A Poison Flower?(Zee Tale)
FV:Infirm:Main Room
This is the infirm. The far walls are lined with simple cots with clean sheets and pillows. The sheets and pillows are mainly white and blue.The room is keep clean and well sweeped. Cabnets are agaist one wall full of healing supplies and herbs,each marked in its own jar. A examineing table is seen and a wash basin.
Exits: [M]aster [H]ealer's[R]oom, [R]ecovery [R]oom, [H]ealer [D]orm [H]all, [B]ack
With:
Zee says, "Ok where was I, oh yeah de story, now this was a long time ago but not a tale easily forgotten..."
Rayen starts to reply and then just stays seated so she can listen.
Leon looks over at Zinnia and sighs; he then listens as the older badger speaks.
Scioto listens as well, sort of, he is a little half asleep but all the talking woke him so he half listens as he coughs a little.
Marek opens one of his eyes and then both as he lets out a small groan, what..now this is an infirm.”
Zee looks over, “A story, an important one so listen and ya may learn a thing or two lad, I hate interruptions and refuse ta have more so let’s get on with me tale before any other beast interrupts already”
Then the tale starts while all in the infirm listen to the old badger of a tale from his past, of his famly’s past…….
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Oz skipped along the path going down the hillside and stopped to pick some rather odd looking blue and white flowers, he pulled them up by the roots and ran to catch up to his older brother, “Lookie Lookie petty!”
Zork nods, “Yeah yeah” He mutters. He was 7.5 seasons old and Oz was about 2.5 seasons old as they walked spring was finally here and both seemed glad for it.
A lone wolf in odd patterned robe and a staff with feathers and shells follows them, his name is Silverfangs and even though he is a wolf he is their guardian and father after their parents died just a short ½ season ago during the harsh winter, “We must not be out too long, there is much to do as spring unfolds before us.”
Oz keeps ahold of the flower, roots and all as they near a graveyard and one grave reads -Here lies Kate and Powell-, a fresher one read -Here lies Mason- And beside it is a middle aged badger with a large staff. Oz smiles and rushes forward “Uncle Zeeeeeeee!” He drops the flowers he had.
Zee turns around and catches the rushing dibbun in his arms and smiles “Well a small lad to brighten up the day.” He manages a chuckle.
Zork sighs and walks up to also hug Uncle Zee, “Hi” He says simply.
Silverfangs nods “Good day Zee, how are you doing today?”
Zee answers “About as well as one can when their son has died, I still have me daughter and other son..Hyde but he well, been away and no one knows where he is except his sister Paige”. He frowns “I also lost a sister in law and a brother, the winter was very hard on all of us my friend as I know some of the wolfs lost their lives as well.”
Silverfangs nods “Yes this winter has been hard on many beasts,” He closes his eyes and frowns as he opens them again” I feel now is the time to stay close, threw the sorrow as your family must remain strong for great times of need or yet more pain could be unbearable without staying close.”
Oz smiles as he is not paying attention, he is just happy to see his uncle, he looks down and points to Kate and Powell grave” Mommie..daddie?”
Zork frowns, he listens to Silverfangs as he looks at the grave and starts to walk away, “I think I will go do some training with Soot..”
Zee shakes his head “Nope, ya staying here boy where is your patience? You need to learn it or your never be the true warrior one day I know that you have inside you.”
Zork rolls his eyes and folds his arms over his chest, “And he still has me sword, Dad said it was mine and I know how to use a sword I do!”
Silverfangs frowns as he listens and speaks” Please no shouting Zork, you must learn to not shout or let anger get the best of you.”
Oz wiggles free and is soon back to skipping around like any normal dibbun his age usually does.
Zee shakes his head again, “Soot has the sword and you get it when me and Soot see ya fit to have it boy and not before and yes you know how to use a simple blade but soon your learn how to use all blades and prove you are ready for that sword and not before boy!”
Zork frowns, “Not angry just..I don’t want to be here and “ He sighs at Silverfangs, “ I miss mom and dad, you’re not my dad and you never will be”
Zee bonks Zork on the head with the staff, “ Respect boy! Respect is very good to learn for warrior, for any beast.”
Oz meanwhile goes back to the flower he has, yes the roots are still there as well and he holds it by the roots and decides to find more as these are put of the grave, he has seen other beasts place flowers on graves so why not him also. He skips to the gate and a little ways down the path to where all the flowers are and pulls some more up by the roots as well.
Silverfangs glances around and a frown forms “Zork? Where is your brother at as you should be watching him.”
Zork looks around and shrugs, “He couldn’t have gotten that far.” He rubs his head a little.
Zee looks around now as well, “Well we go look for him then as he is still a dibbun. And watching and protecting your brother IS a job of your Zork, always protect those who can’t or are unable to protect themselves.”
Silverfangs closes his eyes as he seems to listen, a frown forms as he opens his eyes again, “We need to find Oz now, something is…uneasy in the air today, we find Oz and get back to the den.”
Oz is meanwhile gathering the strange flower he found and even stuffs one with roots in his pocket, he has dirt and power all over his paws that he puts on his tunic a little but some is still on his paws.
Zork has started to look for Oz and finds him as he goes over and picks him up “Wot are you doing little bro, you’re gonna get hurt.”
Oz smiles “Find pretty..lookie” He shows the odd flower he has in his paw to Zork, this one has no roots.
Silverfangs comes over and quickly snatches the flower from Oz and tosses it aside, “That is not a good flower to have.” He failed to notice the one with roots still on it in the badger’s pocket.
Zee walks up behind Silverfangs, “Whats with the flower my friend?”
Zork just holds Oz making sure he doesn’t go running off again and listens as the others talk.
Silverfangs answers, “It matters not right now, just know some parts of some flowers can be deadly or just make one ill…a beautiful flower in sight but hiding a danger below, we must get back to the village the spring feast is soon so let us go.”
Oz smiles and giggles, “Yummy!”
Zee chuckles “Yes let’s leave this depressing graveyard and get to the feast.”
The group heads back the short ways to the village where the feast will start in a couple hours.
Oz still has the flower and roots in his pocket but has forgotten about them, he dusts his paws off on his legs and goes to try and sneak a cookie from a table and ends up taking the whole plate of about 10 cookies and giggles as he hides under a table and starts to eat the cookies, some of the rooted power is on his paws still. More so is on his lower legs when he goes to run from one of the cooks and falls, skinning the area of one lower leg and crying some.
The cook, a tall hare, sighs and picks him up sitting him on a footstool and walks away.
Oz meanwhile still has a skinned lower leg, not to bad but it hurts, a lot now. He also coughs as he has a little trouble breathing and whimpers as he slides off the foot stool and starts to walk to a more quiet area as he feels dizzy and weak and stumbles onto the ground.
Zork is on his way back from some lessons, muttering how he should have his father’s sword not just some simple long sword, when he sees Oz laying on the ground the muttering stops as he rushes over, ”Ozzy!” He picks him up gently in his arms.
Oz doesn’t repose much except a weak whimper and he shivers, it’s also clear he is having trouble breathing.
About this time Silverfangs comes walking along the path, he seems very alert as he looks around and his ears flatten against his head a little “Something is not right in the air” He says quietly.
Zork looks around quickly and sees Silverfangs and rushes Oz over to him” Silverfangs Silverfangs!”
Silverfangs runs over to meet Zork and looks Oz over quickly.
Zee sees Oz being carried by Zork and the fact he isn’t trying to get down worries him and he also rushes over to the two.
Oz is barely breathing now and he shivers uncontrollable as he whimpers. He coughs a couple times and the skinned up area on his leg is now swollen.
Silverfangs takes Oz from Zork’s arms and rushes over to the infirm and lays the dibbun on a cot, he frowns and looks over his wound and then oddly searches his pockets and his eyes widen when he sees the crumbled up flower and roots and dust from where the flower and roots go smashed up. He quickly reaches into his own vest and pulls out a strong smelling herb and places it in the back of Oz’s throat and goes to keep his mouth shut as he rubs his throat to get him to swallow it.
Zork blinks and looks ready to cry as he looks at Zee, “Wot is wrong with Ozzy?” He sounds afraid.
Zee shakes his head “I don’t know but it’s serious.” He quickly goes to the infirm
Oz gags and coughs as the herb is forced down his throat, his breathing is still bad as is his cough, and throwing up doesn’t help too well as he still is barely breathing and his pulse is rapidly going down.
Silverfangs also places some of the same herb on the leg and bandages it as he looks at Oz, giving him a little more of the herb, “Swallow...Swallow and keep some down, a little coming up is good but not all of it young one.” He looks up as Zee enters and frowns deeply. “He is not in good shape at all my friend. The flower roots are a poison , I had the antidote but I am unsure how long he has had it in his system or how much and his age..so very young is not going to help much. The antidote it’s self can also make one ill, but without it one surely dies.”
Oz manages to get most down and still has trouble breathing, it eases some but very little and he shivers, he has a fever thanks to the skinned leg getting the powder on into it and he is in a deep deep faint. His pulse is dangerously low as well.
Zee frowns and walks over, he spots Zork, “Zork..come here please boy. Your brother is..is in very bad shape I am afraid.” He doesn’t want to say dyeing as he always hated that word.
Silverfangs sighs as he steps back “There is no more I can do. He is in a very deep faint and his breathing and pulse is so very very low you may have to prepare for the worse.”
Zork is by the doorway and then bolts off in tears, he needs to get out of here. He gets as far as the Send Forge and sits on one of the benches crying.
One beast is in the forge, a great Uncle, Soot as he walks slowly with the aid of his cane. He lives in a room at the forge and he reaches over to lay a paw on Zork’s shoulder, ”Wot is wrong child?” He knows the badger is no longer a child, more an adolescent but most are child to Soot as he is old as..well soot! He also knows it’s very unlike Zork to be crying.
Zork looks up and stands hugging tight to the older badger and just sobs.
Back at the infirm Zee and Silverfangs watch over a very very ill Oz.
Zee stayed in the infirm with Oz, “What can we do my friend?” He asks Silverfangs.
Silverfangs sighs, “We can only wait and see what the great maker will do or not do, I am sorry.”
Over the next few days Oz went in and out of his deep faint and a couple times it looked as though they were going to lose him as one time he stopped breathing for a brief few seconds but luckily he started breathing again.
It was two weeks till Oz finally woke up and stayed awake, over the last couple weeks Silverfangs slowly feed him vegetable broth and water and helped him swallow by rubbing his throat and he keep it down, which was encouraging but waking up and trying to speak is even more encouraging. He coughs from his dry throat and whimpers as his eyes open and he looks around. Side effects have weaken him greatly and still being a dibbun he starts crying as he is unsure where he is at.
The only one in here is Soot and Zork, Soot responds by laying a paw on his forehead, “It is ok Oz; you’re safe and sound in the infirm.”
Zork, who had been sleeping now is wide awake” Ozzy?..Ozzy!” He is very quickly by his brother’s side and it’s clear he has been very worried the past couple weeks, in fact rarely going to his training sessions or helping much in the forge.
Oz looks at Zork, “Z..Zork.” He feels weak and tried and his legs and arms are a little sore but his breathing and heartrate are very good now.
Zork smiles, “I am glad you’re feeling better little bro.”
The next few weeks focused on Oz getting better and his brother helping him. The poison effected Oz but causing him to not be as strong as other badgers, so he would never be a warrior, not that he would ever show an interest in being a warrior, his interests seemed elsewhere like healing or helping Silverfangs make teas and learning how to use a staff and the staff ended up being the only weapon he ever learned to use and he became fairly good at it, not as good as Silverfangs but well enough to later teach his future son Maxtor who became better at Staff than Oz, but neither Oz or Maxtor ever became as great as Silverfangs was at the staff. Luckily the poison didn’t leave any long tern breathing problems or any other problems. He was very lucky to survive it and one thing that helped was being taken to a healer quick enough and getting the antidote down when he did, otherwise he could have easily died when he was but a couple seasons old.
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Zee has just finished his tale, "So, that’s the story you want any other parts or anything ya will have ta ask me nephews."
Rayen nods as she is tried, she looks over and blinks as she sees the chieftain fell asleep "Well he needed rest anyways...and it’s even later now and still no clue where I am going to sleep."
Leon says, "Well I am sort of stuck here also, then looks like I may be staying for a couple days or...longer."
Marek, seeing as this tale is over goes back to sleep. Maybe it will quiet down in here now.
Oakenpaw pokes his head out of his room, "Is that Master Healer Leon I hear? Wot? “
Zee grumbles, he then snorts "Ya may as well both stay at my hut, ya may as well. Well the vixen can it be best if Brother Leon stayed and helped in here." He looks at the hare "Well what do ya ears tell you lad?"
Rayen nods her thanks as she stands "Thanks, I think I am going to bed now. "
Leon nods "Yeah.." He looks at Oakenpaw, "Hello Oakenpaw, not seen you in a while"
Oakenpaw walks in smiling and offers to embrace the mouse "Leon! Well met chap. Where did ya find the Stripe dog?”
Zee narrows his eyes, "Not de best word to call a badger lad, be best not to say it again" He resist the urge to bonk him on the head with his staff.
Leon frowns "Oakenpaw, you should watch what you say" He does hug the hare and smiles a little.
Oakenpaw laughs out loud "Should be so Sensitive chaps, yer in a VERMIN Village, sides it was meant good natured, oh By martins whiskers it's nice to see ya two”
Zee goes to check on his niece, "A healer hare I am guess." His staff bangs onto the floor a couple times as he walks and sits in a chair slowly.
Leon says, "I am unsure how long I will be in Ferravale, hopefully not too long "
Oakenpaw has his own Staff, Matilda, decorated with War trophies "Not just a Healer hare Chap, I were a Sgt in the long patrol, foot paw fighter ya know. But Now I am an Abbey Brother and this here be me Boss Wot?" He grins. "And ya never answered the blooming question, where ya find im'?”
Zee answers the question, "I live in the village here, least now I do." He yawns as he looks tried probably ready to fall asleep.
Leon says, "He was here when I got here earlier."
Oakenpaw says, "Been a long time Since I had a badger Lord ta serve" He rubs his chin. “Tell me wot is new at the Abbey Master Leon."
Zee says, "I am not a badger Lord, sorry to disappoint ya lad, the name is Zee."
Leon chuckles a little and answers the question, "Not too much, a feast in couple weeks so that’s another reason not to stay too long I hope, that and I do need to collect some spring herbs"
Oakenpaw shrugs, "All badgers say that, Lord is a Title yer awarded not one ya take" He winks.is the hare Joking? :) "You think Ferravale has Spring herbs?”
Zee shakes his head but decides to just not worry on it, it's been a long day. He pulls out a quill pen and paper and starts to write down a letter.
Leon says, "No, I would get them in the woods, meadow, some by the river."
Oakenpaw's eyes widen "You can WRITE Suh? that’s impressive" Then he nods to Leon "Maybe I could help. Been too long since I galloped the woods”
Zee finishes his letter and walks out of the infirm, he returns after a short while and after he found the one falcon from earlier, he looks at the hare like he is crazy" Most write ya odd hare. I will be in me hut and will be back in de morning." He grumbles as he slowly leaves the infirm and then slowly heads home, a ferret who tries to see him as an easy target to rob gets knocked out with the staff and the old badger goes on to his hut.
