"The scent kept going farther and farther!
I had to turn back, Return to safe harbor."
Linnaeus fluttered between Gabriel and Flame as if undecided on who to follow as they rhymed, eventually taking to the air and buzzing around the latter so that they could peek over her shoulder and glimpse into their packed satchel. She'd been collecting mushrooms, how wonderful! The colorful fox chirped excitedly and gave a quick pump of their wings, twisting the wind beneath them as naturally as they would breath as they settled to stand beside their king again.
"Although I saw no trail nor tail,
some strange things I must regale!
All is silent, life has fled.
There's no sun, the wind is dead."
The spores grow thick beneath the bend,
I worry, king--you can't ascend.
I cannot say what will occur
Should you breathe the clouds' transfer."
Their chipper expression faltered as they sang, a dark worry tainting their words as they used their own wings to motion to the pair on Flame's backside. It had been difficult enough to navigate the forest while flying, how would their king fare on foot? Sniffing the ground for tracks, no less? Still, they knew Gabriel wanted to find this thing, probably just as much as Ohr did; was it fair to ask him to turn back? They could try and use their magic to push the spores away while he breathed, but if they were to be flying above, they'd need that same magic to keep the scent airborne and wings lifted.
They hummed and hawed over their options, stroking their fuzzy chin with a clawed wing as they skipped across the peaty soil. An idea came to them then as their attention bounced between Gabriel and Flame, and they snapped their claws together with a flash of excitement lighting their gaze. They whipped towards Flame, a grin splitting their narrow muzzle as they bounced on the tips of their talons.
"The satchel, Flame!
We can hang it 'round our king's neck frame!
He holds thin leather to his nose--
Breathe in, breathe out--it blocks the spores' flows!"
Linnaeus laughed again, proud of the solution they'd come to. It would (probably) work, they just had to try it! They opened their muzzle again, perhaps readying a reprisal, but they stopped abruptly. Without warning, they felt it stop--they felt the breeze die just like it had deeper in the grove. The air was suddenly heavy and still, clinging to the inside of their ears with an overwhelming silence, and wide eyes flicked between their King and Flame in a wordless question before the earth beneath them began to tremble and quake.
DICE ROLL: Dex
Success: Linnaeus takes to the air to avoid the earthquake.
Failure: Linnaeus stumbles and falls, smacking their muzzle into the soil and getting a mouthful of dirt.
Dice roll
