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Deuce rubbed the wolf's knee. "Mum, do you think a roll would help Clawd? I mean it's bread, couldn't it help his stomach? Protect it from the stomach acid?" The gorgon inquired, noticing how Clawd kept looking towards the kitchen.

Scarlet thought about it. She didn't think it would hurt, but would he be able to handle it?

Clawd decided to lay there with his eyes closed, maybe it would help? However all it did was make his other senses stronger. That chicken smelled fantastic but his stomach wouldn't stop flip-flopping.

He turned over onto his side and sighed, both arms crossed over his stomach.

Clawnor decided he would get a roll, butter it and bring it to his brother. There wasn't a lot of people that the youngest pup attached himself to, especially outside of his family dwelling. But it was arguable that he loved Clawd the most.

Deuce let a small sigh escape, it was hurting him to see Clawd like this. Since he was certain that the venom had something to do with it.

The gorgon watched as the young pup juggled the bun on a plate. It sometimes still amazed him how much Clawnor loved his oldest brother. "Come on Clawd, at least try the bun." Deuce said as he continued rubbing the other's leg.

The wolf sniffed the air lightly. Without opening his eyes - by scent only - he could tell the bun was reheated by the microwave so the light butter would melt. The plate was styrofoam. Heated for about 23 seconds.

He shifted himself a bit so that he wouldn't choke. "Thanks, buddy." he took the plate and set it down on his stomach.

Clawnor watched as Clawd let his eyes close and after a few seconds almost nodding off to sleep before startling himself awake. He slightly whined, why was he so damn tired?

He grabbed the bun and took a bite of it. He chewed the bun until it became paste-like in his mouth. The wolf swallowed that first bite and almost seemed like he felt short of breath afterward.

Deuce looked at Scarlet a bit scared, was Clawd supposed to react this way? The gorgon could feel his hand starting to shake. Deuce tried to hide it by cracking his knuckles, last thing he really wanted to do was worry Clawd.

Scarlet knew him well enough to know that if Deuce began to crack his knuckles, fidget or was restless - he was worried or there was something on his mind.

Clawd slowly but surely finished the buttered roll. Clawnor took the plate and rubbed Clawd's forehead before he headed back to the kitchen to discard it.

She smiled at the interaction they shared. Her oldest boy and youngest boy were so close. Despite the rather large age gap between them. "It'll be okay honey, just take it slowly. Trying to get a stubborn, sick mind to eat is a challenge for sure."

She grabbed the thermometer and got it ready, she felt bad for having to bug Clawd again after he settled.

Her poor, sick, sleepy pup. "Clawd, open up." She prompted him, poking his cheek with the bottom of her thermometer. He opened his mouth ever so slightly, though he gagged upon her pushing it in. She pulled it out quick. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

He sat up and gagged once more but Deuce could see Clawd trying to breathe his way out of having to hurl. The wolf was trembling.

Barkley was watching from the kitchen archway, just on the other side of the living room. "Do you need me to get anything, Scar?" He asked her, usually she did her own thing but even she looked spooked - not in a good way.

When Deuce looked over he saw the head of every other Wolf child in the family, aside from Clawdia and excluding Clawd himself, around the archway. Clawdeen, Howleen, both the twins and Clawnor, who let out a soft whimper.

'It's your fault Deuce!' The gorgon thought as he put his hand back on Clawd's knee.

He kept looking from the group in the kitchen to Scarlet. He could read the worry on her face, even though she was trying to hide it from everyone. Knowing her like he did, she didn't want everyone worrying too much. Although the mother in her was freaking out.

"Thank you, Mum." Deuce said reaching for her hand. Trying his best to pull her into a hug, without bothering the wolf on his lap too much.

Scarlet hugged Deuce and lifted his chin ever so slightly. "You're doing great." She told him. "You however - not so much." She grabbed the thermometer and was hoping to try again. "C'mon hon, open up."

Clawd glared at the thermometer, he was beginning to hate that thing now too. "Mom, please..." He turned away from it.

"Clawd Alexander - so help me child if I can't get your temperature." She growled lightly.

Deuce's eyes widened from behind his signature shades. He couldn't remember the last time Scarlet called her oldest boy by his full name. That typically meant she was serious and whichever pup's full name was called better get their shit together fast.

His ears flattened as he attempted to take the thermometer in his mouth once again... it hit the fleshy area just under his tongue and he gagged again.

Scarlet was worried, frustrated and almost worked up. Her eyes glistened, tears threatening to fall but she held them back. "Clawd... I have no way to tell if your fever is dangerous if we don't take it. I could take it from another area but it's not as accurate. So butt or mouth, they're the most accurate places on the body - you've got 2 minutes to decide."

Clawnor stepped forward with another roll. This one was heated for 26 seconds. "This might help?"

'Ugh... that makes me feel worse.' The wolf thought to himself. "Tha-anks, buddy-" Clawd then bolted from the sofa to the bathroom at top speed.

The gorgon sat there in shock for a few seconds, staring up at Scarlet and Barkley before following the Clawd to the bathroom. Listening for any sounds of the wolf, Deuce lightly knocked on the door signaling to the other he was there. "Clawd?" It broke Deuce's heart, there was the wolf over the toilet once more. "Clawd." The gorgon said once more before going to the other's side, gently rubbing the other's back.

"I'm tired of being so sick and tired." He lightly whined, hurling again. Though he was shocked how there was any substance to it at all. When would this end?

"You know exactly what happens next, don't you?"

The boys were quiet enough to hear Scarlet's worried voice.

"Shhh, baby calm down-"

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" Pacing back and forth could be heard. "If we don't get this fever down and fast, he'll have to be admitted to emergency, Barkley."

"I know that, let me try for awhile? You go take a nice, warm bubble bath... I'll bring you up a glass of chilled wine-"

"A bottle."

"Sure... a bottle of chilled wine and I'll see what I can do to help Clawd. Alright?"

Various whines could be heard from the kitchen. It was astonishing how much the Wolf family cared about one another.

"Barkley... you'd better not be trying to seduce me with lies. I will eat your soul if you do." There was more pacing. "I hate when my babies are sick."

Clawd sighed, resting his arm on the cold toilet seat, then his head on his arm. The cold temperature of the seat itself felt fantastic to his warm, sweaty body.

"I'm so sorry Clawd." He said rubbing the other's back once more. Deuce shifted his gaze from the sick wolf to the twins and Clawnor who were now standing in the doorway. Anyone could tell they were in tears almost as they crowded around. The gorgon knew this must be harder on the younger pups, since they were very young last time their bother was this sick. So young they most likely didn't remember.

Deuce could feel Clawd beginning tremble. The color in his face drained, he was paler than normal. The sweat was just beading off him. "Deuce, I finished Mr. Rotter's essay didn't I?" He wondered out loud.

The gorgon took Clawd's hand and noticed how clammy it was. He was almost soaked all over. This was... intense. More intense than it had been before. "Uh... I don't think so..."

There was a knock on the bathroom doorway. "You guys decent?" Barkley asked quickly. When he didn't hear much of anything he opened the door wider.

Deuce was staring at Clawd intently.

Clawd had one arm still on the toilet seat. He sat up and leaned up against the wall beside it. His heart was pounding... his breaths were quicker and rather shallow.

Deuce shifted his eyes towards Barkley, all he wanted to do was take the wolf in his arms and tell him everything will be fine. The hard part for the gorgon, was he didn't want to lie to Clawd. "Pops, help?" He begged as he tightened his grip on the other's hand.

Clawd closed his eyes and leaned his head up against the wall. He could feel the sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He felt disgusting. "Mom's home, isn't she?" Clawd inquired suddenly, opening his eyes.

Barkley knelt down and grabbed some tissue to wipe the sweat off his son's face. "Buddy, mama's been home for hours. The first one she saw when she walked in the door was you. Don't you remember, Clawd?"

The younger wolf closed his eyes again. "Maybe... I think?" He stopped himself from falling over. Why did he feel so woozy?

Barkley frowned. Scarlet was right about the thermometer, he had it on him just in case. "Clawd... let me take your temp so we know what we're dealing with. Please?"

Clawd nodded. "My heart's pounding... it's a little hard to breathe." He coughed and near-gagged.

"Shhh, shh - relax bud. You're okay," he was trying to coax Clawd however Deuce could use some relaxing as well. "can I put this in for 10 seconds max?"

Clawd gave a slow nod, he was trying to steady his breaths but he wasn't totally successful. He was able to keep the thermometer in this time though.

Beep.

103.2 F

Barkley nearly dropped the thermometer. "Oh shit."

Deuce reached for the thermometer, his hands now really shaking. He wasn't expecting that reaction at all. "He's gotta go to the hospital? Doesn't he?" The gorgon inquired.

Deuce could see the pups near the door, peeking around the corner. "Do we need to get mom?" Clawnor asked his father. Anyone could tell the youngest pup was worried, he didn't have his video game in his hands.

The twins were ready to go get their mother once they father gave the signal.

"Uh... grab the van keys first and give them to me. We gotta go," Barkley told them. "now, right now we have to get Clawd to the emergency. I don't trust that fever. If that's what he's at after the fever meds..." The twins ran around the living room in a panic, Clawnor tossed the keys to Barkley who caught them in mid-air. He knew Deuce would be too much of a nervous wreck to drive anywhere. "Deuce, can you try and get Clawd to the van?" He looked at Clawd on the floor still, an upset gorgon beside him. "Okay how about you try to get him going period and I'll be back?"

"C'mon my furball." Deuce said patting the other's back.

"Maybe fresh air will help?" One of the twins said. Deuce always had a hard time telling them apart. One of these days he was getting them name tags.

"Lean against me if you gotta." The gorgon informed the wolf as he slowly began to move. Deuce wasn't going to rush, he knew the wolf was having a hard enough time as is.

The next thing Clawd knew he was outside, he felt the chilly air against his skin, it felt great. He was so hot... not in a good way. And he was real dizzy. What the hell was going on?

He carefully got into the backseat and his seatbelt was fastened for him. Clawd soon nestled into the cold gorgon beside him. Man it felt good.

Whenever he opened his eyes they ached slightly. Perhaps he was just tired?

"Deuce..." Barkley looked back in the rearview mirror, connecting their gazes for a moment. "keep Clawd alert, talk to him, try not to let him pass out."

He didn't want Clawd to become unresponsive or start convulsing. Why did speed limits have to exist right now?

"Sure thing, pops." The gorgon wrapped his arms around the snuggled wolf. "Clawd, are you listening to me furball?" The gorgon tried to shift both himself and Clawd. "You heard Pops, no passing out yet." The gorgon shifted his head back towards the house, surprised none of the other siblings tried to come along.

Clawd only had his eyes open for moments before they closed again. "I can't..." He lightly whined. "I'm so dizzy..." He tightened his grip on Deuce's shirt. "make it stop?"

"We're taking you to someone who can help, Clawd." The gorgon could feel the wolf's accelerated heart rate. "Pops, I know mum will kill us for getting a ticket. But is there any way we can go faster?" The gorgon inquired. "Don't worry Clawd." The gorgon went back to giving the other his attention.

"I know Clawd's health is very important, but even ambulance drivers have to follow the rules of the road. I can't hurt anyone else by trying to get help." Barkley made a sharp turn and did pick up some speed though.

Clawd's head slowly moved to the side, right on Deuce's shoulder. The gorgon soon realized that talking to him wasn't doing the trick. He poked his nose, tickled the palms of Clawd's hands. The gorgon had a plan to get real annoying to the wolf. "Where is he ticklish?" The gorgon inquired as he began liking for the wolf's ticklish spot.

Barkley had to think about that one. "When he was younger... his inner thighs, ribs and feet. Not too sure if any of that's changed though?"

"Well, we'll find out." The gorgon informed the other.

The gorgon started at the ribs, lifting up the others shirt he placed his hands on Clawd's. He began to tickle up and down the wolf's sides. A devilish smirk swept across his face when Clawd try to wiggle himself away.

"Deuce..." Clawd whined lightly. "Stop it..." The wolf re-settled and began to fade again.

After what seemed like a terribly long vehicle ride, Clawd was brought in, though the fact that he was barely coherent startled the triage nurse. "What seems... uh, to be the... problem?"

Barkley tried to be patient. "He's got a high fever, 103.2 when we left the house, he's been vomiting all night he can't keep anything down - he's sore, medications aren't helping to shake this."

"Who are you to him?"

"His father," he growled. "sorry, just... I don't need to help you pinpoint what might happen if his fever goes any higher, do I?"

She rolled her eyes. "104 is typically the real concerning zone..."

"Temp him again damn it. I'll bet he's there."

She widened her eyes when she soon had a reading.

104.4