She flailed and twitched in her recovery den, the nightmares filling her mind. Finch called out, pale blue eyes opening wide as she let out a massive gasp. It had only been a little bit since she was taken back to the pack, but she didn't even know how she got there. Ears pinned flat against her head and she looked around with wild eyes. Where was she? Bright lights danced in her vision, and everything had a blue tinge to it. The girl whined and curled into a tight ball, her head pounding. What had happened to her? Her last memory were scary teeth and pain, pain and darkness. She stood up, and pain shot through her shoulder. Finch whined again, looking down. A bloody cut lay across the top of it, making her legs quiver. She fell back down to her belly with a thump, unable to keep herself up any longer. What in the world... she felt like death. Finch layed her head on her paws, trying to block out the ringing by squeezing her eyes shut tight. By the smell of the den she knew that she was home, but last she remembered she had been lost. And the woman, the stranger who helped her. Gave her herbs, and then... it all went black. She shook her head, instantly regretting the motion. Turning her head she vomited, nothing but bile coming from her stomach. Sticking out her tongue she flopped to her side, scooting a bit away from her sickness. She just wanted answers, and her family. She wanted her siblings, mom and dad. Anyone... "SPEAK" "CIVETTA SPEAKS"

Lark was furious. Absolutely, downright furious. When he'd first heard the news, all he'd felt was hate and fear. How could someone do this to Finch? To someone so sweet, so innocent, so pure? He wanted to kill whoever had done it to her; not figuratively, either. He knew he was not the most angelic wolf, far from it, but he couldn't imagine being so evil that you could hurt someone like Finch, not ever. His rage had been calmed, slightly, but enough that he felt he could finally face her without losing his cool, which had taken an alarmingly long time. Slowly, quietly, he made his way to her den. Rarely did Lark feel wary around Finch, but he suddenly felt cautious, as though he might startle her if he was too loud. He had no idea how she was doing, and part of him was nervous to even find out - nervous that seeing the state she was in might make him enraged all over again. Definitely not at her, just whoever had done this to her. With a grace he didn't know he had, he crept near to her den, peering inside. It smelled unquestionably of sickness, but he didn't mind. All he cared about was if she was okay or not. "Finch?" Lark would inquire gently, slowly entering her den, moving to touch his nose to the side of her neck. "I missed you." Asking her if she was okay seemed like a stupid idea, because she obviously was not, and focusing on what was wrong didn't seem like a good idea right now.

Finch just laid there panting, too afraid to fall back asleep. The nightmares never left her, every time she closed her eyes they were there. The shadows that tugged at her, and that face. The face of the wolf who did this all to her. It was blurry most of the time, she couldn't quite focus on the wolf's face. The pain she felt during that time was all consuming, so she often fought sleep for as long as she possibly could. When she heard the soft fall of paws she flinched, curling in on herself more, until his scent entered her nose. "Lark," she whispered, her body shakily rolling over to her belly as he nosed her neck. The girl leaned into his touch, a soft rumble sounding in her throat. He said that he had missed her, and a broken sob left her throat. "Oh Lark, I w-was so foolish to go out on m-my own. I got l-lost and then... and t-then..." she broke off, turning her face and trying to bury it in his neck. "I m-missed you all s-so much, so much t-that it hurt." The girl sniffled, curling closer into the warmth of her larger brother. This is what she needed, this comfort is all she craved. Her head was still pounding and her vision was all out of wack, but it all felt a little bit less with a family member here. She hadn't seen Lark yet, not since she had been here, or at least not that she remembered. That didn't bother her though, she couldn't imagine that she was much fun to come and see. Half the time she was trying to hide from the monsters that tried to pull at her, she could hear her own screams sometimes. Letting out a heavy sigh, she lifted her weary head to try and meet her brothers gaze. "I'm s-so sorry," she whispered, her eyes half lidded. "I w-wish I was stronger, t-that I could have fought a-against all of this. I felt... s-so useless, Lark. L-like I had to just lay there and t-take it," It wasn't like she remembered all of it, but enough to know what had sort of gone on. "W-when I'm better, c-can you do something for m-me?" she asked, her pale gaze searching his face. "I need you t-to teach me how to fight. I'm t-tired of being weak." "SPEAK" "CIVETTA SPEAKS"

He'd hoped desperately that, when he saw her again, all anger would fade from him. But it didn't, not even a little bit. It only grew, like a red hot flame in his chest, consuming him in a way he hadn't thought was possible. It was all he could do to stifle his anger; his features softened as soon as Finch noticed he was near, his stance slackening in turn as she whispered his name. Though she was definitely not well - she was in rather bad shape, he could tell just from a glance at her and by the heavy scent of vomit that hung in the air - she was alive, and she was still herself. Just in a awful state. His gaze softened when he saw her, losing its hardened glaze; he swore he could've started crying, if crying came naturally at all to him, which it didn't. Instead he would simply press into her, lowering himself to his belly as she leaned into him. Right now, Finch needed him. Even if she still felt physically sick, at the very least he could reassure her that he was here, and that he'd sooner die than let anyone hurt her again. "It's not your fault," he'd breathe softly, his eyes closing tightly as he listened to her speak. "I missed you too, Finch." He did.. he'd missed her so much. She let out a sigh of her own as she leaned against him. She'd talk, saying silly things like.. that she was sorry, she wished she had fought... he didn't want her to keep speaking, but he wondered if telling her to stop would upset her even more. Instead, he would press against her, shifting to begin to groom the fur on top of her head, gently and rhythmically, hoping it would sooth her. "I'll do anything you need," he told her gently, wondering what it was that she requested. Briefly he pulled back to eye her. "I have a gift for you when you're feeling well again, too."

She didn't notice the hardened glare in his eyes, it had been wiped away before she looked up to see him. She had no idea how much pain this had all caused, how angry everyone was about it all. She had been trapped in this den for long that she had missed all of it, and she was passed out when she was taken home. She longed to ask what had transpired during that time, but she bit her tongue. If anything major happened, they would tell her, right? Blinking at the thought, she focused on her taller brother, glad that he had come to see him. In her mind, Lark was their strongest sibling. He reminded her more of their father, but he even had a touch more anger than the pale alpha. Finch didn't think anything less of him because of it, in fact it made her respect him more. He was so strong through everything, and she was jealous of that. She often felt weaker when compared to her siblings, her shyness crippling her. Finch sighed, just leaning into Lark. He could be her crutch for awhile, his warmth surrounding her. It calmed everything inside her, and her pale blue eyes closed as he laid down and pressed back into her. Her nose buried into his shoulder, a soft hum vibrating in her throat as she snuggled farther into his brown coat. Lark told her that it wasn't her fault, and that he had missed her as well. Her jaws opened to argue with him, but she slowly closed them again. Neither of them would gain anything with that fight, and she was too tired to put her limited energy into it. It had been her decision to wander off, her choice to go and try to be brave. And look what happened. It made her scared to do anything else at the moment, but it had also ignited a flame inside her heart. She was tired of being weak, of thinking that she wasn't good enough. Lark had always told her that she was big and strong, that she could do anything she set her mind to. Her blue eyes grew a touch harder as she slowly nodded her head, agreeing with his passed words for once. No longer would she be that scared little girl -- hopefully. She knew that it was easier said than done, but Finch knew that it was time. Her stutter was already almost gone, her voice almost back to normal. Humming softly, Finch's whole body started to relax into him as he began to groom the top of her head. Her words faded away with the soothing motions of his tongue, her eyes slipping closed. She felt like it could lull her into sleep, but Lark spoke up. Her mix matched ears perked at the mention of a gift, her question for him forgotten about for a moment. Her head lifted as she studied his face, her white and grey tail thumping on the ground. "A gift?" she squeaked, obvious excitement in her tone. "W-what did you get me?" she asked, her whole body practically wiggling like an excited puppy. He said that she would get it when she was feeling better, and Finch tossed him her best I-feel-totally-fine smile. Then she remembered what she was going to ask him, but it was hard to focus with her mind spinning. What on earth did he get her? She wanted to know now! "U-um, right. I wanted to ask you," she started, drawing circles on the ground with her paw, "if when I'm all better, if you c-can teach me how to fight. I want to be able to d-defend myself a-and the pack. I want to be strong, I-I'm tired of being held back and feeling like I c-can't do anything. You have a-always believed in me... so it makes sense that you t-teach me, right?" Her voice grew a tad bit sheepish, and she looked up to study his face. "SPEAK" "CIVETTA SPEAKS"

Lark didn't remember ever crying. Not that he wasn't cable of it, it just hadn't really happened. If there ever was a time to cry, it was now; but he wouldn't let Finch see him so weak, when she needed his strength to hold on to. A grateful sigh fell from his lips as he felt Finch against him. She was conscious now, talking and alert, and while she was not perfectly well, she was not as sick as she had been, and for that he was thankful.  He longed for the day when she would sing to him again, full of joy and love; hopefully she would not grow weary with hate and fear over this incident. Lark had already promised himself that he would help her get stronger this time. What had happened, he wondered? Surely he would learn the story, eventually, likely from someone other than Finch. He didn't want to cause her any pain, not when she was still so fragile. She seemed to shift back into her normal self at the mention of a gift, and he would grin widely, pulling away slightly to watch her. "Yep," he told her with a nod, his eyes shining with delight. "Lillianna helped me find it for you, actually. We went far away to find it." Maybe they should have been looking for Finch instead, but he didn't want to think of it like that. It wasn't as though they'd had any idea she was missing. "She might get mad if I tell you though," Lark would answer, his voice holding a playful note that was somewhat rare for the young man. "She probably wants to give it to you together. And you know how she is." Stubborn and feisty, much like himself, though surely Finch knew that. Her attention swayed though to more serious topics. She wanted to fight. She'd mentioned it before, but it hadn't gone beyond that - a brief mention. "I'll teach you anything," he agreed earnestly, offering another nod. Whatever she needed, he would do for her, though the thought of fighting Finch - even if just in practice - was uncomfortable to him. He'd place a kiss on her cheek to reassure her, noting she looked a bit apprehensive. "We'll start learning some defenses," he said gently. "Then from there, some basic attacks. Once you're feeling better, of course."

She was practically wiggling at the mention of a gift, and she wanted to demand that Lark gave it to her right then and there. But, she wouldn't do that. He said that they went far away to get it, and her pale blue eyes opened a fraction more. They went to all that trouble, just for her? When he said that he really couldn't tell her she pouted, trying to fix her brother with the best puppy dog eyes she could muster. "B-but I'm feeling b-better already!" she lied, trying to put on her best show. She really wanted to know what it was, the thought of having a gift just waiting for her was torture. Lillie had already given her her pretty necklace, that she had tucked around her somewhere. She had taken it off when she went on her adventure, and for that she was thankful. Finch couldn't imagine what she would have done if she lost her pretty leaf. Maybe sending Civetta off to find it, she still wasn't quite ready to leave the pack lands. She wasn't even well enough to leave the den at the moment... the thought of leaving her home again made her feel ill. Shaking off the feelings, she looked back up at Lark, her lower lip pouting out once again. "I w-won't tell her, I s-swear. I will e-even work on my surprised f-face, so she w-won't even know," Finch said, trying to convince Lark that it was indeed a grand idea. Her brother kissed her on the cheek, and she let out a soft squeak, leaning against him. She really did feel words better now that he was here, the memories of her nightmare long gone. He was going to teach her, and gave her a starting point for their lessons. Eagerly she nodded her head, then regretted the quick movement. Flinching slightly, she tried to hide the fact that it had hurt. She was trying to convince him that she was all better, after all! "W-we can't do t-that now?" Finch asked. She didn't want him to leave her right now, and she was at a loss for what else to ask him about. She didn't really want to sleep either, it was too nice to sit here like this with him. "SPEAK" "CIVETTA SPEAKS"