for maverick, after the earthquake <3

It was a surprise to all of Alacritia when the world began to sway and tremble. It began no different than any summer storm, though quickly grew quite fierce. The skies grew dark, and a loud crack overhead was followed by gentle tremors of the earth's surface. It seemed to be nothing more than a storm -- at first. But no rain came. Epiphron had sought refuge under some underbrush near the lake, but as the earth's rumbling grew steadily more threatening, she retreated to her den. Maverick was not here, and she wondered where he might be.

Rarely was she frightened, but this weather seemed truly dangerous. The woman watched warily from the den's entrance as the trees began to sway and falter, limbs snapping easily as the roar grew louder. This was no ordinary storm. A whine slipped from her throat, ears flattening against her skull. A frantic howl would leave her lips, a call for her husband, wherever he might be. There was no answer to her call, and all she could hear in response was the loud rumbling that seemed to emanate from the earth itself.

She would not wait for him here. If he was in danger, she could never forgive herself for staying here. Quickly she would leave the den, eyes growing wide as she saw tall trees spitting, debris flying up from all around her. Confusion gripped her as her pace grew frantic, searching for Maverick and praying silently for his safety. What happened next, she was not sure -- a sharp pain split through her cranium, her vision grew blurry and she found her limbs faltering beneath her. Slowly she lost consciousness, falling into the rubble than began to build around her, her mind clouded in darkness..

By some miracle he had managed to stagger back toward the lake. A few aftershocks had sent him reeling, falling to the earth in a russet heap. It hadn't been easy making his way back on only three legs, the fourth (his back right) suspended in mid air. He had been gone for nearly an hour, maybe even more. His sense of time had been dulled in the eerie underground room lit only by mushrooms. He breathed a slow, even sigh as he spotted her crumpled body on the ground. She was near the lake, passed out - or worse. A whine slipped from between the narrow gap of his teeth as he neared her precariously, dipping his head low and wavering on his three good legs. "Epiphron," he murmured softly, not wanting to startle her. "Epiphron, wake up.." he breathed, pleading with her. He rocked back onto his haunches painfully, allowing his weight to shift comfortably - albeit awkwardly - onto his good hip. "You're alright." He assured himself more than his unconscious bride. "You have to be alright." Front paws splayed forth as he reached to lick her gently across the crown of her head, a crown that had once worn a crown. Oh, how long ago that seemed. "Speech."

When she awoke, her vision was blurry and her mind clouded with confusion. Slowly she regained consciousness, her head throbbing rather painfully, limbs weak and sore from trying to keep her upright. The last thing she remembered was the earth roaring, a terrible explosion cracking through the land, and something hitting her head. Gradually she was roused from the darkness of unconsciousness, a voice prodding her, asking if she was okay.
A whine escaped her lips, vision taking a long moment to adjust to the site of Maverick. Only, he was only vaguely familiar now -- like a memory of something she could not grasp. Epiphron shifted away from his touch, finding it strange and unfamiliar to her. It seemed her concussion had rendered her memory defective, at least for now. "What was that?" she asked slowly, her words slow and deliberate. Part of her felt as though she ought to know this man, and yet all her hazy stare offered was confusion and uncertainty.

To his disbelief she shifted away from him after awaking, her doe-eyes wide with confusion and paranoia. His own emerald pools widened, watering ever so slightly with pain. "I think it was an earthquake or something like that. Darling, are you okay? Did you hit your head?" She seemed disoriented, and so he truly believed she must have hit her head, or something hit her. He hoped she hadn't fallen through the earth like he had, for it had truly terrified him. He winced as he shifted his weight slightly, his good hip having lost decent circulation. The faintest of whines slipped past his lips unguarded as he glanced to and fro, wondering if he ought to call someone to check on he and Epiphron. It wouldn't do for the High Lord and Lady to be injured. But as he pondered these things his mind wandered to his children, to those still in Seracia and those who had taken their own paths. Were any of them injured in the quake? Could the odds be so much in their favor that none of their children were harmed? He hardly expected nature to be so fair. Surely one of them were injured - or worse. His eyes blinked twice as he tried to shake those thoughts from his mind. "Speech."

Her mind swayed and ebbed, like the waves of the ocean, crashing treacherously against the shore. A storm ranged in her head, and it was written so plainly upon her face that she was not herself in this moment. Confusion never left her features as she gazed at him, terrified and at a loss for words. Blue gaze was distant, so void of the normal warmth they held as she gazed upon his face. Gradually she shifted further from him, unsure as to why his presence felt comforting when her mind could not recognize him. "I don't know," she started, her voice quivering and weak.

Her limbs shook as she struggled to pull herself upright. Soreness radiated from all of her limbs. There was no blood, but she felt her head pounding painfully. "An earthquake," she repeated slowly after a moment. Her head felt heavy, and she let her muzzle dip towards the earth, though kept an eye on Maverick. "Where is my husband?" She knew she had one, knew she had kids and brothers and sisters -- but her brain did not register that she had any recollection of this russet male before her. "Please, help me find him." She could not bear the thought of him being hurt, or worse.