomach growled as he rolled his eyes, he couldn't wait for the time when he had her clearing to go back to hunting. Food sounded great, and not just any food but real, fresh, still bleeding food. He was wanting a huge feast. One with fish, bird, and deer. Oh wonderful food. He turned on his sad blue eyes, pushing his bottom lip out as he fluttered his eyes."Can I go hunt?' Lucifer felt like he was playing a game of mother may I, and had asked this question ten different time and each time she had said no.
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