[SRP] Touch and Go (Odd Haleifr & Frjokorn)

[Princess_Feylin]

Frjokorn

Frjo didn't remember much of how he got to the den of the fox-pelted lion. The whole thing was all basically a blur starting from the time his brother jumped after the beehive and the bees swarmed. He would have sworn that he'd seen a pale version of the fox lion peel away from the fox lion and lead the bees from Frjo and Midas, like a spirit leaving a body, but maybe that was something he'd only imagined.

His whole body hurt, really badly, burning from dozens of bee stings. It hurt to open his eyes, too, even though this place was nice and dark. Maybe he had been stung on his eyelids or something. Which made him think of Midas. How many times had he been stung? Was he even still alive? Concern for his brother in the Order of the Paw forced him to keep his eyes open and look around, even though it was difficult to move, like he had been encased in plaster or something.

Odd Haleifr

Odd had been tending the pair of cubs more or less nonstop from the time he brought them back to his den. The golden-haired one had made the trip clinging to his back, digging his claws in so deeply Odd was sure he'd have scars. Odd had carried the smaller one in his mouth, moving at a speed that reminded him unpleasantly of the night Kazul had relocated to the forest. It was, he thought to himself, a good thing Kazul had left his den at this point.

"I think you'll be all right," he told the larger of the two cubs, who had opened his eyes a slit and begun to survey his surroundings. "There's a lot of poison in your system, and you'll have a horrible fever, but ultimately I think you'll live."

He did not say anything about the smaller cub's chances. He was smaller, and he'd been stung many more times. Odd did not think it likely he would survive, no matter how diligently he cared for him. Not that it would stop him from trying.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Frjokorn

Being young, Frjo did not immediately hear that Odd was making no such optimistic prognosis about his brother's future. Given his own level of discomfort, it was a relief to learn that he would live. Oh, he would suffer, but he would live. That was one less thing for the cub to worry about.

"Who are you? Are you a healer?"

Something didn't seem right. He wasn't at home. That much he was more or less certain of. Nothing around him looked familiar, although it was entirely possible that the fever was distorting things. Fevers did that, or so Frjo had heard. Still, things just didn't seem right.

"And where are we?" he added.

Odd Haleifr

Odd did not reply to the larger cub's questions at first. He was considering what other means he might employ to keep the smaller cub's fever down. His paw pads, which had somehow also been stung, were damp with sweat, and Odd could feel the heat burning in the cub's veins even though his thick fur.

He was distracted as he answered, "I'm Odd."

Ice would be a useful thing to have, but that would mean going up to the ice melts. Odd could do that now, since Ru had become warlord, but it was a long way to go and it would mean leaving the cubs unattended for longer than he would have liked. He could, perhaps, send a family member, but in the mean time he would have to find some other way of bringing the fever down.

"I'm not really a healer, but I have some training in that area," he added belatedly.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Frjokorn

The grown-up lion's answer didn't in any satisfy Frjo. He had begun to learn Old Myrsky, a little bit, but he was not so far along in his lessons that he had learned that Odd was a name with a meaning. As far as he was concerned, odd was an adjective, and hugely unhelpful in this context. Also, he hadn't said anything about where they were. The only information he'd offered was that he wasn't exactly a healer, and that wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Why haven't you taken my brother to a healer, then? He looks really bad. Like he could, well. I think he should really be seen to by a proper healer. No offense, or anything, but." He didn't really have anywhere to go from there, and so he just stopped talking.

"Why is there a reed in his mouth?" Frjo demanded. His brother's labored breathing bothered him, and he pressed, "How do you expect him to breathe with that in the way?"

Odd Haleifr

Odd was glad to see that the larger cub had the strength to be inquisitive, even argumentative and critical. That was usually a good sign as far as recovery went. Not that he thought the cub was completely healed, but he seemed to be in good shape for the time being, considering.

"I would happily bring your brother to a real healer, but I don't think that he would benefit from being moved at the moment. He'll have to make do with me. You both will."

He could probably send one of the family to get a healer from the stronghold, but whether a healer would actually come from the stronghold to the forest was another matter entirely. And he knew he didn't want one in his den. He was very private about some things, even in life or death situations.

"The reed is actually there to make sure he keeps breathing. His throat was nearly swollen shut, so the reed keeps it open so that air can go in and out of his lungs," Odd explained.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Frjokorn

"Oh."

Frjokorn's concern for his brother increased at hearing that his life would depend on this fox-furred lion's questionable healing abilities. He seemed fairly competent, and the explanation he offered for the reed made him seem pretty ingenious, actually, but Frjo remained concerned. He would have preferred to have Brynja or Yakuti seeing to their spirits while a healer cared for their bodies.

"Is he going to die?" Frjo made himself ask, feeling sick to his stomach, which may or may not have been a side effect of being bee stung, and not just anxiety.

There was a large part of him that didn't want to hear the answer, particularly if it was yes, but he needed to know. To find out would take courage. It was like a test for the Order. Which wouldn't even exist if Midas died. You couldn't belong to an Order if there was only one of you.

Odd Haleifr

Odd, usually honest, considered lying to the cub for a moment, but he dismissed the notion. He had asked the spirits to intercede and assist him, and the spirits he wanted to assist were the types who didn't care for falsehoods. He would do best to speak the truth.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I am doing everything I can for him, and I have asked the spirits for whatever aid they will offer, but it may not be enough. If you believe in gods or spirits, you might ask them to help him."

He didn't say any more on the subject. The larger cub was in better shape than the smaller one, but that didn't mean he was in terrific shape either. Odd didn't want to have him worrying any more than could be helped. It wouldn't do anything to improve his healing to worry about his brother, but it looked to Odd that he would probably be fine. His more immediate concern was bringing down the smaller cub's temperature before his fever burned too high and fried his brain.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Frjokorn

That hadn't been the answer Frjo wanted to hear, but it had been better than the one he'd been afraid to hear. It was good that the grown-up who called himself odd was willing to be honest with him, even when the truth wasn't an easy one. Frjo was the older brother, and he was responsible for Midas, at least to his way of thinking. He had the right to know all the facts.

"My mother is a priestess," he said. "I know how to ask the gods for favors."

At least he sort of did. Usually there were rituals and sacrifices, but he wasn't in any sort of position to do those things. That meant he would have to try to commune with the gods by letting them into his mind through meditation. That was much harder, and he'd never been taught to do it, but he'd seen his mother do it from time to time. She closed her eyes and was very still and silent. He could do that.

After a few minutes of meditation, Frjo was asleep.

Odd Haleifr

"Do that, then," Odd said, and watched as the cub closed his eyes, possibly to meditate. The change in his breathing told Odd that he'd fallen asleep though, and Odd preferred it that way. It meant he could turn the whole of his attention back to the smaller cub.

Mud might help. When a lion got a thorn in the pad of his paw, mud helped to draw it out. With the fur in between the cub's flesh and the mud, it probably wouldn't have that effect unless the cub was shaved down to the skin, which Odd was reluctant to attempt. But it could also cool him down and keep him that way for a while. Like insulation. He still needed mud though. There was none in his den, obviously.

He briefly abandoned his vigil to poke his head outside his den where his nephew lounged licking sullenly at a bee sting. Odd told Skjo what he needed and the wing-marked lion nodded and set off to gather enough mud to cover a cub. Odd didn't envy him the task, but he had difficult tasks of his own.