She had thinned, her bodice revealing just the barest hint of her rib cage. Shockingly gold oculars had dulled if only slightly, her coat had lost a touch of its shimmer and even her movements had forgone a bit of that grace and fluidity, replacing them almost sluggishly, slowing down. The multi-hued hued fae dipped her cranium, tongue lapping at the cool waters, she could not quench her thirst and she didn't have the stomach to eat nor the energy to hunt even if she wished it. This was the very same spot that she had found Gerhardt up to his neck in the frigid cold of winter and ever since their conversation she had been... ill. She knew of no other way to describe her state of disorganization.

She was a meticulous creature, every scenario, every ploy was calculated, figured and well thought out before she so much as batted an eyelash. She knew when she awoke in the mornings what her goals were for the day, granted she always left room for those wretched what if moments, but she had always been a creature with a plan, an idea. She didn't act impulsively or without question, never had, never would.

She wasn't sure why she had shared such a secretive part of herself with Gerhardt, she had never been much for speech but when he was around... she felt relaxed, comfortable, like he would never forsake her no matter what fell from her lips, it was strange to trust someone so greatly in such a short period of time, especially for her, she wasn't sure what to make of it... even if her words had inadvertently helped him sort out his own decisions regarding his ex-wife, they also had forced her to face the truth. She abandoned Glinda, she left her alone, she had forsaken the only creature who had ever cared for her, and that guilt coupled with the doubt and confusion she felt towards Gerhardt was slowly wearing her down.

She had eaten... two? Three days ago? She couldn't recall, she was still performing her duties, she spoke with the pack when necessary but she was becoming withdrawn on her days off, like this one. She lifted her head from the stream, her stomach churning the water and making her suddenly queasy, she turned and stumbled, nearly falling as her claws flexed into the dirt catching herself. A curse in the form of a snarl escaped her, it was soft, barely there, she was exhausted, she just wanted to make it back to her den. With determined eyes, she slowly stalked back to the underground cavern she called home.



Speech!

Walk | Talk | Think The past hour or so had been spent wastefully, the she-wolf claiming a spot along the lake shore where she had rested upon her stomach near the water's edge, peering beneath its rippling surface in search of some small morsel that she might be capable of catching. As had been proven once already during a trip to the tide pools, the fish were not inclined to travel to the surface of their homes, preferring the deeper waters toward the center of the lake where they would be more than safe. With the chill in the air, and snow practically everywhere else, she was not at all interested in leaping into the frigid waters knowing that she would likely turn into an icicle the second she stepped out. No point in risking her health for a different type of meal. The quiet woods and peaceful monotony of the lake were soothing and after a time had lulled her into a half doze, ears lazily flickering about atop her head while her golden eyes had shut themselves with content. It was a short while before she stirred, and in those first waking moments she realized how poorly she was spending her time. Dozing by the lake. How silly! She could rest later, after she had done something productive. Yawning widely, Tahlia stretched a little where she lay before bringing herself to her paws, stretching fully and easing sleep from her muscles. With a little shake, she turned away from the lake and the little meals that were hidden within to wander off into the woods, away from her den so that she might not be tempted to return there and nap. She needed to do at least a little something before she could allow that. But she hadn't even gotten that far before she found one of the streams that fed off of the lake in the Seracian territory, along with another wolf who was slipping away into the woods away from it. The russet and black she-wolf's golden eyes fixed on the stranger, ears listening, as she observed for a moment who the other was. She could faintly recollect seeing her before, though no name immediately came to mind. That was not a surprise as her few acquaintances within the pack were very limited. But if anyone had made themselves a home inside the Seracia, her past experiences assured her that they were good company. In an attempt to be friendly, she changed direction, setting a course for herself that would intersect that of the other wolf, and as the dark colored she-wolf came into sight, Tahlia smiled friendly and gave her tail a faint wag of greeting. "Good day," she greeted, her tone almost chipper with her own pleasant mood, "Quite enjoyable weather for the season, is it not?" A silly question, in all honesty, but one that she had grown used to asking merely to make conversation. Her honeyed eyes surveyed the wolf before her, noting the slenderness to her frame, the seeming lethargy about her overall movements. A bad day, perhaps? Or a few bad days? She tried not to jump to conclusions, hating the feeling of incorrectly assuming things, and so she kept her thoughts to herself, continuing instead to smile politely and anticipate answering small talk from the other she-wolf. Sincerest Regards, Tahlia Carlier

(((OOC: Im so sorry about the wait! I promise the next post wont be near this long! I broke my wrist and my computer crashed, Ive only been back for four days ;_;))) The dame was a whirlpool of anxious anxieties. Feelings had never been her strong point, she didn't accept them well, simply because the only things she had ever felt were determination, loneliness, bitterness, and the tiniest amount of affection for Glinda... but here, trapped within these lonely plains everyone she had met had been so damn friendly, so welcoming, she had relationships here, friends and she had no idea how to react, what to do with these kind of feelings, she was at a loss and it made her stomach churn. Golden oculars flickered, odd coat of bizarre colors gleamed in the sunlight, the fading chill of winter was making her more irritable, she had never done well in the cold, at least without injuries she felt a tinge warmer. She frowned a bit as she thought of warmth, no matter how utterly dismal Gerhardt had felt, he never should have been swimming in this weather, he could have caught pneumonia, hypothermia...what if she had not stumbled upon him, forced him somewhere dry and made him warm up? Was it possible he may have died? Face down and alone, sinking to the bottom of that abysmal river? Something in her burned at the idea. Uncomfortable, uneasy... could the butterflies please vacate her abdomen? Something moved, something stirred and Elphaba's ears flickered, pinning back against her cranium. The dame froze, paws freezing in their place upon the snow, her skull lowered, level with the rest of her body, her tail rose, already acting as a counterweight should whatever was approach her decide to attack, ears stayed high and alert, but her eyes narrowed, she was ready, she almost hoped something would attack her, to ward off these damnable emotions if nothing else. But alas... The woman that broke through the trees she had seen before, at pack meetings and other pack functions. Relaxing her stance, her skull rose and her tail fell limp between her hind legs, neither excited nor brushing off the encounter. Just because she was upset did not mean anyone else should suffer her mood. The woman spoke and Elphaba's audits twitched, catching the sounds as they fell. She cleared her throat and readied herself to speak. ?Winter has never been my cup of tea, I rather loathe the rain, but since the sky is absent of clouds I suppose yes, tis a rather fine day... my name is Elphaba, might I inquire yours?? Her words were low, a soothing baritone that rumbled from her chest. "Speech"