#wolf!katali

Right now she was coming through the shade of the coral trees, palms, and ferns. The lair was just in view on the other side of the tree line some distance away and one ear was angled toward the clearing in case any tresspassors attempted to sneak by. Having spent the last several weeks inside, she could only hope her senses weren't too out of practice.

After all, her wolf pack and their cubs on the surface didn't have to deal with such potential dangers that existed in Lalotai. With any luck it would just be a fairly quiet day.

The shapeshifter lay partially on her side, still in wolf form as she dozed at the back of her guardian’s cavern. The spirit himself was close by in his usual form as well while he kept a close eye on her.

When the sun-blonde wolf spoke up Thorn lifted his head to investigate. He had never seen this wolf himself, so it took a moment to recognize him as Tamatoa. Frankly he wasn’t sure how he felt about an outsider being in his den particularly…but he imagined Lian had good reason for bringing him here.

Katali, however, seemed to snap awake in an instant with a jolt when she heard his voice, and scrambled to at least get her front half laying upright. Unlike anyone else she knew this wolf form incredibly well. But…why was he here?

Did he find out?? she thought as she cast a glance at Lian, who sat on the opposite side of the cave with his arms folded and seemed to be tracking the situation while avoiding eye contact.

All that seemed to run through her mind was how angry he might be. He didn’t like secrets or being kept in the dark about things for any length of time. He hated that. Even though she had only known for…how long has it been now…? She didn’t remember, but not very long at all… But to her knowledge he didn’t know that.

Regardless, her heart was thudding wildly against her ribcage as she felt herself shrinking back with her head low and ears flattened, . “T-tama? What…what are you doing here…?” Her own voice rasped like gravel and, she didn’t altogether know it, but traces of her fear began to show on her face. Whether because of that fear or the virus effects that clouded her mind, she really wasn’t sure what to expect.

As the spirit shuffled through the somewhat crowded lair Katali was sitting up on the makeshift bed with her back against the wall and knees partially pulled up. She clutched a large pillow against her chest and was just…staring at the ground ahead. Her expression was a mixture of things, seemingly unable to settle on just one. Only two stood out more prominently than others behind a stunned and furrowed brow.

Uncertainty. And fear.

Lian stood practically frozen at the threshold of the cavern as he glanced between her and their guardian. The news still hadn’t fully sunk in it seemed. Or he was still processing. It was hard to tell. But above all it appeared he was still deciding on something…

That…couldn’t be good. At least not for a certain individual…

Even so, Thorn was doing his best to ease them -Katali in particular- into the….situation. “I do wish you had come to me sooner,” he said as he turned and gingerly took her hand, placing a small herbal assortment in her palm. “I could have stopped the illness before it became this bad. Combined with your condition and already meager health, it had you in and out of consciousness for the last two days.” Her only response was wrapping her fingers around the herbs, so he continued. “You really must take better care of yourself, my dear.”

The poor thing was silent as she held the pillow closer, but decidedly not too tightly as she made an attempt to make herself look smaller. Somehow she had been so mentally preoccupied she hadn’t even noticed how sick she was. And for some reason she certainly hadn’t thought that…

“A-are…are you sure….?” she finally muttered weakly. A question meant for what he decided to tell her only moments ago.

Thorn nodded. “I have known for a long while, so yes,” he said evenly. “Originally I did want you to discover this on your own. However, the coming days are few. So there is little time to spare in high risks.” Thankfully not too high anymore, given the archangel’s efforts, he thought to himself as he turned to his craft table and began picking through an assortment of dull colored stones.

“So…I wasn’t just imagining things…”

Finally Lian spoke up, though his voice gave nothing away other than the fact he was still sorting through all the thoughts in his head. “Did you really not notice?” he asked her.

Katali gave him a glance. “Not…entirely?” she said with a cringe under his gaze. “I mean…how I’ve started to look isn’t exactly easy to miss… I just thought I was imagining it.“

Perhaps a small part of you was also denying it, Thorn thought as if she could hear. Given your doubts, however, that could be understandable.

The dragon-shifter groaned under his breath as he leaned with his shoulder against the wall, covering his mouth with a hand in thought as he cast his gaze to the side. “I still can’t believe I didn’t notice until now,” he said then glanced at her apologetically. “Sorry about that, by the way… ..It’s all those big dumb sweaters you’ve been wearing.”

After finishing with Thorn’s herbal medicine Katali wrapped her free arm around her middle like a barrier while careful to avoid agitating the year-old scars. “I’m sorry… For some reason I just…wasn’t thinking,” she said quietly.

“Do not apologize, my dear,” Thorn corrected gently. “Illnesses like this can negatively affect the clear-thinking mind, particularly in your case. There is nothing you need to be sorry for.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’m just still trying to wrap my head around all this…” Then he fell quiet a moment. “What about Tamatoa? Has he caught on yet?” Honestly he figured not. Katali’s condition may have slipped by him, but one thing he did notice was a sheer lack of the crab’s presence around her the past four weeks. So frankly, he was expecting something akin to a simple ‘no.’

But it was as if he drove a sword right through the target at the core of her fears. The color drained from her face as her eyes grew wide, and she became dead silent as if she forgot how to breathe. Her eyes glazed over…

Then hell started to break loose.

“Oh no…no- nO- NO!!!” Her panic skyrocketed, her voice rising in volume with each word as if she were being driven mad. She nearly launched off the bed, scattering straw in her wake.

“KATALI!!!” Startled off guard Lian and Thorn whirled around to stop her, as the moment her feet hit the floor her legs buckled from fatigue.

Thankfully they caught her mid fall, but she was still fighting to get away from them while nearly shrieking at the top of her lungs like a wounded and terrified animal. “He doesn’t know!!!” she shouted as she fought to get away. “I have to tell him NOW! If I don’t HE’LL HATE ME!! HE’LL THINK I’M LYING!”

“You have to stay put and recover!” Thorn grunted with the effort of holding her still, trying not cause her harm while also avoiding being hit himself. Contrary to possible belief, it was rather difficult.

“BUT HE DOESN’T TRUST ME!!!” she wailed back. By now tears were streaming down her face. “WHERE IS HE?!?! WHAT IF HE CHANGED HIS MIND?!?!!!”

Every single vibration from her voice bellowed through the tunnels, shaking dust free from the walls and causing the inlaid crystals among them to sound as if they would shatter any second.

“Katali, stop it!” Lian shouted over her thrashing. “You’re only making it worse!” At the same time, fearing the worst and having no other options, Thorn placed his hand in the middle of her back and barked something in ancient wolf-tongue. With an intense flash of light she was suddenly forced back into wolf form. Her struggling finally ceased, and she fell limp in their arms.

The wolf’s eyes were closed and her chest heaved with every gasp to reclaim the air she lost in the panic, but she was calming down.

Lian didn’t let go until after he and the guardian eased her to the ground. Once she was settled he sat back on his knees, shaken and a little out of breath. Even when she’s sick…she’s a lot stronger than she looks…

Thorn did the same, running his hand along Katali’s scruff and shoulders as an added calming gesture. “I was afraid of that…” he muttered gravely. After a minute he added, “When she is stable again the spell to keep her bound in wolf form will wear off…. But her human body cannot withstand all of this while she is sick… Even in health it can be dangerous…” And that was implication enough. Thorn saw the younger shapeshifter’s hands form tight fists against his legs, also hearing a dark growl rumble from his chest and throat. And when he looked up he saw Lian’s eyes glowing yellow, glaring and burning with a furious inner fire.

He was not going to tolerate his sister being under this much pressure.

With an abrupt snarl he got to his feet and marched toward the exit. He had another target to hit, this time with the utmost intention. “Where are you going?” In all honesty, Thorn could already guess. If he didn’t have to keep such a close watch on Katali he would be all too tempted to do the same.

She didn't pass directly in front of the entrance, instead skirting the edges of the clearing just in case she could pick up any trace of his scent. But she didn't find anything until she reached the path near the cliff's edge and slowed to get an idea of the surrounding area.

The scent was old...but it still led somewhere.

Unease and worry prickled under her skin, and with a determined snarl she raced in the direction of the trail.

Katali poked her head out of the den and looked around, her ears twisting and turning in alert. It seemed there wasn't anyone else around at the moment. Lian was on guard duty outside and Shadow was still keeping her distance for the time being.

She decided this would probably go a lot smoother without a lot of extra company milling around anyway.

She spotted the dome of Tamatoa's shell across the cave where he was burried in the sand and she walked over, coming to a stop where his head would be. "Tama dear," she called while pawing at the sand to get his attention. "Come out please. I need to speak with you."

All day she had been feeling exhausted and attempting to sleep. However, constant overheating and waves of cramps in her abdomen kept her from doing so, and they steadily grew more intense with each passing hour. Especially now it seemed.

The wolf let out a heavy exhale as she did her best to stretch out and find a more soothing position on the sand. For a few moments it seemed to work, so she started to close her eyes to rest. But it was short-lived as an abrupt wave of pain caused her to jolt wide awake. She reflexively curled in on herself, a pained groan of discomfort slipping through her grit teeth while she waited for the wave to subside.

When it did Katali was left to catch her breath as she shifted around to sit up with as much balance as she could muster.

That took a great deal longer than the rest had so far... And from what she could feel now, the cubs were in a state of unrest. Lovely..... Katali thought through the panting.

Then her brows furrowed somewhat, a thought occurring to her rather quickly before a heavy sigh escaped her and all her anxieties began to come to a boil once again. Not that she didn’t hide it fairly well.

It won’t be much longer, will it? You’re...going to be here soon, aren’t you... she thought as she stared tiredly at the glittering specks of sand around her paws.

She looked back over her shoulders at the deepest corner of the den. Of course it was secure enough, but not nearly prepared as it should be. She still had to nudge some rocks and things out of the way, maybe dig out the sand a bit more for space. And of course she needed to gather moss for proper bedding.

Well...since sleep was clearly out of the question and she suddenly dreaded the thought of sitting still, she might as well make herself busy.