Kera grimaced at the hacking and the choking, stepping forward carefully. "I know it's wrong," she said. "It'll know it's wrong too, one day, and it'll be sorry for it."

She moved a little closer-- carefully still --and licked Giggle's shoulder. "Sit down-- lie down," Kera wasn't sure what to do, other than try to appear as though she were perfectly calm. "You should rest, and I can watch you, and make sure the creature and the darkness and the eyes come back, and when you wake up we can get you food, or make lights, and make sure the eyes don't come back?"

She shifted a little more, trying to steadily get Giggle to lay down on her own while somehow also trying to keep a distance-- it didn't work. Obviously. She stood with her neck craned awkwardly out in front of her, licking Giggle's shoulder.

She wondered when the last time the hyena ate. "Are you hungry? You could eat now, if I can get you a rat. Just-- lie down, okay?"

@Giggle

Giggle hesitated, and at length, realized that Kera was speaking to her. Trying, even, to reassure her. She took a breath and turned toward the wolf, pacing back and away from the dangerous fungi now spreading where she'd stood.

"Don't, don't--touch, dangerous," she warned; then looked around. "Rest, yes. I will rest. And then I will spread the light. You brought light. I will make more of it. But rest, first."

The hallowed caller gave another frightened, mournful cry, still circling overhead, and Giggle, still shaking with the adrenaline born of rage and fear, turned to totter weakly away. She didn't want to appear weak, but she was too exhausted to truly care. Instead her mind was already fading, drifting, thinking of the bones, and the cave, and the darkness.

Crushing grief tore briefly through her as she remembered that Bones and Kerberos and Azazel were nowhere to be found.

She pushed it away, and pressed on, heading up to her ledge to curl up and to rest. This was too much for one day, for the bedraggled creature.

Omen landed beside her to find her lying, her dark eyes open, among the fungi at the very top of the ledge. Her magic seemed chaotic--where it failed before, now it thrived, with veritable carpets of glowing blue-green springing up around her.

Taking some peace and some comfort, at least, in this--in the light brought by the white wolf--Giggle closed her eyes, and slept.

________________

ROLL THE BONES

Exit Giggle

Don't touch-- right, that made things a little simplier. Kera's neck retracted back into its normal position and she stood half-hovering around Giggle, concerned. "Okay-- rest, yes," she said quietly.

Moving to follow Giggle and grimacing at the caller's call, she began to worry. She knew it was best to sit and stand guard over the hyena but she didn't know exactly what she was going to be guarding the hyena of. She knew there was a creature, blackness and eyes, but that didn't sound much like any creature Kera knew of.

As Giggle lay down and her one-eyed raven fluttered next to her, Kera shifted some distance away and sat down a few feet from them. "It'll be okay," the pup repeated quietly. "I'll be here if you need anything and I'll make sure nothing comes back for you."

Giggle seemed to already be asleep now, however, surrounded by dimly-glowing mushrooms. With a gentle huff, Kera turned her head and began a silent vigil in the half-darkness, staring out across Canis as she kept watch for... eyes, she supposed.

-exit-