?Dammit!? came her thundering cry, though it was nothing like it would have been had she not lost most of her spirit. Instead it was weaker, frailer, more pained than angry, more hurt than anything. Tears welled in her eyes, but they were nothing compared to the ones of only a few weeks ago, when her biggest worry had been surviving the plague, when she had still been Queen and still had a love and a life worth living. Now, now the tears were pitiful and useless. She shook them from her emerald eyes and continued dragging her body through the briars. Any sane wolf would have avoided the area, it wasn't as if it were night. No, she was here in the dead of noon, dragging herself senselessly through the thorns, trying to feel something anything. The briars ripped at her seams, drawing blood in places, tearing out fur in others. She cried, but no more tears came. There were no more left to cry. Glaciem had forsaken her, all for lack of faith - lack of trust. She had given them her everything, and they hadn't even bothered to trail after her. A mindless brood her once-lover had sent his squire after. His own wife? There had been no search party. Argent.. he had searched the world over for - by himself! His Sendoa, his supposed love, he had probably wished good riddance. She breathed a quaking sigh as she exited the briar pit, falling into a heap on the opposite side from which she'd entered. The once-Queen didn't even care if someone found her in such a state, in fact - she almost preferred that they would. If they did, they might kill her and end her suffering now. For that, she would be grateful. Head rested upon her paws as she lay waiting for someone to stumble upon her. ?speech,?

Maija Artenie was beginning to feel like her life was coming together again. Slowly, but surely, she was regaining her faith in what her future had in store for herself...and for her family. She had five babies, all of whom were growing healthily and figuring out where their places were in the world. On her right side, she had Sibelle, the sister she never had growing up. Her bonds with Arcanum were still fresh, but over time, she would learn to hold the duties with more honor than she had already. Taurig was absent from her life, and she knew that without him, this life would not have been possible. Yes, despite him being banished to the past like her first husband, she still carried a part of him with her in her heart. He deserved the credit for her children, Sibelle, and the fact that she would not be alone anymore. The fire was starting to reappear in her eyes as she walked around the briar patch. Its length was long and scary, but the thorns that lay within were what she knew better to avoid. If she had been younger, she would have contemplated walking through them. Now that she was three years old, she knew better than to do something like that. Ohhh, if only she had known Pandora had mastered the feat unscathed...she would have been so proud (and dumbfounded by her daughter's risky behavior). As the golden vixen continued to walk along the length of the patch, she was on the alert (as always). Stern look was on her face, making her beautiful features that more evident. The sun shined on her and the wintery landscape, warming up the ground beneath her slightly more than usual. She silently scouted the land, wondering if anything would stand out and catch her gaze. Frankly, those thoughts were broken by a horrible cry and hacking sobs. Maija froze in mid-step and remained in the shady parts of the briar's height. Green eyes searched frantically and came upon a heaping pile of fur at the end of the briar patch. Slowly, Maija approached, hackles raised and fur bristling from her reaction. Once Maija was close enough to catch the scent of the moving pile of bleeding, crying fur, she realized who it was. Long ago, before she had officially claimed Taurig's heart, she had spoken with a female whose heart had been torn between Isardis and his son... "Sendoa..." Her voice was soft, barely a whisper upon the wind and not worthy enough to be carried from her lips. What had happened to such a strong, sturdy woman of Glaciem? She was an Armada, for Heaven's sake! What happened to the honor, the worth of her name and body? To see the former Queen stretched out in pain and writhing from it...was a new thing. First Maija was named Secondary to Arcanum and now...Sendoa in despair? What the HELL was going on?! Words were not wasted as Maija stepped closer to the female. Her face remained stony, eyes glassy, as she got closer to the former Queen. Slowly, her eyes looked over Sendoa's frame, spotting where the thorns had caught her fur and left markings in her once pristine pelt. Ever since Maija had her children, she claimed she was becoming soft. The next couple of actions she took were obvious signs of her claim. Her pink tongue stretched out, gracing the wounds Sendoa had made, and began to clean them. She didn't want her aunt-in-law to get infections and die from simply ignoring them. If Sendoa fought against her actions, Maija would automatically snarl and hoarsely command, "Hush and let me work." After Maija had gone over every inch of Sendoa with a fine toothed comb, she pulled back and looked at her meager handiwork. The only way she would make sure that everything was all right was to get her to a healer. Sendoa wasn't worse for wear, so Maija figured she would do fine without one for the time being. Physically, she looked all right, but mentally...Maija knew she was a mess. Eyebrows furrowed over glassy eyes as Maija gently reclined to her haunches in front of the female. "What has become of you, Sendoa Armada?" she softly asked, Romanian accent evident in her tones. speech here