"Watch your step, that might be another sinkhole."
"Bah, that's what you said no less than fifty paces earlier. GAH! Chikusho!"
"I warned you."
"Not another word! Grrr, this foolish, stupid, awful, ssy, fucking- baka! Baka, Baka, Baka!"
While on their way toward the Farr's Den, the trio soon discovered that the rainstorm had left the normally sandy trail forward into a brown, squishy and sinking pit where each step risked sinking down to their ankle before they could react. Felix had warned Reta to tread carefully but, in her ignorance, she pushed forward and was now throwing a tantrum by stomping her feet into the mud and making a ss out of the cloak she had borrowed to hide her nearly nude form.
Felix stepped away from their new ally, trading glances with KuliKuli, who had made herself comfortable sitting on his shoulder and finding their friends reactions to be entertaining. He calmly brushed the tail ends of his own cloak behind him, gripping and raising the fabric as if he were a won hiking up her dress as she ascended or descended a flight of stairs. So strange substance was swept into the air when he pulled his cloak back, creating a faint mist that he incidentally breathed in. He sneezed and wiped his nose; it slled foul and reeked like the tail end of a skunk. He pinched his nose and moved forward, stepping away from the small trail of powder they stepped around.
Reta groaned loudly and plucked the shoes off her feet, waving it at Felix and KuliKuli with an upset glare. "What are these things made of... wood? Where I am from, we wore sandals and only the bottom was made of wood. You know, to protect your feet! These poor things are just bags of leather wrapped around my feet! I feel every pebble I step on, what a pain!"
"Did it hurt when you walked in your wolf form, through paws rather than feet?"
"I-!" Reta's eyes widened before turning sharply away from him. "No! No, it did not, in fact it felt rather comfortable. But I'm not in my wolf form, am I?"
Felix shrugged and marched forward carrying a sack in his hand. "Co now, we have to climb uphill before we arrive."
Reta stared as he stepped around the area she had stepped on before following his steps. "Why so serious so suddenly?"
"Can you not hear the noise ahead? Too many voices gossiping about, it's giving a headache."
"Huh? Over the hill, where the market lies, that noise? You can hear that far?"
"I suppose, let's just keep going." He closed his eyes and rubbed the side of his head, with KuliKuli leaning forward to rub her face against his neck and purring. He soon began to stroke between her ears, appreciating the gentle vibrations she emitted through her purrs. In silence, he admitted that he missed her energetic activities, full of life and always carrying a smile on that angelic face with her bouncy silver white hair glowing under the sun. It brought a sense of warmth around his body which contrasted the cool breeze brought by the occasional gust of wind sweeping by. It was still morning based on the direction of the sun, but the skies grew moody with dark clouds looming over, casting dark shadows ahead. The nurous voices continued to grow louder and louder as he climbed further up the hill, so many voices belonging to so many people.
He scrunched up his face and groaned, grasping his forehead and applying a bit of pressure where it hurt.
"Hey," Reta placed a hand on his back and leaned around his shoulder. Unbeknownst to him, he had leaned forward when his head throbbed to what felt like a piercing nail hamring into his cranium. When he opened his eyes, it took a mont before his blurry vision began to focus again. "Hey, what's going on?"
When he looked up, he saw the concern in Reta's eyes as she scanned his face and pressed her palm against his forehead.
"Feels like a blacksmith began to slt tal above your brow."
"ow?" Now KuliKuli was concerned as she jumped down and sat in front of them, looking up to her master with a worried look on her face.
Felix brushed her hand away and shook his head. "Just feeling lightheaded, is all. It's all that noise; I can hardly hear my own thoughts."
"So, take a seat or drink so water."
"Baaah," He groaned and tried to step through when she pressed her hand on his chest with a crossed look. She shook her head and held his arm, dragging him out of the path and plopping him atop a large rock.
"Sit. That woman you said we're eting here, is she the sa from yesterday?"
Felix nodded and motioned his hand at KuliKuli as she rested her paws on his leg. "She can take you to her, I just need to sit down."
"Fine, don't do anything stupid. You, tell where to find her." KuliKuli looked back at her master before turning around and owing once more. She scurried off with Reta hurrying behind her, both of them appearing further away before disappearing over the hill. Felix hung his head and removed his cloak. He wasn't feeling well since the morning, at first, he believed it was uncertainty due to agreeing to let Reta stay with them. He wasn't certain what she had in mind, but at least she didn't attack them as they slept. She certainly found it entertaining to show off her body to him, it was like she could predict when his eyes would wander. Fortunately, KuliKuli hasn't found it infuriating as of yet.
He sniffed as his nose started to run, picking up several familiar scents as he did. It was this strange green sll all around him, the sll of freshly watered grass enjoying the breeze in the season of fall. That slight cool wind helped alleviate the throbbing pain in his temples, he adjusted himself so that he sat facing its direction in hopes that the wind would return to treat his pain.
Leaning back with his hands balancing himself against the rock he sat on, he breathed in through his nose again to hold back the flow. Was it illness, had he fallen sick sohow? But it couldn't be, being ill with fever didn't take its toll this fast nor was it this daunting before. Not until the third day of being sick would he find himself needing bed rest, unless he had ignored any signs before he was doubtful that it was a fever taking him now. Sniffling and wiping his nose, he slled that familiar scent coming closer. Yes, he could rember it now, that was KuliKuli hurrying back accompanied by two more scents. He turned his head to see the two figures steadily approaching him from atop the hill as he waved his arm up at them when sothing red caught his eye.
Lowering his arm, he found a red sar stained at the back of his hand and on his sleeve. Wait, he knew where that ca from, but he remained calm, perhaps lost in thought as he wondered what was happening to him. It was raining now; he could feel raindrops landing on his lap.
And yet, there was still so clear skies with a few clouds around, but none seem cluttered enough to produce any rain around him. Yet there it was again; he could feel another drop fall on his thigh as he looked down. He was t with his pants stained in red as more began to drip from above. When he wiped his nose, he saw nothing but red painted across his fingers.
That's not right, he thought to himself as he began to feel weak. When he turned to wave at them again, he hadn't the strength to lift a muscle when suddenly he lost his balance and collapsed onto the grass. The last he saw were three figures sprinting towards him when his eyes closed one last ti.
"Felix! Felix!"
The ground kicked up as the Nekomata slid into the grass and scooped up his head onto her lap. She was panting out of breath, changing into her Nekomata form as soon as she saw her mate fall. Janette had arrived in quick ti with Reta standing back, bringing her satchel with her as she knelt down beside him.
"What's wrong, why is he bleeding?" KuliKuli cried out, holding him steadily as Janette pulled out her scarf and wiped the blood away from his nose, cursing under her breath.
"Fuck, he'll be fine."
"Fine? He doesn't look fine!" KuliKuli shouted back, cradling his head. "Is he hurt, is he poisoned?"
"No, not necessarily... fuck! Fuck, you lot should not be here!" Janette declared, digging into her satchel before waving her hands up in defeat. "Damn it, I don't have anything here to help him. Okay okay, pick him up."
"What?"
"Pick him up, I think I know what's wrong." Janette stood up as Reta paced around him and grabbed his arm.
Reta pursed her lips and scanned his face. "It's not poison, it's magic."
KuliKuli looked up at her in bewildernt as Reta explained, "It's a slling salt intermixed with enchanted powder to poison dark magical creatures, we must have stepped over so without spotting it. Soone has left a warning for Monsters like us."
"What!?" The flustered Nekomata turned to Janette who stepped back and ran her hand into her hair. She shook her head silently before looking back at her with a nervous look in her eyes.
"The people back there, they're looking for you." She said, her words filling everyone with dread. "More specifically, the people are worried about a Monster Girl after sightings of one so days ago. You guys should not have co here."
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