Juniper had stayed behind with Pandora and the pups while the others had gone. The pups were cute, but it felt weird being mostly alone here. It was very quiet.

Two loud coughs echoed through the forest. He lifted his ears in alarm. He's getting worse, isn't he? The cough sounded choked with blood. Blackcough. The disease had previously been rare. But with it coming so soon after the disaster? It couldn't be a coincidence. He wanted to go over there, to prove his usefulness and help. But he didn't want to leave the pups. Pandora was bigger than most snakes he'd seen, but he doubted she could protect them if a bear or mountain lion tried to attack for them.

He forced his hooves to remain rooted in the ground, ignoring the force pulling at them to run and help.

-

"Sparrow, what do you. You will try. No, you will come back. Let me take Ace. They need you here. And you got trained in herbs by a cat. We are a different species. Their herbs do not work well on us. If you have to go, just promise you will come back." I say. He has been disappearing a lot lately. I need him here.

Sparrowhawk/M/Collie/German Shepherd/M: Night, Ace

"Night, we both know that it has to be me. The... cat that trained me had been raised by wolves itself and taught by them. I trust that I know enough herbs. And the pups need you for food and support. I could never take care of them as well as you do." He bit his lip, looking towards Ace again, worried. He spotted a poppy flower, and shook out one seed carefully. "Ace, eat this. You're big enough that it should just calm you down, not make you fall asleep." He was calm now, but not truly. It was a nervous, pained, sad calm, a calm that was made from heartache. He didn't want to leave his mate and his pups, or anyone in this group. But he had to.

Sparrowhawk/M/Collie/German Shepherd/M: Night, Ace

He swished his tail behind his back, giving her a sad smile. "I love you too, Night, so, so much. You are amazing, and let me just say that... even if I don't come back, I know that you will take amazing care of them for me. But uh... could you tell them who Ace was, and maybe who I was? I just want them to know that I didn't leave them, and that it wasn't my decision." He nodded to her reminder about the fennel. Fennel juice. What were the travel herbs again? They would keep him and Ace strong. Stronger would be better, especially if they wanted to go back.

While they were talking about who's coming with me I wander off from the group back to camp to give Hawk and Luna a head nuzzle. I eat the seed that Sparrow gave me and walk out of camp into the woods not letting them find me and covering up my scent with some mud. Neither of them are gonna sacrifice their life for me. I thought and find some herbs

Sparrowhawk/M/Collie/German Shepherd/M: Night, Ace

"Yes. You can come, just to the river." He pawed the herbs into a tight bundle, carefully picking them up and then speaking through them. "Wait. Where's Ace?" He was gone, he had disappeared into thin air-again. And now Sparrow would have to go try to find him. "Goldenrod... yes, I'll try to find that." He looked at her, her beautiful fur and face and features. She was amazing, and beautiful, and so, so pretty. He whined. "I'm gonna miss you. I love you so much, and I don't want to go."

I go farther into the city until the camp where everyone is except for me. Is just a speck in the horizon. I walk over to a house and see some herbs planted there. Score goldenrod. I smile