Taken to Bed?

[Naiya]

7th day of Winter 515 AV
First bell of the Afternoon
Dawnwhisper Pavilion

Rain drip dropped down on her hood, making her quite grateful for the two layers of material between her and the weather. Her boots skated across the ice, occasionally dragging an unsuspecting Naiya with them. Winter rain, snow, and ice had not relieved them of their work, so Naiya had ventured out to manage the herd. Four of the females were pregnant, growing large with the calves. She checked them first, looking for signs that they might be unwell.

First she checked to see if they were attentive, calling them by name. She looked over their hair and skin, checking for lesions, patchy coats, or other injuries. She felt their bellies, pressing against their sides to see if they were painful. It seemed they all were well. She would have to have a veterinarian come check on them soon, but with not quite one hundred days under their belts, it didn't seem like a necessity yet.

She moved to check the yearlings next, Thak was still the easiest to reach, being far more bold than the other new arrivals, she plucked chunks of icy mud from his coat, checked his hooves for dirt and injury, picking away the mud with her fingers. Leti, not one to risk missing a chance for grooming, approached slowly, less persistent than the older Mantali who was shoving and butting Naiya as the woman checked the other animals. She was careful to move slowly as she turned to the shy snowy female, reaching out to her with a steady hand.

She pushed at the larger female with her free hand, trying to keep the older zibri from making her slip on the ice. Leti let Naiya touch her chin, then, hoping for grooming the yearling moved closer, butting her brother away. Naiya scratched the female's head while she looked over her body, noting that she was perhaps a bit too thin. She would have to find some more grain for her, maybe someone in the market still had some.

Not to be ignored, Mantali finally grew impatient and lowed loudly, pressing against Naiya with her shoulder. Knocked off balance, Naiya flailed, startling Leti and sending her running. She only just remained standing as she caught hold of the horn protruding from Mantali's head.

"Don't you know better than this, yet?" Naiya chided, her tone clearly having no effect on the unrepentant cow. Naiya found her balance and released her horn, patting her on the back solidly before giving the creature an exam of her own. She perhaps needed her hooves tidied, shaved down, or clipped. Maybe she would have a veterinarian come sooner rather than later.

Silver and Rhia had scattered when Leti started, so Naiya trekked out after them, moving slowly, attempting to appear non-threatening to the flighty zibri. Despite her efforts, the creatures were not receptive, dashing back towards the herd when Naiya approached. She would have to get them later, once they had calmed down.

With a sigh she returned to the others, checking over the remaining zibri and picking a stone out from between Dene's toes.

Chilled by the rain, and resigned to having to return to the herd after the females had settled down, Naiya hefted a couple of large pieces of fire wood to dry by the fire, and returned inside.

To her surprise she was greeted by a fair number more animals than she had expected. Banti was here, of course, and so was Kabek, but they both were joined by Tuka, and Snow lingered as well. She scoured the pavilion, but didn't have to look far before she found the reason for the animals's presence.

"Shahar," greetings, confusion, inquiry she signed the words after laying the wood beside the heat of the fire.

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[Colt]

Sometimes there were mornings that Shahar woke up and knew instantly that he had made a bad decision the night before. In the case of this particular morning, it was less surprising than it usually was; in the deepest oceans of his heart, he had known that going out yesterday would spell ill. He had thought the smoke against his throat was receding; it had hurt less than the day before, at least, and that was enough for him to assume that it would continue to heal and that he could therefore make the most use of a rainy day that was badly suited for hunting.

Oh, how wrong he had been.

The very first inhale was like fire. His throat was raw and angry. His ears were clogged, he couldn’t breathe through his nose, and everything ached.

There was no denying it. Shahar Dawnwhisper had come down with a cold.

Naiya woke early and slipped out to check on the animals, and Shahar didn’t respond to her. With any luck she would think he was asleep and he could sneak out to the River Flower.

Nope. Shahar groaned as his entire body strained under the effort of getting up, and he dropped back onto the bed. He wasn’t sneaking anywhere.

Snow, used to being woken up to go on a morning hunt, took a few extra ticks to blink her eyes open. Realizing that Shahar had not woken her and was not making any move to leave, she looked at him with curiosity.

Shahar rolled over with a wet grunt. Not today.

Tuka, too, was curious as to why they were going nowhere, although she was less pressing than Snow. For Tuka, any extra time to lounge was coveted. The two new puppies were thankfully still asleep, not yet used to the cadence of Dawnwhisper life.

Naiya returned with wood, pausing at the sight of so many animals that hadn’t gone out to hunt. She regarded them, and then her eyes found Shahar and she regarded him, too, with clear concern and worry in the cut of her shoulders.

Shahar tried to say her name, but all that came out was an impotent rush of air. He groaned in frustration; bad decision, can’t talk, bad day ahead. He buried his face in the pillow. I’m sick.

[Naiya]

She could not sign to him the many things that came to mind, his face hidden beneath his hair. Instead she crooned, a sound of patient understanding, the misery of illness one she was quite familiar with.

"Can Snow show me where your snares are? I can check them for you, although I'm no good at resetting them." She began pulling in the openings of the pavilion, tightening them up to keep in the warm air. Only the smoke vents remained open, and those widely so.

Snow, she knew, was a creature far more special than any other dog, closer to their striders than to the hunting cats. It was her hope that perhaps she would lead the way to the traps. It would be a shame to lose the creatures that might be there.

She gathered blankets around him, close at hand should he need them, before sitting down beside him. She traced her fingers through his hair, the motion meant to be soothing. He felt warm, even through the mass of his hair, she traced the line of his head to his neck, his skin hot beneath her cool fingers. His forehead was the same, a fever if she were to guess.

What had they done for those? She tried to recall how her family cared for them. Stay warm, but keep the head cool? That seemed like the proper action. She brushed his face once more, comforting him before she left to gather supplies.

Outside it was brisk, so she moved quickly, gathering two bowls, a large cook pot, and some of the rags from their belongings. She gathered mint, speedwell, and fireweed as well, figuring that their stores were intended for such illness.

The mint, if she recalled, helped to open the body so they could breathe better, the gentle tingle soothing aches and pains as well. Speedwell was exactly as it sounded, helping boost the body in its healing. Fireweed while light and gently flavored helped speed the healing of the body and soothed swelling, which made it good for a sore throat and for the closing of the nose and throat that came with these kinds of illness.

She dropped the herbs into the kettle, scooping that up too as well as a ceramic mug. She drew water from their stores gathered in the rain, filling the kettle and the pot.

She stepped inside, feeling the immediate change in the warmth of the pavilion. She placed the pot and the kettle into the fire, letting them warm, the pot didn't wait long as she scooped a bowl of cold water. She dropped a rag in it, soaking the fabric before offering it to Shahar.

"You should keep your head and neck cool." She told him, explaining her actions before offering to place it against his flushed skin for him.

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