Fruitless Hunting

[Onyx]

"Drat!" Aeon spat crossly her favorite oath, cursing her luck for having to fall into the mud of the umpteenth time that evening. And to think, all this effort for but a single herb. Ha! Fate must loath the poor female. A sigh drug, long and heavily audible from her maw before she latched onto a thick vine, prying herself from the clutches of the quicksand-like mud. By now, she was already coated in the syrupy substance, and she would need a thorough bathing before settling down for the night. But she could not give in now, not when she was so close to finding that dratted root for that ill, heathen pack member of hers.

Pondering over yet another route to get to the ebony flower, jutting proudly from a rotten, moss covered, log, she began to pace slowly. It was on an island-go figure-surrounded by sink holes, and murky depths that Aeon was certain contained a fair deal of visitors lurking in them. What to do?

A chorus of cries broke through the air, dominating her attention as her head whirled to meet the heavens, finding a sole black bird perching on a branch directly overhead. How fortunate. Finally, some luck to aid her. Gingerly, her ears fell back against her skull, maple eyes dripping tenderness as she gazed at the avian, and the bird fluttered down to meet her, cocking his to one side as if to ask 'what do you want?' Slowly, so as to be certain the fellow animal understood what she was gesturing to, she pointed to the flower, and the bird launched from the air, landing easily on the damp, wooden perch. He plucked the flower to her instruction, making sure to obtain every, single root before her returned, dropping it before her and then depating. Aeon barked in delight. Oh the joy! She could finally get out of this wretched place!

[Onyx]

Gingerly, Aeon picked up the dainty flower via her maw, and tried to retrace her steps back through the swampy terrain. Unfortunately, it was rather difficult to find your own path when the waters around you constantly stirred, and the mud itself seemed an entity all its own, as it too shifted perpetually. A grumble of annoyance slipped from her throat, though she was carful not to damage the flower in the process, for then her quest would have been in vain.

Scenting the air, she dragged the various scents of the surrounding swamp through her nose, inhaling to a point where she was sure her lungs would burst before she exhaled to allow her mind to register the location of home. Judging it to be somewhere in a general left direction, she padded carefully, jumping from log to water soaked, tiny island to escape the clutches of such a damp and dreary place.

[Edana]

Zyra stalked through the trees the sharp smell of the bog coming ever near her. She had woken refreshed to find Kila asleep. She had studied her form for a moment wondering how the fem could sleep so awkardly with a paw in the river and her head on a lower slope. Eventually she came to the decision that Kila had probably collapsed of exhaustion and her wound may very well be infected. She decided she would go hunt for the healer.

Zyra had left the den following her scent trail that was quite a few hours old. Her tail twitched with a bit of nervousness wondering if the healer was alright. Usuallly she did not stay out this long when she was searching for herbs, especially not when she had sick wolves on hand. Zyra sighed softly to herself, paws pounding beneath her as she rushed through the undergrowth.

The strange almost moldy scent of the bog had suddenly gotten very strong and Zyra could see the unstable ground of it already. She stopped at the edge where the bog started and stared off in the distance spotting Aeon stuck in the middle. "My, you are in a bit of a predicament!" Zyra called.

[Onyx]

Aeon's head shot up as her name was called, herself losing her footing and slipping, head first, into the vile mud and swarthy waters of the bog. Her jaws remained clamped around the flower, herself determined not to lose her treasure after taking such a vast time to find the wretched thing. Her paws kicked voilently, her head surging upward, breaking the surface of the water as she struggled to free herself from the muck. It was to her great fortune that the land sloped downward, and her foot came into contact with a rocky surface beneath the water's facade. Gratefully, she heaved her tiny frame up and out from the sinking depths, dropping onto the muddy, water ruined land to inhale large gulps of air into her thirsty lungs. When she could speak clearly and evenly again, and her flower was safely placed on a small patch of dryer earth, she returned Zyra's call.

"This is a complete and utter mess, not a predicament! I can't find the exact path I took, can you see a clear way out?"

[Edana]

Zyra's eyes grew wide as she watched Aeon look up and then suddenly get sucked down into the mud. Almost without thought her form disappeared and she reappeared in the shadows, close to where Aeon had disappeared. Luckily, the healer had gotten a hold of something and managed to push herself up and out of the messy mud.

She was covered in the stuff and it was already begining to cake on her in thick clumps. "No, I don't think there is any solid ground here. I will have to transport you myself, but I haven't really done it before with another wolf. I don't know if I am strong enough." Zyra flicked her tail glancing out to the safe ground she had left just a moment ago.

[Onyx]

"There has to be. I didn't fly over here, you know." Aeon picked up her flower again, a bit irked that a valuable petal had been torn from place, rendering it useless now. She needed every bit of the plant to cure the idiot of a yearling who had ventured out on his own and somehow managed to catch a form of what she termed the 'day chills'. Sighing, she passed the flower on to Zyra, shaking her head after giving over the herb.

"I'm not going to risk that. Especially since I'm not strong enough to carry you back home if you go unconscious from this stunt. Why don't you go back home and find Dawn? Maybe with the two of you, I can get out of this muddle. While you're at it, please take that to my den and tell Tasuk to drink plenty of water until I get back to personally force feed him that. It may cure him, but it has a foul taste."

[Edana]

Zyra looked down at the flower studying it for a moment before she even made any attempt at picking it up or moving it. She glanced back at Aeon watching her as she spoke. She curled up her nose at the doubt Aeon showed and shook her head slowly. She knew even though it was true, she wasn't strong enough yet for that, and had never tried it before. There would be no telling exactly what would happen to her if she tried now.

"Okay, but do you want me to catch you something to eat first before I leave you here? You gotta be hungry, you have been here for a long time." Zyra shifted her weight raising her head as she tried to catch the scent of any nearby prey. She turned back to Aeon after a moment, "Kila was bitten by a fox I think her wound is infected cause she is sleeping all awkwardly near the river. I think she passed out there." Zyra gingerly picked up the flower in her mouth waiting for Aeon's response.

[Onyx]

Aeon had not even noticed the gradual passage of time, to be truthful. She had been so absorbed in finding the flower that she had not noticed the slow rumbling in her stomach up until that very moment. Strange, even when she was overworked and tending to numerous patients, she never ignored her own needs. Why now would she? "A few more moments wont kill me. I believe I can wait for you to get back with Dawn and for me to get out of here before eating."

The she wolf was silent all throughout Zyra's explanation of Kila's predicament, but when she did manage to speak, her voice was firm, though thoughful as she searched the corners of her mind for the herbs she would need for her packmate and if she had any on stock. "Alright. The moment I get out of here, I'll go check on Kila. The both of you should accompany me there in case she needs to be transported back to my den for further treatment because she cannot walk."

[Edana]

Zyra listened to Aeon for a moment as she explained what she was going to do. With a slow nod Zyra left Aeon with one last glance and looked back over to the safer shore. Closing her eyes in concentration she focused on the spot of shadow she had seen on that ground. She could feel a tightness building around her, and then a sudden jerking, and all the sudden she felt very loose as if every part of her had seperated into many small pieces.

Zyra's amber gaze flicked open once she felt the ground beneath her paws. Her ghostly shape was starting to reappear in the shade of the safer ground. She looked down her muzzle at the flower to make sure it was still there before she took off. Her legs once more carried her swiftly over the ground, the passing air playing with her fur.

[Edana]

Zyra had listened to Dawn just for a moment and did not know if she had said anything else as she took off again. She figured the she wolf had not said anything for she was running alongside her now as Zyra weaved in between the trees. She jumped over large rocks and logs that were in her path as her form, flew gracefully over her obstacles.

Zyra's eyes darted ahead of her, briefly memorizing her path; she guided her paws along that route. Zyra could smell the distinct smell of the bog again, and on the breeze Aeon as well. The dark mushy ground was lurking ahead and Zyra began to slow down stopping once more at its edge. She stared off to where she had seen Aeon earlier and her ears perked a little. "You alright over there?" she asked her voice slightly teasing.

Zyra's eyes turned slowly about looking for Dawn as she lowered her head and sniffed the ground. She padded to one side a little trying to locate Aeon's scent where she had entered the bog? Perhaps it was on the complete other side of the bog. Zyra frowned raising her head as she glanced at Aeon.

[Onyx]

"It's a definate maybe," Aeon called back, testing the ground before her with one paw carefully before recoling as the limb began to sink into the thick mud. "I'm pretty sure I'm stranded on a tiny island surrounded by a sinkhole. The mud's very loose, so be careful when you try to move over here." The healer stepped back from the water's edge, maple orbs skimming over the murky depths, sighing and shaking the drizzling rain from her pelt. Great. Now it was raining on top of everything else.

ooc: Sowwy. Writer's block. -.-

[Edana]

Zyra continued to watch Aeon curiously as her tail wagged back and forth a bit. She sighed after a long moment and stepped cautiously forward. True enough the dirt began to cave in on her front paws and sucked them underneath. She jumped backwards her hind legs scrabbling and straining until they finally managed to pull her out.

Zyra allowed her ears to fall back against her head as she shook her paws and stared at the mud on them with a measure of disgust. "Well, you managed to get yourself over there so there must be a way." Slowly Zyra began testing each piece of ground until she found one that was solid.

ooc: It happens