[ORP] Sickness at the Arbor?

[Sullivan]

[[Roll order: Fivespot, Shine, Drift, Parsley, Junie

Feel free to join in this is an OPEN RP come get your illness on! haha biggrin ]]

Fivespot bustled around the mother burrow, making sure things were in order as usual. The cold season really had them going through their stockpiles of dry grass bedding, she noted. Shine was busy in a smaller alcove, patting grasses into place to make a nice nest for visitors. It was a quiet time for the Pinks, thankfully there weren't many winter litters coming in the warren.

A thump up at the entry pulled her from her musings, and she hopped out to see Drift standing by, looking impatient and in a hurry. "Hi there!" She greeted him brightly, then noticed his look of distracted worry. "What is it...Drift is everything ok?"

"Five! No I just, well yes I mean everything is ok as far as I know?" He fidgeted with the grass as he spoke. "There is something worrying some of us at the Guard...it might be nothing but rabbits are talking a lot about some weird illness going around is all. I'm going out on a patrol for a couple days, I just wanted to let you know, there might be an increase in colds or whatever."

She frowned, feeling a little twinge of worry. The Arbor lead such a peaceful life, it was unusal for him to be this antsy... and for them to send out patrols seemed strange? "Well... it's not unusual this time of year for there to be more sickness... It's probably nothing."She nudged him gently. "I will go around and check in on some of the moms and the elders though just in case..." She reassured him, and smiled. He nodded, but clearly was in a hurry to be on his way. Frowning again, she watched him hop off quickly in the direction of the Red Guard.

Back down in the burrow, she filled Shine in on the news. "You stay here in case anyone visits that needs a cozy bed or assistance, I am going to go check in on the main warren and my kits." She knew they were grown, but they were the first thing she had thought of when Drift told her about the rumors, and she couldn't deny her motherly instincts that told her to go check in on Parsley and Junie.

wc: 373
Twc: 373  

[Sullivan]

Junie was outside in the open grass under the shaded protection of the arbor, practicing some stretches and getting some exercise in. Breath steamed in the chill air. Winter tended to make all the bunnies of the warren lazy and fat, but she wanted to be in perfect shape when she joined the Red Guard so she got up early every day and did her own little workouts.

"Hey what's up?" She called when she spotted her mom coming, pausing mid-stretch, paws flung forward as far as she could in a ridiculous pose.

Fivespot shook her head, her daughter was so weird. But she looked in perfect health! That was a relief at least.
"Have you seen Parsley lately?" She asked, stopping to catch her breath. IT hadn't seemed very far to come, but her chest felt kind of heavy.

"Nah, he's living with that group of 'bachelors' in their 'bachelor pad' or whatever," she said with great sarcasm. She had grown apart from her annoying siblings and her layabout brother was the very least of her concerns.
"You ok momma?" She asked, eyeing Fivespot, who was still breathing a little heavily.

The older doe nodded and waved a paw. "It's just cold, too cold to be hopping about this much!" She huffed and went to the main entrance of the warren and disappeared.

Junie shrugged and carried on her routine, enjoying the sunrise and the crisp winter air.
Junie: Not ill

wc: 233
Twc: 606  

[MoonRazor]

((Rolling twice because we're in contact with infected buns! First two for Caper, second two for Little Brother

Caper: Serious Illness
Little Brother: Carrier))

Caper had made his way out from the barracks, patrolling through the warren to make sure no additional help was needed anywhere. With the winter rolling in, there was usually some slack that needed picking up here and there. This winter, though, they were also contending with that mysterious sickness that seemed to be spreading around - and not just at the Arbor, if he'd heard correctly.

He passed Drift on the way, and paused to nod to the guard. "Better get under way with the patrol, Drift," he said cordially. "But don't push it too far into the night. See if you can find anything else about this disease." He was worried. They might have to think about setting up a quarantine if got too bad.

And then he was on his way. Not minutes later, he ran into Fivespot and Junie, and he was about to greet them when another voice caught his attention.

"If it isn't Papa Caper!" Little Brother's voice drifted out of the air and immediately made Caper wonder if he'd left the barracks in capable hands.  

[Sullivan]

Drift gave a little salute to Caper and a quick nod. The Red Gaurd had a much more serious air than the rest of the warren, it was all business with Caper. Drift had a final look around and called to any nearby rabbits.

"I'm heading out on a patrol this morning beyond our normal rounds, anyone is welcome to join me that isn't already on rounds or assigned to other duties..." or already sick. He left off the last part, but thought it as he headed out of the barracks tunnel once more and set out on his patrol.
Drift: Not Ill


Fivespot continued down into the community opening of the main Arbor burrows. It felt quieter than usual, and was quite warm and stuffy compared to the cold outside. This was normal for winter though, she was sure. She hopped along a decorated tunnel that had other burrows leading off at various intervals.
Parsley often slept in a tousled unkempt burrow with several juvenile friends since he had left her own nest. As she approached, she knew immediately something was very wrong. The area was always loud and lively, and the boys never stopped joking and rough housing. Today it was quiet and subdued. She hurried forward.

Parsley lay in a tight ball in a dark corner of the shared burrow, in a haphazard nest of grass. His body ached deeply and he dozed off and on, occasionally waking with coughing fits. His little nose was snotty and runny and he moaned when a paw touched his back but didn't move. Heat radiated off of his fur like an aura.
Parsley: Serious sickness

Fivespot had crept in and was almost terrified of how hot the area around her son's body was. She rested a gentle paw on him but knew already, it was the bad sickness. It had only been a day she was sure, maybe two, since she had seen him out playing tag with the other boys and he had been perfectly healthy!
"Oh Parsley, oh no...I'm here now. It's going to be ok." Comforting words but she wasn't sure if they were true and her insides were twisting in fear. But she refused to panic, and she took a deep breath. The same calm that takes over when she is with a delivering doe kicked in and she stroked her paw over his white pelt soothingly while her mind raced on what to do next.
Fivespot: Infected

wc: 405
twc: 1,011  

[Ellanoire]

Redeemed


Chill Mist had been out and about, paroling the outer bounds of the Arbor. She'd noticed an awful lot of foot prints in the mud to the north. Her long ears were pinned back as she approached the main burrow, hoping to find a higher ranking Red to report to. She stuck her head in, thumping her feet. As soon as she hit the warmer air she let out a HUGE sneeze, soaking her face. Her eyes got wide. This was new. And not welcome. After a second sneeze she shook her head, trying to get her thoughts straight. Why did it feel so hard to concentrate.

The she caught sight of Drift. "Drift!" She let out another huge sneeze. "I found a bunch of foot prints ... Up north." She sneezed again, and then wheezed a little. "Near the boundaries." She took a deep breath, her lungs felt like they were rattling. Ugh. Chill Mist did not feel well. "... But I think I need to lay down ... "

wc: 167  

[Sullivan]

Drift had just been headed out when the white doe came in, and very narrowly avoided getting showered in a mighty sneeze. Chill Mist definitely looked like she was coming down with whatever this thing was, it felt like it was spreading a lot more than he had realized.

"Ok got it, that is good scouting you did... you should definitely get some rest though. You don't look too great." He looked uneasily at her as he continued out. "I'll head up and take a look there first." He said as he left and headed northward across the clearing. It was unusual to have a lot of travelers in the winter he was pretty sure, and not that many new rabbits had come to visit the Arbor...so who was out there? Did that have anything to do with this rabbit sickness?
Drift: Not Ill

Junie saw her dad leave the Guard burrow and head out on patrol. She could tell that's what he was doing when he was so business-like. If only she could go too. She watched after him, then decided maybe it wouldn't hurt if she just tailed along for a little... for practice! If she asked she knew he would just say NO and blah blah about how she wasn't old enough or something. Casually she hopped across to where he had gone out into the taller grasses and looked around, then darted after him...but as quietly as she could!

Junie: Not Ill

wc: 240
twc: 1,251  

[MoonRazor]

"Little Brother... Not now," Caper said with a shake of his head. "I have things to do."

He did his best to stifle a heavy cough that shook his whole body, but didn't quite manage to catch it before it came rumbling out. Oy... At least it was just Little Brother. Caper did his best to maintain a disciplined front in front of his guards. Lead by example and all that.

"Oof..." Little Brother said, leaning back slightly but reaching out to pat Caper gingerly on the back. "Don't you go collapsing on me, old timer. I'll go bother someone else."

Even this little jokester knew what was best for him.

He fled, in search of a new target, and noticed young Junie sneaking through the grass, tailing someone. Probably Drift. It wasn't a big secret that the young doe wanted quite badly to join the guards.

Little Brother dropped down into a crawl with a small giggle, and wormed his way up quietly until he was right behind her.

"Going somewhere important??"  

[Sullivan]

"EEEEE!!" Junie squealed and did some sort of crazy leap spin in her startlement, coming down facing whatever danger had snuck up on her. The look of wide eye terror quickly changed to confusion when she saw Little Brother crouched there.
"What??" She belatedly remembered she had in fact been sneaking on Drift, and lowered her voice to an annoyed whisper. "What are you DOING?? You almost scared me to death!" She hissed. Since she was on high alert now, her ear twitched back as she caught more movement sounds. Trying to drag Little Brother with her, she darted into the taller grasses to hide.


Drift had definitely heard a weird sharp noise somewhere behind him. He paused, silently sitting back on his haunches to scent the air and listen for more. Was it voices he heard? He took a couple of hops back along the path he had taken and peered into the grasses. There wasn't anything obvious, and he was still so close to the Arbor he must have just picked up some kits playing, he decided. There wasn't time for dawdling so he got back on his way, heading north toward the distant treeline that was Tanglewood.

MoonRazor

 

[MoonRazor]

Sullivanx

Little Brother let out a hearty giggle, thoroughly pleased with Junie's reaction. What fun! "Scaring you half to death, apparently!" He said, sounding right proud of himself. Who had ever thought he ought to be a role model to anyone? What a wonderfully misguided idea.

He was still giggling to himself when Junie hauled him into the taller grasses, and so he went quite willingly, tumbling into the grass behind her. The thought that they might tip Drift off didn't seem to concern him much. Junie wasn't really supposed to go sneaking off after the guards anyway, so really, he was being a helpful distraction.

"Okay but you have to admit, that was a pretty good reaction." Little Brother said finally, calming himself down. "What are you looking for, anyway?" He sat upright and popped his head up out of the grass, peering about as if to help her search.

WC up to here: 505  

[Sullivan]

MoonRazor

"Nooooo! Stay down!" Tugging at his fur, she practically pleaded with him. "And can't you shush?" She whispered, glaring a little. Was he trying to get her caught?? Well... ok she was already caught but maybe it could be salvaged.

"If my dad knows I'm following him, he will say a bunch of boring things about me being too inexperienced, not ready, not a real Guard... you know, adult stuff." Clearly annoyed, she didn't even consider that Little Brother was ALSO an adult and in charge and things like that. He never acted his age so to speak anyway.

"He was acting all business like and in a hurry, my mom acted weird too. And I just want to go exploring and see what he is doing on a patrol...you wanna come too? It can be an adventure!" She tried her most innocent hopeful look, she had never gone very far from the Arbor and was hoping he wouldn't rat her out just yet.  

[MoonRazor]

Sullivan

It was too much fun! Little Brother rolled back into the grass with another giggle and picked himself up, dusting off his ears and the top of his head as he listened.

"Yea, but... is he wrong?" he said ponderously, rubbing the bottom of his chin as he pretended to think about it. Still, it wasn't really in him to stop the youths from doing what they wanted - after all, that was what had gotten him kicked out of Bramblefell in the first place. If Junie wanted to follow the guards and get in trouble, then by golly, she ought to!

Little Brother heaved a sigh. "Sounds boring to me," he said. "I don't know why you want to go out there with the boring folks when there's so much more fun to be had in here. But I guess I can come with you." He figured he ought to be at least a little bit responsible and keep an eye on her. If Caper found out that he'd intercepted young Junie and done nothing about it, he was in for an earful.  

[Sullivan]

MoonRazor

Junie stared at Little Brother with narrowed eyes, and questioned the logic of asking him to come with. He was definitely going to get her in trouble, one way or another. It was too late now though!

"Psh, it's just as boring at the warren too. Everyone just wants to stay inside and be warm, or they are too busy and stuff." She said with exasperation. It was her first winter and it had been boooring so far. This at least felt like the beginning of an adventure. "But we are falling behind jibber jabbering here, let's go! Quietly though ok?" She gave him a poke for emphasis then slunk forward onto the slightly worn path Drift had been following.

--

Drift hopped along at a steady pace, not wanting to wear himself out but also curious to find what Chill Mist had seen out here. Looking around, he tried to scan the ground for any signs of tracks or disturbance as he went. This direction would eventually lead up to Tanglewood, which made him a little uneasy. There were never pleasant stories about Tanglewood. Were bunnies from the woods spreading some sort of sickness? He wondered, but that seemed strange, and he hoped he wouldn't have to go into the woods and find out.  

[MoonRazor]

"Yea, but you can play pranks on buns in the warren!" Little Brother answered, rolling his eyes as if he could believe he had to explain everything to her. Really, now. Traveling was such a chore.

But he'd already said he'd go, and Little Brother was a bun of his word. So he dropped down and slunk after her in an exaggerated tiptoe, giving Junie a narrowed side-eye in response to the totally uncalled for poke. There was nothing wrong with jibber jabber! If he had it his way, they would jibber jabber all the time and do nothing productive.

Still. Being quiet was something he could only remember (or put up with) for so long. After a while, it became quite clear which was Drift was heading, and Little Brother wasn't about to let up the chance to point it out.

"Ooooooh, he's heading toward the Tanglewooooooood~" he sang aloud. "That's a dangerous dangerous place for the bun buns!"

Sullivan

 

[Sullivan]

MoonRazor

Drift spotted some disturbed ground, and paused to look it over. There seemed to be prints of all kinds, and he bent closer to investigate. Was it only a couple rabbits moving around a lot... or many rabbits moving together? That was strange.. why would many - His thoughts were interrupted by a voice and he sat up startled. He had been so intent on puzzling the tracks he hadn't even noticed the pair approaching.


Junie had nearly tripped over herself when Little Brother started his noisy observations, and scrambled to hush him only to spot Drift sitting up to stare at them. Too late! She had not realized they were that close behind him, obviously she was not the greatest sneaky tracker.

"Uh... Oh hi dad whatcha doin...?" she tried to act cool, but couldn't help side glares at Little Brother, what a pest!

Drift stared at both of them with a little confusion.
"Is everything alright at the warren?" He asked, wondering if they had come to find him for some emergency. Then realizing they had been right behind him, he narrowed his eyes and frowned at Junie. "You know better, we will have a little chat later miss."
He turned to Little Brother, "You are right though I was headed toward Tanglewood, it IS dangerous, from what I hear," insert meaningful look at daughter, "but look at all these tracks all over... what in the world do you make of this?" He asked the other buck, and waved his paw at all the marks and smudges in the dirt.

 

[Hopscotch Shop]

The foot prints were a bit of a mess, they were near the border to the Tanglewood and towards an area where rabbits simple weren't supposed to go. It wasn't safe there. Generations of rabbits had warned their kits to stay away from there. It looked so dense, with trees even wilder than what the Tanglewood was known for. Had rabbits really come from ~in there~???

As far as the residents of Hopscotch were concerned ~in there~ was far to dangerous for a bunny. But the closer each rabbit looked, the more and more clear it was that the tracks headed out from that dense tangle ... that place no one had gone. What on earth was going on???