Inspired by this post
Sunflower petals, it seems.
Toth was barely able to contain a smirk, and when she lifted her gaze the look Skout gave her from across the campfire was soft but it held a tint of mischief and complicity, as if sharing a secret only they two knew, and it brought back the itching.
Toth wasn't new to the odd way she felt whenever Skout was near; her mood would always improve significantly just at the sight of the bright color of her hair, her stomach would always tie into a knot, but not in a bad way like she first thought, and her capacity of speech was reduced to a few words whenever the girl hugged her. It was odd, yes, but Toth believed that she just wasn't used to Skout's friendliness, even after having known each other for years now. The itching in her throat though, that was fairly new, merely a week and a half since it first started. She didn't know what caused it, but she had a slight suspicion it was an allergy to the new perfume Skout somehow managed to get a hold of. It was a sweet fragrance, and she wouldn't admit it out loud but she really liked it. Every time she had a chance she would take a whiff at Skout's direction to catch the faint scent just because she could, and it was refreshing compared to the dry and suffocating air of the desert. The itching was barely a nuisance at the beginning, something she could easily get rid of by drinking a bit of water to clear her throat, but with time it came to be quite bothersome, and then…
…and then the petals came.
In the late afternoon, when everyone was eating and goofing around the campfire after an exhausting day, something had been said, and though it wasn't the intention it brought some fun memories from a few years back for the two women. They had somehow tricked a guy to do something stupid, and later on that event became an inside joke between them. It had been Skout who convinced her to participate at all and Toth didn't regret it, but right now the memory as cherished as it was, it wasn’t a welcomed one.
Toth had to get up and leave the group when the itching became too much, painful even, trying her best to contain the coughs until she was far away from the group, enough to ensure no one would see or hear her. Her eyes prickled, and her stomach clenched with the effort. She fell to her knees and felt something clogging her throat. That had never happened before, never this bad, and if she was being honest, she was scared.
Cough after cough, and her eyes watered, she couldn't breathe and the lack of air oppressed her lungs. Her hands clutched her neck by reflex, not that it was helping but she didn't know what else to do.
It wasn't long before she felt a coppery taste on her mouth, a taste that she grew very familiar with in her years as an experienced warrior: blood. And then she felt them, many velvety pieces of something yet to be discovered filling her mouth.
Toth spit everything out as soon as she could, struggling to get a grasp of much needed air.
Her gaze landed on the bloody petals on the ground. Bright yellow petals that reminded her of her own wildflower greeted her, covered in blood that contrasted hard with the reddish yellow of the sand. She couldn’t comprehend it, those came out of her? It should be impossible and yet there they were, but why?
With a shaky hand she dared to grab one of the petals –soft and silky to the touch, she noticed– and upon closer inspection she saw it belonged to a sunflower, those same flowers Skout loved and picked up whenever the rare occasion she found them, and with the way the sunlight hit it, giving it a bright shine Toth couldn’t help but to think it was pretty.
Though she still didn’t have any answers. Toth gulped hard, and through a blurry sight and ragged breath she wondered out loud. "Why… why am i coughing up flowers?"
