Jacks face hardened and looked sour.
Forest spirits are things OF the forest, they wouldn't do things to upset their own lifeforce. Doing this to animals doesn't make sense. It makes about as much sense as farmers going "Oh, my crop was SOOOOO GOOOD this year, I think I will pour salt in my soil!"
He shook his head irritably.
More likely some fool magician trying to cash in on there being strong magic here, throwing everything out of balance, or worse, experimenting on the creatures. Thesis on the magic eh? Could be harmless, could be rotten too... People study things just before they decide they want to steal everything for themselves, more often than not.
He noticed he was making a grimace, and consciously suppressed it-- did not want to frighten mama by barring teeth. He still felt right mad enough to chew iron and spit nails though. The very idea---
Then again.. he thought If I was a damn fool on the receiving end of an angry forest spirit, I probably wouldn't tell the difference between healthy animals rushing in with clear purpose in their heads-- and sick ones, acting like they had rabies, biting and snarling out of pain and suffering either. Results the same from their end.
He looked down at mama, fat and full of food, and half-rolled over. She was looking for a place to take a nap. He really wanted to join her; Today had been damned stressful-- but if the comments made here were right-- and this was some kind of magical corruption that was simultaneously destroying the animals inside, while keeping them alive at the same time, how could either he OR mama know what was going on? Hell-- I could start affecting people at some point. For all he knew, the both of them could start just falling apart at some point, and be none the wiser before then-- After all, he had been living in a forest not unlike this one for many years-- Only wandered in here by chance-- Maybe he was being affected, and just didnt know it.
He needed answers, not lame excuses.
He pushed away from the table abruptly, right in the middle of the meeting. He apologized to Mama, who was put out by having to get up; It made him feel bad-- He really wanted to just lay down beside her under a nice shade tree and sleep the food off too; It would have been a great way to spend the afternoon-- but if something was eating her from the inside and replacing it with mysterious magical green goo, he was gonna find a way to stop it, Find a way to properly identify infection, and try to help this forest get back where it should be--- With healthy trees, happy fat animals, and abundant food-- the kind of natural paradise he always strove to leave behind him, and always tried to nurture before being kicked out by greedy human bastards who saw what was suddenly there, and thought that it should be theirs.
Damn was he angry today-- But seeing mama, more relaxed and happy, had this effect to make him happier himself. It had always been like this for the longest time--- Helping the critters get better, and get on with their lives, rather than suffering and dying from diseases, injuries or starvation, always put so much happiness inside him. He was glad that wasn't gone, even in this den of idiots.
Putting his thoughts in order, and calming himself with that last happy note, he asked Mama to follow him, and set off to the apothecary. That animal parts peddler would surely have more information about what was going on inside the critters here, simply because he dealt with their corpses as a product. Dark-- but it was a start.