[P]erhaps now we are free

He can see the tenderness with which she walks, the slight flinch in each step that speaks volumes to the ravaged body she carries. Still he doesn't move to support her. She has enough strength in her own bones. He'd probably just trip her with his own limping. When she looks back, Adair is there; he's always there. He flashes her a comforting grin, but his teeth are gritting too hard to properly answer her. When her eyes move from him, he relaxes back into the half-dragging limp, lips turned down in focus. The darkness closes in around them, inescapable and yet somehow comforting. Even in the dim light Ellasyn's pale grey form is still visible, and he follows without hesitation. A breath cool, refreshing air washes across his exposed tongue, and it's then he sees the spring, too. It glitters in what afternoon light finds its way through the thick growth around them, and for a moment he's fooled, too.



Gingerly he follows Ellasyn to the water's edge, vibrant red eyes flickering across the surface of the spring in a moment's excitement. The glittering slivers that dart just beneath the still surface look more like captured spirits than they do fish. With a sly look to his sister, Adair hoists himself onto the rock ledge surrounding the spring, and quickly slips into the cool water. A sigh of relief parts his jaws as it washes over him, caressing every sore muscle and bruised bone. Lifting a paw, he slaps the water to send a spray at Ella's face.