The sudden run from Frith had gone unnoticed in the young woman's mind as the nightmares slowly started to return. Every nigh she woke up sweating, panting and trying to remember why she was still alive as she fought the innermost demon that she had ever seen. She stayed back in her little tree hole most of the time, leaving solely to eat or use the bathroom with the exception of the Threar meeting. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to recover from what had happened to her but she knew that she had to try. Her eyes showed her nerves as she wore her heart out on her sleeve. Annora, my sweetest child, I am so sorry. Her mind was filled with guilt. She could have done more and she should have done more. Now, her child was gone and it was all her fault.
She had tried to start anew and perhaps that was why she had agreed to Novella's offer in the first place. Perhaps she had thought that she could avoid these inner demons by running away. Perhaps that was why she stuttered, because she had nothing left to stay strong for. She was not entirely sure what was going on with herself. She knew that she always blamed her family for the stutter and the shyness but truth was, her daughter's death and her love's death was what had pushed her into being such a timid creature. Sometimes she caught herself telling herself that they both would have wanted her to remain strong but she always lacked the confidence. That had to change.
During this analysis of herself she had unintentionally stood up and started to move around. She had left her little safe haven and started wandering as she debated these topics with herself. Her smooth tawny pelt was covered with leaves and dirt which made her appear disheveled in her own manner. Her eyes clearly pictured the war within her inner mind and she did not notice Frith walking around until she nearly bumped into him. When this happened, her eyes widened and she backed up a substantial amount. "I am so sorry." The words were clear and unstuttered out of her maw as she looked at the Author.
