woman's son. The toad couldn't stand that Rolan wasn't her puppet anymore. She probably found some stupid reason to have Katie killed."
"Watch your mouth," Antonio growled. "She's led Fox to victory after victory over the Snakes. She obviously knows what she's doing, even if you don't agree with her methods."
" Methods ?" The hotheaded Aran shouted, his voice causing Lila's head to throb even more. She groaned again, but no one seemed to hear. "Sending innocent girls to the wolves is not 'methods'! It's murder!"
Josef's voice cut across the argument. "That's enough! Aran, quit shouting before you wake every wolf in the forest. Antonio, switch with Elan for a while. Aran, find a waterskin and give the girl some. Fell, switch with me. I'll take the dog for a while."
The jostling increased for a moment and Lila whimpered in pain. She felt a cool hand on her forehead. "The fever burns oddly," she heard Josef's quiet voice, almost a whisper. "You have a strange strength to you, little Lilac. Rest, we will camp soon." Then the hand was gone, and Lila missed its coolness fiercely. Soon after, water was dripped into her mouth and she swallowed as well as she could, trying not to choke. She was so thirsty, but her stomach recoiled from even the small amount of water and she retched, the pain of her movement bringing tears to her eyes. There wasn't enough of anything in her stomach to come up, and no more water was offered.
Lila fell into a restless doze, half between waking and sleeping. It seemed like an eternity of pain, nausea and heat before the air began to cool and the harsh light on the other side of her eyelids became more bearable.
Instead of the party climbing into a tree as she expected, they camped on the ground. Lila struggled to speak, to find out why. Don't they know we will be attacked? We've got to get into the trees! She could hear wolf howls in the distance, though they seemed to be miles away. She moved her lips, but her vocal cords would not respond. She opened her eyes to the deep auburn sky of twilight, and noticed there were no trees above her. All around their little camp site was the knee high grass of the plains. She must have been unconscious for a while if they had traveled this far. She moved her head as much as she dared lest the dizziness overwhelm her troubled stomach.
Josef loomed above her and sat down on the ground near her head. The mouth of a waterskin was pressed to her lips, and despite her raging thirst, Lila swallowed the cool water as slowly as she could, hoping her stomach would let her keep it. She managed a few mouthfulls before she had to turn away. Josef poured a little water into his hand and wiped it on her forehead. Lila sighed at the blessed if temporary relief from the burning of the fever.
"You know, most people never wake up once they fall into the fever sleep," Josef said in a conversational tone, as if he was discussing the weather.
"Why are we on the ground? The wolves will attack us!"
"We are several miles from the edge of the forest. The wolves fear sunlight too much to venture this far out. Don't worry."
"But Katie! I have to get back. I have to take her the medicine..." As if you could do that anyways, the pessimistic part of her mind thought.
"If blood poisoning had already begun, there was nothing you could do to save her. Wolf fever burns hot and swift."
Lila remembered the words he had greeted her with. She rolled onto her side to look at Josef better, realizing that her muscles were not as agonizingly sore as they had been, even though her head still burned. She was covered with a blanket much softer and thicker than her poor little threadbare one back home. Home... "Where are you taking me?"
"Antoch. Aran wants the chance to find his sister, and you can give him that. I didn't expect you to get better , though." His expression grew faraway as if he was reliving a memory, and his voice was slightly sad. "I have known many to catch the wolf fever, but none
"Watch your mouth," Antonio growled. "She's led Fox to victory after victory over the Snakes. She obviously knows what she's doing, even if you don't agree with her methods."
" Methods ?" The hotheaded Aran shouted, his voice causing Lila's head to throb even more. She groaned again, but no one seemed to hear. "Sending innocent girls to the wolves is not 'methods'! It's murder!"
Josef's voice cut across the argument. "That's enough! Aran, quit shouting before you wake every wolf in the forest. Antonio, switch with Elan for a while. Aran, find a waterskin and give the girl some. Fell, switch with me. I'll take the dog for a while."
The jostling increased for a moment and Lila whimpered in pain. She felt a cool hand on her forehead. "The fever burns oddly," she heard Josef's quiet voice, almost a whisper. "You have a strange strength to you, little Lilac. Rest, we will camp soon." Then the hand was gone, and Lila missed its coolness fiercely. Soon after, water was dripped into her mouth and she swallowed as well as she could, trying not to choke. She was so thirsty, but her stomach recoiled from even the small amount of water and she retched, the pain of her movement bringing tears to her eyes. There wasn't enough of anything in her stomach to come up, and no more water was offered.
Lila fell into a restless doze, half between waking and sleeping. It seemed like an eternity of pain, nausea and heat before the air began to cool and the harsh light on the other side of her eyelids became more bearable.
Instead of the party climbing into a tree as she expected, they camped on the ground. Lila struggled to speak, to find out why. Don't they know we will be attacked? We've got to get into the trees! She could hear wolf howls in the distance, though they seemed to be miles away. She moved her lips, but her vocal cords would not respond. She opened her eyes to the deep auburn sky of twilight, and noticed there were no trees above her. All around their little camp site was the knee high grass of the plains. She must have been unconscious for a while if they had traveled this far. She moved her head as much as she dared lest the dizziness overwhelm her troubled stomach.
Josef loomed above her and sat down on the ground near her head. The mouth of a waterskin was pressed to her lips, and despite her raging thirst, Lila swallowed the cool water as slowly as she could, hoping her stomach would let her keep it. She managed a few mouthfulls before she had to turn away. Josef poured a little water into his hand and wiped it on her forehead. Lila sighed at the blessed if temporary relief from the burning of the fever.
"You know, most people never wake up once they fall into the fever sleep," Josef said in a conversational tone, as if he was discussing the weather.
"Why are we on the ground? The wolves will attack us!"
"We are several miles from the edge of the forest. The wolves fear sunlight too much to venture this far out. Don't worry."
"But Katie! I have to get back. I have to take her the medicine..." As if you could do that anyways, the pessimistic part of her mind thought.
"If blood poisoning had already begun, there was nothing you could do to save her. Wolf fever burns hot and swift."
Lila remembered the words he had greeted her with. She rolled onto her side to look at Josef better, realizing that her muscles were not as agonizingly sore as they had been, even though her head still burned. She was covered with a blanket much softer and thicker than her poor little threadbare one back home. Home... "Where are you taking me?"
"Antoch. Aran wants the chance to find his sister, and you can give him that. I didn't expect you to get better , though." His expression grew faraway as if he was reliving a memory, and his voice was slightly sad. "I have known many to catch the wolf fever, but none
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