The first thing Valdis felt upon awakening was confusion. The world no longer shifted. It was stationary and solid, the edges were sharper, more defined, more colorful, and yet harsh and painful to look at. Gone were the mists and sense of weightlessness. Her limbs were heavy, seemingly from lack of use, her throat dry and her senses dulled.

Something stirred within her essence and it took her a moment to recognize that it was the souls she held, they too were waking from their stasis. A few moments later the heaviness in her limbs faded, her senses sharpened and her head began to clear. She sat up, perhaps a little too quickly, because the world began to spin, but it quickly settled as her sense of balance returned.

Milyn's voice cut through her confusion and Valdis became aware of the necklace around her neck. She supposed that it was suiting to have her soul bound to a wolf pendant.

She looked around, keeping her movements slow as her regenerative powers worked to restore her body to order. She didn't yet have the strength to stand. It was similar to coming back from death, but without the pain and she knew that the recovery would be faster. The first thing she noticed was the smell and she immediately tried to shut off all sense to her nose, which of course didn't work. She covered her nose, opting to breathe through her mouth in order to dull the offensive scent. As she continued her analysis, she knew that they had been asleep far longer than intended, because all the men had beards.

Normally the passage of time wouldn't have bothered her, but a lot could have changed in a year and she had slept through it all.