This is starts in Whisper Forest, but will move to FS rather quickly and is private for Nairne. *sniffles* Kenzie's beyond sick. Lyrics are from Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe."

When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love

Off in the distance, the beginnings of a shimmering ball painted the world in an eerie glow as it rose above the horizon. It came from the darkness that shrouded everything only moments before, starting with thin tendrils of purple beyond the reaches of the Savajes. Moments later, the midnight blue perfection was marred with streaks of fuchsia and touches a mellow lavender off to one side. Those gentle colors blended quickly into the rest of the monotone realm, filling in the dark ebony corners with a brilliant magenta and splattering the clouds with a dazzling orange to offset the grey. Everything stood in perfect stillness, just as before, yet now it seemed teaming with life. The coming morn' spread like wildfire throughout the valley as it doused the lands with in a breathtaking torrent of light, which seemed to course on a rhythm of its own. In fact, one could even say the sunrise was a glorious symphony; one which was not meant to be heard, but seen. Even as quiet reigned supreme, yellow slipped past the navy curtains with a unusual mixture of bold grace. It came in thick patches, simply rippling in waves across the sky and thinning out along the edges with each inch it over came.

You'll understand what I mean when I say

After several minutes passed, denim shifted into a neon pink that became a hazmat orange before matching the same citrine that sprang forth from the eastern horizon. For a second to two, the entire universe was in shades of lemonade until color burst through the invisible doors and covered everything in innumerable tints and shades. All around, color danced across the dark pages of the earth, whether it was beckoning the green back to the leaves and grasses, coaxing the rainbow out of glistening, dew-filled blossoms or added a rich blue to raging river. No longer was the tree bark black, grey or purple from the morning light, but in a delicious variety that spanned across ivory, eggshell, salmon, yellow, emerald, tan, tawny, oak, rose, mahogany, cherry and many more. In the mists of the new day, a small creature broke the silence with the faint chattering of her pearly whites. The volume was hardly enough to draw attention from even the sharpest creatures like hares and deer, though perhaps enough for a bat who saw their world their sound. It came from the fringes of the valley where the shrubs faded into empty hollows and gave way underneath the heavy bows of massive trees.

There's no way we're gonna give up

Though the new sun was an obvious globe on the horizon, shadow cast a heavy mark here from the trees that dominated its territory. It seemed that only two very different levels existed here: the canopy and the forest floor with very little in between, yet the land was not dense in the least. Each tree was spaced perfectly from the next so the leaves had maximum coverage of sunlight, though by the time one traveled from top to bottom, very little shone through. This made the ground cover sparse for all but decaying leaves and several shade-loving vines or weeds. Due the the lack of bushes, everything had an eerie, "open" feel, even with the vertical growth. Oddly, the entire area of Whisper forest lay on a slight, rolling downward slope that traveled towards a luscious, strawberry filled paradise below. The contrast between the two neighboring areas was unusual, perhaps even questionable, but the youth inside of it had little time to think on it. She found comfort in the tall plants that surrounded her, even with the space that made her feel both closterphobic and inconceivably lonesome in a big world all at the same time, for it reminded her of home.

And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams

Hidden within the darkness even with the arrival of morning, the canine's petite figure lay curled amongst a pile of needles underneath a large, asymmetrical pitch pine. The rough caress of the bark against her back put some stability in the child's otherwise sporadic life. All around her, brown and green teetered in and out of focus the a continuous seesaw ride or maybe even a never-ending trip on the "sea dragon." In and out it went, detail becoming more precise and then vanishing before her eyes until she simply closed them to keep from loosing her light grip on reality. Everything was literally slipping their her claws and the female found it hard to grasp a hold of everything at all. The extreme high she had for several weeks now was fading into a moment of pure disaster, sprung forth from a unknown demon. A drunken smile still stretched across her face, while visions of mindless bliss danced before closed eyes like she was drifting in the clouds, her head swaying lightly from side to side over splayed paws. The rich cinnamon of her fur dulled under the dirt she twitched in, for her form quaked visibly in the dim light.

Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe

Though it was only morning, the summer air was still unjustifiably humid and carried a promise of another scorching afternoon soon to come. Despite all this, the Strawberry shivered from an unseen chill that bathed her entire body in ice. It was all she could to tremble in the shade, twisted amongst the warm pine needles and hope for the breeze to subside. For some unknown reason, the girl had left her den at an ungodly hour of the night to go trudging off awkwardly through the 'Fields until she settled several miles in to the bordering forest. She could hardly recall anything at all in her delirium, other then the uncomfortable tug on her insides and an instinctual desire to get away. There was friction in the air since her two caretakers met and the dear felt it was best to slip away, where she could bask the familiarity of trees. It would be several hours still before anyone would even realize she was missing and maybe the girl planned it that way. Though, more likely was the possibility that ignorance ruled her as fever took hold, burning up her body until sweat coated her pelt like dew to the leaves.

Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe

No worries. I'm sorry for the delay too. I tried to be short *cough*

A blend of mocha, amazonite and cream danced before hazy eyes as the fringes of the earth unified into one singular being. Though the small creature was almost sure she was curled up amongst the comfort of tall pines, her vision challenged her memory. All around only a mixture of color danced, bending and contorting oddly with each slight movement she made. It was almost like being in a fun house and looking at paintings or awkwardly shaped mirrors, where things grew long and thin or short and fat at each new angle, only lacking the picture of her own less then lovely physique glancing wearily back at her. Some parts of her universe bulged drastically towards her, but then collapsed in on itself and severely pinched in other parts as it rolled sickeningly across her field of vision. The poor dear could do little to stop the quaking motions either, for they turned her once was a still, peaceful image of a quiet morning in the woods into a rolling emerald sea, mottled copper in some places throughout the middle waters.

In the middle of the bloody deep, Kenzoku found herself a captive upon the rocking deck of a large vessel, yellowed with age. It had a soft, papery feel all along the cabin and lower decks, like some sort of mulch was tossed into the hard wood panels to make the ride go smoother. Perhaps the beds were replaced with these little "nests" of needles, but even on this slight comfort, the girl's scarlet form swayed uneasily to and fro with each crash of the waves against the bow. Rather then moving with the water though, the little one fought against it, her frail body being thrown lifelessly this way and that with each twitch of the stable ground below that she struggled to counter. Even though nothing actually shook around her, those jade eyes saw trees swelling and approaching her from all sides before pulling back into the distance once more, which made her feel like she was fighting to remain upright against an unknown foe. It also didn't help that the horrid, seafaring winds took advantage of her prone form. Without the cover and safety of the cabin, the salty air pounded her vulnerable sides and sent buckets of spray upon her, minute after minute.

She felt cold, wet and hungry, but hadn't the will to move, for she feared that the demons would come upon her again and squeeze her insides fiercely until she released everything within her over the rail and down to the murky blue... or worse, down upon herself and her bedding. A faint whine echoed from her throat in an attempt to ward off the merciless waters, but could not break it from her mind. Were she actually aware of sailing and massive ships, her mental picture of being trapped onboard a old, wooden maiden and then sent tumbling off the port deck when another vicious wave thrashed against the starboard side of the ship and left her marooned on an island would have been much more vivid. Instant, she only saw the nauseating flash of a rippling current that put her stomach in constant turmoil. The shivering one could not hold it back for much longer before the internal soup of partially digested bits of ravished mouse mixed with long strands of clipped grass and bile bubbled in her throat. A second later, the bitter concoction forced its way out of her maw and splashed all over the dry leaf litter below and leaving a dreadful taste in the red one's mouth after the heaving stopped.

It was then that a soft, questioning voice filled her drowned ears with a familiar, yet unusual cadence. Kenzie actually had to fight to make the distinguish the words in her mind for a moment, then the real world tumbled back into place and everything became marginally clearer. What's...How...Can you w-walk? A dark, fuzzy creature wavered in front of the sick female with her silvery coat causing white flashes to draw upon her already shaky vision. Though the tone of voice was awkward and the form was hardly defined, Kenzie recognized the cords and the soft caress of the older one's fur as she brushed her maw against the Alpha pup's own. Nairne. The last time she had seen the canine, it was right before the disease spread throughout the Valley... right before Radar's return. Nairne had abruptly turned from their tag-game and vanished coldly into the distance then, though Kenz could not comprehend why. Now, the two-toned lass stooped before the cinnamon one's prostrate body, who looked nothing less then hell.

Tufts came out of her in places from shedding though she was unable to remove them at the moment due to their location along her spine. It also lack the luster she possessed before because her usual scrutinizing baths had halted once her mind fell over the deep end. Thankfully, the vomit just barely missed her fur, though the stench filled her nostrils with distaste. She clenched once more, fighting down the urge to release her belly again just from the smell. I... I think so. She whispered hoarsely to her friend as the girl brushed her cheek once more and a faint smile crossed her cheeks. Kenzie could do little more then lean into the touch for a moment, if only to give her comfort. It ashamed her to be so helpless before another being, particularly because she was the healer, not the one who needed help. Her pride was damaged along with her body, though the pup new better then to turn Nairne and act like nothing was wrong. She wasn't suppose to look this pathetic as if she was withered away, and though she knew not why, it actually worried her what the 'yote might think of her. Jade eyes sought Nairne's gold ones, then as she leaned forwards a little to prep herself for standing. I'll need help.

Sorry, love. I couldn't resist. I recently read these lyrics and fell in love with them. No idea what they are from though :(. And eeeeee, I'm even slower. *licks*

There's a girl living in this town
She's got her head up in the sky
But her feet are on the ground
There's a girl living on my street
And she knows outside her little world
Somehow ends are gonna meet

And when the road gets kinda rough
She keeps one thing in mind
The longest journey always starts
With one step at a time

Warped visions of the world danced before clouded eyes as the child struggled to rise from her rocking ship. Internally, it felt like every slight move was like a blast of water against her invisible stern that caused her to sway beyond control in every direction. The prospect of standing was almost as nauseating, and she hadn't even attempted it yet. Somehow, a part of her knew that the moment she would shift her weight, an unseen foe would force her balance to pitch forwards and tumble into oblivion and that frightened the small fraction of sanity Kenzoku had left. She wanted everything to stop twisting and turning like some trippy film made to keep the stoners satisfied. While a blinded and unreasonable part of her was intrigued and overjoyed by the swirling colors, the rest of her wanted it all to die. After a few moments, the horrid taste of bile clenched in her throat, her stomach screaming for release once more, but Kenz fought it back desperately. Oddly, the near yearling had an overwhelming urge to keep how bad she was inside. She didn't want Nairne to see her like this. She didn't want to appear weak and somehow she doubted vomiting could help her cause. Once was enough, but twice in a matter of minutes was suicide. Still, the girl went through several dry heaves before she could get the motion under control.

And this girls seen a lot of pain
But this girls gonna smile again
She knows that a flower grows every time it rains
And this girls got a lot of dreams
She knows that tomorrow ain't what it seems
She might not solve all her mysteries tonight
But this girls gonna be alright

There's a girl walking in these shoes
And she knows that everything she's got is all she's got to lose
There's a dream right behind these eyes
And she finds a reason to be strong
With every tear she dries

The sigh was lost to her, but the distance was not. For several tantalizing seconds, the petite one thought that she was left alone once more. Doubt flooded her thoughts and chill her bones, constantly reminding her that Nairne had left her randomly once before, though the evening was coming to a close then. It reminded her that everyone she ever cared about left her, why would that exclude Nairne? It put hateful things into her mind and for those three or four seconds, she almost believed them. Then the coyote spoke and all her fears were blown away with the warm breeze. A weak smile stretched across those creamy cheeks as she tried to wait patiently. Her entire form shivered from an imaginary cold in the darkness, the heat of the day failing to register in her fumbled mind. By the looks of it, the Fielder might've even had trouble telling the difference between up and down. She rolled her head back onto the grasses, feeling extremely heavy headed all of the sudden while her friend searched for a way to help her. Kenz was beyond the ability to truly help herself, so she simply waited it out, placing all her trust in the silvery female.

Trying hard to fight the way things are
So she leaves the world behind
When the sound of doubts turned up so loud
she turns the music up inside

And this girls seen a lot of pain
But this girls gonna smile again
She knows that a flower grows every time it rains
And this girls got a lot of dreams
She knows that tomorrow ain't what it seems
She might not solve all her mysteries tonight
But this girls gonna be alright

It wasn't long before the warm breath of the older woman was against her cheek again and those raspy, yet affectionate words graced black tipped ears. The youth struggled internally to process what was happening, but it was a fight she'd be damned to loose. Just lean against me. I can... I can take you to my den. In her current condition, the girl not infer anything from that statement, nonetheless truly understand the implications involved. The only thing she did grasp was "lean again me. " Jade eyes opened once more, though glazed over a bit from the illness that consumed her body. Kenz tried to smile, but the expression just came out as a pitiful attempt of one, though she followed it up with a nod just to show she understood. Tenderly, the dear thrust her hind legs and leaned towards the silver mass as she tried to stand, instantly loosing her balance and finding all of her weight sliding onto the other's slight frame. A gasp escaped her maw, but it was belated. Kenz leaned heavily on her friend for several long moments, arguing with her feet to cooperate until they gathered beneath her and took back some of the weight. In that moment, Nairne could probably feel just how thin Kenzoku had become over the past few weeks. She was hardly more then skin and bones, with little fat on her. Guide me. The youth whispered hoarsely once she became semi-stable, though her head continued to spin wildly.

She knows there's so much she's never seen
But time will allow her to find out what it means

And this girls seen a lot of pain
But this girls gonna smile again
She knows that a flower grows every time it rains
And this girls got a lot of dreams
She knows that tomorrow ain't what it seems
She might not solve all her mysteries tonight
But this girls gonna be alright