Down the rabbit hole || joining(?)

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LOST IN WONDERLAND

OOC NOTE: Yes, Rhea has joined before, however I didn't know how to play children her age correctly and jumped into playing her too quickly. In light of that, I retconned her entire existence in Tanglewood. Now I feel ready to play her again. Also TW FOR IMPLIED PARENTAL DEATH

The mud under her paws was the greatest relief after walking for so long. Her paw pads had cracked, raw skin irritated by gravel and dirt. Exhaustion gripped her like a harness, dragging her along for the ride. She couldn't even keep her wings folded, leaving them to dredge through the mud. By now, she looked more brown than blue. Grime caked to her fur like a second skin. Anyone could see her ribs through her fur, how her skin was pulled taut around her joints and face. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth, shriveled. Teddy was a rock on her back, his face missing a few pieces.

Her parents were sleeping when she left them in their destroyed home, she didn't notice the gold pools beneath them, a few weeks ago. Was it a few weeks? Maybe it was a few months, she didn't know. Time was hard when you were on a mission, and when you were two months old. Hunting was hard too. She mostly ate berries. Sometimes they made her sick instead of full.

Walking became too much, one misstep and she was crashing down into the mud. Teddy fell off her back next to her. She didn't have enough energy to get back up again.

speech

[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[wormwood.]

It was rather lucky for little Rhea that Wormwood had been moving along the border at that particular moment when she went splashing down into the thick mud of the swamp, surprising him and jerking him from his thoughts when he heard her and smelled her at the same time. He had just been moving along the border in a sort of zoned out state, and he blinked in surprise at the small kit for a moment before his one good eye widened in both fear and worry. He quickly moved over to the small child, gently resting one of his wings on top of her and rumbling softly as he gently nudged at her, "Little one? Little one, are you alright? Oh, please wake up... I'll bring you to camp so that you can have some food and water and wash off this mud... please be alive." He pressed his head in close and was relieved when he heard her heartbeat steadily going on, even if she was exhausted. He nudged her a few more times, just trying to wake her up so that she could climb up onto his back and he could bring her to where she could have help.

[glow=black,2,300]THE FREEDOM OF FALLING[/glow]