She's shaky. She's unusually unsteady, stumbling back to Boreas. She's not sure even where she's going. Not sure where she's going until she gets there. There's an empty wandering, a hollow feeling in her chest. Selene hurts. She aches. She's not sure why. The scorn of the moon moves over the ground, wandering the East, cold and... unsure. Cold from the inside out. Always cold, always unsure. Empty. What was in her chest? Devoid of feeling, and she's not sure what end is up.

It's at the edge of the Lover's Mangrove when she picks up the scent her subconscious has been tracking. She's shaky, she hasn't eaten in days. Something has happened, and Selene is... repressing it. Holding it back, keeping it down, and not... tapping into that feeling. Unsure of exactly when she's been driven to find the only boy that's... well, more feelings she wasn't entirely sure she could find the words. Cold and lost, Selene hits the dirt at the border.

Sleep washes over her before she can revolt against it.

"Speech."

~Selene

It didn't take a rocket scientist to notice that Lionel hadn't been himself lately. He'd kept to himself mostly, avoiding the company of others and overall throwing a pity party for himself. He'd been this way ever since the deaths of Quelt and Brightmoon. It was hard not to blame himself for what had happened. Sure, it wasn't like it was his fault the bear had shown up, but maybe if he'd arrived earlier he could have at least prevented him from dying. If he'd arrived earlier the three of them could have taken it on, and then more as his father and Tib had shown up as well. Maybe then there wouldn't be three orphaned pups. Either way Lionel was disappointed in himself, more than he'd ever felt in his life, and he didn't quite know how to get over it. He wasn't sure what pulled him from the den that day. Maybe a subconscious feeling that there was something important that he'd find - or maybe it was the knowledge that he'd been appointed as Archduke and so far had done a marvelous job of letting his father down. After all Heather even had her own problems and he'd noticed her being more productive than him. As much as he didn't want to perhaps it was time to start trying to move forward. He wasn't sure how to do it, but he didn't want to disappoint Leo any more than he was sure he already had. It was on his way to the mangrove's border that he scented the girl. He recognized her friendly aroma anywhere and it helped lift his spirits some. He still felt awkward thinking about her, thinking about how he'd helped warm her up by laying next to her by the waterside, but at the same time it also brought a warm feeling. This was definitely someone he wanted to see - he didn't fear looking at her. She hadn't been in the pack when the event had transpired and he wouldn't have to feel the pain of feeling like he was a failure in front of her. When he reached the border though he certainly recognized Selene's thin and tiny form, and yet it wasn't anything like he'd pictured. She was thinner, far thinner than normal, from malnourished and she was collapsed at the border. Asleep or unconscious? He couldn't tell. Either way, he rushed towards her and paused by her head. Worried blue eyes scanned her for injuries before he prodded her face lightly with his nose. "Selene? Hey, Selene, wake up." he called to her anxiously. Walk, "Talk" Think

There's a cold fog. It's surrounded her, taken her away. She's so hard to reach in this state, even when she's not crumpled on your doorstep. It's surrounded her for days. It's chilly and unattainable, a feeling that only comes when there's nothing left to feel. A feeling that comes when she's entire devoid of everything, and there's nothing left to reach out for. Selene doesn't know what she's doing, but it doesn't matter. Sleep is fitful, uncomfortable, and inside her far too soon. Everything is disorienting. It's like the worst case of the spins, and then some. Detached.

From somewhere deep inside she can hear that voice... oh. The voice that was in her dreams usually. It's far away, so far... Selene can't quite grasp it. Cannot hold on, as she drifts and floats. It's something that she doesn't dare reach out for. No, that would be dangerous. So many times she's woken up in a cold sweat and he hasn't been there at all. Just a figment of her imagination, created by dreams and far away places. How strange it would be, after all, if he were to appear. Selene knows better than to fight the surging chill in her system. She would not do it.

But the recollection comes to her from somewhere not so far away. She'd come looking for it. The scorn of the moon had been looking for the man that happened to be the source of that voice... she knew it. It had to be. It takes most of her strength to fight away the fog, and there's a ragged gasp in her lungs as the starlit begins to wake. Like breaking through a sheet of ice, shivering... cold. Everything was cold, like she'd never be warm again. What was happening?

"What... where... why..." the words are disorienting, and she's confused. Everything is spinning, but she can see Lionel. Though her body shakes, though she shivers, Selene has come around to the best possible situation. Her vision is out of focus. Everything is unsteady, but she's alive. That's the first step.


"Speech."

~Selene

Lionel waited, rather impatiently, for her to wake. Light blue eyes studied her, still anxious, as he waited for her to wake up. She hadn't answered him and yet he could still see the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed so it wasn't as though she was dead. It was a relief to see that she hadn't died, but a part of him worried that she was close to it. Should he call for someone? The last thing he needed was for his friend to keel over on his doorstep. He pushed it off though as he waited to see if she'd wake up on her own first. Every cell in his body was waiting for her to open her eyes. And then finally she startled awake. Her shivering was the most concerning thing and she was clearly groggy, but she was awake! He moved then, bringing himself parallel to her as he lowered himself to rest against her to keep her warm. He wasn't quite sure how she could be cold in the heat of summer, but in the mean time warming her up was the first course of action - it was the only thing that mattered. Naturally he wanted to know what had happened to her, where she'd disappeared to, and what she'd been up to, but he waited. She was painfully thin, needed a good meal, and a warm place to sleep first. "It's me, Lionel." He started off softly. "You're at Fiori's borders." Walk, "Talk" Think