Tired paws carried her just long enough to make it to the cool water within the oasis before she settled down at its edge with a heavy sigh. She found herself feeling guilty for how she had reacted to her grief and now wandering away from the pack’s lands was her version of dealing with that guilt. This was one of her “good” days as far as her health went, but her mental state still felt more fragile than a thin sheet of ice. It felt like she had cried all of the tears that she could possibly cry and that had left her in a hollow, empty shell of herself. She hoped that maybe a change of pace would help even though she felt like she was beyond help at this point. She gazed out at the open desert in the distance wistfully. Her mind wandered to times that felt like they were so long ago, when she was young and able to run across those deserts though the night just for the fun of training her body. Back then she had been in her prime and ready to take on the world... now she could only think back roundly to those days while she laid here feeling thin, frail, and fragile. Her ribs had become visible over the last few weeks and she didn’t have the strength in her to take the steps to change that. Part of her just wanted this all to end so she could go to be with Nolan, but another part of her thought longingly of Acere... Two men in her life pulling her in two very different directions. "Talk" Think

He was no longer the alpha. At least for now. He'd passed the responsibility over to Winter, though so far...he guessed that she was doing alright with the position. She hadn't yet come to him for help, so he only assumed she was excelling. Now that he didn't have that particular worry on his mind, the old king took to traveling beyond Winterfell for a time. His companions were both with him as usual, though they ventured further ahead or wherever their curiosities took them. Today, he made it to an old haunt. It was late by the time he arrived, and while it had been some time since he visited Baine, he figured a trip through the land he first met her before reaching Valhalla was in order. Little did he know the pale woman was also here...When he reached the top of a dune that overlooked the oasis, he took in a deep breath of warm, desert air. The water of the oasis shone brightly under the light of the moon, and as his gaze swept across the scenery, he noticed he wasn't alone. The moon's light seemed to highlight someone else visiting the area, and he quickly realized who it was. He could never mistake her familiar form for anyone else. He made his way down the sand dune towards her with a smile on his face and his tail wagging. Though...as he approached...the smile faded and his tail dropped. Now that he was getting closer, he could see how frail she appeared to be and how sickly she was looking. His brows knit together in concern, his approach slow. "Baine...?" Asking if she was okay was a redundant question. She obviously wasn't, and his concern for her grew tremendously.

Báine let her head rest on her paws as time ticked by and the late afternoon sunk into night. She knew that she should be getting back to the pack before anyone began to worry - if in fact anyone did - but she just couldn't get herself to stand. Laying here letting her mind wander through the past and thinking back on fond memories was the only comfort she could find right now so that's what she let herself do. She thought about the first time she crossed paths with Acere, she thought about the pleasant days she spent with him when she left her family to be with him before things began to turn toward the worst. She thought about finding a new life with Thorben and enjoying the love he gave her. She thought about all the endless love and joy that Nolan had given her... a love and a joy that were now gone. She was staring off into the distance when Acere appeared and it wasn't until he was trotting over to where she was laying that she noticed his presence. She lifted her head to look at him, seeing the smile and the wag of his tail that seemed to fade as he got closer and got a good look at her current state. The worry in his voice made her ears fold back against her head and she looked down toward her paws with embarrassment. The truth was that her health had actually seemed to stabilize at the very least over the last couple of months, but this heavy, crushing grief made it seem like this wasn't the case. She didn't want him to see her this way, she didn't want him to worry, but... it was too late for that now. "Acere... I..." she started, unsure of what to say. She pulled herself up onto her haunches with a bit of effort, still not quite able to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry, I... It's just been hard since..." Had Casso told him the news? She had no way of knowing. She swallowed around the hard lump that had formed in her throat and she closed her eyes as she tried to fight off the tears that threatened to come to the surface. She was so tired of crying, but there didn't seem to be any end in sight. "Nolan... He..." A slight tremble in her shoulders gave away the sob that she was trying so hard to hide, but it seemed to be determined to work its way to the surface. "Talk" Think