Living hell

Jay couldn't breathe.

Since her father's death, everything was a blur. It was her fault, she knew that deep in her bones- she was stupid to leave home in the first place. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have come looking for her. If she hadn't, he wouldn't be dead.

She'd only sequestered herself briefly in Avalon's lands. All she wanted was to curl up with one of her siblings, but she realized all at once that Finch was still nowhere to be found. That realization, on top of everything else, was too much to handle. Bordering on catatonic, Jay begrudgingly pulled herself out of her den and started walking.

Even the relatively warm autumn weather did nothing to lighten her mood. Her paws carried her slowly away from home, to the rolling hills beyond. A place she'd once loved, now made her feel... nothing.

It was hard to shake the numbness, but once she finally did she found herself overwhelmed with panic. Slowing as she neared the crest of one of the many hills, she realized her breath was coming in shallow, fast succession. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't seem to slow the panic that suddenly overtook her. Her eyes were brimming with tears and she felt her chest constricting painfully as she tried to get her breathing under control, to no avail.