Candy Frogs

[our_promise]

WHO: Natalia and Bruce
WHERE: The woods outside of town
WHEN: Nov 16
OPEN TO: Just Bruce
WARNINGS: None Anticipated

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In the midst of so much sickness it felt odd to go about lighthearted business, but with so many hunters laid up Natalia knew that she would have to bring in more game. The easiest way to go about it would be to poison her arrows so that every shot would take down a beast. There was one quick and simple solution: the candy frogs that were reportedly common even close to the village. But such a chore might be dangerous if she came into contact with too much of the poison, and without Asche around she needed an escort in case things went wrong.

This was where Bruce came in. She wasn't particularly close to anyone in the village, but Bruce seemed kind and clever and healthy enough to accompany her. She collected him and a quiver of arrows to take into the woods for the search.

"Have you seen these frogs before?" she asked her companion as they entered the woods.

Comments

[notsoangry]

At first it seemed insane to agree to do this when he was trying to come up with the cure, but Bruce knew one major thing about being stuck in a puzzle: sometimes you needed to take a step back to see it clearly again. His mind is full of so much at the moment, and it's also full of panic because of his friends suffering, so he needs a breather. He needs to be able to function, and maybe come back to the situation after this interlude.

"No, only what I've read about. Only about an inch, bright colors, secretions causes paralysis." Bruce is actually breathing better already, changing his mind to the task at hand. He wants to learn more about the flora and fauna on the island, and its uses are endless. They've already found that the peaches and spring water have helped with the sickness, and these frogs could be the key to hunting better.

He himself is not much of a hunter, but he is quiet and capable enough to help her spot things and make certain she didn't end up getting paralyzed. "What's the plan on getting it from them? We might be able to pin one down if we can catch it." They were probably fast, considering most reptiles were.

[our_promise]

It's very likely that Natalia will end up getting paralyzed. She doesn't think so though, and is eager to do something immediate and practical. She can nurse, but it isn't very satisfying when you were once able to magically force suffering away.

"I haven't either. If it's only their secretions I don't see how we can collect them to use later, but rubbing the arrow heads against their backs should be effective enough. My understanding is that it isn't a defense mechanism that needs to be activated." They wouldn't have to scare the frogs to get it to work, and they could be sure that it would work without having to guess or test it out.

"I brought gloves. Do you have a pair?"

[notsoangry]

Bruce is thinking positively, and worst case scenario is she gets paralyzed. If that's the case he can probably get her out of the way before anything else happens without getting paralyzed himself. He can be very quick when he needs to be. She seems very competent though for someone who is young, but he's past underestimating people just because of their age. The teenagers he's met here have been as intelligent and worthy of respect as any adult. Kind of more, in a lot of ways.

"That's good, scaring them gives too much of an opportunity for them to jump on us." And they'd both be out of luck then. Frogs are still very fast though, so they had to be wary. "They might not like feeling an arrow on them though. We'll just be careful." He doubted it would be wise to take any of them back to the village. This is their habitat and it would be wrong, and probably lead to some paralysis for someone.

"Yep, when you mentioned what we were doing, it seemed necessary." Bruce pulls them out of his pocket. He's been using them in the hospital too, when someone is in a particularly bad way, because he can't get sick until he finds a cure. They are newly washed though. "You know, there are other flora and fauna around here that has interesting side effects, we could probably weaponize all of them." A pause. "Or use them in ... positive ways."

[our_promise]

“It strikes me as particularly cruel too, even given the circumstances.” She knew the sacrifices that had to be made to keep a kingdom running, and has found that the same is true for individuals.

Reaching the forest proper, she begins examining trees and bushes closely. They may be brightly colored but she expects they’re good at hiding to make up for it.

“What did you have in mind?” she asks, keeping her eyes on those little nooks and crannies where a small amphibian might be waiting.