Ocean's Breath Plateau a psychic wound

he had stayed close, searching the borders for red leaf. but he kept with marina and tullik, hunting the sea, keeping an eye out for ghelan, and clearing weeds that had begun to grow along the lodges.
chakliux was delightfully mired in a wrestling match with three of his growing children when the call came. he knew the blackbird woman from their first hunt for the man who had attacked marina.
shaking the pups off, he did not forbid them from following as he trotted toward the borders. a pale figure of familiarity was there, but as he drew nearer, chakliux saw all was not well.
"what has happened? where did you go?" he asked, moving forward to place his shoulder against her own, to lift her with body and arm. she had been so muscled before, long-strided and confident.
what had changed her to this? beneath the weakness, a new fragrance lurked, quite subtle, near unrecognizable to anyone who had not spent a great deal of time around women. his brow furrowed.