she worried.

it wasn't a common state for the healer, who tended to accept things as they were, but this was pointedly different. fear had wormed it's way in to her heart and nibbled at her thoughts, constantly; it was only years of practice that allowed her to wear a placid mask in the company of her patient.

the leg was a loss. calypso knew it from the moment she had seen the mangled mass of flesh and broken bone, but the firm words of the hyena had made her do all that she could to save it. faced with the assurance that her best efforts had failed -- calypso could smell the infection -- she knew that there was only one way to save the life of the canine: the leg had to come off.

determination settled in to the lines of her face as she returned to her den from an outing to the tundra, fresh pieces of lichen and usnea gathered in a bundle. a fresh piece of meet from the rainforest cache, too, which she moved to deposit in front of @Beorn. "Eat." No room for argument today; she would need every bit of energy she could glean before the next steps were taken.

Art by Rabbit | Table code by Zodiac

As the days wore on, the hyenas strength was waning. The blood in her veins felt thick, and her lungs felt full of sand. Her skin seemed to burn, and the air was rife with the scent of infection. Yet the creature refused to admit the pain that crippled her body.

She slipped in and out of feverish sleep, lingering between a weak lucidity and uncanny dreams. Beorn groaned when the felines voice broke through her drums, eyes scrunching and opening just a fraction. The food presented before her bad her stomach flip, but Beorn know she had no hope of arguing with her carer. Hesitantly, she picked at the meat, snipping off small chunks with her teeth and grimacing as she swallowed

Beorn

The weakness was obvious and it amplified her fear. There was no way around it, and she settled on to her haunches to watch the canine eat for a moment. Eventually she cleared her throat and found her voice. "Yer gonna die if ye hang on to d'at leg much longer." Blunt, again, but why try to sugarcoat it?

"I know what ye said, but I can't fix it. Yer blood is gonna go bad." It wasn't exactly an easy thing to explain, and she hoped that the hyena would get the gist of what she was saying. Calypso again braced herself for the protests and the anger -- she expected a fight.

Art by Rabbit | Table code by Zodiac

Beorn's eyes burned, like dirt had found their way into the surface of her iris. She pinched her eyes shut, trying to block out the pale light. The words the lioness spoke brought a weak curl to her lip. "No! No my leg ain't going nowhere..." The words seemed to wane in strength as she spoke, lungs struggling to keep up with her speech. The fur along her spine bristled, face scrunching as she weakly shook her head. "No. I wont be a fuckin' cripple" The words were barely a whisper, tinted with anger and fear and pain.

Beorn

She sighed, but it was a soft sound, hushed and tinged with compassion for the canine. “It’s yer leg or yer life.” There was no use in pretending, and she hoped that the will to live was stronger than the desire to be whole.

“I won’t see ye die if I cen stop it.” She would need help, but she didn’t want to call for it until she had some semblance of acceptance from her patient.

Calypso levelled her gaze at @Beorn, and hoped she could somehow get through. “I’ve seen ot’ers wit’ t’ree legs, ye cen learn. I cen help.” No matter what their futures were tied together, and if she couldn’t see that then Calypso would just do what had to be done and deal with the consequences.

Art by Rabbit | Table code by Zodiac

Beorn tried to turn her head away as the lioness's soft voice uttered what was at stake. Fear caused her muscles to shudder. And between the pain and fear there was confusion. It made no sense to her that the feline before her should want to help. Lions and Hyenas after all were mortal enemies.

Her green gaze met the femmes gaze briefly as she offered soft encouragement. It brought a sting of sharp tears to the creatures eyes. She pinched them shut, holding her breath for long moments. After many moments they opened again, bloodshot and hardened with resolve. Her jaw was clenched, teeth bared. "No! My leg fuckin' stays!"

Beorn

For the first time in her life calypso was faced with a decision that she never wanted to make. If she left the leg the hyena would die, but to take it off without permission…. Another quiet sigh spilled from her lips as she grappled with the morality of the choice.

She needed another opinion. She needed help.

As if resigning herself she gathered some herbs, busying herself with @beorn’s words echoing in the den. “here.” it was normal, by now, for her to be giving herbs to the wounded canine, and she hoped there would be no protest. These were different, but mixed with the normal, meant to put her in to a deeper sleep than before. “Rest, d’en. We cen talk more when ye wake.” and then she would hate her, forever.

She stepped to the entrance of her den and hoped that the hyena was asleep by the time she called for @Calhoun.

Art by Rabbit | Table code by Zodiac

The words had sapped the last of the creatures energy, and she seemed to crumple, breath laboured in her chest. A melancholy had settled in her heart. A strange sort of weight that pushed down upon her. It could have been a mourning for her family that has mutilated and abanonded her, or a sorrow for her health. It was a hard emotion to navigate over the fever.

Beorn took the herbs offered, to weak to resist and longing for the numbness that sleep offered. She swallowed, the medicine dragging her into a feverish whirlpool of barely-sleep. As she stumbled in the dark, memories and flashes hit behind her eyes. Small, quiet whimpers sounded from her lips. "Dont leave me... I didn't do anything wrong... Mother, don't abandon me... Ghuukhaar haaraan druuc kaagaan ghaan... haaraan druuc mor ghaan*" The canine whimpered and pleaded with some invisible creature deep within her head.


*Mother please dont leave me... please dont hurt me...

Beorn

Calhoun isn't particularly far when @Calypso calls for him; he's deeper into the jungle than usual, but already on his way back towards camp when he hears it. His ears twist forward and he quickens his pace, moving quietly through the damp leaves, weighted with the snow that still blankets the earth. He finds the medic at the mouth of her den, a brow quirked in curiosity. She doesn't look to be in any immediate state of panic or peril, though she is tense, and he knows she's been busy these last days caring for the stray she'd taken in. Much like she had once done for him. "What do ye need?" he queries, salmon eyes meeting the ocean blue of Calypso's. @Beorn

image by koafox, code by koi

She is pacing by the time he comes, and the stress is clear in the lines of her face. Exhaustion weighs heavy in her eyes, and she flip flops back and forth in her mind. The delirious mutters from within the den do little to assuage her guilt, and she wonders just how much the hyena will hate her for what she knows she must do.

When Cal comes she is visibly relieved, though still the lines around her eyes are tense and tight. “Her leg is killing her,” she begins, her voice hushed but heavy with her anxiety. “fuck.” a glance over her shoulder to where the hyena lay. “she doesn’ want me to do it, but if I don’t…”

Her stomach lurched at the thought and she looked back to Cal, hoping to find some reassurance or confirmation that she was doing the right thing. “if I leave de leg she’ll die.” End of story.

@Beorn @Calhoun

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