It didn't feel right to feel so unnerved by his presence and yet, it had felt entirely natural. It made her recoil inside as he began to approach her, his legs stiff and eyes seemingly vacant. Against her instincts, though, she remained stationary though her legs insisted she dash away - instead, she did her best to give him a small, kind grin and an uneasy wave of her tail. Her tension was likely palpable but it was merely a... nervous tension, never malicious. Fearful, almost. Never had she imagined Meryl's face capable of such vacancy. His eyes no longer seemed to shine with his usual warmth and love.

Her name, however, eased her tension immediately. At least, for the time being. It made her muscles relax - she could sense a certain something in his words. Recognition, a far off affection. What had happened? She wracked her brain and yet, nothing made sense. She had been caught off guard, too, as he suddenly look her within his jaws. It made her muscles tense once more though she did her best to remain relaxed; his closeness was something she wished to savior and yet, it seemed unlike him. For a moment, she might have been unsure that she had approached the correct wolf but... this close, she knew it was truly Meryl. Everything was him except, it wasn't.

In an effort to return some normalcy to him, she leaned into him, placing her muzzle against the warmth of his neck. Even there, she could feel how thin he had become - he'd never been a large wolf and yet, now he seemed to disappear beneath her. Still, he smelt warm. Kind. He smelt like all the things she was used to and she was almost lulled into a calmness as she closed her eyes and breathed his scent in. Then, had had spoke. Slowly, she peeled herself away so that she might meet his eyes - her brows furrowed as she searched their depths for some kind of answer.

"Who is gone, Meryl?"

She queried him gently, her voice soft and quiet as the pink of her eyes lingered on his. She grinned again, small and sweet, desperate to return some kind of familiarity into this situation. Besides, she had to get him home.

"Is... is Meryl here?"

The question had slipped out without a thought; it had been a fleeting consideration and yet, her tongue moved to speak it without her permission. Her eyes widened slightly and yet, she attempted to cover the question with action. Again, she nuzzled her small muzzle into his dark fur. She didn't know why she had asked. Of course he was here.