The haze was... fading. Slowly but still it was trickling from her mind like poison running from her ears and eyes and nose. Equal parts crushing woe and fear, constricting her every breath for so long, and it was finally seeming to fade. Oh, but she had to be careful. She had been fooled like this before. An uneasy laugh, breathy in it's desperation, rasped through her lips. This false moments of clarity were like a mirage in the desert of her desperation. Where was she? Who was she? The woman could not remember what was real and what was a cruel and terrible lie. She would have dreams, or maybe nightmares, sometimes. Coats streaked with blood, the smell of ash and death in her nose, golden fur that made her feel warm all over. Small bundles of flesh, the scent of her mother, and the ever-looming overwhelming feeling of failure. But what had she failed at? A tremor ran through her from tip to tail, jolting her as it always did whenever she tried to remember. Every time, she thought as though wailing. How could these demons that plagued her be so damnably cruel? She knew there was something, something that she needed to understand! But her mind felt splintered and sharp, and would lash out at her every time she tried to delve within them, to recollect what she had lost. It was worse when the little creature was there. It only appeared sometimes, but with it's arrival came memories and that familiar turmoil. Raisa hated the creature, but did not fully understand why. Where had he come from? Why, oh why could he not just leave her be! In her clearer moments she might recognize it as a fox, but more often than not it was just another one of her demons. It spoke, but she would not listen, or did not understand. He would always be there whenever she was hurt, or when she wept. She thought sometimes that it meant he was the reason she woke up sobbing, or when the tremors drove her to fits that would last throughout the night and leave her weak and exhausted. She lay where she had fallen last night, in a shallow dip in the earth. The chill of winter still gripped this land at night and it was no proper shelter but she hardly noticed. If her fur was dirty and matted, if her bones stuck out at hard angles under her skin, she did not notice that either. The woman was weak and cold and forlorn, and at that moment she could not find it in herself to rise and begin the day anew. "Talk" "You" Think

He had promised his brothers that he would not be gone for too long but he did need to get out of the territory. He had never really expected to travel so far north but it had happened nonetheless. He would not be disappointed as he continued to kick himself off of standing trees while diving under fallen ones. It was one of those things that he just tended to do while adventuring. It was pawkour which he did a lot. He would freeze dead in his tracks at the site of her. It was, unmistakably, Raisa Xanilov. The one who left. She looked so helpless and weak. His heart ran out to her as he slowly approached. He had not known that such an ill looking fate had fallen upon the wetnurse and former queen before, but he did now. He could feel his heart ache slightly as he leaned his head down, tilting it slightly to the side while sending out a gentle coo. "Raisa..." He made a decision with those words that he was going to try his best to help her out, no matter what it took. The lower edges of the grey rings surrounding his blue orbs were soaked with the small tears he had let go. It hurt to see her in such form when she had once stood tall to rule over an entire kingdom and hell had burned itself within the lands since her departure. "Raisa... it's me Darrah." He had no idea if she would even remember him or recognize him. He had been so small and weak but no more.

The voice was jarring. It had come upon her so suddenly, without warning. Or had their been warning? What did she know anymore, nothing was as it seemed. All the same the woman surged weakly to her feet, stumbling a pace sideways before whirling on the young form with a snarl. Other wolves were bad, were evil, they would steal her food and chase her off their lands. She was diseased, they claimed in her clearer moments, and in her less lucid existence they were simply the enemy. But who was this? That sharp pain lanced through her minds once again when her gaze swept over this younger form. She knew him perhaps- Her thoughts cut off with a hiss, and she winced. It was too much. She snarled again and took a step back as if to flee, but stumbled over the rim of the small depression she'd made her bed in. The woman was unable to rise once more. It was then that Koros slunk forward, from where he had lain unnoticed several yards away. His summer coat was upon him, more grey than white, and he blended well. It had been a good defense against his Queen, who had taken to lashing out at him whenever he was seen. There were times of course that he could not help but approach. The nights that she would wail and toss were the worst, and when the seizures would take her Koros did not know what to do. He had tried to seek out healers and bring them to her, but they would not trust the word of a fox. So he had lingered by her side, uncertain and heartbroken to see the great woman fallen so low. This young one he recognized. It was lucky for him, perhaps, that Raisa was so weak. Koros had seen her bloody and maim enough rogues in the savage absence of her better sense, but she was much weaker now. It will not be long before... before... He could not think of it. He would not. Because if Raisa was gone, what was his purpose? Koros skirted the fallen Queen and approached Darrah from the side. "Forgive her," Koros said in a weak, raspy voice. Forgive her for what, though? "Please, gods, forgive her," he begged. She had sinned so grieviously against the ones who had grown to love her, Koros knew that. It would be more fair if they wished to tear her to pieces. What Queen would build and empire, just to step back and watch it collapse around the ones she'd left behind? But hell had caught up to her at last, and surely Darrah must see that. "Talk" "You" Think

The man had never met Raisa of course, but Hajime had spoken about her. And the pups definitely held her in high regards when she had been around. The only memory Quelt had of her was a description by word of mouth, but when he spotted Darrah with her, he knew. He knew when his memory jolted and Darrah said the words. But something was wrong, something was really odd about her. Like she was nothing like she had been before. And alarm sparked in him, what kind of emotional damage would these children have to go through now. The injured man would painfully walk in front of Darrah. Careful to not open his chest would as his bi-colored orbs looked at the woman, bewildered if anything his eyes went towards to the little companion who spoke. "The gods will never hold this female in regards to a sin, she has done nothing but good. Her mind....is simply fragile." He said calmly looking at her. His black tail flicked a little as he looked at Darrah and nearly bit into his tongue before looking at Raisa. "What demons have been eating at your heart, tell me....let me help the gods heal you." he spoke softly. Hoping there would be some sort of chance. But, he knew that the walkers had a hard life. Speech,

Darrah Walker

sail away, sail away to the water

He looked shocked and broken as the fox that Raisa always traveled with started to explain the situation. His heart broke in two as he started to speak. "I can get her help Koros. I can... I will." That was the promise that he would always keep. He'd help those who needed it and Raisa needed is so desperately. He had missed his wetnurse because he had not moved around much so she was one of the only faces from Ebony he knew. He wasn't as active as he was now, not even close. He turned to see Quelt there. Had Quelt followed him? "Quelt, we have to help her. She needs a healer." He pleaded with the man who had been taking care of him as his eyes fell on her. She'd been put through hell.

Koros did not know where these strange wolves have come from, and he did not deign to ask. Their words gave him comfort, but... It was not enough. It would never be enough until he saw his Queen standing proud and healthy before her followers, as Koros knew it was always meant to be. He had to believe that. He clung to Raisa's birthright and her ability to rule like a life boat. She was the only heir, gods only knew what had become of her children. He had wondered if a more prudent creature would have abandoned her and taken up service with Valeriya, or with Sindri, or Svetlana. Surely they would be in need of guidance where as Raisa reacted to him only in the worst possible ways. Was it folly to remain? He shook his head, willing the thoughts to dislodge. "I have led several healers to her before," he said quietly, thinking of the rogues who had stumbled upon her, those who had claimed an ability to help. "She does not seem... present. Or at least not present enough to receive their ministrations. She will ingest no herbs, she will not speak, nor heed their instructions." To see her so feral, even now as she sat motionless in fear as a rabbit might freeze under a wolverine gaze, wounded him somewhere deep inside. "If you believe you can aid her I beg your help, but only with fair warning. She is prone to violence in her current... state," he finished quietly, haltingly. It hurt him to admit such things out loud. "Talk" "You" Think

Quelt would listen to the woman's companion and think for a moment. Darrah desperately was begging for him to help her. He wasn't even sure if he could, no matter how much he wanted to. His two different colored orbs looked at her, then back at the animal. "If her family still remains loyal to her, I suggest you take her around to see them. No matter how she is, maybe if she see's their faces things will get better." he stated. Looking at Darrah, while indeed Raisa had been their foster mother. Raisa would need her real children now more than ever. He looked at the companion again and sighed, "I wish I could help, but all I can offer is Itsume's blessing to her. If you feel she is well enough, at any time she is free to visit my pack lands and rest." Quelt would explained. As he lowered his head a little towards Raisa. Watching her carefully. Hoping he wasn't disturbing her, to trigger a possible attack would probably make Darrah worse. Speech,