Painted Flowers

Chapter 26 - To Be a Princess

It wasn't enough. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much training was shoved down her throat, she would never be like her mother.

Xenia had fallen ill.

Feoria, being the only other dog in the Ash pack with knowledge of medicine, was beyond stressed. Not only was she to look after her elderly mother, fetch for her the few types of herbs that grew scattered around the wasteland of the temporary camp, but she was to tend to every other Ash dog when the need be. Feoria had never realized until now how large her pack had become, and it infuriated her even more that among all these dogs she was the sole princess, and only the females of the royal family were permitted to study medicine. Once in a while Feoria would practically beg Kwasi and Amare to help her out, but she would end up shooing them away when they just stared at her with their irritatingly confused faces.

The most annoying part of the whole ordeal was the fact that Feoria didn't know exactly what it was that ailed the queen. She still had her terrible cough from the smoke inhalation, but it was the same one most of the Ash dogs had managed to recover from at that point. Sure, Xenia was old, and had just barely managed a litter of pups before it was too late for her, but Feoria had always assumed her mother to be so...strong. Seeing her so weary, barely managing to drag herself from her nest to lap at a puddle of water brought to her on a wide leaf, hacking and wheezing all day long, gave Feoria chills.

What if Xenia never recovered?

Feoria found her pacing paws changing direction and taking her to look for Kichea. It was easy to latch on to her friend again like when they were younger, given how alone she felt at this time and the fact that the rest of her friends were still missing. Being reminded of the fact just upset Feoria over again.

Kichea was sitting in the clearing, laying next to her younger siblings, who were taking a midday nap. When Feoria approached, she lifted her head, giving her a small smile. She raised herself to her paws so not to disturb her little brother, trotting after Feoria as the pair exited the area.

"You okay?" Kichea asked her.

Feoria simply shook her head.

Kichea looked at her paws. "When do you think it'll be safe to go home? Have your family been discussing it?"

"A bit. Baba says that the lava flow should have cooled and hardened by this time, and the rainy weather we've been having should have helped clear up the toxins in the air. But Baba doesn't even want to attempt moving again with Mama being so sick."

"Is it serious?"

Feoria shrugged. "I can only pray to the spirits that she recovers soon."

Kichea brushed her fur against her friend's sympathetically. Feoria leaned into her embrace, so grateful she had someone willing to stay by her side who understood her struggles. She supposed every Ash dog was bearing the brunt of losing their hope, so it wasn't as if anyone was okay at that time. It was just overwhelming--the missing packmates, Xenia's illness, all the responsibility placed on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone...it was all too much for Feoria, and her rumbling stomach didn't help.

Kichea chuckled when she heard it. "You wanna go hunt together? Take your mind off things?"

Feoria lifted the corner of her mouth. "We can try, at least. Doubt we'll actually catch anything though."

"You're saying that because I only have one eye?"

Feoria shoved her good-naturedly as they began padding together. "I'm saying that because we're in a barren wasteland. I can't wait to go home."