Don't worry, I'll update Forced soon! But inspiration struck and I had to write this!
I don't own Ice Age.
Make sure you enjoy! XD
Raz was a very, very small joey, only about ten months. She was curious as any young child, though still skittish and easily scared as well. On this particularly warm day, her mother had plopped her out of the pouch into the soft, plush grass, and encouraged she go and play. Their mob was gathered in a large clearing in the forest, with lots of fresh grass to munch and several lush, tall trees, and a variety of other plants.
Little Raz had found herself in a secluded little nook off to the side, her mother a few yards away and gladly munching some eucalyptus. Raz didn't like eucalyptus; it had a strange taste and left an odd, cold sensation in her mouth. She found herself a nice pretty little bush, growing in the shade of a tall fig tree.
The bush was covered in clusters of pretty flowers, all a gentle violet like herself. They smelled very pretty… even if a particular sniff had made her sneeze. Reaching out with her small hands, she took a fistful of the blossoms, the petals velvety soft in her hands. Shoving her face into her hands, she took another deep smell, the sweet scent making her giggle.
Clumsily throwing them up in the air so they rained down on her, she turned her attention to the leaves. They were deep green and rather small, tear drop shaped. As she reached out and took one off, she could see lighter green veins webbing the back. She sniffed it, it smelled good. She experimentally lapped it once; it tasted good. Gurgling happily to herself, as she still was learning to talk, she nibbled the tear-drop shaped tip. It had that cool, yummy refreshing taste that she adored so. The little joey happily continued snacking for quite some time, proud to have found food on her own. Specially foo that taste so yummy!
Kyra, Raz's mother, stood up on her back feet and looked around. "Now where's m'little Razzie…" she murmured to herself, turning a small circle. Common sense, obedience, and just plain instinct kept any baby joey from wandering far from their mother, but still, she had much reason to worry. There were a lot of things a little joey could get into if not observed carefully. Timid and easily-frightened as they were, kangaroo joeys were known for their unquenchable curiosity. If not monitored carefully, a baby could wander right into an alligators' mouth (quite literally. It had happened) if it looked even remotely interesting. "Ah, there ya are darlin." She was situated a few yards to her left, munching some tear-drop shaped leaves, along with a few violet closed flowers.
Kyra screamed and lunged for her only daughter, shrieking "Raz you spit tha' out this very minute!" scooping her up, she didn't hesitate to yank out the leaves halfway into her mouth, commanding she spit out whatever she'd managed to already chew. Frightened to tears, she obeyed, spatting out the remaining leaf. By now everyone had noticed and came to see what was the matter.
"What's happened dear?"
"Is th' little Sheila alright?"
"Why all th' c'mmotion, Kyra?
"L- lilacs!" she wheezsed out, panicking. "She's 'ad lilacs!"
Everyone gasped and began murmuring in worry, offering the mother condolences. Lilacs were a widely despised plant- while they looked pretty and had a pleasant aroma, they were highly poisonous to many marsupials in consumed, kangaroos included.
By now, Raz could feel the poison slowly setting into her system. Her stomach was twisting itself into painful notes, her vison was turning black, and she was beginning to shiver. Fearfully, Kyra felt her ears and fingers, the best way to tell a joeys temperate. She was getting alarmingly hot, and very quickly. "She's alread'eh gettin a fever…"
"We best be getting yer girl to the heal'eh!" wasting no time, she hurried off with her poor baby cradled in her arms.
…
"I- Is there anythin you c'n do?" Kyra asked, wringing her hands as the local healer, a kind old koala, looked her over. Her temperature was sky-rocketed and kept rising, and she'd been moaning terribly, complaining of a searing pain in her now, though, she'd ceased talking, and was now tossing and turning restlessly on the bed, though she was unconscious. "Please… she's my only lit'l girl! Tell me you c'n save her!" she begged, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please… please save her."
"She's eaten much…" mused the healer. "But… I may have a remedy."
"Oh thank you!"
He proceeded to begin searching his many shelves, full of multiple bowls and containers, made of various materials. "Ah, here it is!" he removed a long, thin rock, hollowed out with a wooden cork in the top. He opened it up and peered inside. "This should help."
He made his way over to the little girl, writhing in pain. He lay a hand on her forehead and forced open her mouth, before carefully trickling the clear green medicine into her mouth, helping her tiny body sit up to make sure she swallowed it. When he'd repeated this process several times, he retrieved another medicine, this time a pink powder. Sprinkling just a tiny bit of it in her mouth, her golden eyes snapped open and she sat up… before bending over and being violently sick.
"Oh!" Kyra rushed forward worriedly and picked up her daughter, patting her back. "My poor Razzie… what did you do?!" steaming, she whirled on the healer. "I though' you was gonna heal her! No' poison her more!"
The koala blinked his gray eyes calmly. "This is healing her, Kyra. Hopefully, this will be able to flush the poison from her system before its too late." He corked the bottle of green medicine. "Give her this every time the sun or moon moves a thumbs' space in the sky. She'll be ill like this awhile; give her as much water as you can. If she gets too dehydrated she will die." She gasped in horror.
She cradled Raz, who had ceased vomiting a moment, close to her chest. The baby glazed at her mother through exhausted eyes, glazed over with tears. "Mummy…" she whispered. "Owie…" then she jerked violently and was sick again.
"My poor lil darlin…" Kyra murmured, receiving further instructions from the healer, attainting a small coconut bowl filled with powder to knock her out when needed. When she became ver resistant for her medicine, for instance.
…
Kyra and her daughter slept under the stars, king in the plush grass as relaxed as they could. Of course, Raz's medicine had her feeling ill and dreadfully tired; any break she got between her involuntary body reactions the medicine, she would immediately pass out and sleep. Of course, however, within fifteen minutes she was throwing up again.
Kyra held her the whole time, washing her off whenever things got particularly messy a nearby warm spring. She found that she didn't need the medicine to keep Raz obedient- she was far too weak and miserable to resist. Sometimes after a spell of illness she lie in her mother's arms and shudder and pant, tears silently sliding down her cheeks. She didn't have the energy to sob anymore. It was then that Kyra would lower her head and whisper to her, or perhaps sing the most calming lullabies she knew. They did nothing to cheer her, but little Raz found comfort in the familiarity of her mothers' presence. Sometimes, when she'd fall asleep and snooze for more than fifteen minutes at a time, Kyra was forced to use the powder to wake her to continue to process of flushing out her system. She honestly felt like the world's worst mother, making her poor child sick again and again, but she knew the alternative was death.
"Shh..." she gently rubbed circles on her belly, trying to help with then paim. "There there dear… mummy's righ' here… Ah'm right 'ere."
…
When the healer came to check on Raz at noon the next day, little baby Raz had finished another fit of illness and had recently sunk into sleep. As Kyra lay her cross her lap, the koala gently opened the girls mouth and took a swab of her spit with a stick. Throwing it into a bowl of pink water, he watched as it turned purple. His smile was knowing and happy. "She'll be just fine." He lay a hand on her temple and spoke a quiet blessing, and all at once, her face cleared of all previous pain and misery. With a sigh, Kyra watched with relieved eyes as she settled down, relaxing completely, a sleepy smile creeping onto her face.
"Oh thank you!" she sobbed with relief, hugging her daughters' sleeping body to her chest. "Th- Thank everything!" when he left, taking the remains of his medicines from her, she just sat there awhile, crying silently and holding her precious baby close.
"Mama…?"
Kyra looked down. Her precious baby girl blinked up at her behind heavy, half-closed lids. "Aye darlin?"
"Why you'd cryin?"
"No reason Razzle." She pressed her lips to her forehead, overjoyed to feel her fever diminishing. "I just love you so, so much."
The little girl yawned and smuggled into her, smiling sleepily. "Ah love ya too mummy."
And there we go! This was inspired by the fact that A) I caught Mira trying to nibble our lilac bushes, which are poisonous to most marsupial, and remembering how the vet managed to save our dog after she ate antifreeze by… yeah. Anyway, please enjoy if you liked this cute little fluff piece! :D