you can hardly breathe ● malak

[bai shi]

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

[/td][/tr][/table]

tender were the jaguar's steps, the dragon shifter in a more nimble body for this journey, searching out their closest friend and confidant. they had some things to talk to him about, to get his thoughts on things, and his help with something. they had noticed recently that their eyes were becoming sore, perhaps because of additional injury from the bandits. their eyes had become warm and itchy and becoming more sensitive to light and darkness. the skin under their scales was tighter at the edges of the scars, taut and so damnably itchy, it was concerning if they didn't know that it meant that there was some degree of healing occurring there. the scars had always been itchy, but this brought some soft glimmer of hope to their heart - perhaps they could regain their sight. that was a question that they held for the corvid,
he who knew more of herbs then they themself. he who was more skilled with the plants and medicines. that and they had a few gifts for him, found in their traveling of the neutral grounds and other uncharted territories, as well as the teeth of the tiger that they had killed at the beginning of the meeting.

the beast had traveled from it's territory, out to a place where none would follow them, nor learn of the things they wished to discuss with the raven. they had noticed the rattling of a cough in their chest, hoping it only to be a minor cold as the chiller months set in, brought upon them by stress, lack of sleep and poor food intake. that was one of their minor concerns, the first being the ways that the group would come to handle the bandit invasion. they would ask of him many things that might help them understand the situation that held the group in it's talons.

[member=10179]Malak[/member]

[Malak]

MALAK

✯ — Run along now, don't be glum. Get you gone, now, have some fun

space

Malak, shuffling through names and faces of Alithians to throw into the desert to find him the silver beetles, paced within his hollow and adjusted the objects within it. The giant oak tree that he called home grew a long way's away from the border of Alithis, but Malak didn't mind the flight. His hollow had been home to many birds before him. Owls, Crows, Woodpeckers, Squirrels, and even a Raccoon. The corvids tree wasn't hard to spot not just because of its size, but because Malak had sun-bleached corals, bright blue feathers, odd stones, shells of the sea and snail shells, and a small white antler strung up with black thread.

The thump thump thumping of footsteps and the low rumble of deep breathing made the raven poke his head out of the hollow entrance. "Kingpen?" the bird called out as his brown eyes landed in the jaguar. "Is that you? What are you doing this far out from the border!"

space

✯ — Male. Alithis Evengis. Practitioner. REF. BIO. — ✯

#psychosocial.

[bai shi]

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

[/td][/tr][/table]

His voice broke through a medley of thoughts threatening to drown the soft spoken and tender memories racing around their mind. Head down as they trod forward, the jaguar very visibly distracted and looking mentally distraught. His voice reached them, causing them to lift their head as they searched for the source of his voice blindly before they remembered that he was a bird and naturally wouldnt be close to the ground. Grunting slightly as they mis-stepped, the jaguar moved closer to the tree, alerted by the sounds of the items in his tree gently swaying and clinking in the light breeze that cooled the area. "Malak?", the answered, surprised to have found the other so quickly. They must have come further than they thought possible. Inhaling and exhaling, turning their head to expel a rough cough, they shook their head and body before turning their head back up to him, "No, it's not me, I'm a random murderous jaguar passing by. I'm looking for you actually. For a few things, one, for this cough, two, for some mental rest. Maybe a few more things, but for now, those are of the first concern." they rumbled as they came to the foot of his tree and sat down, "There is also a special place that I would like to show you.", they added on softly, this part being more painful for them to bring up. They had to get their cards in order if something should ever happen to them, the rest of their family had all but disappeared from the face of this land, leaving the shifter feeling so very alone, even with their children at their side.

[Malak]

[align=center]

[div style="margin-top: 30px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: palatino; font-size: 35px; color: white;"]MALAK

✯ — Run along now, don't be glum. Get you gone, now, have some fun

space

[div style="width: 360px; margin-left: 6px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; color: black;"] "A murderous jaguar?" the bird croaked as he hobbled out onto the twisted branch infront of the entrance. "I'll have you head!  And your teeth!" Malak chimed with a smile, ruffling his chest feathers.

The dark feline sat down at his tree, and the brown-eyed bird floated down gently; catching what little warm air currents his feathers could grab onto. "Looking for moi?" Malak croaked as he hobbled infront of the big cat. "Well isn't that a first!" Bai gave a raspy, deep cough and Malak jumped back a bit. He wasnt expecting it to be so loud for a cat of his size. "Hm," the bird mumbled, setting his head onto Bai's chest. If the heartbeat was slowed, it could be influenza. If the heartbeat was quicken, it might be Croup. Or even early stages of Paroxysmal cough! "Its definitely a raspy cough but," Malak sat back down from stretching to hear the cats heartbeat. "Does it feel like a wet cough? Or a dry cough, like a barking seal."

Malak huffed a couple strands of fur from his nostrils, shaking his head. "And as for mental rest, i can be of some assistance." the avian chimed, picking a piece of dirt off his wing. "Though i think i've ran out of lavender." The bird started to preen his feather, smiling. "What's the place?" he asked.

[bai shi]

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

[/td][/tr][/table]

his voice, though some may assume raucous, brought peace to the feline as it listened to him, a smile claiming their own maw, "oh how i fear for my survival, you fearsome crow!", they laughed faintly, amusement rich in their voice, head lowered slightly as if it cost them energy to keep their head up, eyes dull and exhausted. these were things that they would hide from their group mates, fearing to cause them concern over their state of being. this place certainly smelt of the corvid, his scent soothing the jaguar as they yawned, stretching their forelegs forward slightly.

going still as he landed and jumped back at their cough, they quickly licked their chest fur with an embarrassed purr, feeling their skin prickle with heat as the bird pressed his head to their chest, their head raised as they breathed harshly, fighting off another cough. what an interesting question ... "dry. i sound like i'm barking, as i've been told., they murmured, head turned away, coughing to the side, dragging their tongue between their teeth in disgust at the taste and feeling. shaking their head with a harsh clearing of their throat, they made a face, "it started as a tickle in my throat and i thought it was just a bone caught in the wrong way. it's turned out to be something other than that", they murmured, tail curling anxiously.

relaxing as they listened to him preening, they chuckled softly, "mental rest ... that would be nice. i've been being plagued by nightmares, and the current situations at hand ... i have come to speak about our lovely ... guests, as well as something more ... personal. do you think that there might be a chance of me regaining my eyesight in some percentage? the scars are terribly itchy and i'm noticing light from dark. mm. the place? it's sacred to me and my bloodline ... but i want you to know of the location in case something comes to happen to me."

[Malak]

[align=center]

[div style="margin-top: 30px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: palatino; font-size: 35px; color: white;"]MALAK

✯ — Run along now, don't be glum. Get you gone, now, have some fun

space

[div style="width: 360px; margin-left: 6px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; color: black;"] Malak set a wing to his head, leaning back a bit with an exaggerated gasp. "Bai! Your words, they hurt!" the raven croaked, laughing a bit as he drew his wing back. "Speaking of teeth, have you got the tiger's teeth?"

He chuckled. "Congratulations Kingpin! Your a dog now," the corvid said as he ruffled through his bag. "Can you breathe, or do you feel stuffy -er clogged. Does your throat burn at all?" Malak muttered, pulling a vile of redish dust from his bag. He tossed it aside. "Beetroot? No." he riffled through his ditty bag again, pulling out a wide beaker of dried spiders. "Im not sure why i still have these. Would you like them?" Malak croaked tossing them aside.

He pulled a lavender necklace looking ring out from his back with an astonished look, nudging it toward the feline. "Wear this. It'll help with whatever has been stressing you." Malak cawed, shoving his head back into the the bag. "If my observations are correct, and they usually are, you have Croup. Croup is an upper airway infection that blocks breathing and, unfortunately, its contagious. Which means you'll need to be quarantined in the caves. The only way to cure Croup quickly which i imagine you'd like to do, other than plenty of rest, is to stay where its humid. The hot air from the caves will kill any bacteria that may be lurking in your throat." Malak croaked, frowning a bit.

"Ah! Im glad you mention your eyesight! In the Pittian's desert, a silver beetle lives there within the jungle. Its highly saught after by practitioners like me! The beetle holds healing properties beyond imagination!" the raven cawed excitedly. "It'll cure your eyes, im sure of it!" Malak's smile turned into a bit of a worried gaze. "Unfortunately, i havent found an able body to go into the desert without dieing. My feathers are too dark and i'd die of exhaustion or heat stroke. You cant go because- ya know."
[member=2039]bai shi.[/member]

[bai shi]

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

[/td][/tr][/table]

their eyes sparkled at his laughter, glad to hear that at least one of them could find humor in this trying time. twitching their ear, they gave a soft smile, eyes closing as they took reprieve in their practitioner's gentle presence, eyes lidded and breathing rather calmly, finding peace in that time. at the comment of teeth, their eyes reopened, embarassed to have found themself drifting off just the slightest bit - were they truly that tired? shaking their head with a mirthful grin, they smiled, "of course, i've brought the tiger's teeth. who would i be if i didn't bring you what you wished for?", they murmured softly.

chuckling at his comment on being a dog, they raised their paw to their mouth to cough, head turned away for kindness. thinking about his words, they himmed and hawed, before shaking their head, "i feel congested, and my throat burns mildly but that might also be my electrical element. spiders? i think that i would rather pass." inhaling sharply, they held their breath to avoid another cough, exhaling heavily before digging through their own bag, pulling out the tiger's teeth with a chuckle, setting them down.

tiping their head at his words, they hummed softly, bending their body to pick up the ring of lavender blooms and put it about their head, caught by the antlers but resting peacefully. listening to his words, their brow furrowed, isolation? who would look after everyone? it wasn't safe for the group if they were sick ... who might they have infected already? shaking their head slightly, they exhaled with concern, putting their paw to their head, "that's not good ... not good at all. i'll go to the caves.", they murmured, brows furrowed as their tail curled and lashed behind them, thoughts consumed by this new challenge. they were soon distracted by his words again, speaking of the pittian desert, and by the gods, their heart began to ache. kydobi ... was he okay? they shook their head once more, they couldn't think of him right now.

the desert ... malak needed someone to go there and get the silver beetles. "did you want this brought up at the next meeting, malak? one of ours may be able to get them ... or we could trade for them. i'm going to send someone to visit all of the groups that we know about, someone who has a bit more ... knowledge than the children here. what do you say to that? we may be able to ask playerone or someone with a lighter pelt to go.", they murmured, sinking to the ground, looking years older. the lavender was a sweet gesture but they didn't know if it would be able to combat all of their stresses.