Silver poisoning: The Alpha struggles.

After the fight, all that Arianna could remember were fragments of what seemed to be hallucinations or dreams. The blood loss and pain caused by the silver splinters in her gut wound caused a fever that probably would have killed a normal human twice over.

At one point she was looking up into Annoth's face, and instead seeing his brother Gunnar. Tears in her eyes as he tended to her wounds. Though he tried, he could not completely heal the wound with his Druid magic. The wound would have to remain somewhat open in case he was unable to get all of the silver splinters out.. of which he was unable. Though her condition improved to where she could wake up a few times, she was still in a lot of pain with a fever that caused her flesh to feel surprisingly hot to any who lay a hand upon her.

Three days after the fight she woke alone, dehydrated and feeling filthy. She could not have guessed she had been out that long, thinking it had only been a few hours. Slowly she managed to stumble out of her room and through the long hall, passing Sunthor and Ebba without noticing the two sleeping near the fire. Forcing the door open to the Village and looking directly at the well as the cool fresh air had hit her. A storm had come through finally relieving them of the burning heat that plagued them during the blood lust...

---RP---
Arianna had managed to wander out of the Long hall in her fever. Thirsty for water.. wanting to bath.. making it to the well she fell to her knees sweating and struggling with the rope as the bucket was full of water and she hardly had the strength to drag it up and out for some reason. She would look more pale than normal, her lips split with red upon pale flesh. Her eyes rimmed with red... And yet she stayed determined to do this. Once she managed to get the bucket up and over the rim she slumps over, panting for air and smiling softly. "finally.. water." she said in a hoarse tone before dunking her hands into it to bring it to her face.

Vida returned from her own area to check on both Arianna and Ebba, only to see her alpha struggling with the bucket from the well. Her brow furrowed at the sight and she frowned, stepping forward to help... but she was a bit too late with that. "As nice as it is to see you out and about... are you feeling well enough for it?" She reached into a pouch that was strapped to her thigh, retrieving what appeared to be a piece of root or stalk from a plant, taking a knee near Arianna to offer it to her. "Chew on this. It'll help with your fever and any pain you might still have..."

Arianna looked up hearing the voice.. she blinked her eyes a few times as she swallowed what little sip of liquid she had. She seemed to hesitate for a moment focusing her eyes upon Vida yet seemingly not recognizing her at first. The she smiled and nodded. "Thank you, spirit walker." she said. She offered to take it, and if their hands brushed she would feel how warm Arianna's flesh was, that running a fever that more than likely would have already killed a human. "I appreciate it." she said before stuffing the root into her mouth and chewing on it. She made a slight face then sucked on the root for a moment before chewing it some more. She slid down to sit on her ass and looked around the Village. "It was silver wasn't it?" she asked placing her hand over the bandaged wound.

Vida nodded at her question, her lips pressed into a thin line. "That seems to be the case, yes. It was a nasty wound... and I regret not being able to do more to help. I'm sorry..." Her brows knitted together again, not wanting to undermine Arianna's efforts in tending to herself, but wanting to help one way or another. "How are you feeling today... at least compared to the past couple of days?"

Arianna snorted slightly and gave a laugh. "I've only been out for a couple of hours. It can't have been days already." she said. Being she had been knocked out from the blood loss for the past few days, having fevered hallucinations she wasn't sure what Vida was talking about. She had even thought Annoth coming in to attempt to heal her was a dream. "Once I get the silver slivers out of my wound i should heal up rather quickly." she said and seemed to decide.. now, was the time to attempt to do that on her own. She obviously wasn't thinking to clearly. "You've been a gre-" She suddenly growled as she started to pull the bandage from her wound followed with a soft hiss and a glance at her stomach.

Vida blinked a few times and tried to keep a straight face. "Arianna..." Her head shook. "It's been more than just a few hours. The giants came ... days ago. You've been recovering since." Tilting her head, her eyes widened and she moved forward to try and gently reach out and stop her efforts. "Stop... you'll hurt yourself worse if you aren't careful..."

Arianna blinked looking at Vida for a moment then her hand as it had stopped her from removing the bandages. A moment of sober started to come back to her as the root was just now starting to take effect and she nodded, moving her hands away from her wound and simply resting next to the well for a moment. "Were you able to walk my father into Valhalla? Did he leave already?" She asked, not realizing that.. possibly no one had told her of Gareth or who the head was. "We made those Giants pay for what they've done... did..." she sat up slightly and hissed at the pain then took a breath. "Did Eindride find his father's head too?"

Vida stared at her for a moment. She hadn't understood the significance of the heads until Arianna's question reached her ears and entirely blindsided her, causing her to have to fight to hide the alarmed look that wanted to cross her face, but hopefully didn't. Her mind had to think quickly. First, she answered her last question. "I... do not know if he did, honestly - but I have not walked anyone yet. I..." She rubbed at her forehead, guilt already forming over having to lie, but not wanting to cause her any further grief. "... I wanted you to be recovered enough for your father to be sent off properly..."

Arianna frowned some watching Vida.. Had she been in her state of mind she would have easily caught onto something. "As long as he is not suffering. Tell him I am sorry I was not there.. That I didn't keep looking for him." she said and then suddenly became quiet as she was trying her best not to show upset or sadness. She leaned over the bucket again and cupped her hands full of water to splash her face with. Rubbing it slightly as if she was attempting to clean it after all the sweating and fever. "Days.. I wonder how they managed to get all of that Iron Jaw group before they shifted... I hope Eindride does not find his father there.." she huffed slightly looking down at the bucket and slightly remembering the shock she had been in as she recognized her father. "I did not want to believe it was Gareth.." she chose to use his name in hopes that it would help to distance her a bit from the pain. "But when Eindride showed sorrow and ..." she choked up again and repeated splashing her face remaining quiet for a few more.

Vida nodded slowly. She swallowed the lump in her throat with her best attempt at a neutral expression, dragging her fingers through a few loose strands of her hair. "I'll... I'll tell him for you." She listened in silence and dropped her gaze as she did, her elbows propped to her knees and her hands propping her head up. "We cannot think of their end right now. All we can do is celebrate their lives... and... send them off..." Lying was already eating at her. Her jaw clenched as she said it, her mind already whirring with ideas.

Arianna took in a deep breath and nodded before she looked to Vida. She attempted a grin as she slid back down to her spot near the well. "Soon then.." she huffed and looked at her stomach again. "I.. Need to get this silver out of my body first." She gave some thought and shook her head. "Annoth must have missed a piece." she grumbled, assuming that the hallucination she remembered was actually him. "I should have been more careful. Why would they attack us?" she asked and looked back to Vida as if she had the answers. "Maybe you could ask Gareth? Or one of the other Iron Jaw if my father is not upto it. I do not remember the Frost Giants ever coming down from the mountains to wage war upon our kin.." She rubbed her chin slightly as she pondered these questions.

Vida frowned. "See if Annoth or another possible healer could help you with that. Just to be safe..." She brought a hand to her face to hide her frown, already trying to think as she sighed. "I will try to ask someone who might know why they would attack. Someone must have answers somewhere... and I'll do my best..." She needed answers of her own anyway; she saw no spirit flitting around any of the severed heads, and it had hurt to even see.

Arianna nodded and took a moment looking up at the sky just relaxing before she decided to get off of the hard rock near the well. "I will head back to bed." She said softly and looked to the long hall steps and frowned. At least Vida's root was giving her a bit more strength to deal with the pain and fever. "Thank you, sister. You are far more help than you realize. Blessed be your path to the Gods." she said in her fair well. "I will speak to you again soon as I am feeling better." With that she turned and slowly made her way back towards the long hall. There she would more than likely pass by Sunthor without noticing him.. nor would she notice Ebba to be honest.. as she was focused merely upon walking and getting back to her bed.

Vida rose to her feet as she watched Arianna with a frown. She said or did nothing else and only watched her depart, waiting for her alpha to turn her back before she sighed and dragged her hands over her face. She would have to check on Ebba another time, likely after she'd finished everything she was thinking of doing...

Arianna had just made it into her bed chamber when she noticed Annoth standing there with his arms crossed. For a moment she let a soft growl escape her lips. Her heart had still been broken by him after all. She still suffered the heart sickness that mates get when they lose their counterparts. However the silver still lodged in her gut hardly gave her any strength to yell or curse at him this time. Instead she turned her face from him, stumbled to her bed and climbed up atop the furs.

Annoth slowly moved to her side, looking down at her sweat glistened body and the lack there of clothing made him remember rather passionate nights they had long in the past. The pain in his own heart of her casting him out.. of her words to him when he returned.. they would forever be at odds as neither understood the other's position.

"Don't..." Arianna started to say when his hands reached to help her onto the bed. He paused, letting and watching her struggle. Once she was on her back he reached and grasped hold of the bandage, pulling it from her wounds. With a hiss her hands reached up and grabbed his, claws digging into his flesh trying to make him stop and failing. He continued to pull the dressing from her, regardless of her struggling. She needed to be healed.. and perhaps he wanted to cause her pain at that time.

"Hold still already.. clearly there is still silver left in the wound." He spoke in a calm but firm tone.

"You think?! GUH!" Arianna clenched her teeth and let out a deep growl as Annoth slipped his fingers into the wound. This time he would not use tools to be delicate, this time he would use his own touch to find the silver and remove it if he could. There was a moment of growling and squirming and sudden screaming in pain before he himself felt that burn from the touch of silver. His fingers wrapping around it, teeth gritted as he pulled the sliver out and tossed it across the room.

Blood stained the furs she lay atop of, though it would start to run cleaner without the infection. Annoth stood over placing his fingertips near the open wound and chanting slightly.

"I need to get some water to clean the wound... hold this rag upon it and focus. When i return let me know if any of it still feels that accursed burn from the silver."
As Annoth opened the door to leave he stopped face to face with Sunthor who had heard the screams. He blinked a moment then closed the door behind him as he left. Arianna would hear muffled voices as he spoke to Sunthor. Panting heavily as she pressed the rag to her wound to stop the bleeding. Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes, she should have been more careful.. but who would have guessed the Giants would have been carrying silver tipped weapons? Or that they would have known to be carrying them and use them in this area?

She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, tears running from the corners of her eyes down into her blond sweat soaked hair. After a moment she heard the door start to open, her eyes shot open expecting to see Annoth and meet him with a harsh glare only to see Sunthor quietly enter and then shut the door behind him. He stood for a moment looking at her, as if he had been surprised by her sudden expression change, then he moved closer.

"It's just me.. Sunthor.." He said quietly once he reached her bedside. He was not sure just how ill she actually was.

"I know.." She said quietly. He reached over and placed his hand carefully on the back of hers as if to take over holding the rag for her. "You.. don't have to be here." She said feeling slightly awkward.. having been so angry and now faced with a pack member that she actually liked.

"I know.. I choose to be." He said and settled down using his other hand to pet at his alpha's hair. She blinked a moment looking up at him. As she was about to say something more Annoth entered, and Sunthor's comforting petting hand left her brow as he looked up waiting for instructions. Annoth paused a moment looking between the two then made his way back to Arianna's side where he would roughly push her and Sunthor's hand away from the wound and start to clean it.

"Damn!" Arianna cursed and turned her head away. Most pain she could deal with but silver always left some sort of intolerance to her.

"It'll be over soon. Did you sense any more silver within the wound?" Annoth asked. He seemed more distant than before Sunthor had entered.. whatever.

"No." she said rather testily. "I feel nothing but constant shooting pain especially with how rough you're being. I thought you were a healer?" Annoth paused and raised an eyebrow to her words... then.. as if he had realized his own intent to injure her further.. he gave a softer touch to finish cleaning the wound. Again he would set aside things and place his fingertips around the wound and start to chant. The flesh would seemingly start to sew itself together. Sunthor watched in surprise.. staying quiet through most of it.

When the wound was all but closed it left a large pink and purple scar.

"You'll have to let the beast heal the rest." Annoth said drawing his hands away. Sunthor had, without thinking, taken Arianna's bloodied hand into his own, gripping it carefully to let her know he was there. A few huffs of air she looked up at Annoth again and nodded.

"Thank you.. You should go and tend to Ebba a bit more. No doubt her wounds are far worse than my own.." She then turned and looked up at Sunthor who was carefully watching Annoth. "Thank you as well Sunthor. Carry a message to the others. I will be fine and up in a few days. I plan to go to Skarvald." Sunthor looked down to her as she spoke his name then nodded.. though he would wait for Annoth to leave first before letting go of her hand and making his way out as well..

Once they were both gone she lay there contemplating her talk with the king. Perhaps first she would go to Vida and find some more information if she could.. Best to go prepared with as much information as she could to give to him. She closed her eyes.. chewing more on the root she had tucked in her cheek alleviating more of the pain till she could fall asleep.