Am I Still Pretty?

Things had gotten strange. Everything had changed in the blink of an eye. Suddenly the spirits were all around them and then, without warning, the spirits were inside of them. Each wolf was affected in different ways. Some had become fearful. Others despondent. Others angry and vengeful. After almost being attacked by one of Ashen's wolves, Ikigai found herself outside of her family's territory and in the woods between Ashen and the Armada. The girl curled up beneathe one of the willows, tucking her limbs beneath her and wrapping her long, obsidian tail around her body.

Iki looked towards the ground and noticed the red and pink droplets pooling there. She'd tried to wipe them from her face earlier, but they just kept coming. After a while, the girl had given up. Settled beside the very stream where she'd spent her time with Kotori, the Ashen princess looked down at her own reflection. Magenta crystals protruded from her skull in a crownlike pattern. Rivulets of crimson and rose slid from around those crystals and from her eyes as well. It was shocking to see, but she'd become accustomed to it. The spirits had chosen her, after all. She had seen the other wolves and they were far worse off than she was.

With an exhausted sigh, the pallid princess curled up, placing her chin on one bent foreleg. Her head throbbed in pain and even the sounds of the rustling leaves was too much to bear. Iki closed her eyes and began to cry. Soft, breathy sobs pulled from the girl. Too much more and she might very well be sick from the pain.

"Speech"