Llamrei didn't feel well.

The mare had been in Eridanus when it began to hit her. She had been resting, having been rather frightened by some Lesser Gembounds. But, as she galloped, it had become harder and harder to catch her breath. She'd been forced to stop, head between her legs, as she gulped in great lungfuls of air. And then she'd begun to cough. Her legs had trembled, muscles threatening to give in.

It had taken all she had to get to Polaris. Everything hurt, she couldn't breathe, and she was so tired. Thankfully, the closer she got to Polaris, the more energy the ambient Magic gave her. So she'd finally staggered into the room, and laid down in a pile of leaves. The mare groaned quietly, coughing as she curled up in the leaves, tucking her head against her side.


"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

The cave rat was running as fast as he could. Felina was right behind him. She wasn't about to let her food get away!

The runty female bobcat didn't know that chasing after the rat would lead her to Polaris. When the rodent ran on a narrow curve, Felina almost lost sight of him. Her nose found him again, though. He entered Polaris. Felina was only a whisker away from catching him, but then she smelled a female equine (Llamrei).

The rat scampered away. He was too fast, so Felina let him go. She was still hungry, but when she was three feet from the filly, Felina heard some kind of sound coming from the horse (coughing). The equine also looked pretty miserable. Was something wrong with her?

"Hello. My name's Felina. You don't look too good. Are you OK?" Her voice was full of genuine concern.

She wasn't sure if the horse could see her, but *if* the filly did notice her, she'd *might* understand that Felina is too small to eat her. Just in case, though, Felina tried to cast a spell she'd tried long ago: A darkness that surrounded her entire body. It was, however, *possible* for the female horse to pick up her scent.

Everything hurt.

The mare moaned quietly, trembling violently. Sweat coated her fur, giving it a sick, glossy shine. Although she had not realized it, she had lost a great deal of weight, her pelt clinging to her bones, leaving her looking not unlike the horse which had plagued her. Drool and foamy spittle oozed from her mouth, slightly bloody from the lesions in her mouth. Lumps were visibly swollen along her neck and throat, under her legs where they attached to her torso. The skin there along the lumps had broken, leaving them absessed and sickly smelling.

Her flanks shook as she fought for each breath, the skin near her hooves painful, gangrene having set in. It was only the feline's voice that drew her attention, and slowly amethyst eyes turned, attempting to find the source of it. Alas, the source was shrouded in shadow, and she was too out of it to think to scent it. "Llamrei," she murmured, returning with her name. "N-no," the mare coughed again, splattering spittle on the dirt. "T-there's a beast spreading a pl-plague in the Caves. Y-you need to be-be careful."

@Felina


"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

"You're more important right now. You need help. If there's some way to relieve you of your illness, that's the first thing that must be done.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if my limited knowledge of Majick will help you recover. I'll check around and try to find...something. Maybe there's a way for you to have at least some *temporary* relief."

By the time Felina finished speaking, the dark shroud around her body was gone. Her form was now revealed as an undersized female bobcat. Too small to even *consider* Llamei as a meal.

Darkness-piercing eyes searched Polaris for at least *some* possibility of relief for the sickly female horse. Of course, the mosses and crystals were the most easily found. Little did Felina know that Llamei's disease was starting to infect *her*, too...