ORIGIN

Travelling had been taxing. The passage they had been traveling proved to be a lot longer than she had originally thought. She wouldn't let on to Ocelot how much she had actually been hurting. If she complained too much they would slow their course even more and Rast was more concerned with getting to this new home and resting fully than resting for a short while and continuing on. The truth was that her wounds had started to burn and sting. They sapped at her energy and at times she felt as though she would collapse. Infection. Her mind whispered. Despite being cleaned by Ocelot the first day, some of the saliva from her attacker still made its home in her wounds. At times they would seep a pale foul smelling liquid.

At this moment, the young Snow Leopard was stretched on her side in a deep sleep. Despite this deep sleep, it was far from restful. Her nightmares were dark and dangerous, but they made no sense. They were vivid images of creatures with terrible teeth and gaping wounds. How terrible for the only thing she is able to see be something so terrifying. Her paws twitched and her lips curled in a mock growl. Her single, sightless eye was still sealed shut. Suddenly the nightmare became too much and a shrill cry erupted from her. Her fevered dreams stopped abruptly and she jerked awake, back into her familiar darkness. Her sides heaved and her tongue hung out of her mouth as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Ocelot..." She panted, not raising her head. "They are here, they are here." Rast gibbered as her brain fired off different signals to her nose and ears. Her fevered mind started to play tricks on her. She could smell smoke that wasn't there, she could hear claws scratching at the floor. The owner of those claws didn't exist except for in her mind. The little snow leopard thrashed, trying to get her legs under her but failing to do so.

"Ocelot! Don't let them get me!" Now her voice was shrill as she continued to squirm.

@ocelot

Damn infection and fever is a bitch.

Oliver was making his way in the other direction, quietly pacing over the patches of ice, huddled against the bitter cold blasts of wind that tended to wind their way through Tunnel H. He usually found himself alone, here, and when he used this tunnel, tried to get through it quickly--but today there was an odor carried on that bitter wind, and the odor was that of blood and illness... and fear.

Ear-tufts pricking up, he quickened his pace. Long tail-feathers trailed behind, and wing-arms cautiously crept him forward. His nose worked, and his ears--he could hear something whimpering, crying out, though the words were indistinct. Tentative, he gathered the smallest bit of magicka and sent that out, too, concern deepening in his chest.

There-... One mass of healthy little-things, and one coiled red with illness. To his blinking eyes, the distant bacteria that resonated his magic seemed to be in a frenzy, killing and battling, in a war of some kind.

He moved even faster, nearing a dead run; when he came skidding over a patch of ice and into sight, his words were already tumbling rushed from his mouth. His voice was urgent, but soft, his words gentle and concerned even for these two perfect strangers--and for a moment, he didn't really register them.

"What happened? This one--they're sick, do you need help?" He was already moving to Rast, eyeing her over with deep worry. He noticed at once that she seemed unable to move--on the ground, crying out. He wasn't aware that her words might make Ocelot see Oliver as a villain of some kind. Instead he just rushed right in with his offers, barely noticing the fact that they were both beautiful cats, with spotted coats and predatory gazes. He only noticed Rast's pain, her missing eye, the wounds inflicted over her body.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Rast (sidenote, even if they don't let him touch her, could I beg a quick summary of her wounds so I don't RP it wrong? Thanks!)

Rasts nostrils flared as visions danced over her sightless eyes. They are here, they are here, they are here. Her brain kept chanting over and over. Each sentence punctuated with an image of a writhing beast creeping closer. She wanted to run from them, her legs seemed to get the message but were not strong enough to pull herself up and do so. Instead they kicked weakly in place, like a dog dreaming of chasing a squirrel. She writhed, toiling with her dreaming mind in a waking state.

Ocelots words were lost to her. They sounded garbled and distant through the blood rushing through her ears. Suddenly something wet touched her face and then there was a pressure. A paw lashed out as she tried to hit whatever it was touching it and swiped through thin air. The action took so much energy, but once her paw did not impact the demon she was seeing right in front of her, her mind started to clear. There is nothing to touch... Nothing is there...

With this realization, her paws stopped their incessant kicking and her body calmed. Her sides heaved as she struggled to catch her breath and her tongue rested outside of her mouth, tasting the cold ground beneath them. Her thrashing had caused more damage to herself than anything else. The torn skin and empty socket on the left side of her face had begun to ooze blood and the foul smelling liquid. The flap of skin that had been hanging from her side had pulled a little further, and although the majority of the flap had begun to rot, the healthy skin at begun to pull. Her tail seemed to be the only thing that was not immediately disturbed by her fever fit.

Now another voice reached her ears. This one.. they are sick... His voiced sounded distance, but even so it did not sound hostile. Ocelot was the one who became hostile. His voice was harsh. The snow leopard was too out of it to speak. In fact, Rast had no idea what was going on, her mind was willing her to sleep. Her breathing started to slow, sleep sounds so nice... Perhaps this other thing that approached would help her while she slept. Perhaps sleeping would heal her. A fevered mind worked on convincing her that all she needed was to sleep, succumb to those claws that pulled her further away from consciousness.

@oliver @ocelot

Oliver hesitated, wincing away from the smaller cat. His ear-tufts flattened back and he crouched away, almost cringing. Almost at once, though, he was back up, his concern for the stranger lying sprawled over the rock--well, it overrode any fear of conflict. His voice, again, came gentle--but urgent.

"No, he--she? Uhh--is really sick. I can help, but it's really bad," Oliver insisted worriedly. He grimaced and briefly closed his eyes, trying to summon up his magic even from a few yards away, even while speaking. "I'm--I help people, I can help," he added softly. His magicka, however, flickered and fell away, and the hybrid paced a few steps sideways--trying to peer past Ocelot, to Rast.

"If you--let me closer, I can help. I don't know what you did but it isn't helping and--I can't do it from here. I won't hurt him. Her?" he added uncertainly.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Ocelot

Oliver glanced at Ocelot, concern in his face, then slipped past to approach Rast. She really was in a bad state, he could see.

He'd worked, now and then, on mending wounded Lesser Gembound. He knew a lot about how to heal--about sickness, about what worked and didn't. He still needed practice, though, and this was what worried him as he moved closer to the snow leopard cub.

"I'm Oliver," is all he answered, softly. Once near Rast he crouched, closing his eyes and huddling near her. He again concentrated--trying to calm himself down, the fear for this stranger fluttering in his chest and making it hard to focus. But he had to. He had to take a deep breath... draw in his magicka... and form it. He had to link it to this stranger, to soothe the raging infection within her--to cleanse it, to boost her own body's strength.

He could feel it working, this time, and his voice shuddered out with a tense breath. "...How long ago? What's been done--so far, to help..?" His tone wasn't judgemental, but gently concerned, that of a doctor with nothing more than care for his patient on his mind.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Ocelot @Rast

Rasts fevered mind continued pulling her further and further into the depth of darkness. She couldn't hear the voices of those around her anymore, it was silent except for her own beating heart. It was calming, it didn't hurt. The snow leopard would have been content to fall into the dark clutches of sleep, but suddenly she began to feel different.

Her mind seemed to clear just enough for her to regain full consciousness. Even though she could not see, she knew she was awake. She could feel the presence of another being near her and hear his voice. Still too weak to speak, she simply turned her head to the direction of the new stranger. If Ocelot was letting them so near her they must be trying to help. Intuition told her Oliver was the one to thank when she had the strength.

The snow leopard cubs frantic breathing patterned had slowed just enough to allow her to relax. Her wounds still burned as the infection fought against the good bacteria that was introduced into her system. She rested her head once more and allowed whoever this was to help. The creature was no demon from her nightmares.

@oliver @ocelot