Overture Downs the sun will come out tomorrow..

first of all, i'd like to apologize to everyone at LCH for reeking more havoc. secondly, i'd like to tag @Shardul

Stop it. 

Stop fighting it just go.

The troubles of the small woman dragged her once again to the borders of her beloved home, one that had become hell. Her body bore the scars of her past and her mind had relived those scars in the present, tearing them open and leaking paranoia into her sane thoughts. She had grown afraid of the alpha that she loved and respected so much. He had a mate and pups and she now acted like loyalty meant nothing to him. Like he would target her. 

It sounds silly to think sure, but Luke had forced her to the snow and held her. He had almost taken something from her and she would have never forgiven him. She still wouldn't forgive him for it. This was not the way of a civilized pack; it was rarely even the way of the wild wolves (to her, anyway). 

Regardless, she still knew that she needed to stay. Mordecai was simply to be watched. Lagon would be watched. Even the fluffy goober of a half-breed that she met on the border would need to be watched. She made a commitment to the pack that she needed to fulfill. She needed to pull her weight. She owed them a lot, regardless of the stress that they had caused her- it was not entirely their fault. 

But the part that wasn't their fault, belonged to the unclaimed territory that lied beyond their borders. The wild world had claimed the mental stability of more than one wolf in the Hollow, and Ilya knew this. But she needed herbs. She'd promised Harlyn to help her with her stash, and in return Harlyn offered to teach her of the plants. She needed to help the pack, she needed to grow a pair and do what she needs to do for the pack.

So she did.

She forced herself past the brick wall of the pee-marked border and trudged on, heading out of the territory towards the overtured downs. She was on the look out for anything, really, to fill the cache. When she arrived, she found only dandelions, weedy and sheltered by a thick bushel of brambles. She stuck her nose underneath, using her muzzle to dig the roots from the ground. She was focused and forgetful of the world around her. It was peaceful and she was at ease, doing something she loved. 

Her sanity was, perhaps, all too soon.