Soul Searching

[Darragh Harper]

“Thank’eeMa’amC!” Darragh said quick enough to be one word, scuttling quickly out of the vixen’s claw-range and peek under Kaii’s chin (the marble fox being the designated Tall One of the group) at the map. He frowned, his vision going further out of focus the more he tried to decipher what to him looked like a deranged spider’s web. He was familiar with maps on only a more vague level - here was a hill, there was an orchard, follow the path between the two. Madame Crowley had perhaps earned at least half her payment fairly with her exactitude, though her representation of the maddening network of thin ink-stroke streets between them and Botanica Magica left the poet more lost than before, and perhaps a bit dizzy.

Finny scampered off one way, and Kaii sprinted another! Darragh was left standing with Swifttail the responsible Holder of the Map.

“Oh, uh… champion map readers both!” Darragh exclaimed, frowning in thought. He trusted both of them would reach the shop, so he supposed it didn’t matter which beast he followed. Yet, he would prefer they didn’t travel alone through unfamiliar streets, even in daytime. It was just sensible precautions, no matter where you went in Bully Harbour.

“I’ll take Finny, though I’ll bet a whistlin’ tune that you’ll get there first if you follow Kaii,” Darragh suggested to Swifttail, “You keep Kaii from getting knifed in an alley, I’ll keep Finny from getting arrested!”

Madam Crowley meanwhile, affected to ignore the pesky foxes and stoat, now that she had gotten a few coins out of it. She had spent more energy on this than she felt it was worth, and now all the old vixen wanted was her tea break. The next few palm-reading clients were probably going to have vaguer revelations than usual.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail watched the scene unfold in barely contained disbelief.

Finn had bolted down one street like a spark from a flint with his tail fluttering behind like a tiny flag. Kaii took the opposite path with a calculated stride, vanishing with only the map’s folds left fluttering in Swift’s paw.

“Gates…”

He turned to Darragh, exasperated.

“Aye, go after the kit, I’ll stop Kaii!”

With that, he took off like a shot.

Dust kicked up under his footpaws as he sprinted after the marble fox, trying not to let the panic overtake him, but already frustration was bubbling to the surface. His lungs burned. His legs ached. And still, Kaii was ahead.

“Wait...mate!!! We gotta stick together!!!” he hollered, voice ragged as he pounded after him.

They couldn’t split up. Not now. Not when Silvie needed them most.

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn heard a commotion and yelling behind him -- but it wasn't the playful cries he was expecting to hear from the party following him. The foxkit checked over his shoulder, and found only Darr coming after him. Kaii was nowhere to be seen, and Swift was running off in a different direction. The kit slowly jogged to a halt, puzzled why his friends had split up. All he caught was the tail end of Swift calling after Kaii.

"Wait... mate!!! We gotta stick together!!!"

Now that was a sentiment he could understand. On Urk, he'd felt so... alone. All the foxes had gone in separate directions. It was a terrible feeling not knowing where your friends were, and not being able to depend on them for help. Finn always felt so much stronger when they were all around, and standing there in the market, he felt vulnerable.

Turning around, the foxkit trotted towards Darr with an apologetic look on his face. Swift was right, they shouldn't repeat the same mistakes they made on Urk! As if to demonstrate his commitment to sticking together, the fox darted behind Darr, and clambered up on his shoulders.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii stopped quickly by grasping the nearby lamp-post and using his inertia to do a half-spin around it. He thus ended face-to-face with Swift who barely managed to halt himself. He was too eager maybe to rush and help true, but to him it mattered little how did they get to the destination. He could get there by the most optimal way...

Then it struck him. Yes, He could. But what about others? He wasn't alone trying to solve this matter. He wasn't used to that yet fully. Having friends to assist in all matters was as new to him as the fact he was now himself helping a friend not just because of his oath to them.

He sighed and flattened his ears, showing he grasped what it was about. "Right. I am not alone in my duty. Forgive my mistake."

Fortunately, before Kaii could say more, Darr and Finn came from around the corner. This time, he decided that it will be for the best to explain his thoughts before doing anything more. So he started speaking as the other came close enough to hear him, but before they've stopped.

"Apologies, I should've said something more. This way we get to avoid the main streets while the distance should be roughly the same as per the map. I thought it was the fastest way and... forgive my next words, forgot you are with me on this matter. Please, let us not however waste time on my mistake, Silvie awaits us all. Let's go, I can atone and apologise properly later." He said quickly, ready to rush and lead as soon as the others would start moving again.

 

[The Wolf]

And so our intrepid group of Foskateers- a name the group had adopted at some point, rushed off through the winding maze of streets and alleyways. There wasn't a second to waste, after all. Not with their dear companion Silvertongue in trouble. Leading the way was the noble Kaii, who's knowledge of these storied streets made quick work of any potential twists and turns that would end up with the group lost in some abanoned alleyway. Behind him, the lone stoat of our vulpine party- Darragh carried young Finnian on his shoulders. He was just as much a Foskateer as the others, despite his lack of vulpine traits. Finnian, the bright-eyed kit, was excited for the adventure- perhaps not fully understanding the urgency of the situation. Last- but most certainly not least, was Swifttail. Already exhausted from running about like a crazed beast, he was lagging behind the others, but his love and determination fueled the fires within his body, and pushed his legs to move him forward.

Quickly, Carefully, our heroes made their way through the city. None would bar their path. No beggar, bar-dweller, nor boisterous beast of bother would stand in their way. Not while their dear Silvertongue awaited.

Soon enough, they came across the shop in question. Well, what they could assume was the shop. They saw Greeneye pacing about outside of a building, the rat waiting for the arrival of his former mate's closest companions.

Now, you may be asking yourself: Who are you? Why are you narrating these things? How do you know about all of this? Well... you needn't concern yourself with such things. There's far more pressing matters at paw here, aren't there?

 

[Greeneye]

Greeneye looked up as he heard the rushing of feet. "Hell's Teeth! There ye lot are!" He exclaimed. "I suppose it's me own fault fer not givin' instructions, but I expected ye beasts ter now the way!"

He hurried over and approached the four of them. "The buildin' is right this way. Now, I'm just gonna warn ye. Silvertongue is real sick, he ain't even awake right now. So just... maybe cover yer mouths wif somefink. I ain't sure if it's infectious or not."

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail stumbled to a stop, chest rising and falling with rapid, shallow breaths. His tongue poked slightly from the corner of his muzzle, ears tipped back and flushed with heat. Soot clung to the lighter parts of his fur, and his tail dragged low behind him like a scorched banner.

The shop, if this peculiar structure could be called that, stood before them, framed by the scrawny rat who had kicked this whole chase into motion.

He blinked at Greeneye, unable to hide the disbelief and mild annoyance flickering behind his tired gaze.
“Gates, Greeneye…” he panted. “Ye barely gave me time ta register what ye were sayin’! Me ears were ringin’. It’s a miracle I understood as good as I did.”

But there was no venom in his voice. Just fatigue, and the raw concern of a beast stretched too thin over something he couldn’t afford to lose.

He reached into his satchel, paw fumbling for a moment before pulling free a blue kerchief. With a small bit of floundering, he tied it across his muzzle.

“Right,” he said at last.
“Show us in.”

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii stopped basically as soon as Swifttail did. He wasn't much more athletic than him, but being taller did let him to not have to run as fast to keep up the pace. Still, at the stop, he was panting quite ungentlebeastly. Not that it mattered to him, but instead of talking, he took a moment to level his breath while the platinum fox talked with the rat they all had not much love for.

Hearing that Silvertongue is in such a bad state, Kaii took two pieces of the cotton cloth from his bag, usually used for cleaning his tools or for experimenting with electrostatics, and following Swifttail's example, he first tied one around his snout and muzzle.

Then he put the second one around Finn's. The little kit could do so himself, but looking from the outside it was easier to spot any mishaps. And out of the whole group, Finn being the youngest got the mandatory extra attention to ensure he will be fine.

And as soon as they were all ready. Kaii finally got to speak, slightly muffled and glaring a warning at Greeneye. "And do not leave my sight."

 

[Darragh Harper]

Stoats were quick creatures. Agile and alert, they excelled at energetic movement, from their proclivity for dancing, to their aptitude for climbing, and in particular, their ability to wriggle into the most awkward spaces imaginable with a dexterity and determination only rivaled by ferrets.

All of these things did not make Darragh a fantastic long-distance runner. Neither did carrying around Finny on his back. Light as he was for his age and species, a twelve-year-old kit quickly grows his way out of being carried. Darragh found carrying Finny endearing nonetheless, it reminded him of younger siblings, and home.

Darragh let Finny down once they’d arrived, and doubled over to catch his breath. Greeneye was speaking, but he wasn’t really listening. They were here at last at Botanica Magica, a place that gave the poet an odd sort of foreboding. Perhaps it was the lack of foot traffic in this small, quiet street, or an odd, herbal smell he couldn’t identify, or the discoloured, dusty glass of the windows. Darragh felt the fur on the back of his neck prickle.

While he’d been distracted, everybeast had tied rags around their snouts. Darragh happened to have some wraps free in his pocket - usually what he used to protect his paws in a boxing fight. He wound one over his muzzle and tied it off behind his head - now they all looked like bandits.

“C’mon Finny,” Darragh murmured, patting the fox kit’s back as they approached. “Can’t be any worse than the last witch’s abode we’ve just absconded from, aye?”

He wasn’t sure who he was trying to reassure more - his friend, or himself.

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn, at the very least, knew how to ride on someone's shoulders! The foxkit had expertly wrapped his arms about the stoat's shoulders, and used his elbows to keep most of his weight in high and tight -- not like those kits who would just wrap their arms around your neck and hang off your windpipe! He used his knees too, snugging in around the stoat's side. Now, Finn knew he was getting older... and... well. He knew he wouldn't be able to do this forever. But for the time being, he'd get away with what he could.

As they approached their destination, Finn slipped off the stoat's shoulders, and quickly trotted alongside him. With a mischievious glint in his eye, he nudged the tripoding stoat. "Ayy, c'mon now! You aren't that out of shape!" he teased gently.

In short order, Kaii was helpfully tying a mask around his muzzle. BLAH! Fluster, fidget! Kaii, didn't you just hear the internal monologue about Finny knowing he was growing up? He can tie his own masks! He doesn't need mandatory extra attention! Finn took note of the tension between Kaii and Greeneye... ...but there were many things he didn't understand about the rat. Why was everyone so hostile to him?

The foxkit grinned behind his mask -- still not grasping the gravity of the situation. "Tch! You think she's gonna charge us a gilder just to see'm?" he quipped back cheerfully, holding the door as the beasts walked inside. "Would it be okay to burn it down then? Cuz that's foxnapping, right?" he said in a slightly lower voice, like a kit whispering in class behind the teacher's back.

 

[Greeneye]

“Oh, what, yew two think I’m lyin’?” Greeneye asked with an eyebrow raised. “This snark is about the duel, ain’t it? Well, I’m callin’ it off fer right now! Is that what ye wants to ‘ear?! It’s postponed!”

He threw up his paws in dismissal. Of course these fancy snobs would think so lowly of him. “I wouldn’t ever lie to ye about Silvie’s wellbein’. I ain’t that much of a bastard!” He snapped. “Ye can choose not ter believe me, but yer about to see der whole truth right now!”

Greeneye took out the white rag he had used to signal the truce to Swifttail earlier, and he wrapped it around his own muzzle. He walked into the shop, and motioned for the others to follow.

 

[Madame Lorelei]

Now, fortune tellers were known to be eccentric… but this shop was really pushing the boundaries of ‘strange and unusual’. The small building was crowded. The walls were lined with shelves, those shelves filled to the brim with all sorts of charms, talismans, amulets, and other Knick-Knacks. Though it quickly took a turn towards the freaky. Dozens of jars, filled with strange colored liquid. And in these jars, preserved toes, fingers, eyeballs, even what appeared to be a brain in one of them! Atop of these shelves were dozens of candles, most of them unlit but some of them burning, an acrid stench of herbal medicine wafting through the air. Against the back wall was a table, and on that table sat a large crystal ball atop of a purple cloth. The ball seemed to glow, unnaturally, a sickly green color, and smoke swirled about within it.

Greeneye motioned silently to a door in a back, and going through it, the group would see a ghastly sight.

It was some sort of personal room, situated in the back of the shop, and laid out on a bed was Silvertongue. He was stripped down to only a pair of pants, the rest of his clothes sat aside. The fox was lying rigid on the bed. His eyes were shut, and his breathing was labored. The true oddity was the fact that there were strange purple markings, almost black, that were spread all about his chest and arms, almost like vines wrapping around him. And these markings seemed to originate from a dark black spot formed right over his heart.

Tending to Silvertongue was an eldery vixen. She had dark black fur that was greying with age. She was wearing a white dressed adorned with stars and moon, and had an orange shawl over it. She tenderly held Silvertongues paw in one of her own, in her other paw she tightly grasped prayer beads. She was sitting on a cushioned chair, rocking back and forth. “Kitsune, please heal my Silvertongue. Hear my prayer.” She muttered repeatedly, not yet noticing the group entering.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail stepped over the threshold of the shop, and his pawpads met the floorboards with a whisper of hesitation.

He felt it immediately.

It wasn't just the stench, though the bitter smoke and steeped herbs clung to his nostrils like wet ash. It wasn’t even the dim, unnatural light that bled green from the glass ball in the corner, or the grotesque shapes floating in pickled jars.

No… it was the tension in the air.

Like the low pull of a bowstring before a shot. A vibration in the bones, coiled and humming. He’d been around sickness before. Disease had its own kind of silence. An emptiness that hollowed rooms. This was something else. If not for the familiar shapes of Darragh and Kaii at his flanks, or Finn’s little paw brushing his tail in passing, he might’ve turned tail and run.

Even still, he faltered. Only Silvertongue could’ve drawn him into a place like this.

He heard Greeneye behind him, the rat muttering something about the duel. Of course. That was all the sod could think about. Swift’s ears gave a twitch, not from annoyance, but to shake off the echo of frustration that still clung to him like cobwebs. He held his tongue. For now.

The back room was worse.

“Gates…” he whispered.

The markings wrapped Silvertongue like bramble vines, dark and gnarled. He looked barely alive. Every breath from the bard’s chest looked like a battle. The black spot over his heart pulsed slow and deep, like a drumbeat in reverse.

There was a vixen at his side who hadn’t noticed them yet. Her paw, draped in prayer beads, clutched Silvie’s with care. Swift’s ears pinned at the name she whispered. Kitsune. So this was serious!

Swifttail approached the bed.

His voice barely left a breath:
“Silv...”

He reached out, paw hovering over the vine-dark bruises. So close. Close enough to touch.

And perhaps… too close.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

At the continued yapping of Greeneye, Kaii just cast a look of disapproval and calm fury. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid, needless bickering in the face of danger that came upon his friend Silvie.

Kaii usually was capable of very quickly comprehending what was the situation, even when facing the new or unknown. He could find some parallels to his already existing knowledge, deduce or estimate something. It wasn't always perfect, but in general it was hard to say that Kaii have struggled with understanding things.

And yet, there was nothing he understood about what was happening to Silv.

Kaii read and debunked a great amount of so called "occultism", seeing as it was mostly fraud. He wasn't per se against the idea of any sort of supernatural things existing, he simply knew that there were no supernatural things. Even things like Darragh's visions, while baffling, had to come from something and Kaii was elated at the idea of finding what was the rationale behind those.

Then again, what he saw now was... peculiar. It seemed to stem from his friend's heart, but it tangled around the whole body. It was like a vine, parasitic and suffocating. His mind raced at potentials but what he saw was in a way looking as if someone poured ink into Silvertongue's vascular system, not something any beast would survive easily and not something Kaii was trained to deal with.

The presence of the vixen was perplexing due to the specific words she used. My Silvertongue. Kaii had questions here that had to wait, but in case she was his friend's ward, mother or any family member, Kaii decided against stating the obvious. The prayers wouldn't work here.

Observing as Swifttail were about to touch his lover, Kaii cleared his throat to speak, his tone, while flat, carrying a note of genuine concern. "Madam, we are Silvertongue's friends. If you won't mind, let us examine him so we can attempt resolving his... condition."

The marble fox seemed confident as ever, but going through billion possibilities, he saw only one outcome and his muzzle stilled even further.

This needed very thorough investigation, one that went beyond tools of science.

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn was struck by a disorienting wave of sensation as he stepped into Botanica Magica. The entire shop was unlike anything he had experienced before, and had a queer smell about it that almost made him dizzy. Taverns and such were simple places with one aesthetic: wood and smoke. But this was so many colors, sights, and smells all at once that it nearly overwhelmed him.

Once he had recovered from the initial assault to his senses, the foxkit's curiosity was aroused. He peered about the shop suspiciously, examining the various tchotchkes lining the walls. (And Finn thought Mr. Barrett had strange bottles -- he was fairly certain that one held a finger!)

The crystal orb lured Finn in for a moment. The warm glow of a fire evoked feelings of comfort and companionship, and the pale blue light of the moon could invoke a serene or sublime feeling, depending on the situation. But this... ...sickly green glow was troubling. He'd never seen anything quite like it -- and yet, he seemed nearly drawn into it.

Snapping upwards, his ears flitted as he realized all the others had entered the back room now, leaving him alone. His fur began to poof, and he quickly scurried into where Silvie lay, half naked on the table. The foxkit let out an audible gasp -- he'd seen a plethora of different wounds, but this was like nothing he'd ever seen. An old woman sat next to his mate, preforming some pagan ritual that Finn could only interpret as the cause of Silvie's predicament.

The only thing that came to his mind was how Darragh handled such women. The foxkit, floofed out with fright, leveled a finger at Mme Loreli. "Foul crone! Unhand Silvie, you... ...you old ugly hag!"

And then Finn shot Darr a furtive glance, and beamed with pride.

 

[Darragh Harper]

Darragh prowled about the shop, eyes wide in fascination. He had always enjoyed Mme. Crowley’s collection of curiosities, but this shop was overstuffed with them. Even the crystal ball seemed bigger, spookier, and definitely smokier!

“Ooh. A Paw of Glory,” Darragh read off a label, gawking at the withered limb in the glass case. He passed by piles of crystals and meteorite fragments, and poked his head into a tall, coffin-like cabinet. “Hmm. The sleeping-cabinet of a genuine Somnambulist, said to reveal secret truths seen in his dreams!”

The stoat’s tail swished from the thrill, despite the circumstances that had brought them here. He had no way of knowing if the labels even told a fraction of the truth, but the stories behind each curio were what fired his poetic imagination. He could visualise now, the tall skinny Somnambulist, a ferret with a dark mask of fur around his eyes, so deep asleep as to be mistaken for dead, then rising for a few minutes each day to glower at crowds of stunned spectators.

“Kaii, d’you think there’s any books on Somn…” Darragh cloth-muffled voice petered out as he followed the marble fox into the back room, only to see Silvertongue’s body laid out, motionless on a bed. He was silent, his excitement about the shop draining out of him in an instant. Plague was the word that instantly came to mind. The terrible spectre of a past epidemic. Bodies lying in the streets, covered in black boils. Even Darragh, shaky on his history at the best of times, had heard those stories.

Something about the elderly vixen gave the stoat pause. He took off his hat, a polite gesture that he reserved for a few other occasions - entering the captain’s cabin on the Hide, and the dining room of his parents’ house were two of them. The way she held Silvie’s paw…

If Finny’s words sounded uncomfortably familiar to Darragh, trumpeting out and breaking the atmosphere of hushed tones and stillness, the look the kit gave him sealed it. Darragh wasn’t sure who he was emulating more, his mother or his father, as he grabbed the fox kit by the scruff of his neck, and pulled him back out into the shop.

“One more word out of turn from you,” Darragh began in a hushed growl. He was about to threaten Finny with involving Doctor Barrett, but the word going around was the big pine marten was being a tearful drunken mess lately. Something had driven the fire out of the grizzled old terror, Darragh knew not what, but saying he’d run to Barrett about Finny’s bad behaviour would sound empty. Darragh glanced around the shop, and found inspiration almost immediately. “…and I’ll lock you in that cabinet until we leave, and I’ll have such a beltin’ for you afterwards!”

Darragh glared at Finny, quickly trying to think up an easy rule for the kit to understand. So far he was demanding Finny do as he say, not as he did. That was the unfairness of kithood, though, and had to be the rule until Finny was old enough to understand better, and not just blindly emulate. An ironic thought, since Darragh was almost exactly speaking the lines his own parents had used on him. “While we’re in here, you only speak when you’re spoken to. No arguin’, no shoutin’, or you won’t be helpin’ Silvie. Understand?”

 

[Madame Lorelei]

Madame Lorelei turned her attention away from Silvertongue with a start. She looked out at the gaggle of faces before her- not even having time to comprehend the insult nor who delivered it before the troublemaker was whisked away. "Oh-!" She sat up, taking her paw away from Silvertongue's. "You must be his companions. It seems that the clarion call for aid was answered much sooner than expected. Oh. Come here, come. Come!" She shuffled past Swifftail and Kaii, poking her head out the door to usher Darragh and Finnian back in. "Come in, please! Time is most certainly of the essence here."

She hurried the other two in and closed the door. "And take off those masks. What's wrong with Silvertongue is not contagious, I promise you that. It is a malady of his heart, his very soul. Not of his body." She hobbled across the room on her cane. With as much urgency as a near eighty-year old fox could, over to a pot of water that had started to boil on the stove. "You young beasts are just in time for tea."

She muttered some unintelligible nonsense to herself as she readied.... Madame Lorelei turned back to the room, squinting. "... Three, four..." six cups of tea, putting teabags in the pot and pouring the herbal smelling drink into cups. She then took a tray and carried it over to the table nearby. It really was a spacious bedroom now that they had a chance to look around. It was more like a makeshift living quarters.

Once the tea was sat down, Madame Lorelei walked over to a jar, reaching into it. "My, you're all such fine young beasts, coming out all this way on such short notice. I'm glad that my Silvertongue has such good friends." She then walked over to the group, approaching each one of them and slipping something into their palms.What could it possibly be? A talisman? A charm? Upon closer inspection... they seemed to be chestnuts, glazed in some sort of syrup. She gave Finnian two of them, leaning down to pinch and pull his cheek. "Oh goodness, what a cute young todd you are! I am a bit ugly, aren't I?" She cackled. "I lost my eye on the high seas, caught up in a nasty sea battle with pirates. A story for another time!"

The sight of Finnian seemed to lift her spirits slightly, but she sighed looking over at Silvertongue. "I know you must all be wondering why I brought you here and what's wrong with Silvertongue. All will be explained in due time." She sat down at the table, taking one of the cups of tea and sipping from it. "Well. I'd say it's about due time." She looked at the group before her. "You see, lately Silvertongue has been worried, beyond worried- something was gnawing away at him, but he refused to tell me. Said it was personal business. I could tell, there was growing fear in his heart. Then, come this morning, he rushed into my shop. He was deathly pale, and he couldn't breathe. He was clutching at his chest, and he tore his clothing from his body. That's when I saw it." She looked over at Silvertongue. "Darkness had gripped his heart. I don't understand how- he always had his-" Madame Lorelei turned back to the group, and she froze mid sentence. Her gaze was fixed on Swifttail. On the amulet.

---

Flasback​

Silvertongues' smile faltered, and he put a paw on his chest. "Swifttail... you have been so kind to me, so generous with your heart... I feel I am an awful beast for advancing on you like I have... allow me to make it up to you."

Slipping his paw underneath the neck of his doublet, Silvertongue produced an amulet. It was an onyx paw, with a silver iris in the middle. Swifttail, as far as he could recall, had never seen Silvertongue wearing this before.

"This.. necklace... is supposedly a protective charm. My godmother gifted it to me when I was a baby. She's a very spiritual sort of vixen, a seer. She claims that it sees evil approaching." Silvertongue pointed to the eye. "And stops it from hurting you." He pointed to the paw.

He smiled softly, almost ruefully. "I have worn it every single day of my life, for twenty years... but now, I want you to have it." Without warning, he suddenly leaned forward, and he put the amulet around Swifttails neck, the cool mettalic gem resting on Swifttails chest. "I want you to be safe, you know... from evil spirits."

---

Return to Present Times.​

"The amulet." Madame Lorelei whispered, a horrified look on her face. She sat her tea aside and she rushed over to Silvertongue's side. "Silvertongue, damn your bleeding heart!" She cried out, grabbing his shoulders. As if he would wake from his slumber. "I gave you the Eye of Nazar Battu for a reason!" She grimaced, hanging her head low as tears welled in her one good eye, turning towards the others. "You may not immediately believe this, but there is a malevolent spirit inhabiting Silvertongue's body!"

@SwifttailTheFox @Kaii Nashirou @Darragh Harper @FinnianBrightfur

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail’s paw hovered just above Silvertongue’s chest, his breath shallow, eyes fixed on the black spot that pulsed slow and terrible. He was on the edge of touching his pawpads upon it, drawn in, almost without realizing it.

“Foul crone! Unhand Silvie, you… you old ugly hag!”

Finnian’s shout cracked through the haze like a lash. Swifttail jerked back, eyes snapping wide as though woken from a dream. He stared at the kit, stunned silent, ears pinned with shock.

But before he could speak, Darragh was there, looming over Finnian like a stormcloud. The stoat seized the kit by the scruff, dragging him away with a low growl. His threats weren’t playful; his words as heavy as the fear in his voice. Swifttail flinched faintly at the harshness, but he couldn’t deny the truth behind it. They had to trust this old crone to help Silvie!

His paw lowered slowly to his own chest, claws curling into his fur. The dread still thrummed in his bones.

Then Lorelei’s voice filled the room. Calm, but urgent. She ushered them closer, explaining in tones that cut deeper with every word: Silvertongue’s malady wasn’t of the body. It was of his heart and soul. Not disease, nor plague, but something darker and much more sinister.

Swifttail pulled the kerchief down from his muzzle with a sharp tug. The air hit him like a wave, thick and cloying. His gaze darted to Kaii, desperate. He needed the marble fox’s logic, his skepticism, to ground him. To tell him this was all just a trick. An illusion. That there was a rational truth behind these horrors.

But the words never came...

Lorelei’s tale pressed on, each sentence winding tighter around his chest. Despair gripping his heart. And then when her eyes landed on him. On the amulet that Silvie had gifted him.

What she said next chilled Swifttail to the bone. His claws were already scrabbling at the clasp, breath tearing in his throat. Realization struck like fire through his veins.

The amulet was a gift. A gift Silvie had given out of love. A gift he had accepted. And in doing so, he had left Silvertongue unprotected.

“Oh, Silvie…!” His voice broke, raw and panicked. “I didn’t know*!”

The chain snapped free. He lurched forward, clutching the pendant in trembling paws.

“Silvie! Take it back, mate! TAKE IT BACK!”

He tried to press the amulet down against Silvertongue’s chest, desperate, pleading as if the act alone could undo his mistake. As if it could drag his bard back from the shadow now choking him.

* Swifttail knows that the amulet is meant for protection from evil spirits from what Silvertongue told him in the flashback, but he didn't know it would manifest in such a way. He thought it simply as a good luck charm up until now.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii knew the foxes were emotional. Just like the stereotype that they've had little care for personal space and were very loyal mates, those all were, in some part, very true statements. And that was something Kaii wasn't mentally ready for now.

The room around the one solemn marble fox erupted into chaos. Finnian lashed out, with words that should not be spoken to any beast without a valid reason. Darragh reacted to them with a harsh crackdown, one the kit for sure did not deserve. The old vixen at least didn't seem to bothered but... was she making tea? Now of all possible moments? At least she was neither mad nor upset about the situation, in fact, she took it as well as an old vixen could.

Listening to her explanations gave Kaii little time to think. He heard of heart failures caused by stress and definitely from his own example knew how strong emotions can cause pain and issues with breathing. But in neither of those he would expect blackening of the blood vessels. Cramps sure, tensed muscles too, but not this.

And then The Amulet was mentioned. Crashing both the Vixen and Swifttail. Kaii... simply put, had enough. He spoke one word with dead calm, articulating it well and filling the room with his presence.

"Friends." was the word he chose while putting his paw onto Swifttail's shoulder. It was firm, grounding, supporting grasp. "Let us not panic. Nor speak of others ill nor let the anger take us." He respectively looked at Swift, Finnian and Darragh while stating those. They would discuss those later, for now the emotions had to be put down aside. Silvertongue needed solutions, not crashouts.

"We need to focus please. Silvertongue needs us at our best. I well understand we all are upset, especially you Swift, but for his sake, let us try to find a solution instead of bickering and haphazardly grasping at ideas. Time is of essence and I do not want for our actions to prolong suffering of our beloved bard." The marble fox explained and hoped for the best now. He couldn't control others, but he hoped that Swift and Darr would trust in him as they did so before with Finny picking up on urgency of the matter. If not? He would work on this alone.

"Madame." He now had turned to the elderly vixen. "Please, tell us more of the ailment Silvertongue has. If this amulet protected him, I assume you know how it works and thus how to potentially heal him." With the expression that was unmoving as if chiselled from marble, only Kaii's tail, slightly strut, showing that in fact, this fox was distressed.