Dragoncrest Cliffs why do birds appear every time you question the government?

The first night back in Drageda feels surreal. She’d been unable to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time, occasionally drifting between sleep and consciousness. It never failed any time close to slipping into slumber, she’d be tugged right back out. When she gave up, and laid uselessly on the cold around, a little ways off from the other wolves, she struggles to keep her mind off of the others they’d temporarily left behind.
 
Eventually, she gives up on sleeping and slips out of Hougeda and disappears for the rest of the night. It isn’t until the sun begins to rise that she feels remotely like herself. As the day grows, the sky brightening every so often, she feels anxiety seep into her chest, filling up her longs. She hasn’t properly greeted the wolves she left behind and she sets off through the redwoods in a nervous-paced trot for a fresh scent of those left behind.
 
Instinctively, she heads for Rose’s den. A bird sounds up high and she glances up, not necessarily seeing anything in particular and so she ignores it, swinging back to reorient herself. After a few minutes, the anxiety grows thicker and she takes a gasping breath, slowing to a stop. Her heart beats heavy in her ears, drowning out the sounds of the outside world. Her ears fall back and she lowers her head, taking a slow step forward.
 
A bird sounds up high and she glances up, again, blinking a few times against the sun. Somehow, she’s turned herself around and gone in a circle. The drumming in her ears gets louder the harder her heart pounds in her chest. Furi lifts one foot to take a step but the world turns a little too much to the left, causing her to sway and stagger to the right in order to correct it. When it doesn’t help, she scrunches her eyes and lowers to the ground, folding her legs up into herself as she waits for the moment to pass.

It had been one day since everyone had returned to the cliffs. Most of those who had left were sleeping or healing their wounds and Seri didn't blame them. They had fought hard and deserved a rest. The only two wolves that Seri really sorta knew were Furi and Blixen and she wondered how they were doing. Simply by strolling she found Furi down on the ground curled up in a strang position. It looked almost as though she was afraid of something, shaking a bit here and there. 

She walked up to her with a somewhat conserned look on her face, "Furi are you alright?" she asked.

It hurts for several minutes. Trying to breathe takes more effort than it ever has surely, this can’t be the way she dies, right? She’d gone through a war! Not that she saw anything, but she’d still gone and risked her life and here, losing control of everything is how she goes?
 
Furi, are you all right?
 
One ear twitches but it takes several seconds for her to actually move, jerking out of position and stumbling to her feet. She blinks several times at Seri’s form blurry but she struggles to come into focus. “I-I—” is all she can stammer out through a weighted breath. Nothing else has the ability to leave her tongue and she closes her eyes again, hoping to find some peace through the panic.

Furi stood up and only had a few stamers to say. Her eyes were blinking rapidly and almost appear to not be registering what was going on around her. Seri wasn't completely sure what to do. She had meet Furi before, but they weren't best friends or anything. But she seemed paniced, as though her heart might be racing. Seri took slow steps forward trying to speak in a warm tone. "Hey Furi... You alright?" she asked again steping forward to lightly tap her with her muzzle, to see if that might bring her back to reality.

It isn’t until Seri’s nose touches her cheek that she feels some sort of centered comfort. From there, she starts to feel the rest of her body individually, for a moment, and then acting as one from there on out. Furi blinks, taking heavy breaths and glancing around as if she’d been misplaced and woke up somewhere foreign. She can still recall how she’d gotten here but the panic is still fresh in her mind, not quite free of the danger. “Uh, yeah.. yeah, I’m f-fine, I’m sorry,” she mutters after shaking her head, taking a step back for space to breathe despite what had been a comfort a moment ago.

After Seri taps Furi's cheek Furi's panic begins to fade, still flustered, but able to utter a comprehend able sentence. She took a few steps back taking deep breaths, it sounded almost as though she were slowly panting, but it was better then the quick shortened breaths she had been experiencing prior. Seri gave her some space, to breath before speaking once again. 

Unconvinced by her answer she remarked, "Are you sure? It looked like you were somewhere else... paniced almost." she said, hoping she wasn't pushing Furi too much.

She focuses on Seri’s words when she speaks, even if she doesn’t believe her. Not even Furi believes her words. She licks her lips and shakes her head, more to clear her mind than to disagree with the assumption, but she still needs a few more seconds. Her rump lowers to the ground and she sits, finding better balance there and a lax sort of comfort with Seri. Sometimes she forgets she’s met her before and maybe it’s best that way. The thought flickers away just as quickly as it came and she takes a long breath, sizing up the next thing she wants to try and say.

“Yeah…” she pauses, even if it’s not convincing. “I just… I think I forgot where I was,” she admits and swallows a lump that formed thick in the back of her throat. “I thought I was outside of Blackfeather,” she says, this time quieter, and her ears plastering against the back of her head with worry.

Seri was a bit confused as to what Furi meant when she mention not remembering where she was. But hearing about how she thought she might be outside of Blackfeather Woods made Seri think she might have been having a flashback of sorts.

Furi seemed to have been calming down now and Seri wanted to know what might be causing this or what was on her mind during that. "Like a flashback?" she asked.

Furi doesn’t understand what happened but the discomfort has lasting effects. Her breathing is still labored, though it has slowed, and she knows where she is. Seri hadn’t gone with them to the caldera, or Blackfeather, and everything shifts, falling back into a memory rather than the present day her mind shaped for her. “I guess so,” she says, licking her lips and noting how dry her mouth is. “I think I need some water,” she adds, deciding it is best to forget what she’d been doing leading up to the panic. It isn’t important on finding whatever caused the event but she’s thankful Seri is here, a weak smile on her muzzle as she moves and turns to find the lake hoping her friend will follow along.

Sorry for the wait

---

Furi agreed with her somewhat, but from her responce it sounded like she wasn't sure, just like Seri. She was still recovering from the incident, but at least she has here, for the most part. When she remarked about needing water Seri nodded her head and stepped aside to let her pass and move to the river and get a drink. She didn't say anything on the way, just walked along side of her as they walked. Once they reached the river Seri sat down as Furi took her drink, contemplating what she should say.

On one hand asking questions could help her figure out what was going on and possibly help her stop it, but on the other hand it could also bring up unwanted memories and thoughts. Unsure of what to say, Seri though to go about this slowly, asking small and hopfully untriggering questions about the incident. "Has this been happening often? Since you returned home."

For the moment, her only focus is the water. All the panic depleted what little energy she already had. If she still weren’t so shaken, she’d probably be able to find somewhere to sleep off the exhaustion for the never several hours.
 
When she stops by the water, she stares blankly for a moment at the surface. She reminds herself she’s home and she’s safe—as well as everyone—and it’s okay. She lowers her head and drinks until she’s quenched, licking her lips and water droplets free of her muzzle.
 
“I haven’t felt that great since we’ve been back but…” she pauses, thinks about drinking more, but turns away to face her friend. “I didn’t really do anything while I was there though.”

She said she didn't feel good, but it sounded like she didn't know why, seeing as how she didn't do much there. Seri wondred what they meant and if it were true why she would be seeing things. From her recollection it was usually those who had faught or seen something that were haunted later on by the event. "You mean you didn't fight?" she asked wondering what roll Furi had to play in the war. "Did you see something particularly troubling while you were there that might have stayed in your mind?" she asked wondering if it could be that instead. She spoke to Furi in a calm and friendly voice, not wanting her questions to panic her or worry her.

“No, me and Artaax hung back in case something happened. If someone were to flee or when they came back, we would be there waiting for them,” she explains. It had been uneventful, if a little embarrassing trying to talk to Artaax, but they hadn’t seen anything except the broken bodies retreating victoriously from Blackfeather. It didn’t feel right to walk back without a scratch when the others had everything to show for it.
 
Furi licks her lips and looks away, thinking about drinking again to bide the time. She doesn’t like how Seri is prying into it, feeling the urge to shut down and lash out again. She’s done it once to the girl as it haunts her, though the pale wolf doesn’t remember her from before. Brushing the thought away, that she might even confess, she glances somewhere else to hide her expression.

Seri was stumped, she couldn't think of a reason as to why this episode might have happened to Furi. She hadn't been in the battle, and from what it sounded like she hadn't seen anything terrible. The only reason Seri could think this episode might have happened was because of trama, maybe simply having a role to play, not matter how small, was enought to tramatize her. But Seri wasn't a genious, and was no master of the lupin mind. Comming up empty on all of her guesses she had nothing else to ask and though about leaving Furi alone for awhile to let her regain herself more fully.

"Hmm... Well I hope whatever happened doesn't happen again. But if it does, feel free to talk to me about it." she offered to her friend. Maybe if this happened again Seri would have a better idea, but she hoped she couldn't get that opportunity.

Seri doesn’t have any more suggestions and she is surprised she’s a little more receptive. Furi looks away but nods her head, giving her the benefit of the doubt. She’d managed to pull her out of panic and that’s gotta count for something, right? Maybe if she figures it out later, or she actually has questions, she’ll seek out the pale girl, but for the time being she only nods her head in thanks and smiles. “I think I need some time alone,” she says quietly before she slinks off in no particularly direction.