Phoenix Maplewood All tangled up

Weariness followed the Phoenix alpha around like a dreary cloud. Her shoulders were slumped enough for anyone to suspect exhaustion, and she carried her head low, but it wasn't with the intent of tracking or hunting as it often was. Her steps were deliberately slow as she strolled through the sunny woods, but she made no effort to mask the sound of her paws. It was really just an attempt to spare her injuries any further aggravation, and because each step felt weighted.

The warden in her yearned to go to the borders and patrol, to get some energy back from that mundane task, but she worried about discovering yet another trespasser. Though she warred with herself, Saena chose to stay in the forest's interior, away from potential incidents, if only because she couldn't mentally handle it at present. Whatever had changed to make Phoenix Maplewood's borders a hotspot for wolves without a hint of instinct or sense, it was taking a toll on the young alpha, who had had little to contend with up until now.

Her aimless wandering brought her to one of the forest's rivers. She stooped and drank deeply, and was surprised to find that bending forward didn't hurt her leg or hindquarters badly. They were healing, even though she was making it bloody hard for them. She lifted her head, shook away the drops of water, and began to trace the river northward, but she didn't get very far before she found Scarlett sitting at the river's edge.

Part of her yearned to be alone with her thoughts and fatigue, but Saena was mainly social, so she slowly approached the albino with a muttered, "I'm sorry this first week has been hell in a handbasket for you. For all of us, really. We never had problems like this before, and never so soon after one another."