Odfel had not been any better the next morning, after Rustleif had spent so much time tending to him, getting him food and water, and making sure he was taken care of. He remained coiled in a ball of fur, sleeping in the corner of his den, away from any prying eyes or risk of danger. He was such a pathetic lion, Rust was worried he was going to get himself killed if some of the stronger lions knew that he was so vulnerable right now, on top of being all squishy in the middle on a good day. Really, she just wanted to get him out of the pride, but now she had to worry about his health before she could worry about anything else. She looked at him in concern, shaking her head slowly as she padded over to him and nudged his shoulder gently.
“Odd? Are you not feeling any better at all?”
“A little stronger,” Odfel said, after a long, quiet moment of thought. And maybe some effort to remember who and what he was. He looked at her with one eye, not lifting his head up but managing to shift a bit to see her. He knew she was very worried about him, despite her gruff attitude about it some times. She was made of harder stuff than he was, definitely, but she was also more adapted to the life they lived here in the Stormborn. She was more viking than he was, basically, and he knew it, too. She was always fretting about him and trying to protect him, though usually she was teasing him about it and not making his life any easier with it. This was different, though, as her concern went beyond their usual sibling rivalry. It scared him, actually, to see her so worried.
“The food helped… I still feel dizzy and heavy… I’m not sure what to do… maybe it will just pass, Rust. You don’t have to stay…”
“Yeah, I do. I’m not going to leave you alone in that kind of a condition! Are you kidding me? Knowing you, you’ll roll outside in your sleep and somehow end up in the middle of a challenge with a Reaver or something. I don’t know how you do it, but you are spectacular at getting into trouble. I do not want to take any more chances, so I’m here to stay, alright? Now, you need to rest some more. Maybe I should go out and find you some medicine or something. Do you know what kind of plants I should be looking for?”
He did have some skills, after all, and that included being familiar with herbs and healing methods. He was so often hurting himself, he had to do something to help keep himself alive through it all. Vicariously, she had learned a little, but she relied on him more than anything else because it was just not in her nature to be a healer. A hunter or even a Reaver, maybe, but certainly not someone who took care of others all the time. She was just not delicate enough for it. Oddly, he was, but she supposed that was why he was named Odd.
His name always felt very fitting for him. She did not think hers was quite the same.
“Maybe some of the bluish one, with the three leaves… it might help me clear my head…”
Rust nodded and hoped there was not something terribly poisonous that looked a lot like the plant he was describing, or she would never know. She had no idea about plants, and she was a little worried, now, that maybe his knowledge was limited as well. He was really good at messing things up, after all… so what if she listened to him and ended up bringing him something back that was even worse for him than whatever this illness was?
She did not want to hurt her brother, even if he was annoying. The whole point was she was trying to help him, and she would always try. She was close to her family and though she tried to pretend she was tough and could survive alone, she needed her family to be safe and healthy. She sighed and moved to nuzzle him affectionately.
“You’ll be okay, right? For a few minutes, while I go out and look? Don’t let anything bad happen while I’m away, okay?” She knew he had very few options, with how weak he seemed. He could not even stand up very well, so hopefully the chances of him getting into some sort of catastrophic trouble would remain rather small, even with his heightened ability to find the worst situations out there largely by accident. It was a gift and a curse, but hopefully, today at least, it just left him alone and he was able to rest and recover.
“I’ll be fine. Thanks, sis. I’m glad you came by… I would have been in a lot more trouble without you checking up on me… I appreciate it… I always have.” He spoke quietly, and she could tell he was on the verge of falling to sleep again, so he was probably not paying too much attention to what he was saying. His words made her sad and nervous, but she nodded her head and bravely did her best not to cry. She felt like he was saying goodbye but that was a bit dramatic, even for him, and most certainly well too far for her. She did not give in to her emotions like this! She shook her head, frowning and clearing her vision with a few blinks. He was already snoring lightly, at least, and was not watching her struggle.
“I will be right back,” she said, mostly to reassure herself, since he could not hear her in his sleep, she assumed. She moved to leave the cave, though she was hesitant to do so now. Taking a breath, she moved forward and left him in the cave, hoping she would not have to wander too far from the den to find the herb he had described. She bent her head down close to the ground and focused her gaze. She was going to find this damn thing.
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