There weren't many moments the dark king left the borders but it was starting to get chilly and the man did hate the cold. He usually bore it with no complaint, yet the dark king noticed that he had yet to eat anything since the morning when he had begun his patrols so he decided to grab a quick bite to eat and head to the pack den for a brief respite from the chill. It wasn't so much he felt the chill, for really he just disliked the season. It didnt bring many happy memories, if any. So with these thoughts in mind the former guardian headed to a cache that was near the pack den and grabbed a couple of fish from it making a mental note to thank Duckweed if he saw him.

As he neared the communal den, Miccah was reminded of the days he spent almost none of his tine there. He had preferred to be alone. Now the man still enjoyed his solitude but he liked being surrounded by not only his mate and their children but the rest of his family. The man sat and began to eat silently, wondering if any would pass by.

A hollow cough shook her body, the sound almost as painful to the ears as the feeling in her throat. The fit persisted for several moments, causing her eyes to water. When it was finally done, a russet paw lifted to rub her dark nose, its surface paradoxically dry. "Eugh..!" She grunted, shaking her head to try and clear the ringing in her ears. At least she could do it without tumbling over now, the dizziness that had plagued her for the past moon's time finally gone, and her nose no longer stuffy. Only the cough remained, coming over her every few breaths it seemed. The almost-yearling gritted her teeth, wanting to growl in her irritation, but afraid it might provoke another coughing fit. Instead she just kicked at the snow, sighing lightly.

She was bored out of her skull. Her mother had been rather forceful in keeping her in the den, so she could rest up. For a while Flair had been so tired that it didn't matter, she just slept. But after awhile it got old, even as her head grew clearer and her body stronger, she still needed to relax. Giving a heavier sigh, the reddish girl let herself collapse into the snow, rolling over once, wrapping herself in the cold in a small act of rebellion. Not that it did much – her fur had grown long and dense for the winter – what she really wanted to do was go, somewhere, anywhere! She'd stayed put for this long, wasn't that enough?

She heard the approaching steps creak in the snow, but it seemed to much effort to get up; She was supposed to be recovering anyway. Though, as she rolled slightly, twisting her neck to look towards the clearing's edge, she half regretted that choice. The look on her mother's face was deceptively calm, something Flair had learned meant someone had really messed up. She quickly shuffled back up into a sitting position, shaking out here fur to clear in clinging flakes from the russet hairs. The quiet sound falling from her mother's lips was much more dangerous than any actual scolding words.

Ears falling sideways, the girl turned her eyes to her mother briefly before flicking them down. Amber gaze landed on the small bundle of herbs, her face twisting into a grimace. But she quickly shifted the expression, looking at Aideen with confidence at the question. "I'm fine," she assured, thumping her tail lightly against the snow a few times to underline the message; "Great, no need to worry, super-e-dooh!" Maybe if she was convincing enough, her mother wouldn't force that medicine on her. Of course the strategy was completely ruined by a new coughing fit, icky and painful as it tore at her throat. Her shoulders shook, ears flat against her skull as she fought against the tightness in her chest. When she was finally finished, she gazed sheepishly up at her mother, knowing full well what was coming next.

It was an, oh so rare, quiet moment. The Woodland queen was resting in the sparse grass, poking up between the leaflitter in the clearing before the pack den. Head lying on outstretched paws, eyes half closed, she tried to ignore all the responsibilities pressing on her shoulders, just for a short respite before she had to get back to it all. There was just so much: The borders, gathering herbs, looking after the infirmary and the den; Caring for her children, the boys and the yearlings; And then there was Zilas, and Kaela. Too many problems on top of everything..!

She sighed, shifting in her place, trying in vain to get more comfortable. It was too much weight on her slender shoulders, and she felt terribly alone with it all. The better part of her knew that she wasn’t, that her mate was struggling just as much, fighting just as hard as she was to keep it all together, keep them safe and well fed. But the more worn out she got, the harder it was to think so clearly, that better half got pushed in the background. She needed help with all of these things, all her woes, but she wasn’t getting it; If I could just rest, just for a little while…

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