dancing with monsters

It seemed the young muse was back again....Kleio knew not how long she had been without her sisters at this point, and there was no telling whether or not they still lived, but she did know that if she simply allowed herself to continue wasting away in their absence, she risked throwing away the last of their spirit along with her own. Or her reputation if she happened upon any of them and they still breathed. Anyway, she figured that if she had somehow been spared by the disaster that had separated them all in the first place, it had to have been for a reason. She could not bring herself to throw away this second chance at life.

Well, third, at this point.

She had kept herself hidden for the duration of her season, but with winter coming to a close, Kleio felt it safe to emerge once again. It was far too cold yet for the rivers to be fished with ease, but that did not stop her from squinting at the layer of surface ice for signs of movement underneath. All the while, she kept her ears erect and moving, for she was no idiot; she could smell the stenches of various packs all around her. It was with luck that she had meandered so thoughtlessly into a patch of neutral territory.

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