Ghis (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"It came suddenly four days ago with the arrival of some freed slaves from the mainland... No doubt the plague thrives in the slave pits on the continent, but they were immune so it wasn't until a child here caught it that we knew... We didn't dare let anyone leave to spread it, seeing as the immune can still carry it. But humans cannot catch nor carry it. Please, princess, come speak to our Shaman. She will be able to tell you more, and you are safe. But your Wolf must stay away."

The Shaman was the very same woman Kate had nearly been executed by in the fight with the Erygonians. She had never returned to the mainland, preferring to stay close to the graves of her sons and husband after losing two to war and the last, her elder son, to execution for his crimes and killing his own father and Lir.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate nodded, dismounting from her horse before she passed the reigns to Kell. "I'll be back soon." She murmured, giving him a smile as she made her way to the gates and was admitted when they opened through the tiniest crack they could manage.

"How many guards do you think you would need to help man the gates?" She asked the guards that were there, knowing that she could send those that weren't were to the village to help them in their time of need.

 

[KieranSoares]

"We usually have twenty warriors around the walls and ten inside and ten out on patrol in pairs," one guard told her as he came to escort her. Along the way she saw doors with black paint marking plague houses, but also saw where they stopped bothering to mark them when it all spread. Tribal humans looking exhausted were hurrying about with supplies and water to every home, and the warrior quickly blocked Kate's view of a side area where rows of bodies lay, the dead who'd succumbed.

 

[heartofcourage]

"How many have you lost?" Kate asked as she caught a brief sight of the dead that were lined up waiting to be buried.

She was quiet, listening and looking at all of their needs as she was escorted to the head healer. She was already making plans to bring warriors to their village to protect them and help them to take care of their business. There was so much that needed to be done and they simply didn't have the resources.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Twenty-four. In a village of less than three-hundred... Only thirty some odd people are immune or human. They've been working themselves almost to death to care for us all." The warrior brought her to the Shaman's longhouse and there she found the head healer, a white Fox woman named Dinaya, and the High Shaman, Suara Corel.

Suara rose when she saw Kate. "Thank the Gods. Princess Katherine." She wasn't ill, being from the mainland she was immune.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Suara." Kate said softly as she moved into the longhouse and greeted her former adversary warmly. "I came as soon as Kell told me what was going on. I see that things here are much worse than was first thought. I'm sorry for the losses that you've sustained, but I promise that I will send troops, supplies, and help as soon as I return to Inverness."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Thank you dear... You've no idea how we tried and tried to send word, but the humans are afraid to go and risk spreading the sickness just by touch, and obviously the werefolk can't. As long as you wash your hands and face when you cross the stream back toward town, you'll have nothing to worry about."

"Shaman!" A cry came from outside, and there stood an amber-eyed little girl with tears coursing down her cheeks. Suara immediately directed the head healer out.

"Go, I'll send Sanng along as soon as he gets back," she said quickly and the head healer took off at a sprint after the girl. "It's been nothing but emergencies all day... When someone gets sick, three or four days later they stop breathing and the healers have to force their throats open." Suara looked at Kate. "My healers can train those who come to help, that's the easy part. The hard part is the exhaustion and the need for people constantly on call. I've seen this plague before... The people can survive if they can breathe and get clean water. The healers have to keep their throats from closing and their lungs from giving out... If they can survive two weeks, they'll heal and be immune from that point on."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I will send all the help that we can spare." Kate promised as she saw just how hard they were having to work to keep their people alive. "We will return this evening. That is my promise to you."

She turned to leave as Suara moved to tend to the young child that looked so distraught. It was heart breaking to see them in such dire straights, especially being so close to help in Inverness.

"Kell. Ride ahead and gather troops, water, food, and healers." She called to her companion as she left the gates. "I can't be near you until I wash in the river."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Will do," Kell nodded and rode on ahead, but by the time they returned, Kate saw Kell being held up by a human warrior.

"Princess," the guard called. "The King needs you immediately. But it's too dangerous for Sir Kell."

"What's going on?" Kell's eyes narrowed.

"Some Wolves on the south end died of some kind of sickness. It's spreading like wildfire. One hour, they'll be fine, the next they'll collapse and be gasping for air."

"Oh, gods, no..." Kell whispered, his horse sensing his unease and stepping back and away. "If it's already here... it's already with the Lunars." He looked to Kate quickly. "I'm going to ride for Aberdeen for help." Aberdeen was almost purely a human city, and the people were very close with their Invernessian neighbors. "I'll be back in three days," he leaned across to kiss her before kicking his horse into a gallop, not bothering to get supplies as the situation was too dire.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Go." Kate said with a kiss as he mounted and started riding hard for Aberdeen.

Kate was hurrying into the keep to speak with her father, explaining to him the situation and how they had to quarantine all of the were folk for their own safety.

"They need help in the village and in the woods. They don't have enough to keep going for much longer." Kate said with clear worry evident in her voice as she looked at her father's worried gaze. "It will not effect humans, but we have to get them to agree to help us, Da."

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan had risen the moment she spoke of sickness, and had begun pacing as she went on. "Kate..." he murmured when she finished. "Go out t' the bell tower, tell th' keeper t' ring the signal fer summons to the keep. From the sounds of it... a quarantine in town isn' going t'help, but we need t'stop all non-human travel in an' out of town an' the villages. Tell Cole to get on tha' on yer way. An' on yer way back, have Kell-" but then he paused.

"Where's Kell?" He asked, meeting her eyes.

 

[heartofcourage]

"He went to Aberdeen for help. Da, they won't survive. Suara said that they have already lost 20 to 30 members of their tribe. Everyone is effected but those from the mainland and the humans that live with them." She explained, hoping that her father wouldn't be too upset with her at letting Kell ride for the larger city.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I was going t' tell you to help him pack up an' send him for Inverlochly... but Aberdeen has more resources an' less rough terrain t'cover. I knew tha' Wolf'd be good by yer side," Brogan kissed her cheek. "Go on, get the bell ringin' and tell Cole t'secure the borders. Then come back t'me an' I'll show ya how t'talk humans into helpin' werefolk in need."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate nodded before she hurried off to do what her father had asked of her. The bell was soon ringing loudly through the town, gathering citizens to the square as her Uncle Cole blocked off travelers into and out of Inverness. A small group of soldiers was also being sent to the village and the camp beyond to give them as much support as they could. She needed Suara to believe what she had promised and the way to do that was to simply do what was asked of them.

 

[KieranSoares]

When Kate returned, Brogan stood on the battlements above the crowd and raised his hands for them to quiet. There were almost no werefolk, telling them just how quickly the sickness had spread. Those who were there were clustered and looked afraid and very ill. The humans had no idea what the gathering was about, but the werefolk did.

When Kate joined Brogan's side along with the rest of her family behind him. Brogan called for quiet and his usually gentle, low voice became a booming and commanding tone that forced absolute silence. "Friends," he called, having never addressed his people as anything less, "I have some bad news. Plague 'as struck th'werefolk." He knew that would raise a commotion and those near the werefolk scrambled to get away. "Hold on, now! Quiet!" Brogan roared. "Calm down, this isn't a sickness tha' can affect humans. You 'ave nothin' t'worry about."

"Serves 'em right!" A voice called up and a few others chimed in. Brogan froze at that, his eyes darting directly to the woman responsible.

"What have the werefolk done to us? The war? Tha' was good people led by bad intentions of a leader. Th'few cannibals yer all so afraid of weren't supposed t'be here, an' they're long gone back t'Africa 'r whatever place they came from. Th'Erygonians we have here now're good people an' want nothing but t'live in harmony with us. An' the Lunars came t'help us when we were cut off from th'rest o' Scotland. Both 'ave been nothin' but a credit t'Inverness."

He then pointed someone out. "Brooke MacKenzie. Yer little boy nearly died o' flu this winter. Even when we were fightin' th'Erygonians, a werelion from their tribe crossed enemy lines an' came t'care for 'im." He pointed out another. "Garrett Damson, yer entire family 'ad fever tha' nearly killed 'em. Four Lunars an' Erygonians left their tribes t'come care for 'em without rest fer three days, askin' nothing but a roof over their 'eads while they worked. No pay, no food, nothin'."

"An' if tha's not proof enough, my two littlest girls an' my wife an' my mother might no' be alive t'day if no' fer Lunar an' Erygonian healers, herbs, an' help. A few humans among us 'ave been as generous, but most of us 'ave pushed 'em away, an' a few even attacked 'em. Now it's time fer humans an' werefolk t'stop bein' separate an' start bein' two parts of a whole. These people need our help because only a handful o' other werefolk can do anything for 'em, but they're jus' not enough."

Brogan then quieted ever so slightly. "Those o' you who refuse t'help can go home righ' now, no questions asked, an' do as you please. Those who'll help their fellow Invernessians, I'd like anyone with any kind o' healin' or caretakin' experience- especially mothers- t'go inside th' keep an' Valentina an' Vincenzo'll speak t'you. The rest, you an' yer horses'll be needed fer runnin' supplies and takin' water round th' villages an' town."

As Brogan fell silent, only a small handful of humans left the courtyard, still holding onto their hatred. Then the crowd split up and mostly mothers and fathers entered the keep. The supply runners were mostly young and able people. Brogan turned to Kate, "Love, get these people an' their horses an' any available carts t'gether, take 'em t'the square. I'll send any shopkeepers an' you order all th'food an' blankets they can spare. Tell 'em t'write down everythin' they give an' collect th'slips, tell 'em I'll pay 'em all from th'treasury. Hell, I'll sell anything valuable in th'keep t'pay if I 'ave to."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate nodded at her orders, heading to the town square to organize as much as she could. Julia had taken charge of the food stores in the keep, giving up what they could spare and the wagons were soon full of food and water for the struggling villages. Blankets were soon brought out from nearly every home, everyone chipping in to help their were brethren.

"Sam. Rho. Go and saddle up Phearson. Ride with the wagons to the village and have Aunt Selena help you direct everyone. I'm trusting you two to do a good job." Kate said softly to her brothers, knowing that they were old enough to understand just how important this was.

 

[KieranSoares]

There was no mischief or bright playfulness in the boys when Kate relayed her orders. Sam was stone-cold serious and silent, but Rho nodded quickly, "We'll take care of it." Both scurried off to the stable pasture to get the old warhorse. Old as he was, he was still able to help in emergencies.

"Kate!" A voice called from across the square, and she saw Marius leading a two-wheel cart with his horse, filled to the brim with food from his stall. He came to a halt before her, looking partly ashamed of himself and partly determined. "I 'ave t'stay here t'take care o' my kids, but... can y'send this t'the villages? I may no' trust th'werefolk, but... no one deserves t'deal with plague. I wouldn' wish it on my worst enemy."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Thank you, Marius." Kate said with sincere thanks as the man looked sheepishly at her. "I'll make sure that the supplies get to where they need to go. This will mean a great deal to many different families that have already lost so much."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Yeah... just, uh... don' tell anyone," Marius murmured and let her take the horse's lead. There was some fear among the humans who showed sympathy to werefolk. A handful of people existed that would punish a human for helping their half-human counterparts.

Sam and Rho soon returned on Phearson to help direct everyone so there were no accidents or backups, and Sam hopped down to help lead horses while Rho remained on Phearson giving directions. In that moment, he was truly living up to his father's legacy as the calm leader who knew just what to do. He almost looked like a young mirror of Brogan, sitting high in the saddle with ease and Phearson looking so comfortable with him but alert as ever.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate took charge of Marius's cart, leaving her horse for Sam to use when he needed. She helped them to get the supplies first to the village where Selena was waiting to help them further. She was calm in her directions, pointing people to various houses that needed help the most.

"Is everyone alright, Aunt Selena?" Kate asked, a bit scared when she didn't see Ruben or Telma around.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ruben and Telma had grown sick in the night along with their children, but Kreston had been ill for two days, refusing to rest. The only people among the Lunars who weren't ill were the humans and Ghell and his daughter Adane who'd inherited the immunity from him after his long slavery in Spain.

Kreston came out to Selena's side, his pointed ears laid back with pain and his eyes looking dull and his fur even duller. "Hi, Kate," he said with no small amount of effort just to speak.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Uncle Kreston, you need to rest. We've brought helpers to take care of everyone here and the Erygonian village too. Sam and Rho are in charge here and I'll be going on to them." Kate said softly as her uncle came to meet her. "We'll take care of everyone. I promise you both that."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm not useless yet, love," Kreston shook his head. He and Selena had already fought about it all night while he was taking care of Ruben and Telma and their children. Ruben had been hit hard, and left nearly comatose. "I'll rest when I absolutely have to... but not a moment before."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate knew that it was best not to argue with her uncle and she simply nodded to him before she helped her brothers get things set up. Once she was sure that they could handle things on their own, she got the rest of the supplies gathered and led another group of healers that included her Aunt Val towards the other village where they were hit the hardest.

 

[KieranSoares]

The arrival of supplies in both villages brought tears and joy to the eyes of the few immune who were so relieved their loved ones would have a fair chance at living, and some outright collapsed out of exhaustion only moments later. Everything was going smoothly for the most part, and Theo and Valentina were quickly teaching everyone exactly what needed to be done to keep the werefolk from suffocating. Some would die of other plague-related problems, but suffocation was the greatest danger and quickly being warded off by herbs or even hollow, flexible reeds used to keep the throat open just enough for the patient to breathe.

By nightfall, a new round of helpers came to replace the exhausted first shift, and Kate was sent home with them. They still didn't have enough people to care for all the werefolk in two twelve-hours shifts, but hopefully Kell's mission to Aberdeen would sort that in just a couple days.