Lily had noticed the past few days a certain nagging fatigue, an ache in her bones. She passed it off as stress, or perhaps the beginnings of depression--she still had not recovered from Vilkas's departure, and she felt more removed than ever from the rest of the Sanctuary. More sleep and good food should do the trick, and so she gave it a try, sleeping even later through the morning than usual.

She had taken to spending her nights outside; the area around the boulder reeked of cat urine, and she couldn't take it anymore. Instead, she'd curled up near the edge of Paradise Garden, the gentle hum of evening insects lulling her into slumber. She dreamed fitfully under the stars, and woke the next morning feeling as if someone had dropped her from a cliff.

Her nose ran, her skin burned under her pelt, and each and every joint felt stiff as a log. Lily attempted to stretch and winced in pain, the smallest of motions sending shooting agony through her skull. Splitting headache aside, she was nauseous and dizzy; her vision swam. With a small whine, she placed her head on her paws and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the various sensations of yuck that had seized her body seemingly overnight.

All right, this wasn't depression. This was something else entirely, something more serious, and she lay in dread of what came next. Would this malady take her speech again?

The voice brought her eyelids open once more, and she peered with a watery gaze at Khali, who had approached and was staring down at her, clearly concerned. She attempted to give him a cheery, nonchalant laugh of dismissal and instead broke into coughs, shoulders heaving. Well, there went that plan. Lily shook her head, looking grim.

"I don't think so, no," she said, with a shrug. "I don't know why I'm feeling so absolutely dreadful. I need to ask Ali if he's got any herbs for this nonsense." The girl shot him a smile, albeit a faint one. He was looking better than he had the night they'd run into each other, when she was still speechless. "How are you, Khali?"

"Yes," she croaked, laughing softly at the irony of it before bursting into coughs once more. To have her voice back, only to lose it again. "Stop making me laugh, Khali. It hurts too much. Yes, I got my voice back about a moon ago. Isn't it wonderful?" A dreamy expression made its way over her face, before she became grave, focusing on the second part of their conversation.

"Really, it's fine," Lily insisted, shaking her head. She nodded at the ground. "Come and sit a while with me. Not too close, though--I don't know if I'm catching." God forbid she make the rest of the pack sick with whatever this nonsense was. She was tired of being alone; she could use a friend, especially when she felt so under the weather.

"Thanks for the pillow," Lily giggled, placing her cheek on his paws. She looked up at him with a toothy grin, fiery eyes flashing. "And for the company. Really, how are you? What have you been up to?" She hadn't seen him in so long, and so much had happened since their sleepless night. The new arrivals, the cats. . . There was so much to talk about--

And now she had a voice with which to do it!

He looked worried, but he ought not to be. It was just a little cough--nothing some herbs couldn't fix. At least, that was what her mother would have diagnosed her with. She was more worried about him catching it from her than anything else; he didn't need anything else on his plate.

She tilted her head in question, blinking softly. "Where does your sister live?" she inquired, ears angling forward. Lily didn't remember him mentioning a sister, though perhaps it had been lost in the deluge of words he'd given her that sleepless night. Her speechless moon had been so monotonous, so draining, that her mind was beginning to block it out altogether; most of it was nothing but a blur.

Lily chuckled at his joke, but just barely, a burst of air through her nostrils and a grin. She closed her eyes at his touch, enjoying the feel of it. It was soothing, sort of like the way--

Vilkas. The name came suddenly to mind, and her heart lodged in her throat--no swallow could push it down again. The corners of her lips twitched with barely checked emotion; she looked away from Khali, staring intently at the ground. Perhaps if she focused her attention on this inconsequential blade of grass, she would forget the way Vilkas had looked at her. . .

Fat chance of that.

Lily shook her head, shrugging off his apology. "It's fine," she said, a weak little smile arcing over her lips as she ripped her gaze from the grass and glanced back at him. "Fine. Just. . .reminded me of something, that's all."

Vilkas was gone. Was she really going to spend the rest of her life pining after him?

"I've never heard of Morningside," Lily remarked, in an effort to change the subject. Her ears angled forward, actually slightly intrigued by the name. It sounded pretty enough. "Where is it? Close by? And how did you find out she was your sister?"

She lowered her eyes, feeling a bit bashful. In the wake of her upset, she had forgotten her manners entirely. "Sorry, I don't mean to pry."

He was kind. He didn't try to pry, which was encouraging. She knew she would have (although she was getting better at keeping her mouth shut!). It wasn't something she wanted to talk about, and she was content to lounge and listen to his story, let him do the talking.

"That's amazing!" Lily remarked when he was finished, tail beating against the ground. "It's like Eris and Ali--they were separated, for a while, and then found each other here. You're so lucky to have her close by, even if she is in a different pack."

Her mouth quirked in a wry smile. "Apparently I should do more scouting," she added, "since Morningside is a name I've never heard in my life. Perhaps we could visit together sometime?" she asked, her eyes hopeful. "When I've recovered?"

"That would be wonderful," she replied, her voice bright (albeit a bit hoarse). She coughed raggedly for a moment, then beamed up at him, toes curled in delight. "To all of it. A trip away will do me good."

Of course, it all hinged on her getting better soon. How long would this nagging cold hold on? Sometimes she shook it off in a matter of days, others it had stuck around for quite a while. She hoped fervently that this illness fell into the former category rather than the latter.

But Khali would make a great traveling companion. She felt as if she had only scratched the surface of the man--that there was much more still to discover. It was a prospect that excited her, and she looked forward to their journey to Morningside.