Emberwood Dancing with somebody else.

She had not seen Awol in a few days, which was worrying. Kukulkan either. It was as if they had set up a scheduled rotation for the first few days after her awakening and now she was missing them; perhaps she merely slept through their visits? They could not be far, she reasoned. Maybe the herds had returned and they were set upon finding larger game for the pack. Ibis told herself not to worry. It was difficult to stop her mind from churning out negative machinations while she lay prone within her little den, but she knew it would only stress her out and make her feel worse if she focused too much upon it.

The first week passed by so slowly; the second was nearly done too, and she was feeling a little bit more like herself, but she had yet to try and venture far from her hiding place. The very thought of standing made her dizzy and so Ibis had yet to attempt it, afraid that she might hurt herself without supervision - which brought her back to wondering where everyone had gone off to.

The sound of something treading nearby did catch in her ears, funnelled to her by the tiny den's walls. Something large and formidable was striding through the Emberwood and getting closer, closer, closer — she hoped it was a friendly face, and poked her nose out of the den mouth in time to catch a whiff of @Kavik (likely on a patrol, she reasoned), and sighed deeply, releasing the tension which had built up within her.

Ibis thought to call out. If he was busy patrolling then that would be fine, but what if he was hunting? Unwilling to risk spoiling his effort with whatever he was doing, she opted to stay quiet - but carefully extracted herself from the tight ball she had become upon the den floor, and with limbs trembling she tried to stand and take a few meek steps. Her haunches wanted to go down instantly; she fought against the urge to sit, though, and wobbled towards a nearby sapling, which braced her in the next moment as vertigo made the choice for her and forced her to plant herself again.

His had finished his daily patrol a bit earlier and had decided to check on Ibis. He knew she had finally woken, and he hoped that she was continuing to get better. He figured it might be a slow process, which was fine, but he didn't intend to hold this position forever. Eventually, he would like to give it back to her when she was ready. That wasn't the purpose of his visit today, though; he wanted to bring her something to eat and offer her company if she wanted it. He was concerned about how lonely she might feel being confined to her den all the time; that couldn't be helpful to her healing process.

A vole swung from where he held it between his jaws as he made his way through the trees towards Ibis' den. In case she happened to be asleep, he slowed his steps as he drew near, trying his best to approach quietly. It turned out to be unnecessary, though, because as he came to the entrance of the den, he saw her out and propped against a small tree. He tried to speak, but his words were muffled by creature still held in his mouth. He dropped it near her and tried again. Ibis, you're out of the den today, he commented, a small smile tugging one side of his mouth. Does that mean you're feeling better? He nosed the food closer to her. I brought this for you if you're hungry. Otherwise, she could save it for later.

The giant of a man came striding from the tree line, carrying something with him. He offered it to her upon finding her, which made her smile a meek little smile. Everyone was so kind to her, so giving, even when she didn't have the energy to be useful to the pack. It made her feel good. When he came even nearer she took a moment to inspect his coat for scents - eager to know who was still among them in the woods, trying to find any sign of her friends. There was Reiko's scent of course, and Kukulkan's, but nowhere was there Awol, or Bhediya, or even the dappled woman's daughter Easy -- how many would leave her?

I am feeling a little better, she offers as she draws back to herself, nesting against the base of the sapling.

A stern expression knits across her tiny face though, and she remarks: The forest... It is so quiet. Where is everyone? Her eyes focused upon Kavik's face as she asked this, filling with concern. Although Ibis understood she had been asleep she did not know for how long, nor why, and it was especially strange to wake up to find her friends dispersed.

He held still while she drew in the scents of his coat, wondering what she was searching for. Maybe she was just lonely being cooped up here during her healing, and the scent of the pack was comforting to her. Eventually, she settled back against the tree, informing him that she was feeling a little better. He was glad to hear it; he wanted her back in good health and leading her pack again. 

Her next question drew his eyebrows together in concern. Some left without word to me or anyone else that I can tell. I don't know why. That is just the way of things sometimes. It had happened in every pack he had ever lead, and he had stopped trying to figure out why a long time ago. Bhediya left because she no longer felt safe here, he continued, sighing. The situation still weighed heavily on his mind and heart. Something happened with Pygmalion; she wouldn't tell me all the details, but he tried to hurt her and scared her enough that she didn't want to be anywhere that he could find her. She was hiding in the mountains, but she was no longer there the last time I went back to check on her. He worried what might have happened. He could only hope that she found somewhere safe, maybe with a different pack. 

Now, their numbers dwindled, something he was far too familiar with. He knew that no amount of searching for members would change their fate. Either the pack would fall apart or they would rally and find enough new members to keep them afloat until times were more prosperous.

Tired as she felt, worry still flooded through Ibis when she heard of all the changes. Danger from Pygmalion? Bhediya gone --? That explained where her friend had vanished to, at least, but did nothing to rid her of the terrible sense of dread that now filled her heart. Her face showed as much: a furrowed brow, pinched frown of a mouth. Ears slanting back.

It was in that moment that Ibis recalled - not with any true clarity mind you - the scene that had sent her in to her coma. A flash of memory resurfaced; a body drowned and frozen. While the stranger she had come across had been fairer in tone, in that moment she saw Bhediya's darkly mottled coat. Her face locked in a scream of protest, frozen for eternity.

All it took was a hasty blink, and she was rid of that image. But the fear remained.

Should we look for her? Ibis wondered aloud. Or... Maybe its for the best. Maybe she's safe somewhere already. It hurt to think that her friend had to leave. This place was meant to be a safe place to outlast the winter, but it seemed as if winter was on its way out and there weren't many of them left. Ibis looks to Kavik and watches his face for a moment, gathering her thoughts again and trying to drown the unease inside of herself. What do we do now? I haven't seen Awol since I woke up either. The only constants are you, Reiko, Kukulkan... We can't continue like this. There aren't enough of us. How demoralizing it was, to wake up with your home in ruins.