Everything had really changed.

Not just had the seasons switched on her, but she felt that she had changed as well. She wasn't sure if it was the cold or what -- but her mood had shifted to a darker place. No longer did she feel her endless pool of happiness, but she felt drained and sluggish. Amalia was confused at what had brought this on, or if it was a number of things piling up around her. She had felt the shift since the boy's father had made himself known again, making her feel like she mattered less. Nothing had changed with the boys, they still loved her the same. But... there had been a change. She couldn't ignore it any longer.

She found that her paws were leading her towards her mothers den. Pip had years of knowledge, and she trusted her on matters of... well everything. She didn't want to burden Athena with all of this, it could just be the winter blues after all. Pausing, she shook her paws to rid the clutching snow from them. Barking out for her mother, her blue eyes constantly looking around for her pale thing. Her heart and mind grew heavy as she waited, she just wanted to collapse against her.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Though Fiori had grown far more quiet than usual, it wasn't something that concerned her too badly. The wolves here were self-sufficient, certainly capable of caring for themselves though she wanted more of a communal attitude to form here. While she had noticed a subtle shift in Amalia's behavior, she'd hadn't assumed much about it. Not until now, when she heard her daughter's soft bark outside of her den. Slowly rousing from sleep, she would roll onto her stomach and stretch her paws in front of her as she fought sleep from her eyes. A soft yawn escaped her lips, both from fatigue and to alert Amalia that she was, in fact, inside her den.

Slowly she would rise to all fours, slipping from the relative warmth of her den into the open air. She would shudder openly as she felt the cold air rush in on her, though she quickly leaned to nuzzle Amalia without hesitation.

"You look sad," she noted right away, brows furrowing as she pulled away to examine Amalia more carefully. Her voice was laced with worry that she didn't bother to hide. "What's wrong?"

It wasn't too long before her mother gave her a bark, letting her know that she was inside her den like she had imagined. Amalia waited, not wishing to intrude on her privacy. But the need to rush forth and curl against her mother like a whelp was overwhelming indeed. When the woman came out and nuzzled into her, she let out a breathless whine and pushed herself forward, almost clinging to her mother in a desperate way. She told her that she looked sad, and slowly her head nodded. She almost jumped towards her again when Pip pulled back to eye her, but she hesitated as a question was directed at her. "I don't know..." she said softly, ears folding back against her skull. This looming sadness could not be placed, and it was starting to drive her mad. Hopefully Epiphron had the answers, she always did in one way or another. "I have been feeling so distant from everyone. I keep trying to say that it is because of my studies, but I know its not Mother... I have driven a wedge between myself and those I care about most. And the most frustrating part about it is that I just don't know WHY." Her voice was soft, confused and lost as she let her inner thoughts be known to her dearest mother. "What is wrong with me? I have all I could ask for, and yet..." Amalia trailed off, dark blue eyes investigating her mothers pale face. She needed help. She didn't know who else to go to right now. She knew that Pip was there for her no matter what, and this was a moment that she needed her most.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Seeing her normally upbeat daughter so distraught was difficult. On the surface, there was nothing apparently wrong, but she knew that appearances could be so very deceiving. She felt her chest tighten as Amalia began to speak. Her daughter was unsure, but knew something was wrong. A soft sigh left her lips. How familiar this was to her...

"Come," she'd urge her gently as she pulled away from her to slip into her den. If Amalia wanted to break down and cry, to rant and rave as much as she wanted, she knew she didn't need to do it where she could be seen. It definitely wouldn't make things better. As they slid into the den, she would move to embrace her daughter again. "I think I know how you feel," she said softly, wanting her to know she was not alone -- even if the situation was not identical. "I went through the same sort of thing with your father. When we lost Seracia.. it wasn't taken from us, we had grown bored and restless. Sad, even." She'd spent most of that time focused on her children, rather than her pack, and Loccian had taken over for both she and Maverick. "We grew distant from one another, for no real reason. We thought we wanted adventure, a new start. We joined a pack named Ebony for awhile but we couldn't find our purpose there." She'd shrug gently. So long as she and Athena loved one another, though, they could find a way to make it work.. she hoped. "Your father was too weak to deal with his emotions and he left. But you?" Epiphron would embrace her more firmly, nuzzling into her daughter's neck. "You are strong, and I promise you that things will get better."