Twenty Questions

The days since the death of her brother had not been kind to the Abraxas woman. Sorrow had stolen her appetite. She didn't eat. She barely slept. There was no drive in her and what life she retained was lackluster and base. The already thin woman looked more like a sight hound than a wolf with her extremely tapered waist and show of ribs. The loss of weight had begun months ago but recent events had really hammered it home. Fel knew that she wasn't looking her best but she doubted anyone would tell her so.

Sibyl made sure that she ate even if it was only a little bite here and there. Azriel attempted to challenge her mentally but the woman just didn't want any part of it. She didn't want to think. She just wanted her mind to eat itself; consume the bad parts so she could think about being happy once more. Fel knew that her current state was frustrating them but where else was she going to go? Back to Aerie? Oona was keeping her up to date on the situation there. Of course there really wasn't much to report. Not much went on in Aerie. The pups were growing. Her brother's were the same. No reason to go back to see the two wolves that looked similar to her deceased brother. Not yet. She wasn't ready.

Her apathetic ways were apparently getting to Azriel. He had insisted that she follow him away from the little cave that the three of them had been sharing. She didn't really want to, but they'd been dealing with her indifference enough lately. In the end, she agreed. The striped brute led her to the Obsidian beach. The wonders of the black sand were lost on her. She'd seen them before. Happier times then. Why, she'd fucked a virgin alpha, tasted a woman and instigated a lesbian relationship between two scared parties right around that curve in the rocks there. The antics of a carefree, confident woman. That's who she was supposed to be. Not this... whatever she was now. A wraith. A bag of bones.

Lost in memories, it took Fel a moment to realize Azriel was speaking to her. Once she noticed, jet ears swiveled in his direction. Ruby eyes and a twist of the head followed. She listened as he spoke and could feel the enthusiasm in his words. He was riding an entirely different energy than she was. His words and his challenge would have been eagerly met before her breakdown, but now? Her thoughts were so muddied that her intellect was buried. She couldn't even think if anything to ask him. What could she say? Who are you? Where do you come from? What do you want from me? She was such a disappointment.

Maybe Azriel was right. Maybe she did need to fight it out. That didn't mean that she wanted to or even that she could. If anything she could humor him. Let him win. It wasn't like he could ask anything that would bring her any lower than she was now. Shifting her garnet gaze out to sea, the silver streaked fae shrugged in a noncommittal way. "Whatever you want, " was her reply. Part of her wanted to lose. What would it feel like to give up her secrets? As long as they were personal secrets and not pack secrets... if he won, she would tell him anything. And if she won? Maybe she'd just tell him to leave her alone.